Kristy Belle Headley (b. Ohio, 1984) is an alternative process photographer who illustrates the ecosystems of relationships and inflection points of change, exploring ideas of rumination, stagnation, and impermanence. She crafts dreamlike imagery using historic and experimental photographic techniques involving hand application and manipulation of light-sensitive emulsions, including mordançage (bleach-etch), salt prints, transfers, cyanotype, and wet plate collodion.
Her background is in fine art photography, gallery management, and archival imaging operations, specializing in books, large-format, and 3-dimensional objects. She is the Executive Director of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization PhotoAlliance, and is a Project Registrar for the Collection Care department at Minnesota Street Project Art Services in San Francisco.
CV
(Direct link here.)
K R I S T Y H E A D L E Y
San Francisco, CA
Education
2007 BFA, 2-Dimensional Studies: Drawing and Painting, Minor: Marketing, Bowling Green State University
Exhibitions (* forthcoming)
Invitational Exhibitions
2025 8x10 Fundraising Exhibition, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California *
2024 Handled, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, California
2023 8x10 Fundraising Exhibition, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
2023 CPAC Grand Opening Print Auction, Colorado Center for Photographic Art, Denver, Colorado
2022 Projector Party, Curated by Christopher Azar, San Francisco, California
2022 8x10 Fundraising Exhibition, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Group Exhibitions
2024 Living Image 2023/2024, The Halide Project, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2023 Film Friends, Digital Group Exhibition, Analog Forever Magazine, Online
2023 Glitch in the Matrix, Digital Group Exhibition, Analog Forever Magazine, Online
2023 The Natural World, Digital Group Exhibition, Analog Forever Magazine, Online
2023 The Art of Illusion, Digital Group Exhibition, Analog Forever Magazine, Online
2022 Through Many Dangers, Digital Group Exhibition, Analog Forever Magazine, Online
2021 CPA International Juried Exhibition 2021, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
2021 Hierarchy, Gearbox Gallery, Oakland, California
2021 17th Annual Magnitude Seven Exhibit, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
2021 I Used to Travel!, Digital Group Exhibition, Analog Forever Magazine, Online
2021 Noir, Digital Group Exhibition, Analog Forever Magazine, Online
2021 The Pleasure of Color, Gallery 1337, Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, California
2021 5th Annual Alternative Process Photography Exhibition, The Image Flow, Mill Valley, California
2017 2nd Annual Alternative Process Photography Exhibition, The Image Flow, Mill Valley, California
2007 Cream of the Crop, Presidential Gallery, Bowling Green, Ohio
2007 Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Thesis Exhibition, Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery, Bowling Green, Ohio
2006 Undergraduate Art & Design Exhibition, Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery, Bowling Green, Ohio
2005 Undergraduate Art & Design Exhibition, Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery Bowling Green, Ohio
2004 Undergraduate Art & Design Exhibition, Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery, Bowling Green, Ohio
2003 Pioneer Arts and Crafts Festival, Pioneer, Ohio
2002 Focus Art Show, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio
Artist Lectures, Panels, Presentations
2021 Common Ground, Moderated Artists’ Panel, Magnitude Seven, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
2021 Artists’ Symposium, The Pleasure of Color, Gallery 1337, Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, California
Publications
2025 Contributing Artist, Seawood Photo Benefit Zine, Seawood Photo *
2024 Contributing Artist, Handled Exhibition Catalog, Minnesota Street Project *
2024 Contributing Artist, Swell Magazine, Issue 1
2024 Contributing Artist, Living Image 2023/2024 Exhibition Catalog, The Halide Project
2024 Contributing Artist, Analog Forever Magazine, Heart of the Issue, Edition 9, Winter 2024
2021 Artist Inclusion, Portrait of a Photographer, Dave Rollans, Dave Rollans Photography
2021 Contributing Artist, Center for Photographic Art, CPA International Juried Exhibition 2021 Exhibition Catalog
2021 Contributing Artist, The Hand Magazine, Issue 34
