Francesco Mastalia

I first became aware of Francesco Mastalia’s work while reading a magazine featuring his images of organic farmers of the Hudson Valley.

Using a 19th century wet collodion process that Mastalia describes at ‘part alchemy and part art’ each step of the process has a life of its own and the resulting images reflect his unique process.

Exposures of ten to fifteen seconds require that the sitter remains perfectly still and facially relaxed, resulting in portraits lacking the conventional forced smile. The resulting images are stunning, with unusual emotional power and visual depth.

We purchased ten of his farmer portraits for our new offices and every time we walk into the office they speak to us.

Please visit his website at www.francescomastalia.com or email them directly at info@fmphotos.com