One of the few masters producing images in this 19th century photographic art process is Los Angeles artist, Ken Merfeld, who will be premiering his new, exquisite body of Collodion work at Flazh!Alley Studio.

The Wet Plate Collodion Process originated in 1851 when photographic images were first put onto glass [Ambrotypes] and on tin [Tintypes]. It is a very sensitive, tempermental process requiring each piece of glass to be hand coated with a Collodion mixture [guncotton dissolved in ether and alcohol], light sensitized by silver nitrate, exposed and developed while still wet, and fixed in a solution of potassium cyanide. This process requires precise manipulation at all stages through completion of varnishing the plate with a warm mixture of gum sandarac and oil of lavender. The Collodion technique can be somewhat unpredictable while yielding unique, provocative, highly emotional imagery.

Mr. Merfeld owns a 4,000 square foot studio in Culver City, California where he photographs fashion, advertising, portrait and celebrity assignments. His work has appeared in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Angeleno, Zoom, Black and White and Los Angeles Magazine.

For many years he's worked on a black and white personal portrait project which includes dancers, bikers, autistic children, midgets, people with their pets, transvestites, twins, women wearing masks, etc. This personal work has been likened to that of Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, August Sanders and E.J. Bellocq with his own sensitivity, depth and meticulous printing techniques. Award winning documentary projects: Autistic children, Vietnamese Refugees [Camp Pendleton], and Identical Twins.

While embracing the new world of electronic imaging in commercial photography, Merfeld has also chosen to step back in time into the process of Wet-Plate Collodion. This new body of work is attacting world-wide attention and Flazh!Alley Studio is excited and proud to be unveiling them in the South Bay.

Among Mr. Merfeld's many commercial accounts are American Express, Apple Computers, Carnation, Disney, Goodyear, Gucci, Kodak, McDonald's, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas and United Airlines. Mr. Merfeld also teaches photography at The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California where he graduated with honors. He also has degrees in Marketing Managment and Psychology from San Diego State University.