Who has already pre-ordered Gray Malin: The Essential Collection? I received such an overwhelming response from yesterday’s pre-order announcement, that I thought it would be fun to create a special post that gives you a little sneak peek into what you can expect to see in it!
This book is extremely special to me because unlike my other coffee table books which focus on a single series or theme, this book chronologically captures all of my work from the first 10 years of my career. From my humble beginnings in a flea market booth to my adventures around the world, you’ll come along with me on my entire journey and find never before seen images and stories. Throughout the over 350+ pages, my hope is that you will gain a better understanding of my journey and deepen your appreciation for some of your most beloved photographs. Today, I thought I’d highlight some of my favorite chapters in the book to show you all what you can expect when it arrives on May 4th!
## Prada Marfa
The book starts off by sharing my earliest work, one series of which is Prada Marfa. Marfa, Texas is a town I’ve been visiting since I was a kid and is known for its “New York chic” meets “cowboy cool” art scene. As a child, I always loved exploring the thriving art community. In 2005, Elmgreen and Dragset created their famous Prada Marfa installation. After my first visit to the installation, it quickly became one of my muses and I began dreaming up different images I could capture there. This chapter gives you a peek at the scope of my photographs I captured at the Prada Marfa installation from my original black and white images to the beloved Rainbow Cowboy Hats I.
## Gray Malin at the Parker
Over the years, Gray Malin at the Parker has grown to become one of my signature series. The first time I visited the property, I was so inspired by the whimsical design I knew I instantly knew I needed to produce a series there. As I envisioned all the possibilities, my mind ran wild and I imagined a magical world where exotic animals ran the hotel. We turned the resort into a whimsical and fantastical place where wild animals roam free and play the part of hotel guests and employees. I’ve received so many requests to include this series, in a coffee table book, so to see these images printed today is so exciting.
## Art of Living
When I came up with the concept for Art of Living, I was inspired by the breathtaking natural beauty of the island of Bora Bora. The turquoise water and lush trees created the perfect backdrop for this highly conceptualized series that juxtaposed natural, organic beauty and man-made designs, inspired by my passion for interior decorating. I’m excited to share an inside look into how this series was created and give you more insight into all the planning that went into each shot.
## Bon Voyage
Bon Voyage, marks my first portrait series as an artist. The inspiration for this series was sparked when I saw a William Eggleston photograph of a cocktail on a plane and started photographing my own cocktails against airplane windows as I jetted around the world. Bon Voyage captures pop culture icons from throughout the decades with my own jetset-inspired twist. In this book, you’ll see some of my earliest and favorite images from this series.
## Icelandic Horses
I was first inspired to create Icelandic Horses by a painting I saw in Stockholm. I imaging beautiful portraits of the horses, but as I did more and more research I came up with an unexpected twist. Since the horses are already known for their long flowing manes, I thought it would be unique to give each horse a distinctive hairstyle that would reflect an individual personality for each one. I worked with a local hairstylist and horse farmer, to style and shoot the horses on-site and captured the horses in front of the stunning natural landscape of Iceland. I’m so excited for you all to learn more about the development of this series and to admire some of the portraits in the book.
Trust me when I say that’s just a small taste of all that there is to discover in Gray Malin: The Essential Collection. From Hawaii to Capri, this book will take you with me around the world and show you my entire journey as a photographer. Most importantly, my hope is that this book inspires people to chase their dreams. If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be able to achieve all that I have, I never would have believed them. But hard work and perseverance pays off.
If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet, you can do it here!
Cheers!
Xx,
Gray