The first monograph by acclaimed fine-art photographer Lara Porzak, The Chemistry of Memory presents over 140 photographs, many previously unpublished, in a single definitive volume.
Throughout the book, Porzak reflects on photography as a way of holding onto fleeting moments of beauty and wonder. Her photographs become quiet monuments to light, time, and feeling. Working exclusively with analog techniques such as tintypes and gelatin silver printing, Porzak crafts photographs that function as both images and physical artifacts.
Spanning three decades of work, the book moves through pastoral scenes and still lifes shaped by Porzak's sustained engagement with the natural world. The photographs shift between landscapes, animals, flora, celestial forms, and moments of human presence. Together, they form a contemplative meditation on how photographs can preserve experience and carry presence across time.
Lara Porzak (born 1967 in Rome) is a Los Angeles-based photographer working exclusively with tintypes and gelatin silver prints. Often developing her images on-site using a mobile darkroom, she creates intimate, handcrafted photographs that feel like memory made visible. Porzak's practice spans over 20 solo exhibitions and is rooted in emotional resonance and timeless methods. Her work is held in the Getty Museum's collection and has been exhibited at Aspen Art Fair, Bergdorf Goodman, and Hôtel de Crillon, with features in Architectural Digest.
