Shop
Back to top

News

CRAFTS
Rising star Leora Honeyman reveals her otherworldly ceramics

For the Autumn/Winter 2023 issue of Crafts which celebrate its 50th anniversary Nick travelled to visit Leora Honeyman and her otherworldy sculptures. Inspired by the garden of her childhood home in Zimbabwe, Honeyman's scultptures draw inspiration somewhere much closer to home. 

Maharam Lookbook

Nick's longtime partnership with Maharam accumilates in a lookbook that features Maharam textiles and collaborators. Often busrting with colour, Nick captures the vibrancy and flow of patterns that sprawl out throughout this beautifully designed publication.

Travel + Leisure
Retracing ancient caravan routes through the Atacama

"The Atacama is not the colorful
American desert of cowboys and
tumbleweeds; to me it felt emptier, more
wild."

Nick follows writer Mark Johanson, as they embark on a new expedition that retraces ancient caravan routes
to make this extraordinary journey more accessible than ever before. From Chile’s Atacama Desert to Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni salt flat, one of the most spectacular—and inhospitable—on the planet.

Travel + Leisure
Chasing the wind in Patagonia

I recently travelled to Patagonia on a shoot for Travel + Leisure. Most of the glaciers in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field calve into gem-colored moraine lakes. Perito Moreno, a mass of ice larger than the city of Bueno Aires, rises 200 feet above Lago Argentino at its eastern edge, and it extends for a staggering 19 miles. 

See the full story here

Maharam
Nick Ballon & Alma Haser collaborate on new campaign

Alma Haser and I have collaborated once again, this time for Maharam's 2023 print campaign with a series that invites a close look at Maharam textiles in unexpected settings—this time the rugged landscape of Scotland’s Isle of Skye.

In the previous campaign my images were the base for the final layered image, which Alma then cut to reveal the textiles. But this time Alma cut apertures in the Maharam textiles so they could be transported and photographed by me on location in Skye.

Crane Cookware
NEW prints available

Crane Cookware have recently released their new gift section which includes 5 new prints selected by me. Each print is a limited edition of 100 and printed in house on Awagami Inbe 125gsm White Hemp + Kozo Japanese paper. 

Find out more about the prints here

On Possibilities Of Frictions
Group Exhibition at A4 Gallery, Dublin.

Two of Nick's photographs from his series Armada have been selected by curator Illaria Sponda, to appear in ‘On Possibilities of Frictions’, an exhibition by PHROOM at A4 Sounds, Dublin.

His work will appear alongside that of Garry Loughlin and 20 other artists and authors whose "practice and situatedness are heterogeneous, dialoguing around the representation of people in the contemporary socialscape and related issues." 

The exhibition runs from the 19th-22nd January 2022. Admission is free and you can pre-book tickets or drop in to the gallery.

See Nick's Armada series here.

Disaster Architecture
Photographing London’s fire drill towers for Inque Magazine

For the inaugural issue of Inque, a beautiful new literary magazine edited by Dan Crowe and art-directed by Matt Willey, Nick was invited to illustrate a story by writer Matthew Turner about ‘disaster architecture.' Matthew focuses on drill towers, structures that simulate high-rise buildings, and are used by firefighters for training. Found in fire stations across the UK, Nick chose to focus on London drill towers made of concrete, as they traditionally were, a journey which led to him accessing and photographing the interior of one of the city’s most looming monoliths, the drill tower at Lambeth Fire Station. 

See the series here.

New Prints
A colourful addition to your walls or art collection.

Alongside his Ezekiel book, there are now a number of carefully selected prints available to purchase here. The prints come from Nick’s extensive archive of documentary photography, and includes landscapes and llama’s of Peru and Chile, a monstrous Bolivian wrestler, a Bosnian camper van surrounded by sheep, and the Texan “disaster city.” 

Each print is from a series of 100, and is hand-printed at Nick's studio in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex on beautiful archival quality Japanese Awagami 'Inbe' 125 gsm paper.

Nick Ballón x Alma Haser
Maharam 2021 Print Campaign

Images from a new Maharam print campaign that Nick collaborated on with artist Alma Haser, have begun popping up in art and design magazines around the world.

The project began while Nick was working on his short film for Electric Daisy Flower Farm in Somerset. His eye was drawn to the eerily diffuse daylight of the farms poly-tunnels, which lent the flowers a scientific quality, as if they had been propagated underground.

