For this week’s photographer, I stumbled across him on Instagram on the explore page. I began to scroll through his Instagram page, and it was full of vibrant traveling photos. The ones that pulled me to talk about him for this week, was his photographs of the beach!
A Little Bit About the Photographer:
Gray Malin started taking pictures in a 10×10 booth at a Sunday market where he often stopped by to look at the unique home decor. From there, he wanted to make photographs that connected people by them enjoying a moment you wish to live within. But what to photograph to achieve that? Well, he decided to do travel photography, from the snowy tundras to the sunny beaches, he captured mainly above-ground views that could be turned into a home decor piece that makes a home truly bright. He achieves most of his aerial views that are unlike anything else by photographing from a helicopter. He would be harnessed in so he could hang out of the helicopter and use his camera manually. His themes have expanded to themes like the beach, water, animals, desert, aerial, balloon, snow, Hollywood, parks, installations, fashion, and pools. He is now known around the world and even has a New York Times best-seller, Beaches a coffee-table collection.
Animals:
As I wrote about above, his style has expanded past travel and onto… animals! However, it is not like the classic animal photos you find. He photographs exotic animals like llamas, camels, lions, and elephants, to more commons animals like dogs and pigs. The animal/animals are never alone, and what I mean by that is they are usually accompanied by balloons!
He had a variety of trainers and animal specialists to help achieve his goal of showing the magic of these animals. When I look at these photos, I can only feel a smile grow on my face and a sparkle in my eye because these photos truly showcase joy. The vibrant colors of the balloons, remind me of a party and something to celebrate. I am not sure if anyone would be able to resist a photo of an elephant walking happily or some dogs with party hats, Gray Malin just captured a happy moment, that can light up a room and bring a lot of conversation.
Travel:
Gray Malin’s specialty is travel, and I have no doubt why! His take on locations, plus the commitment he puts into his work, makes his photos unbelievable. The amount of detail showcased on a huge framing of a landscape grabs my eyes to different parts of the photos.
Since I grew up on the beach, it should be no surprise that I am sucked in by the photos. The clarity in the water is stunning, and I love being able to see the reef under the water. I find this will give many an appreciation for the ocean. This could also be used to showcase the beauty of our sea and may convince many to stop polluting because when they pollute, they dump it into remarkable places like this. This may not be Gray Malin’s attention, but I believe it is a happy accident that could help not only push his motive of “including everyone into a photograph” but help the community take care of the earth a lot better.
Overall:
When people ask me why my dream job would be with photography, I always say “I would love to join photograph a dance company that allows me to travel the world.” I have always loved to travel, I was fortunate enough to explore parts of the world before the pandemic because my parents wanted to pass on their passion for traveling. If I can have a job that allows me to travel like how Gray Malin is able to, I don’t know how I could be happier. His take on classic tourists spots makes them look like a getaway that is only accessible by jumping into his work. It definitely makes me miss traveling and makes me look forward to when this is possible again, I may even photograph where I travel! This may sound silly, but I am not the biggest fan of landscape photographers, because personally, it begins to look the same to me… not his work though. It all catches my eye, and I even hope to purchase some of his work for my room, if only it wasn’t so expensive, I have to get through college first!
“Art is a huge word and so many people don’t understand it,” said Malin. “With my work, I want everyone to feel included with it.”