Photographer Gray Malin travels the world snapping some of the most iconic beaches and far off destinations from a bird’s eye point of view: the Riviera, Aspen, Bolivia, and most recently Antarctica. Malin’s work is all about perspective and gives the impression of being everywhere at once. He takes everyday scenarios and turns them into unattainable objects, interesting shapes, and saturated colors. This is in part because he takes pictures from doorless helicopters, which sets him far away from the subject. He says that from such a distance, his subject “becomes a blank canvas” and the tiny umbrellas, people, and ocean become an art. A colossal range with a lone skier looks tranquil and comforting, instead of jarring; and the salt flats of Bolivia rich with character.
At first glance, his aerial shots look like digitized hand drawings, but upon closer look every detail of scene is captured, only possible through a lens. From a distance, Malin’s work is a showcase of confetti and strict patterns that draw you in for a closer look. With each focused look, you are drawn in by the great detail of each individual confetti – beach goers tanning on striped towels or a pair of sandals sitting along the shore. You begin to wonder about the scene on the ground right by the shore and the story the larger photograph tells. The abstract confetti is not only apparent in this aerials, but come to life in true form in his Far Far Away collection in which real confetti floats above the Bolivian sea salts.
As if each individual photograph isn’t enough to fill a room with patterned confetti, Malin has ventured into décor by producing wallpapers with images from his A La Plage collection. And now A La Plage is doubled on the shores of the Riviera, with Malin’s newest line, which depicts the scenes from the named collection on men’s swimwear.