Working at home during lockdown, Nick and Alma layered the resulting photographs taken in the poly-tunnel over Maharam textiles, scoring and peeling back each image to reveal the tactile surfaces below.

Through sculptural contrasts of texture, form, light, shadow and scale, the final images invite a closer look at each fabric.

Made in Scotland
Telling the story of cashmere & knitwear company Begg x Co

Begg x Co are a Scottish cashmere and knitwear company, who make and design their beautiful collections at their mills in Ayr and Hawick. Nick was asked by Studio Small to produce both stills and a short film for the company, which represent Begg x Co and their connection to both people and place.

As well as telling a story of the care, dedication and love that goes into their clothing at the mills, Nick carefully captured the endless skies, beaches, mountains and lochs of the rugged landscapes surrounding the mills.

The imagery was captured over three days in June 2021, during which time, the mechanical sounds of the mills and natural sounds of the environment were collected, and used as basis for the unique soundtrack, designed by Viljam Nybacka. 

Watch the film here

Take a look at the stills series here.

Royal Photographic Society International Exhibition
Images from Nick's "A Haunting Tale of Spies and Specters" shortlisted

We are happy to announce that Nick's series from Leipzig illustrating Alexander Chee's "A Haunting Tale of Spies and Specters" has been shortlisted for this year's RPS International Exhibition.⁠

Selected from over 4000 entries, Nick is one of 279 photographers in 50 countries that will be exhibited in the RPS's 163rd International Photography Exhibition.⁠

The final exhibition selection and award winners will be announced later this year. ⁠

See the full series here.
 

We Feed The World
Group Exhibition  - Frome, Somerset.

We Feed The World, the Gaia Foundation’s global photography exhibition about smallholder farmers and fisherfolk around the world, has landed at Frome in Somerset.
From 2015 to 2018, Nick and 46 other award winning photographers including Graciella Iturbide, Rankin, and Rena Effendi, took the time to document the lives of 50 farming communities across six continents. 

Nick’s work focused specifically on the The Quechua community, called El Choro, a village of 400 people approx. 4 hours drive into the mountains from Bolivia’s Cochabamba city. At 5000m high up in the mountains, the community is reviving their indigenous culture, traditions, autonomy and food sovereignty. Succeeding in becoming self-sufficient in many varieties of potato, quinoa, maize and other crops, El Choro is a beautiful example of the We Feed The World’s mission to celebrate the farmers and the land that feeds us.

We Feed The World is showing across two Frome venues -The Whittox Gallery, and The Gallery at The Station until September 10th.
 

Maharam 2021 Look Book
The spirit of Maharam through the lens of Nick Ballón

Textiles creators Maharam have recently released their 2021 look book, featuring photographs by Nick that illustrate the spirit and history of the company. Featuring three years of photographs for Maharam across Europe and America, the book includes visits to the studio's of Paul Smith, Sonnhild Kestler, Bertjan Pot and Hella Jongerius, details of Maharam’s colourful fabrics and images of the inner workings of their factories. 

Now in their 7th year working together, Nick considers his relationship with Maharam as a true collaboration, offering him the freedom to express his own creativity, while highlighting theirs.  

Electric Daisy Flower Farm 
The beauty of a Somerset Flower farm

Electric Daisy Flower Farm, are in their own words “romantic horticulturists, passionate about building a better, greener future.” Nick was commissioned by the farm to create a short film that presents the beauty of their Somerset location and Hampstead shop.

The film reflects the course of a growing season - from seed to bouquet, captured on multiple family camping trips to the farm. Revisiting the same scenes throughout a year was a rare and joyful experience for Nick, who had the opportunity to observe the hopeful energy of Spring and abundance of Summer, right through to putting the farm to bed in Winter. 

This allowed Nick to create a film that evokes this relationship with the seasons, and which portrays the colour and awe of nature.

Watch the film here.

Nick Ballon x The Print Series
An image from Nick's Space on Earth series is now available via The Print Series

Nick is pleased to share one of his images from the Space on Earth series shot in the Atacama desert with The Print Series - a new collection of affordable photographic prints setup by Rachel Vere and Kimberley Hoang.

The theme of this particular collection, is Biophilia, and 30% of every purchase is donated to the charity Rewilding Britain. 

"The Atacama is a desert plateau strip of land that sits neatly between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. It has the most perfect atmosphere for astronomical observations because of its high altitude, nearly nonexistent cloud cover, dry air and lack of light pollution and radio interference. People come here from all over the world to study outer space.

The desert is rich in minerals including boron, lithium, sodium nitrate and potassium salts. This richness in the earth produces the most fascinating dusty colours and unusual crystal-like textures. This image shows a crust of sodium nitrate and represents the type of otherworldly landscape I was looking for with this project." - Nick Ballon.

Find the Print here.

A Haunting We Will Go
Searching for the lost souls of Leipzig.

In this month's New York Times T magazine the team chose an unusual way to explore a place for their travel edition, through tales of the otherworldly. Commissioning 3 short stories and accompanying photo stories we learned about the minutia of the everyday and every dimension. From the editor Hanya Yanagihara, “Every traveler knows that some of the most moving and profound encounters she has in a foreign land aren’t with the living, but the dead.” 

See the full story here.

Find the magazine story here.

New Agency
Nick Ballón joins Wyatt-Clarke + Jones

I’ve very pleased to announce that I am now represented by photo agency Wyatt-Clarke & Jones based in London. We started working together on a Facebook campaign late last year and it was a perfect match.

I'm proud to be amongst some fantastic photographers on their roster.

Check out the Wyatt-Clark & Jones announcement along with an overview of my archive.

Beauty On The Ground
Finding a purpose when air travel is on hold.

Dummy magazine in Germany has showcased Nick’s project Ezekiel 36:36 in their 68th edition. Before the negative force of a global pandemic Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (LAB), one of the world’s oldest airlines was at threat of closure but a team of 180 unpaid staff continue to train and work to keep the remaining cogs of the airline turning and their dreams of a golden age or airflight alive.

See the full story here.

Find the magazine here.

A Meeting With The Peruvian Potato King
The 4000 year old treasure buried 14,000 feet up

Nick’s interest in South American culture and the uncovering and understanding of rarely seen communities this time has taken him to the Andes. Here he was sent by Patek Philippe to learn and capture a tradition and way of life that has hardly changed for millennia.

Without power or running water Julio Hancco, with his wife Rosa and their children, nurtures and creates new and unique varieties of potatoes that are sold in small quantities around the world as specialist ‘slow food’, grown in the purest of conditions.

The views that were slowly revealed through the cloud were certainly worth the four hour drive from the nearest small town up steep hills, where Nick and writer Jorge E. Benavides often had to get out and push.

View the full story here.

A Land Apart
A tour of Bosnia, through history and the wilderness

30 years since the war, Bosnia is growing in popularity as a tourist destination with its astounding natural beauty and historical tours. For this Travel + Leisure commission, Nick cycled, rafted, hiked and drove from the bustling Sarajevo city to the remote canyons and wild rivers of the nearby countryside, learning much about how the past and the aspirations of new generations are merging to grow a new Bosnia.

View the full story here

Three Video Portraits of People and Place.
Giving a voice to those who give to others for Facebook.

For Facebook’s 2020 F8 developer conference Nick was asked to profile 3 developers doing exceptional work for great causes in their home towns in the USA and Canada. Hali in Austin teaches creative expression using VR/AR tech to underrepresented communities, Jorge in Omaha teaches coding skills to homeless people and Lissa in Toronto develops VR experiences, giving remote access to mindfulness and therapy to those suffering from anxiety.

Watch Films

See Photo Series

Kenya, a Keen Sanctuary for all Life
Giving confidence to long lost travellers.

With beauty as far as the horizon and full circle, Nick was challenged to discover how conservation and safari tourism could go hand-in-hand. An animal orphanage, sacred deep water wells, and a truly epic landscape filled with protected wild cats, elephants, rhinos and fabulous birds, were all part of this once in a lifetime experience. The people of Kenya did not go unnoticed either, and Nick was able to capture some stunning portraits those living and working amongst the sanctuaries. A delicious feast for the eyes.

View the full story here.

Alone in the Åland Isles
Retracing the journey in search of contentment.

When The New York Times asked Nick to retrace the steps of a writer and mother who had visited the islands in search of isolation and contemplation he knew it would be a different kind of shoot than many of the others he'd been on.

There are 6700 islands of Åland with just 30,000 people residing there which for most of Nick's shoot was hard to believe having travelled for long distances by car and bike without seeing a single soul.

Surrounded by stillness and beauty the residents Nick did come across were more than welcoming and helped to give him access to parts that only locals would know.

View the whole story here.

Read the T Mag article here.

