Dunsborough-based photographer, Josh Ball, is planning to continue his viral portrait series from travels in Europe back home to WA.
The series, which began in July while he was travelling through Slovenia, involves Mr Ball approaching interesting looking people and introducing himself, then asking if he can take their portrait.
The 37-year-old photographer films the interaction with the stranger and with their permission posts the footage and the portraits on his social media.
One of his posts of 95-year-old farmer Francka with her “Ferrari” tractor has reached 3.5 million views and gained widespread attention in Europe after being featured in the Slovenian newspaper Večer.
Another post of Mr Ball taking the portrait of elderly electrician Jože, who eagerly grabbed his chainsaw for the photo, has amassed 464k views.
In just two weeks and nine Instagram posts, Mr Ball’s follower count on Instagram skyrocketed from 10,700 to more than 25,000.
“This started as a way for me to connect with locals while I was travelling, and it pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Mr Ball said.
“Through my camera, strangers became friends, and their stories reached millions, proving that in a world of technology and noise, human connection is what we all crave.”
Mr Ball plans to continue his local portrait series, featuring snaps from Kalgoorlie last weekend.
“I tested the portrait series format to see if it would work in Australia. I met a young trucker called Chevy in Chittering and took his portrait at a service station, and within 36 hours that post gained more than 320,000 views,” he said.
Mr Ball’s work can be seen via his Instagram page.
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/josh-ball-dunsborough-photographer-hopes-to-bring-slovienian-success-home-to-wa-c-20257390
