August Featured Artist: Mallory Brooks
Mallory Brooks | Reimagining Familiar Places Through Experimental Film Photography
The American Frame Artist Spotlight series celebrates artists whose creative vision and craftsmanship demonstrate the power of thoughtful presentation. In this feature, we introduce Mallory Brooks, a fine art photographer whose experimental analog techniques transform familiar destinations into vibrant, painterly works that challenge the way we see everyday places.
Mallory Brooks presents her experimental film photography in our Bright White Nielsen 117 Metal Picture Frame, whose clean, contemporary profile allows the vibrant colors and painterly textures of her work to remain the focal point.
About the Artist: Mallory Brooks
Mallory Brooks didn't begin her career behind the camera.
She spent years working on the account management side of advertising, collaborating with creative teams while building brands and managing client relationships. Photography began as something much more personal.
Through solo travel, she discovered the camera became a way to slow down and connect more deeply with the places she visited. Instead of photographing landmarks, she became fascinated by the ordinary moments and overlooked details that often go unnoticed.
"I discovered my passion for photography and finding more meaning in what was in front of me," she says. "Looking for the everyday moments and scenes that you might pass by if you're not paying attention."
In 2020, Mallory made the decision to pursue photography full-time.
While her career changed, the creative thinking developed during her years in advertising never left. Today, that experience informs everything from how she composes an image to how she develops a cohesive body of work and presents it at galleries and fine art festivals.
Mallory Brooks' experimental film photographs reinterpret iconic Miami Beach lifeguard towers through bold color and painterly textures. Each piece is presented in our Bright White Nielsen 117 Metal Picture Frame for a clean, contemporary finish that keeps the artwork front and center.
Experimentation as an Artistic Philosophy
Mallory's photography begins with one simple question:
What if?
That curiosity has become the foundation of her artistic style.
Working exclusively with film, she embraces experimental analog techniques that intentionally introduce unpredictability into the creative process. Rather than relying on Photoshop, AI, or digital manipulation, she alters the film itself before it is developed.
One of her signature techniques is film soup, a process in which exposed rolls of film are submerged in boiling water with ingredients such as lemon juice, salt, and dish soap before development.
The resulting color shifts, textures, and light leaks cannot be planned or duplicated.
"I often have to tell clients that what they're looking at is created without Photoshop, AI or digital manipulation," she says. "The reactions usually range from surprise to relief to, 'How did you do that?'"
Each photograph becomes a true original, shaped as much by chemistry as by composition.
Finding Extraordinary Color in Ordinary Places
Color is at the heart of Mallory's work.
"I absolutely love color," she says. "The bolder and more saturated, the better."
Her experimental techniques amplify that passion, producing photographs filled with rich hues and unexpected energy.
Travel continues to inspire every collection she creates. Whether photographing palm trees, lifeguard towers, or city skylines, Mallory is less interested in documenting a destination than in interpreting its personality.
"There's nothing I love more than getting lost in the moment shooting a palm tree from every angle and throughout the shifting light of the day."
The result is photography that feels both familiar and entirely new, celebrating places we think we know through an unexpected visual language.
Mallory Brooks showcases her experimental film photography at an outdoor art festival using our Bright White Nielsen 117 Metal Picture Frames. The clean, contemporary profiles complement the vibrant color and painterly textures of her work while providing a lightweight, durable presentation for traveling exhibitions.
Creative Process: When Chemistry Becomes Part of the Art
For her recent South Florida festival collection, Mallory photographed iconic Miami scenes using Kodak Ektar 100 and Kodak Ultramax 400 film.
After exposing the film, she submerged each roll in a carefully mixed "film soup" of boiling water, lemon juice, margarita salt, and dish soap, allowing the chemistry to work for nearly twenty-four hours before rinsing and drying the film for several weeks.
Only after the negatives had completely dried did she develop and scan the images.
That is the moment of discovery.
Because no two rolls react the same way, every development reveals unexpected colors, textures, and visual effects that cannot be repeated.
From hundreds of images, Mallory curates a collection that captures Miami through a contemporary lens, balancing documentary photography with artistic interpretation.
Framing as Part of the Experience
For Mallory Brooks, presentation begins long before a photograph reaches a collector's wall.
When preparing work for South Florida's outdoor fine art festivals, she wanted her photography to feel more like contemporary paintings than traditionally framed photographs.
"There were two main things I considered," she explains. "I wanted these pieces to look more like paintings, and they also needed to be lightweight and durable enough to travel from show to show."
