Robert Charles Mann

When Robert was eight years old he made his first photographic print with a negative from his father's archive. This, mind you, is before he had even taken a photograph. Robert's father, who was also a photographer amongst many other renaissance man qualities, had a darkroom in their home. As a result Robert discovered the magic of photography in reverse so to speak. His mother, a concert pianist, influenced his particular photographic bent toward a more expressionist vision with her repertoire of 19th century impressionist composers.

During the 1980's Robert was involved with many experimental music and performance art projects incorporating electronic and prepared instruments with visual installations. He started photographing for Exposure Magazine and concurrently took on the role of studio manager and exclusive printer for Herb Ritts producing all of his early books and editorial work. He soon became one of the most sought after photographic specialists in Los Angeles printing the work of Helmut Newton, Mary Ellen Mark, Michel Comte, Dennis Hopper, Peter Lindbergh and Sheila Metzner among many others. His work also includes producing prints for Twelve Tree and Twin Palms photographic books as well as the Hollywood Archives. Robert has published several photographic processes and his darkroom is on the cover of the renowned book “The New Darkroom Handbook" and featured inside. A count made several years ago by looking at past work documents proved that Robert has made over one million prints.

In 1989, with an international reputation in photography and photographic printing, Robert moved to Paris France. Today his work is made primarily with pinhole cameras and traditional nobel metal based printing techniques that achieve his particular photographic vision. He also composes music for films, television and multimedia. 

Recently Robert has been working with Brad Pitt, first producing his story of Angelina Jolie for W Magazine and continues printing Pitt's massive archive of negatives. Pitt has become a collector of Robert's work from the “Orbit Series" and “Flower Series".