Francesco Mastalia: ORGANIC

Francesco Mastalia set out on the winding roads of the Hudson Valley, driving more than 17,000 miles with a large format wooden camera and an idea.  An idea to photograph the individuals at the helm of the growing sustainable, local food movement. To date he has photographed over 100 farmers and chefs in his photo-documentary series ORGANIC. The photos in this series eloquently blend the contemporary subject matter, “organic”/sustainable farming, with the historic photographic process of wet plate collodion.  The wet plate collodion process dates back to 1851 and Mastalia refers to the method as “part alchemy and part art”.  The process of taking and developing pictures on glass plates has remained relatively unchanged since its
inception much like the time-honored traditions of the farmers
he photographed.

Bio:  FRANCESCO MASTALIA has traveled the world photographing tribal, religious, spiritual, and indigenous people. His book DREADS published by Workman Artisan is a photo documentary on the history of dreadlocks. Containing travels to Ethiopia, Kenya, Angola, Namibia, Senegal, India, Japan, New Zealand, Jamaica, and throughout the United States.  DREADS is now in its eighth printing, sold worldwide in four languages, and includes an introduction by Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker.