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Fine Art Photographer
David Ballam
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David Ballam was born and schooled in Johannesburg, South Africa. He studied first in Cape Town before completing his Fine Art degree with Honours in photography at Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape, where he was introduced to the camera by Obie Oberholzer.
After a number of years working in commercial photography, David returned his attention to his fine art roots, drawn by new faces, places, cultures and customs. That pull is what takes him across the African landscape, finding images that move past documentation into fine art, always with the permission and consent of the communities he photographs.
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“In this modern ‘connected’ western society I find it a humbling honour to travel to disconnected destinations and to share time and photograph subjects that are still intricately connected to their customs, beliefs, traditions and past.”
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Lake Turkana, Kenya
The Influence
Lake Turkana lies within Kenya's Rift Valley and is the world's largest permanent desert lake, known locally as the Jade Sea for the turquoise colour of its water. The Turkana people who live along its shores carry a strong tradition of beadwork, worn as everyday adornment rather than reserved for occasion. Layers of colour and pattern signal age, status, and identity within the community. This is the world David steps into with his camera, patient and unhurried, letting the people and the landscape lead the frame.
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Omo Valley, Ethiopia
The Influence
The Omo Valley lies in southern Ethiopia, close to its borders with Kenya and Sudan, within the Ethiopian sector of the East African Rift Valley System. Among the many communities who call it home are the Arbore, a pastoral people living near Lake Chew Bahir whose women are known for elaborate beaded necklaces, earrings, and headdresses worn as daily adornment. David's portraits from this region hold that distinctiveness, each community's traditions rendered with the same quiet attention as his work at Lake Turkana.
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At September Collective, we proudly support artisans across the African diaspora by showcasing their craftsmanship through thoughtfully curated modern African home decor.
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