2021 Contributing Artist, Shots Magazine, Issue 152, Secret Worlds
2021 Contributing Artist, The Hand Magazine, Issue 33
2021 Contributing Artist, Manifest Exhibition Annual, Manifest Gallery, s017
2021 Contributing Artist, Clearline Zine, Issue 003
2021 Contributing Artist, Color Tag Magazine, Color Tag: Vol III
2021 Contributing Artist, The Hand Magazine, Issue 32
Open Studios
2018 Oddists Open Studio, Artspan Open Studios, IOOF Odd Fellows Building, San Francisco, California
2017 Oddists Open Studio, Artspan Open Studios, IOOF Odd Fellows Building, San Francisco, California
2006 Arts Extravaganza, Fine Arts Center, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Public Art
2020 Mural Painting & Construction, Slow Streets Parklet, Harrington Galleries, San Francisco, California
Honors and Awards
2022 Veritas Editions Academy Scholarship, Veritas Editions, Craig Alan Huber
2021 Jurors Special Selection, I Used to Travel!, Digital Group Exhibition, Analog Forever Magazine, Laura Moya
2007 President’s Selection, Cream of the Crop, Bowling Green State University, Sidney A. Ribeau
2007 Honorable Mention, Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Thesis Exhibition
2004 Art Talent Award, Bowling Green State University
2003 Art Talent Award, Bowling Green State University
2003 Honorable Mention, Pioneer Arts and Crafts Festival
2002 Honorable Mention, Focus Art Show, Toledo Museum of Art
2002 Honorable Mention, Black Swamp Arts Guild
Photographic Education
2022 Mordançage Workshop, Art Intersection, Gilbert, Arizona, Elizabeth Opalenik
2020 Lumens, Photographic Resource Center Boston, virtual, Sarah Pollman
2020 Cyanotypes, Photographic Resource Center, virtual, Susan Murie
2017 Advanced Wet Plate Collodion, RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, California, Erin Mahoney
2017 Mordançage, RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, California, Ashley Valmere Fischer
2017 Digital Negatives to Silver Gelatin, RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, California, Carlos Arrieta
2016 Lectures on Digital Photography, Google, Mountain View, California, Marc Levoy
2015 Wet Plate Practice (Instructor’s Assistant), RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, California, Carlos Arrieta
2015 Wet Plate Collodion: In-Camera Process, RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, California, Carlos Arrieta
2007 Histories of Photography, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, Dr. Andrew Hershberger
Relevant Experience
2024 – Executive Director, PhotoAlliance, San Francisco, California
2023 – Project Registrar, Minnesota Street Project Art Services, San Francisco, California
2022 – 2023 Gallery Director, Scott Nichols Gallery, Sonoma, California
2022 – 2023 Workshop & Outreach Coordinator, The Image Flow, San Anselmo, California
2021 – 2022 Gallery Director, Collectors’ Photography Gallery, Corte Madera, California
2018 – 2018 Operations Manager, Digital Assets, Ditto, San Francisco, California
2016 – 2018 Digitization and Testing Manager, Internet Archive, San Francisco, California
2013 – 2016 Tools Technical Project Manager, Customer Solutions, Google Fiber, Mountain View, California
2011 – 2013 Technical Solutions Specialist, Scanned Objects, Google Research, Mountain View, California
2010 – 2011 Triage Technician, Google Book Search, Mountain View, California
2008 – 2010 Imaging Operations Technician, Google Book Search, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Affiliations & Memberships
2024 – 2025 Member, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, California
2024 Board of Directors, Interim Board President, PhotoAlliance, San Francisco, California
2005 – 2007 Secretary, Student Art Senate, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
2005 President, Student Metal Arts Council, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
2004 – 2005 Member, Student Metal Arts Council, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Art Fairs
2025 San Francisco Art Fair, AMP via Minnesota Street Project Art Services. San Francisco, California
2025 FOG Design+Art, FOG Fair via Minnesota Street Project Art Services. San Francisco, California
2024 FOG Design+Art, FOG Fair via Minnesota Street Project Art Services. San Francisco, California
2023 Photo Forward, Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles (PAC•LA). Los Angeles, California
(gallery recap, press release, art fair review)