Secret Music discovered in the Black Forest
A film on the beauty of slow sounds and images

In the summer of 2018, Nick was visiting his father in law in the Black Forest with his new-born daughter. Walking with family up a gentle slope, he heard the deep, soothing, but also eerie sounds of the Alphorn. The Alphorn quartet was standing, facing the vast view of rolling green hills, playing a melody which would reach the bottom of the valley.

As part of Channel 4's Random Acts series, Nick created a film that aligns with the moving observational and clean aesthetic of his photography whilst allows him to explore the effects of sound and time on his image-making process.

The Forest Sings is an exploration of the gentle unease and uncertainty built up in the Black Forest, like a storm brewing, as four men travel up a hill to play their alphorns. The notes blown have a soothing effect, calming the atmosphere and the tension, merging with the surrounding landscape.

Watch the film here

Visit a vision of eclectic minimalism
A tour around a French interior designer's 17th century chateau

After making his name in Paris designing menswear for Pierre Cardin, Pierre Yovanovitch opened his own interior atelier and his own home is explored in Nicks latest film for NOWNESS' 'In Residence' series

"A place where everything goes...naturally"

It was hard to leave once Nick settled into this palatial masterpiece of minimalism. With its outdoor pool, an immersive experience of exquisite furniture and art housed in an immaculately restored chateau.

Meet the man behind the mansion on the lastest Nowness commission by Nick.

Published on NOWNESS here

See the story here

Capturing snake venom in Liverpool
Inside the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

For this story on the Wellcome Trusts' Mosaic Science news website Nick went to visit Nick Casewell and his team who are working to understand what makes up the venom in some 49 different species of snakes. Feeding time at the herpetarium involves 163 snakes and the team there work to make antivenoms more effective and affordable for those around the world who simply can't get access to them. Nick entered the venom extraction room in order to photograph this series where snakes are free to roam.

See the publication here 
See the story here 

The Olivetti factory town of Ivrea, Italy
An abandoned, modernist utopia for designed living

"Ivrea, an Italian town run in its heyday by the typewriter manufacturer Olivetti, was once a model for workers’ rights and progressive design. Now, it is both a cautionary tale and a vision of an abandoned utopia — and evidence of a grand experiment in making labor humane." TMag

Nick revelled in the geometries and faded grandeur at the remains of the glory days of the Olivetti empire in Ivrea. This series focusses, as Nick's work often does, on the imprint left behind when people have abandoned a place and what these remnants might tell us about the ideals of the architects and workers who, for a time, called this place home.

See the article here

See the story here

Inside the Maharam Warehouse
Back in New York to capture humans and textiles.

Nick is always excited about working with Maharam, as he gets to document many aspects of the life behind this very special textile company. 

On this trip, he visited their main distribution centre for North America, a 95,000-square-foot facility in Yaphank, New York. For this story, he is also able find the human side to 9000 samples, yards and yards of products and a massive infrastructure that ships to a long list of clients and manufacturers. 

It almost feels as if like the rolls of fabric are looking back at you. 

This shoot became part of Maharam’s lookbook, alongside Nick’s other images from their studios, artists, and factories. 

See the story here. 

The great model train robbery
A mystery in the depths of the English countryside.  

An endearing story about Britons train enthusiasts turned into a dark mystery of theft. 
On a commission from Bloomberg, Nick headed to a location closer to home: The Gravesend Model Marine & Engineering Society (GMMES), a 66-year-old British railway club. 

Nick rode at the back of a scaled down trains, photographed the club regulars, their love for locomotives and the unsettling feeling left after this crime, which still lingers in the air. The Mayflower, Simplex, Speedy, and the John Milton Metro are gone.

See the publication here 
See the story here 

The Eagle Factory
An English Company that transforms vintage automobiles into supercars

Nick was recently commissioned by Penta Magazine to shoot a story at the Eagle Factory. He went to a secret location in Sussex, where a small team of designers and engineers work on creating one of the world’s most exclusive supercars. Nick was able to see and capture craftsmanship defined, they truly hand-build and restore vintage cars to the owner's unique specifications. Every component—from the tiniest bolt and battery clamp—is scrutinized to see whether a fully renovated standard part is optimal, or whether they can make them better, lighter, and more durable. The vast majority of parts are improved or made in-house at Eagle.

See the article here
See the story here

 

Master of Form
Capturing designer Sonnhild Kestler's work and studio for The New York Times Style Magazine

Sonnhild Kestler’s company, S.K. Hand-Druck is a “one-woman textile manufacturer”. Kestler works alone, barefoot arranging and rearranging brightly coloured shapes of paper into new designs for screen prints. She is currently working on some designs for Maharam and Nick visited her studio in Zurich to capture the process. 

