Jersey Shore Magazine
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1175350
J e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 9 48 F JERSEY SHORE IMAGES Seeking to Balance Reality Pink sunrise, Long Beach Island It has been said that the true subject of the photograph is the photographer. Frederick Ballet grew up in Brooklyn and from an early age was fascinated with the natural world. Keenly inter- ested in biology and comparative anatomy, he attended college and medical school, and after graduation and postdoctoral training, became a hand surgeon. In time, he married, had twin boys (now both married), became a grandfather, built a wooden sailboat, and earned a third degree black belt in karate. Ballet's photography as a teenager was limited to taking pictures of landscapes and zoo animals on an Olympus film camera. His father had a passing inter- est in photography, and they worked in the darkroom together. Family and work commitments took their toll on his available time, and it was in retirement that he was able to commit fully to his renewed passion. When not taking pictures, he can be found kite surfing, stand up paddle boarding, sailing, or fishing. Ballet feels fortunate to live at the beach, which gives him the ability to capture it at different times of the day and year. Says Ballet, "The beauty of the natural world has always filled me with an existential fascination. As a young boy I would often go down to the sea, never disappointed in her embrace of peaceful solitude. I now revel in capturing her special moments of equanimity, movement, color, light, power, and immortality." He continues, "In my work, I seek to balance realism with abstraction, at times capturing the surreal. My favorite images give the viewer the smallest anchor of reality, leaving the rest to the imagination. My goal is for you to leave with a meditative sense of beauty, peace, and timelessness." Frederick Ballet's work can be seen in select galleries and at shows along the Jersey Shore. Please refer to page 57 for more information. The Photography of Frederick Ballet continued on page 50