2006 Arts Extravaganza, Student Art Senate, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Conferences
2024 Archiving 2024, Society for Imaging Science & Technology. National Archives, Washington D.C.
Event Planning / Production
2025 Facilitator & MC, 2025 PhotoAlliance Community Benefit Dinner, PhotoAlliance, San Francisco, California
2025 Facilitator & MC, Michael Jang and Dean Snodgrass lecture, PhotoAlliance, San Francisco, California
2024 Facilitator & MC, Wesaam Al-Badry and Jake Ricker lecture, PhotoAlliance, San Francisco, California
2024 Facilitator & MC, Sant Khalsa and Debbie Bentley lecture, PhotoAlliance, San Francisco, California
2022 Coordinator, Ex Crucible: The Passion of Incarcerated Artists by Peter Merts lecture & book signing,
The Image Flow, San Anselmo, California
2021 Coordinator, Lois Tema with Lee Harper, Collectors’ Photography Gallery, Corte Madera, California
2021 Coordinator, Mark Citret with Ann Jastrab, Collectors’ Photography Gallery, Corte Madera, California
2007 Arts Extravaganza, Student Art Senate, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
2006 Arts Extravaganza, Student Art Senate, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Portfolio Reviews
2026 Facilitator & MC, PhotoAlliance Portfolio Review, TBD, San Francisco, California *
Skills
Alternative and Historic Process Photography: cyanotype, mordançage, salt printing, wet plate collodion
Film Photography: traditional darkroom, 35mm black & white, 35mm color stereoscopic photography
Archival Imaging: 2-D book and large format digitization, 3D geometry and textures, material best practices, quality control
Communications: copywriting and design for print, web, and email; marketing, market research, PR, video production
Gallery Administration: day-to-day communications, client interactions, curation, research, storytelling, logistics
Registrar: database administration, metadata management, provenance, condition reports, conservation handling
Press
Fine Art & Imaging
3D Imaging
2022 Scanned Objects by Google Research: A Dataset of 3D-Scanned Common Household Items - Google Research
Wet Plate Collodion
2019 Recreating the Look of 1850s Tintypes in Digital with Math & Science - Peta Pixel via Phil Warren Photography
Creative Community & Performance Art
Brewskee-Ball, San Francisco (NSBL Competitive National Skee-Ball League, 2011-2025)
TBD For the Love of the Lane Movie - Brewskee-Ball Documentary (Maximum Flavor Media) *
2021 How Chuck E. Cheese birthed San Francisco's Skee-Ball champion - SFGate
2019 Skee-Ball National Championship Competitor, Brooklyn, New York -Twitch.tv (Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3)
2017 Induction into the Brewskee-Ball National Hall of Fame, Austin, Texas - Brewskeeball.com
Camp EAT ME, Burning Man, Black Rock City, Nevada (Collaborative, 2014-2024)
2024 Burning Man isn’t sold out — and the die-hards are thrilled - Washington Post
2024 Burners eat big losses in desperate race to sell unwanted Burning Man tickets - SF Standard
2018 Burning Man 2018 in photos, from the fabulous to the far out - USA Today
2018 24 hours of Burning Man: [...] the party never stops - Reno Gazette-Journal
2017 At no-commerce Burning Man, ‘just put your wallet away’ - USA Today
2017 Burning Man: How those fantastic spaces come together - Reno Gazette-Journal
2016 Itch to build (with a hammer) lasts long after Burning Man - USA Today/Reno Gazette-Journal
2015 Burning Man lures techies with siren song of going unplugged - USA Today/Reno Gazette-Journal
Eye of San Francisco on Salesforce Tower, San Francisco, California (Collaborative, 2018)
2018 San Francisco’s Salesforce Tower Lights up as the Flaming ‘Eye of Sauron’ on Halloween - NBC
2018 Over 1,300 People Are Asking Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff to Turn Salesforce Tower - Business Insider
2018 Turn Salesforce Tower into Eye of Sauron on Halloween Night (Petition) - Change.org
Photographs © 2016–2025 Kristy Headley. All rights reserved.
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