In Focus: Teton Ghost Town - On Fathomaway.com

Jackson, WY - Collodion Gallery Project

Featured at SCOPE Art Fair Miami 2011

"An Oven Rests in the Field" 8 x 10" original tintype.

"Wildflowers on the River Bank." 8 x 10 original ferrotype.

"The Lone Tree." 8 x 10 original tintype.

"Tire on Wood." 8 x 10 original tintype.

"Fence Post at Dusk." 8 x 10 original ferrotype.

"A Barrel in the Stream." 8 x10 original ferrotype.

"Aspen Trees in Autumn." 8 x 10 original ferrotype.

"Television in a Puddle." 11 x 14 original ferrotype.

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Ortega Ridge Ranch, Santa Barbara.

Collodion on location in Santa Barbara.

"My Life in Super 8" a new Collodion Still Life by RCM.

Flowers and Vase

Here are the tintypes from a recent still life shoot originally inspired by the beauty and mystery that exists in flowers. This is the first run of a series I'm putting together involving the collodion process and the way it interprets organic subject matter! I was blown away to see how an ordinary bouquet of flowers turns into something so alien and bizarre when translated onto the tin-type format.

After a couple frames I decided to spray paint the bouquet a shiny metallic silver (see below-- earlier post). The detail literally pops off the plate exposing the intricacy of the leaves and flowers at work here while giving it an almost industrial quality.

The idea was to sort of immortalize the bouquet. I mean this in the sense that the flowers are already dead and gone but the image allows them to live on forever--strong, full of life, and strangely wonderful.


Please stay tuned for more still lifes from the series. These are also available for purchase to decorate the home and other interior spaces...

Nude Collodion

Here are some ferrotypes from a recent collodion shoot. I love the random imperfections caused by chemical reactions on the plate's surface! It sort of adds this bizarre element to the image--notice the bottom right corner of the tinype to the left. The collodion emulsion seems to be folding in on itself creating a very unusual impact on the nude.

The work shown here is part of a collection of collodion nudes that I'm shooting for a book of fine photography.

"The Morrow" Collodion Portraits

Attached are some recent ferrotypes from a portrait sitting this week at my collodion studio. The three "plates" are of Brooklyn singer/songwriter Daniel Morrow of "The Morrow"... www.myspace.com/themorrowworld

More soon!

~RCM

Still Life~ Televisons and Roses

Check out the new set of "plates" taken yesterday. I found this amazing old school vintage TV on the sidewalk and spray-painted it gold and suspended it against a black backdrop! I guess it's my own strange Collodion farewell tribute to broadcast!

Also, here are some more rose still lifes. The chemicals have been acting funny lately while using the process creating bizarre streaks and patterns on and across the plate's surface. Normally I'm not a big fan of too much imperfection but feel it almost makes these more effective given the chosen subject matter....
There are plenty more on the way...stay tuned! ~RCM

Collodion Still Lifes

After a long period of shooting mainly portrait work, I've decided to add some new direction into the mix: Collodion Still Lifes.

I love shooting portraits of all types largely because of the human interaction that takes place during the experience. Everyone has such a unique look and it always translates so differently from one person to the next in the Collodion process! While I'm actively shooting portrait sittings and fine art projects in studio, I've decided it was time to apply this antiquated method to creating still lifes. The finished "plates" will be used for wine labels, graphics, and commissioned fine art mixed media pieces for the home and beyond!
This is my first (recent) still life...some aged and wilting roses on a table. It is amazing how they come back to life in 2-D!


The attached image is on a 5x7" plate of tin (ferrotype). Please stay tuned for many more still lifes to come! -Robert Christian Malmberg.

Friends in town from Santa Barbara, CA

Here is some recent plates (ferrotypes) taken of some friends in town visiting from Santa Barbara. The plate on the left is a portrait of artist Rebekah Miles, a painter who's work has been discovered recently by fashion giants Rodarte and used on their fashion accessories (handbags, shirts, etc). Rebekah and Nancy flew out to kick off NYC fashion week w/ a party at Opening Ceremony, where a Hunter S. Thompson style Cadillac convertible was parked curbside with Rebekah's designs thrown about on the interior...

Below is a tintype portrait of Nancy Neil, a dear friend and amazing photographer specializing in intimate portraiture that spans many genres with her unique style and alternative methods. She shoots with the Hasselblad (as seen below) as her instrument of choice, but her eye for special details and color is the true source of her creativity....

TOKION Magazine- Grizzly Bear Collodion Editorial

Here is the 'Grizzly Bear' Collodion Editorial for TOKION Magazine's Film and Music Issue, May 2009. This was one of those shoots that comes about at the last minute and somehow through the chaos it comes together perfectly. The issue came out just before the release of Grizzly Bear's much anticipated third album, Veckatimest. The shoot was not styled in the least, as we all felt it would be much truer to their real image. Interview by Peter Alsop, Art Direction by Yeliz Secleri.

Grizzly Bear: (above, left to right) Ed Droste (vocal, guitar), Daniel Rossen (vocals, guitar), Christopher Bear (drums, vocal), and Christopher Taylor (bass, vocals)

BRIDAL Collodion Portraits

Here is a recent Bridal Fashion Editorial we put together at the studio. With an amazing team of stylists, beautiful daylight, and the intricate/flawless Bridal Fashion of Maggie Norris Couture, these are the Bridal portraits we produced.

Hair Stylist: Marco Guglielmino
Makeup: Hagen Linss
Fashion Stylist: Cynthia Altoriso
Assistant: Jessica Savage

Family Tree Collodion

This is a random thing to post, but I thought it was pretty fascinating. This is a scan of an old Collodion Portrait of my great great grandfather Johannes from Norway! What a wild looking dude....and great style....

A special thanks to my Aunt Carol for tracking this down and sending.

Collodion Reveals your Roots

Fairly recently I had a portrait sitting w/ a sweet woman named Penna. She contacted me after finding out about my Collodion Portrait studio and wanted to schedule a sitting. Her inspiration was "old world Arabic " photos she had seen. Penna wanted to do a tribute to her roots stemming from the Middle East. While the portrait session we created was not intended to be an exact replica, it still has traces of the "old world" while also maintaining a contemporary freshness. Most of the jewelry used in the images had significance to Penna, some of it handed down through generations. Makeup art by Hagen Linns and Hair styling by Charley Brown.

"What an amazing Day! Hair and Makeup artists helped me look my best (and we had a ball chatting and laughing the whole time!) They had fantastic ideas and were open to my ideas as well.... Robert was SO amazing to work with. I thought I'd be a little nervous, but I wasn't... His professionalism and calmness made the day just fly by. 

I gave one framed print to my Father as a gift and another to my aunt who watched me during the day as a baby... another print will stay with me for my great grand kids to fight over in 100 years!!

Treat yourself to this amazing gift that will last a lifetime!" - Penna

Collodion Editorial ~ Cage Fashion by Heather Huey

Below are the Ambrotypes ("tintypes") from a shoot we produced this past spring. With flawless fashion design concept by Heather Huey, a fierce team of stylists, and our girl Sky from RED Models NYC, we came up with the story below. Mad credit goes to Marco Guglielmino on hair (www.marconyc.com),  Newheart Ohanion on styling (www.newheartnyc.com), and Agata on makeup. I hope you enjoy! Some of these "plates" are rated PG-13--in case there are is a younger audience viewing....

COLLODION Editorial ~ Cage Fashion