David Malin | British, 1952 -
Australian-based photographer and astronomer David Malin was born in England, studied chemistry, and explored photography early on. After working for a multinational company as a chemist using photomicroscopy, Malin went from exploring the infinitely small to the infinitely far away when he joined the Anglo-Australian Observatory as its photographic scientist in 1975. He remained there for 26 years.
In his photographic laboratory in Sydney, Malin invented new ways of extracting information from astronomical photographs, which lead to the discovery of two new types of galaxies. His novel image enhancement techniques were incorporated into a method of making unique three-color photographs of previously unseen deep space objects.
Malin's photographs have been widely published in books and magazines such as LIFE and National Geographic, and after being recognized for their scientific value, his chromogenic and platinum/palladium prints of the universe have been exhibited in major museums and galleries. His work is part of the collections of museums, institutions and private collectors on an international level.
A well-known lecturer, David Malin has published numerous scientific papers and popular articles on astronomy and photography, as well as nine books, including The Invisible Universe (Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown and Company, 1999), a large format celebration of the beauty of the night sky, and Ancient Light (Phaidon, 2009), a portrait of the universe in black and white.