Reid Samuel Yalom is a Northern California photographer whose work has been widely published and exhibited over the past thirty years. He is a graduate of Stanford University and holds a master’s degree from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
His interest in photography began as a boy, taking the family photographs during extended stays in Europe while his parents taught summer courses at Stanford’s campuses abroad. Soon after, he and his father set up a darkroom in the dusty basement, turning out poor-quality black & white prints. Quality aside, he was hooked — captured by the magic of an image first appearing on white paper, in clear solutions, in white trays, under orange lamps. Throughout college he sought out photography, art, and independent-study courses with darkroom access, and had the good fortune to train with two well-known photographers: the venerable Leo Holub, an original member of Group f/64, at Stanford, and later Mark Citret at the University of California, San Francisco.
He began exhibiting in 1995 at the Vision Gallery in San Francisco, and has since shown in more than thirty exhibitions across the United States and Hawaii, and in Greece, Italy, Israel, and Romania.
Published Works
The Professors’ Son
An autobiography in words and images. A Romanian translation is forthcoming from Vellant, Bucharest.
One Foot in Romania
Color images made over seven years exploring cities and villages throughout Romania with his Romanian wife, Loredana. The series traces a subtle shift in his image-making as he moved from outsider to adopted son of the country.
Colonial Noir: Images from Mexico
A monograph of 72 duotones — a highly personal series combining visual elements of film noir and surrealism in pursuit of the essence of magical realism.
The American Resting Place: A History of American Cemeteries
Called the definitive work on the history of American cemeteries, from pre-Columbian times to the present day.
A Matter of Life and Death
Contributed 25 photographs to the best-selling German edition.
Work in Production
Black Sea Report
Images of summer along the Romanian Black Sea coastline.
Pacific Dreamin’
Images of contemplation and frolicking along California’s coastline.
Far West
Black & white images capturing the legacy of “Old West” culture as it remains in contemporary California.
Vietnam & France: L’Histoire Perdue
Black & white images focusing on the relics of the French colonial period in Vietnam today.
Other exhibition projects include works on Indonesia, Greece, Paris, Quebec, Romania, the American Western landscape, and Tension & Release, a series of modern art images.
A comprehensive CV is available on request · rsyalom@icloud.com
All photographs are available for purchase in their original format, as silver gelatin or archival digital prints.
Please inquire for pricing, editions, and available sizes. Prices range from $300 to $3,000.
All portfolios can be seen in their entirety upon request.