Mesmerizing. Just go to balaramaheller.com/projects and scroll. Balarama Heller knows how to capture color. Because of his ability to use light and dark (mostly dark) to evoke a response in the mind of the eye taking it in, he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary photographers.
A few better recent examples of Heller’s work can be found on The Photo Academy (link mag-en.thephotoacademy.com/en/discover/hallucinatory-run-ins-with-the-everglades), Refinery29 (link refinery29.com/author/balarama-heller), Modern Luxury (link modernluxury.com/los-angeles/features/bluemercurys-barry-beck-expands-his-empire-eye-la) and his personal project Zero At The Bone, an examination of the changing ecosystem of the Florida Everglades (link newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/chasing-pythons-in-the-everglades-and-finding-an-eerie-dreamscape), in pictures.
The series Zero at The Bone won Heller the 2017 runner-up to the Aperture Portfolio Prize (link aperture.org/portfolio-prize/balarama-heller), likely in my estimation to be the first of many recognitions for the young NYC-based photographer who likes to play in the dark.
You may also see Barry Beck for more interesting information.