The space of Kestler’s studio feeds her work; like a museum, it is a vessel for her collection of objects from around the world. As she moves around the room, often on top of the wooden tables, Kestler paints large strips of paper in gouache colours, drawing from the innumerate references surrounding her to create elaborate designs. 

The piece was written by Alice Newell-Hanson, click here to see the full story. 

Prints Charming
Photographing Yinka Shonibare and his artwork for Christie's Magazine

Nick visited Artist Yinka Shonibare’s studio alongside writer Michael Watts, capturing his art, ideas and life experience. Nick depicts the way in which Shonibare’s work merges a simultaneously playful and intellectual look at colonialism and globalisation. The globe heads are “metaphors for humanity” and the colourful Ankara Prints question people’s ideas of “authentic African art”.

The article was published in Christie's Magazine and commissioned by BAM. The conversation with Shonibare ranges from Brexit to being a disabled artist and expanding his activities in Lagos.

Inside the London School of Taste-O-Nomics
Nick takes a look at the Blue Mountain School in an article for GQ Style.

At the Blue Mountain School in the morphing “metallic novelty” of Shoreditch, the boundaries between fashion, food and design are broken. Nick takes a trip to this “art gallery meets fashion archive meets restaurant meets perfumery meets listening studio”.

The building covers six floors of retail space which often feel like a museum as the stored archive clothing requires an assistant and stairs-on-wheels to get down. The restaurant has an open kitchen where people can walk in and out to see their food being cooked. Like the experimental Black Mountain College in North Carolina, the Blue Mountain school offers a “new kind of arts education”.

This article was published in GQ style and commissioned by Photo Director Linda Denahan. Click here to read the full article.

In Residence: Sophie Hicks
New film for Nowness architecture series. 

We kickstart the new year, with this new piece. For the film, Nick was able to explore architect Sophie Hicks’ Kensington house, which she designed herself. Juxtaposing the surrounding stucco fronted houses, this one looks like a glass rectangular box.
The front room, dining room and kitchen are surrounded by glass panes which blur the distinction between the outside and the inside: Kensington’s trees and bricks cast reflections which seep into Hicks’ home. Nick captures this merging in all its mysterious calmness. He gently weaves in the humanistic nature of the building: the way in which this home functions not only because of its design but also because of the people who live and work in it.

In Sophie Hicks’ own words, Nick has“captured the atmosphere of the house so beautifully...all of it flows well and it is very calm.”

The film was released on January the 2nd on Nowness' online platform
You can also see it here

Shape Shifters
Shooting at a denim factory for MATTER.

Nick went back to one of his favourite settings when shooting indoors: Factories. As he often turns to see the human aspect of these rather mechanical places. This time it was denim factory, and met with its co-founder David Hieatt, to shoot a story for the ‘Identity’ Issue of MATTER

'David Hieatt is the co-founder of the do lectures and Hiut denim, a cult brand of jeans. Both the lecture series and the Hiut factory are based in cardigan, a small market town in West Wales, which has played a central role in Hieatt’s life. Now he is shaping the town’s identity too.' 

See the story here.

 

'Ekeko' on Internazionale

Nick's personal project 'Ekeko' was invited for a feature on Internazionale, an Italian independent magazine. 

It was published this November on their Portfolio section, right when the project was also on its last day of exhibition at Kiosko gallery in Bolivia. 

We are really enjoying to see Nick's Ekeko travelling so much! 

See the full project here 

 

Up in the Highlands of Scotland
A cover feature on Travel+Leisure Magazine

Nick went on an autumn road trip through the glens and moors of northern Scotland on a commission from Travel+Leisure Magazine. 
He moved across the scenic wilderness, through historic estates, country cottages and nature reserves for a story of a 400-mile drive. The feature also became the cover story of the November issue.  

Reach the Highlands

Wind, Sand and Stars
The Atacama Desert for T+L Magazine

Nick recently spent a week in The Atacama Desert, Chile. This is one of the driest places on earth, and with the surrounding landscape one can get confused with Mars. From this great commission, he brought back a collection of images from treks lead by Explora Hotel, long drives through this remote stretch of Chile, and encounters with outer space machines: leading observatory complexes that are scattered over the desert to study the origin of stars, and the endless expansion of our galaxy.  

