Lisa Elmaleh
Lisa Elmaleh is an American visual artist, educator, and documentarian based in Hampshire County, West Virginia. She specializes in large-format photography using tintype, glass negative, and celluloid film. Since 2007, she has been traveling across the United States documenting American landscapes, life, and culture.
Lisa Elmaleh
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- Name
- Lisa Elmaleh
- Born
- July 20, 1984
- Birthplace
- Miami, Florida
- Education
- BFA, School of Visual Arts
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- photographer
- Honours
- Guggenheim Fellowship
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Documentary summary
Lisa Elmaleh is an American visual artist, educator, and documentarian based in Hampshire County, West Virginia. She specializes in large-format photography using tintype, glass negative, and celluloid film. Since 2007, she has been traveling across the United States documenting American landscapes, life, and culture.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q62605702 · wikipedia · Lisa Elmaleh
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Lisa Elmaleh • Born — July 20, 1984 • Birthplace — Miami, Florida • Citizenship — United States • Education — BFA, School of Visual Arts • Website — https: www.lisaelmaleh.com/
Early life and education
Early life and education
Born in Miami, Florida 1984 Elmaleh grew up in a small apartment with her mother on a limited income. Her father was a photographer who worked with landscapes; Elmaleh recalls watching him develop photographs in a darkroom, saying "the magic of the images...stuck with me". She attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007.
Works
Works
Some of Elmaleh's works include: • Everglades: a photo series of the natural environment of South Florida • American Folk: a photo series of Appalachian folk musicians
Personal life
Personal life
She moved to Paw Paw, West Virginia from Brooklyn in 2014.
Lisa Elmaleh by Cami Turpin
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Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1984
Lisa Elmaleh was born on 1 January 1984.
Methods
Elmaleh creates tintype photographs, learning the collodion process in 2007. Her preferred camera is the Century Universal; she uses a Schneider Kreuznach 300mm lens. The wet collodion process means that images must be shot and developed while the chemicals are still wet on the plate. Many of her photographs focus on Appalachian folk musicians. She converted a Toyota Tacoma truck into a mobile darkroom—driving to meet her subjects. Because of the time constraints of the collodion process, Elmaleh develops the photographs within thirty minutes of taking them. Images are taken and developed one at a time.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Lisa Elmaleh”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q62605702: Lisa Elmaleh
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and honors
• 2010: Artist in Residence at Everglades National Park • 2011: Won the Aaron Siskind Foundation IPF Grant • 2012: Won the Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation Grant • 2013: Named one of Photo District Newss "30 New And Emerging Photographers To Watch" • 2015: Runner up for the Aperture Portfolio Prize • 2022: Won the Arnold Newman Prize • 2024: Guggenheim Fellowship
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Smithson, Aline. Lisa Elmaleh: The States Project: West Virginia. Lenscratch. 2 October 2017.
- 2.SVA Students and Alumni Awarded in PDN Photo Annual 2014. SVA CloseUp. 17 July 2014.
- 3.Nikitas, Theano. The rebirth of tintype: an old photographic medium is revitalized. Popular Photography. 6 March 2017.
- 4.Lisa Elmaleh. Southbound.
- 5.Winning Artists. Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation.
- 6.30 New And Emerging Photographers To Watch – PDN 2013. aPhotoEditor. 5 March 2013.
- 7.2015 Aperture Portfolio Prize Runner Up—Lisa Elmaleh. Aperture.
- 8.2022 Arnold Newman Prize Winner. Maine Media.
- 9.Lisa Elmaleh – John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation….
- 10.Estrin, James. Tintype Portraits of Old-Time Musicians from Appalachia. The New York Times. 27 March 2019.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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