by Neha Balachandran
About
Neha Balachandran is a deaf, South Asian Indian American photographer based in Washington, D.C. She was born and raised in Ohio and moved to D.C. for college. Neha has two Masters degrees in Deaf Education and International Development. Her passion in photography stemmed from her two grandfathers who were also into photography. Even though growing up Neha has taken pictures of nature, her niche in editorial portraits developed during the pandemic in 2020.
Neha's goal with her photography is to highlight and bring deaf, BIPOC representation in media. Growing up she never saw people like her on tv, in movies, magazines, commercials, etc. That is why her value in deaf and people of color in her work is of importance. With this goal and value she hopes to pave the way for other deaf photographers and deaf models in media.
Jeevan Portraits |
| ജീവൻ പോർട്രൈറ്റ്സ്
I want to dedicate this section mainly to my dad, Suresh Balachandran as well as my two grandfathers, Dr. P.K. Balachandran and Dr. Basant Parida.
My dad is my number 1 supporter and fan. He is the reason why I am in photography. He encouraged me to go back into photography as I was struggling to find a creative outlet during the pandemic in 2020. So because of that push, Jeevan Portraits meaning Life in my dad's language Malayalam came about. If it wasn't for him, I would not have found my true passion and my happiness.
My grandpas are my inspiration as well. Growing up, they were both into photography and videography. They loved capturing nature's beauty, their wives, and their family. I remembered flipping through so many photo albums of the pictures they have taken in their lifetime and to see their face light up when they talk about the memory behind each photo is what I love about them. So this is also for them.