The story was commissioned by T+L Magazine for their September Photography Issue.

See the full story here

A Journey to Bolivia
Gemma Fletcher writes about Nick's work for Fold Magazine

Photography director, writer and expert of the craft, recently got a piece published for Fold Magazine about Nick's last decade dedication to capture life, culture, and changes in Bolivia. The very center on Nick's practice. 

She well describes it as 'a personal journey into his Bolivian heritage, shaped around his lifelong curiosity to understand both his own history and the people and places which informed it.' 

The publication is a platform from Moleskine, the makers of the notepads most creative souls would always have at hand. 

Read the story here.

We Feed The World Exhibition
A global celebration of small family farms

Nick was invited by curator Cheryl Newman to join this global photography project celebrating small, family farmers and their success in feeding 70% of the world. His destination was the sustainable Quechuan community of El Choro in Bolivia. Nick spent a few days documenting their own art of living: Sumak Kawsay, a philosophy with a holistic and communal cosmovision that emphasises the interconnectedness of everything. At 5000m of altitude the community is reviving their indigenous culture, traditions, their autonomy and food sovereignty. 

The exihibition launched on Oct. 12th at the Bargehouse Gallery in London, along a series of events, workshops and screenings. 

Learn more about the We Feed The World. 

See the full project here. 

Winner of Portrait of Britain 2018
Nick's portrait joins the winning selection for a book and exhibition

Among the 200 images capturing today’s faces of Britain lies Nick’s portrait of Delfina Da Cruz, a worker at E5 Bakehouse in Hackney. Drawn by the colours Delfina was wearing as she washed up, Nick asked if he could take a portrait. The image was shot whilst working on The Makers, commissioned by Studio Small.

Not only will this portrait be exhibited on JCDecaux screens nationwide, but it will also be part of the very first Portrait of Britain book which will be published this month.

See all winning portraits here
See The Makers here

 

 

Ezekiel: A Recap by Smith Journal
In an interview with Chris Harrigan, Nick speaks of Ezekiel 36:36 five years on.

Remembering the lathargic nature of Lloyd Aero Boliviano. Nick's photographs and recent interview hold onto the hope that the airline will, once again, return to the air.

"LAB still keeps Boeing planes from the 1970s running, its training is set up like it was 40 years ago, and they have rooms full of paper tickets. There is a tangibility and a substance to the company that makes it more than a business."

Click here to see the full project.

It's Nice That features 'Ciudad Rebelde'
The young rebellious city of El Alto, Bolivia.

Nick went back to El Alto, Bolivia's largest growing city, and came back with a portrait of a rebellious young city.

He talked with It's Nice That about his approach to this bustling South American city:  “I wanted to give the photo essay an uncluttered and refreshing tone, keeping the frames simple,” he says. “It’s a story about a young city and I really wanted Ciudad Rebelde to focus on the city’s population as they are the ones shaping it.”

He also shared some insights about his practice in general and initial inspirations to make photography his art.

See the article here.

See the story here.

 

 

Looking for 'The Green Ray'
A portrait of Biarritz for The New York Times Style Magazine

Nick spent a few days wandering around wide beaches, surrounded by cliffs and listening big waves crashing into giant boulders. On a commission from The New York Times Style Magazine, he set out to capture the atmosphere of the town of Biarritz, in the French Basque Country. Based on Éric Rohmer’s small masterpiece ‘The Green Ray’ he created his own contemporary version of the city, a place that swings between crowed summer days and offseason abandoment.

‘The place evokes the restless feel of a city in late summer, the compulsion to escape while not having anywhere to go’

See the article here.

See the story here.

Work-In-Progress: 'The Bitter Sea'
An interview with the Photographic Museum of Humanity

'In his ongoing project, The Bitter Sea, photographer Nick Ballón draws on his heritage to investigate the proud and nostalgic relationship landlocked Bolivia has with the sea.'

Verónica Sanchis recently spoke with Nick about his experience working on this project for the PHMuseum. He shared insights about his interest in Bolivia: the main stage for his work. He is slowly bringing the pieces together with constant visits to the country, reseach and negotiations. Nick's work is endlessly fueled by his Bolivian heritage, and interest to continue connected to his ancestry.

See the article here.

The story of the Bolivian Navy featured in WIRED

Nick’s story ‘Armada’ continues to catch attention. Normally, the curiosity begins with the fact that Bolivia is a landlocked country with a Navy, and some of its recruits have never seen the sea.

