GlobalGrind met photographer Joy Malone at a red carpet event for the VH1 mini reality series “Love & Hip-Hop” several weeks ago in Midtown, New York. We knew there was something special about her even before we introduced ourselves because the self assurance normally found in event photographers and papparazzi was missing. Additionally, there was a quiet happiness bubbling inside Malone in spite of the cold air that chilled her and the other photographers who were waiting for America’s newest reality celebs to arrive. When Malone spoke, there was a lyrical lilt in her voice as she described the type of photography she was interested in (landscapes at night) when not working as an apprentice under celebrity photographer Johnny Nunez, months after earning her Masters of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2010.
Malone, in her 20’s and born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, discovered photography while she was an undergrad at St. Johns University, falling in love with the medium after taking a course as an elective. She has deep roots in Girl Scouting and while at St. John’s she designed a photography program to help expose girls to the art of darkroom photography. Malone approached the Girl Scouts of Westchester Putnam with her idea and, after approval, she converted a small closet into a darkroom. Over 100 girls and a few boys participated in the program.
Malone’s photographs evoke a religious quality found only in sun streaked churches, recalling the stained glass windows found there. It doesn’t matter if the image we’re looking at is Times Square at 3 AM or the Brooklyn Bridge at five after midnight, Malone’s rendition of the city at night transcends and trumps the night images (streaking taxi lights, steam billowing from underground, for example) we’ve all become accustomed to. Her technique is a secret (it’s by hand not automation in Photoshop) and it has won her several awards and exhibitions. Get to know her work here.
ABOVE: “42nd Street” by Joy Malone
After the break, additional images.
“Chinatown” by Joy Malone.
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“The Church of The People” by Joy Malone.
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“Grand Central” by Joy Malone.
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“The Brooklyn Bridge” by Joy Malone.
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“Times Square/42nd & 8th Avenue” by Joy Malone.
