Lisa Elmaleh is an American visual artist, educator, and documentarian based in Hampshire County, West Virginia. She specializes in large-format photography using tintype, glass negative, and celluloid film. Since 2007, she has been traveling across the United States documenting American landscapes, life, and culture.
Lisa Elmaleh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 20, 1984 Miami, Florida |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | BFA, School of Visual Arts |
| Website | https://www.lisaelmaleh.com/ |
Early life and education
editBorn in Miami, Florida 1984[1] Elmaleh grew up in a small apartment with her mother on a limited income. Her father was a photographer who worked with landscapes; Elmaleh recalls watching him develop photographs in a darkroom, saying "the magic of the images...stuck with me".[2] She attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007.[3]
Methods
editElmaleh creates tintype photographs, learning the collodion process in 2007. Her preferred camera is the Century Universal; she uses a Schneider Kreuznach 300mm lens.[4] The wet collodion process means that images must be shot and developed while the chemicals are still wet on the plate.[5] Many of her photographs focus on Appalachian folk musicians. She converted a Toyota Tacoma truck into a mobile darkroom—driving to meet her subjects.[1] Because of the time constraints of the collodion process, Elmaleh develops the photographs within thirty minutes of taking them. Images are taken and developed one at a time.[5]
Awards and honors
edit- 2010: Artist in Residence at Everglades National Park
- 2011: Won the Aaron Siskind Foundation IPF Grant[5]
- 2012: Won the Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation Grant[6]
- 2013: Named one of Photo District News's "30 New And Emerging Photographers To Watch"[7]
- 2015: Runner up for the Aperture Portfolio Prize[8]
- 2022: Won the Arnold Newman Prize[9]
- 2024: Guggenheim Fellowship[10]
Works
editSome of Elmaleh's works include:[5]
- Everglades: a photo series of the natural environment of South Florida
- American Folk: a photo series of Appalachian folk musicians
Personal life
editShe moved to Paw Paw, West Virginia from Brooklyn in 2014.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Estrin, James (27 March 2019). "Tintype Portraits of Old-Time Musicians from Appalachia". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ Smithson, Aline (2 October 2017). "Lisa Elmaleh: The States Project: West Virginia". Lenscratch. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ "SVA Students and Alumni Awarded in PDN Photo Annual 2014". SVA CloseUp. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ Nikitas, Theano (6 March 2017). "The rebirth of tintype: an old photographic medium is revitalized". Popular Photography. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Lisa Elmaleh". Southbound. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ "Winning Artists". Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ "30 New And Emerging Photographers To Watch – PDN 2013". aPhotoEditor. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ "2015 Aperture Portfolio Prize Runner Up—Lisa Elmaleh". Aperture. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ "2022 Arnold Newman Prize Winner". Maine Media. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ "Lisa Elmaleh – John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation…". Retrieved 2024-07-12.