He was recently approached by Laura Mallonee, from WIRED, to talk more about his experience getting access, spending days in the Navy, and following the life of the young recruits. This is part of Nick’s long term project ‘The Bitter Sea’ focusing in Bolivia’s loss of the sea over 130 years ago, and it's longing to recover its access to the Pacific from Chile.

See the WIRED story here.

See the project here.

 

Surrealism by the Sea with David Shrigley
for BA High Life Magazine

On a commission from British Airways’ High Life Magazine, Nick went on a shorter kind of trip to meet with David Shrigley: one of Britain’s most culturally embedded, and most-loved artists. He is well know for having a combination of pitch-black humour with satirical scrawling.

A winter day in Brighton was the scenario for the portrait series, focusing on the artist new relationship with his adopted hometown. The artist moved in just a couple of years ago, and his bonding with the place continues to evolve as steps into the role of guest director at this year’s Brighton Festival.

 

 

Copenhagen Suborbitals: A Volunteer-run rocket programme
for Wired UK

Nick met the team behind the Suborbitals, at their warehouse in Copenhagen, where they are working on their next mission: Putting a human into space by 2030.

“We have engineers, metal workers, electronics guys, software guys – all sorts of skills,” their projects rely on crowdfunding, and their next rocket, Nexø II, is a mix of pre-existing components, repurposed for space travel.

This  6.7-metre-tall rocket, weighing 178 kilograms, will be fired 12.6 kilometres into the air, then float back down to Earth with a parachute. The computer used in the engine control system once was cashier’s terminal from a Burger King; the pressure regulation system is based on a scuba diving funnel; a previous rocket used a brake cable from a Fiat car to synchronise the opening of crucial valves. All driven by their love for space.

The story was commissioned by WIRED UK, published in their May/June 2018 Issue.

See the online story here.

 

Max Whitlock
for The Guardian Labs Commonwealth Series

On an editorial commission from The Guardian Labs, Nick met some interesting key characters involved with the Commonwealth Games and also Olympic Athletes currently representing Britain around the globe, like champions. This came out as part of 'The Home Team' series.
One of the subjects was star gymnast, Max Whitlock, whom he photographed doing some stunning acrobats on the pommel horse. This shoot felt like a proof of what has made Max a five-time Olympic medallist, a six-time world medallist, and Britain's first ever Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics.

See the story here.

The Royal Academy's 250th Anniversary
for The Big Big Black Book by The Esquire

At the end of 2017, Nick visited The Royal Academy of Arts to capture it on its 250th anniversary. It was also the big day of the RA's Christmas staff party, talks on the halls made it sound like a memorable tradition.
Nick met with Artistic Director, Tim Marlow, in the drawing room as he reviewed some notes for a coming speech and shared some anecdotes. He was later joined by the Head of Collections and the Head of Architecture, who toured him around the areas under renovation of The Burlington House, a place that holds the most august institution of the arts in Britain.

The story was published in The Big Black Book, the Esquire's twice-yearly guide to the finer things in life, with their very stylish spin-off.

See the story here.

Film & TV Director Armando Iannucci
for The Atlantic

On an editorial portrait commission from The Atlantic magazine, Nick met television and film director Armando Iannucci in London.

Just on the time for his film release 'The Death of Stalin', for which Iannucci turns to the Kremlin, satirizing the political struggle that followed Joseph Stalin’s demise. The film was shot pre-Trump, however events from the 1930s seem to match with the current political scene around the world as he comments during his interview.

Click here to see the full story.

 

'Armada' on the big pages of GDF Magazine  

Nick was invited to showcase his work on the biggest magazine we have ever seen: A3 sized pages, filled with art and zero ads. Is not a usual combination we get to see these days.
Global Design Firm is launching their project this month, for which they created a big format publication that's been circulating around the Creative industries in New York. Nick picked his project 'Armada' to be featured, along other artists like Todd Hido, Mark Leary, Lucas Foglia.

See all the project here. 

Damien Hirst for The Sunday Times

Nick met artist Damien Hirst at Newport Gallery in South London, the artist very own museum.
On the time allowance, Nick had the opportunity to work with the pills inspired space in the Gallery's restaurant, and then had the artist lay on the floor at the bottom of a staircase as Nick hung with his camera from the very top view above.

The images were featured on the cover of The Sunday Times December 17th Issue. The story described the artist's latest show as 'the shipwreck of his career', a bit of his past, future and current position in the business.

