The work of the American photographer Robert Ballen can be attributed to an unusual direction - documentary surrealism. His photo is a statement of the absurdity of many phenomena of life. Ballen's photos are frightening and stunning, but extremely interesting.
Biography
The American photographer was born in New York. It was the middle of the twentieth century - a time of craze for photography, which did not go around and the mother of Roger Ballen. The woman was fond of this genre and owned a magnificent photo gallery, where the works of famous photographers of the United States of America were exhibited. Therefore, the boy from a young roots grew up in a creative atmosphere, he was surrounded by photographic works, and his family constantly went on disputes and discussions about the genres and techniques of photography.
When Roger graduated from high school, parents gave their son an expensive professional camera as a gift. While Roger was a student at the University of Berkeley, photography remained for him only one of his youth hobbies.
Career
At the age of 23, certified Roger Ballen decides to see the world and embarks on a long journey through countries and continents. A year and a half the young man spent in South Africa, where he met a beloved woman, who later became his wife. During his travels around the world, Roger gained a lot of impressions, which the photographer displayed on the pictures of his camera. In 1977, after returning home to New York, Roger Ballen published the famous photo album "Boyhood", declaring himself as a mature author with a unique style and look at the surrounding space and characters.
Publications
At the university, Robert received the profession of a geologist. He was still attracted to South Africa and returned to that country as an engineer for a geological exploration expedition. Ballen participated in the discovery of gold and platinum reserves, equipped mines, traveled almost all towns and suburbs of South African territory. When traveling, there was always a camera with him, recording everything that seemed interesting to the photographer. The main themes of his work were colorful local residents, stingy African landscapes, everyday scenes. 30 years of life in South Africa are reflected in published books - "Dorps", "Platteland", "Outland".
