Stephen Mallon is a commercial and fine art photographer. Lately, he has become interested in "the secret worlds of salvage", photographing the recycling industry; for example, rubber processing plants, methane reclamation, incinerators, and the U.S.S. New York which is crafted from steel salvaged from the World Trade Center site.

In 2006, Steve met Jayne Rockmill at an ASMP NY portfolio review. Jayne liked the industrial landscape photographs that Steve had been making for both commercial and personal work and suggested he publish a book, but Steve felt he wanted a better body of work if he were to do so. He got to thinking about the recycling industry, found a scrap company in New Jersey and got access for a couple of days to scout and shoot.

An art buyer suggested he include people in his industrial landscapes if the work were to have a broader appeal to advertisers, and it was during such a shoot in New Jersey that Steve spotted a large parked barge. Weeks Marine, the company contracted by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York, became a fan and client. After harvesting their parts, empty subway cars are lifted away to make room for new ones, and Weeks Marine uses ocean-going cranes to take them to other states where they're dumped off-shore to create reefs for the fishing and tourist industries as part of the National Artificial Reef Plan.

These images represent Steve's second solo show at Front Room Gallery. The exhibition entitled "Next Stop - Atlantic" opens September 10th 2010. Limited editions are available at
20x30, 30x45, and 40x60 with 5 prints in each.

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Subway cars © Stephen Mallon