 

Triple Win!
On the 2017 CR Photography Annual

Here is another exciting year of winning work selected for the Creative Review 2017 Photography Annual.
'Invisible Wounds' Nick's first collaboration with artist Alma Haser, was also selected Best In Book. 
'Armada' a project shot in the Navy Base of Lake Titicaca, is been selected on the Personal work category. 
'El Choro' a story on a sustainable Bolivian farming community, commissioned by Cheryl Newman for We Feed The World, has also joined the selection. 

Click here to see all winners.

Portrait of Maria Balshaw, Tate Britain's Director.
for Bloomber Pursuits

Nick recently met Maria Balshaw at Tate Britain for a portrait session commissioned by Bloomberg Pursuits. She became the museum's director last June, and has brought an energized and politically active approach.

“The Tate has expanded the landscape for art in this country. Now it needs to ensure that that expanded landscape is shared with the widest community of people possible." She adds during the interview.

Click here to see all portraits.

 

On the cover of Positive News
Nick’s portraits of Daphne Selfe.

Positive News honours ageing on its latest Issue, and Nick's images were the right fit to make the point. ‘The Age Advantage’ features Nick’s portraits Daphne Selfe ,the oldest professional fashion model in the world, in their cover of the magazine and opening of the story.  

As part of a co-op media, this is a magazine that focuses on progress and possibility with a constructive journalistic approach.

Maharam Stories.
Gem Fletcher writes about Nick's last decade in photography.

'Ballón’s best work occupies a state of limbo. With layers of contradictions intriguing and seducing the viewer, things are often not what they seem on the surface. He is interested in the moments that sit halfway between real and constructed.'

As part of Maharam Stories series, Photography Art Director, writer and friend, Gem Fletcher collaborated with the writing of this piece. Her talented writing takes a look into Nick's approach to his photography, describing very gracefully how he looks at the world and elaborates on his personal focus on his Anglo-Bolivian heritage.

Click here to see the full story. 

Talking trolls, sagas and Norse folk-tails around Reykjavik.
A story on Iceland's bestselling author, Sjón.

Commissioned by 1843 Magazine for its August & September 2017 Issue, Nick went on a photographic winter walk. He re-visited Iceland through stories created by one of its most well-know poets, lyricists, and novelists: Sjón. Influenced by  David Bowie, the author was a pioneer of surrealist writing in the 70s, and often collaborates with Bjork.   

Click here to see the story in 1843 Magazine.

Cover story on TIME Magazine
A Portrait of Ireland's Prime Minister As a Young Man.

Nick was recently commissioned to shoot the cover story for Time Magazine's International Edition. On a quick trip from London straight to the Irish Parliament House in Dublin, he had the opportunity to meet and photograph the portrait of a new and rather refreshing name in politics: The Taoiseach, or Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar.

Clerks featured in Bloomberg Businessweek
Inside the strange world of London’s clerks and barristers.

On a negotiation of his own documentary style, Nick silently moved around from all hierarchies, spent time capturing portraits of the senior practitioners and followed the more junior ones as their performed the clerking rite of passage: Trolley-hauling around the Royal Courts of Justice and to the offices.

Click here to see the featured in Bloomberg Businessweek.
Click here to see the full project.

On the cover of American Chordata
A New York based magazine.

Nick’s image from his project ‘The Virtue of Wrestling’ was featured on the cover of American Chordata. This rather special publication is getting all the positive attention from their very start. It carefully blends in fiction, nonfiction essay, and poetry, with art and photography. Nick created this project as part of his ongoing collaboration with Art Director Gemma Fletcher.

Click here to get ahold of their previous issues.

Good news from The Creative Review
Editorial Win: 2016 Creative Review Photography Awards.

We are happy to announce that on another year on the row, Nick has been selected to join the 2016 Creative Review Photography Annual publication, along a great pick of very talented photographers doing fine work in the current scene. On this occasion it was his story ‘The Painted Desert’, commissioned by T:MAG, that brought him the 2016 award under the Editorial section.

Click here to see the full story.

 

 

A Conversation with the Creative Review
Tanneries and creativity inside a factory.

Nick was interviewed about his experience shooting ‘Leather for Maharam’, a recent commission from the US-based textile design company. This story allowed Nick a very organic relationship with the client, and the space to translate his visual style inside the Italian tanneries.

Click here to read what Nick told The Creative Review about his experience.

Back to top