Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1137940
64 If Slim Aarons operated i n t h e a g e o f Instagram, he would be Gray Malin. Fine art photographer s l a s h l i f e s t y l e brand Gray Malin is a product of today's interconnected digital world. "Social media has been a very interesting and rewarding piece of my business," he tells PaperCity. "As an e-commerce business, I'm able to relate to so many of my consumers on a personal level through Instagram, and I'm able to turn the camera on myself, something that photographers in the past didn't often do." Malin engaging with his collectors via social media is something I know about firsthand. Back in 2013, I owned a few of Malin's prints from the Marfa and Beaches series and was truly delighted when he commented on a picture I posted from the famed Hotel du Cap- Eden-Roc: "Omg I need to photograph this pool." It's Malin's charming personality, combined with his keen eye, that has made him a runaway success. After selling photographs in a booth at a design market near his L.A. home, Malin learned that people often felt excluded by art, so he set out to create work that brings people together. He grew up in Dallas, where his parents were passionate about taking his sister and him to art and cultural experiences. "My family owns property in Marfa, so I've had a connection to it from a young age," he says. "The work I produced in Marfa very early on in my career taught me a lot about how to incorporate humor and joy, and that's something I've continued to develop in all of my projects." In addition to signed, framed GRAY BY ANNE LEE PHILLIPS IN FULL COLOR