That thinking led her to develop what she describes as a contemporary festival mount.
Each print is mounted to Gator Board, sealed with a UV-protective finish, and presented without glass or acrylic, creating a painterly surface that is both durable and visually distinctive. Rather than traditional matting and glazing, Mallory pairs her work with clean, contemporary metal picture frames that complement the artwork without competing for attention.
The presentation is completed using American Frame's Bright White Nielsen 117 Metal Picture Frame, whose slim face and deeper rabbet reinforce the modern aesthetic while providing the durability required for traveling exhibitions.
Mallory Brooks transforms tropical palm trees into vibrant, painterly compositions through her experimental analog photography. Each piece is presented in our Bright White Nielsen 117 Metal Picture Frame, whose clean, contemporary profile enhances the artwork without distracting from its bold color and texture.
Framing Materials and Presentation
Mallory's presentation choices are driven by both aesthetics and practicality. Because her artwork features bold color, rich texture, and painterly surfaces, she relies on metal picture frames that provide clean structure while allowing the artwork itself to remain the focal point.
"My goal is to keep the frame surrounding the work clean and simple so that your attention stays on the piece," she says.
For larger works, she prefers a deeper rabbet that gives the artwork additional presence without adding visual weight.
For collectors and artists interested in presentation details, her work is typically finished with:
Frame: Bright White Nielsen 117 Metal Picture Frame
Presentation: Mounted to Gator Board with a UV-protective finish
Glazing: None
Style: Contemporary festival mount
Mallory first discovered American Frame while searching for a thin-profile white metal frame that could meet a tight exhibition deadline.
"I found exactly the frame style I was looking for with the fast turnaround time I needed."
Today, the Bright White Nielsen 117 remains her preferred frame because of its clean appearance, deeper profile, and ease of assembly. For photographers looking for contemporary metal picture frames, she believes the frame should become a seamless extension of the artwork rather than a visual distraction.
What Mallory Brooks Is Working on Next
Mallory is currently exploring another experimental analog process: multiple exposure photography.
Her newest series combines two of her favorite Miami subjects, palm trees and neon signs, by exposing the same roll of film multiple times.
Creative lens filters further distort and refract the neon lights, creating kaleidoscopic layers of color captured entirely in-camera.
She looks forward to releasing the collection soon and seeing it come to life through thoughtful framing.
Where to View or Purchase Mallory Brooks's Work
Collectors can explore Mallory Brooks's photography through:
Website: mallorybrooksphotography.com
Instagram: @mallorybrooks.photography
For behind-the-scenes insights into her creative process, upcoming exhibitions, and new releases, readers can subscribe to her monthly newsletter, Camera Roll, through her website.
Artist Advice: Invest in Presentation
Mallory encourages artists to think of framing as an investment in their work rather than an afterthought.
"Find a framing partner that you trust, who has the experience and expertise to help you make your art look the best it can."
While framing can seem complicated or expensive, she believes a high-quality frame adds lasting value to the artwork while reflecting the care, craftsmanship, and professionalism behind every piece.
Artist Spotlight FAQs
Q. Who is Mallory Brooks?
A. Mallory Brooks is a fine art photographer who creates experimental analog photography using traditional film and unconventional techniques such as film soup and multiple exposures. Her work transforms familiar destinations into vibrant, painterly images filled with unexpected color and texture.
Q. What is film soup photography?
A. Film soup is an experimental analog photography technique in which exposed rolls of film are soaked in liquids such as water, salt, citrus juice, or soap before development. The process creates unpredictable colors, textures, and light effects that cannot be replicated digitally.
Q. Why does Mallory Brooks shoot with film instead of digital cameras?
A. Mallory works exclusively with film because its physical qualities allow her to experiment with techniques such as film soup and multiple exposures. These analog processes create one-of-a-kind images that rely on chemistry rather than digital editing.
Q. What type of metal picture frames does Mallory Brooks use?
A. Mallory primarily presents her work in American Frame's Bright White Nielsen 117 Metal Picture Frame. She prefers thin-profile metal picture frames because they provide a clean, contemporary presentation while allowing the vibrant colors and textures of her experimental photography to remain the focal point.
Q. Why doesn't Mallory Brooks use glass on her festival artwork?
A. For outdoor art festivals, Mallory mounts her prints to Gator Board and seals them with a UV-protective finish instead of using glass or acrylic. This contemporary presentation creates a painterly appearance while making the artwork lighter, more durable, and easier to transport.