- Ben Dale
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 27
A Path Through Light and Shadow: The Story Behind My Fine Art
Where to start? I've been wanting to write a blog for so many years and now that actual moment has come, sat here at my computer, countless notes in my phone but I cannot think what to write! I'll start with hello!
Hello! I'm Ben and If you had told me years ago that one day I’d be writing a blog post about myself as a fine art photographer, I probably would have laughed and asked if you were feeling alright. I wasn’t exactly the kid who ran around with a camera in one hand and dreams of gallery exhibitions in the other. I was more the kid who ran around with various bandages and broken bits because I thought I could slide down a willow tree (true story) Spoiler: I could, but not in one piece. But, with an insatiable thirst for adventure, taking photos, getting filthy and having a great care for those around me.
Life has a funny way of nudging you (sometimes shoving you) in the right direction, especially when she feels that you not listening or taking any worldly advice. My journey to fine art photography wasn’t a straight line; it was more like one of those wobbly lines you draw when trying to find the light switch in the dark. I spent decades years as a registered Children's Nurse in the NHS, caring for critically unwell and disabled children and young adults working in hospitals, within the community in schools for children with disabilities and teaching. It was a career that taught me about humanity, respect, resilience, trust, and how to keep a straight face when the pupils’ you have been with for over 8 years ask you if you are a real nurse because you’re a man…… Or a young child with complex needs accurately signs a set of rather rude words at a visiting doctor because he’s not talking to her!
Somewhere along the way, it occurred to me that what drew me to nursing is the same fundamental principle that pulls me toward photography: connection. Real, honest, messy, but beautiful connection. I wanted to capture the world the way I saw it. As time passed that matured into a desire to capture the world the way I felt it and the way the world spoke to me, through the cracks & scars, and rays of fleeting sunlight. I am hugely influenced by my own life events and will always find a way to look (eventually) at everything as a glass half full and opportunities to learn and grow.
So, I picked up a camera. And like most first-time photographers, I immediately became an expert. Just kidding. I had no idea what I was doing. Images were too dark, too bright, or my composition was not anything like as I remembered when taking the image, but I was hooked! I practised, I read, I was inspired, and I learned. My mountain hiking slowly became photographic outings, less route marching and more hanging about in storms waiting for ‘that light’ to appear for 25 seconds. Slowing down allowed me to become much more in tune with the environment to notice, to hear and really see. There was something so magical about freezing a moment in time and realising that even the smallest, quietest details could tell a story. My development into a fine art photographer has been around 15 years in development; the last 3 have been spent understand what it means to be an Emotionally Led Fine Art Photographer (more on this in a future post). Life events have meant that practices such as mindfulness, meditation, forgiveness as well as caring for myself through a deep depression and subsequent emotional healing, have become part of my everyday life. They have re-shaped me and have significantly influenced my art.
Now, here we are. This website is my little corner of the internet where I get to share those stories, the landscapes that breathe with the ancient wisdom of the earth, portraits that reflect the wild, untamed beauty of human connection, and projects that dive deep into themes of resilience, healing, transformation or just being. I want this space to be more than just a gallery; I want it to feel like a conversation. (And if you leave comments, it will be a two-way conversation. Hint, hint.)
As for what’s coming next? Well, I’m not entirely sure. There will be more fine art projects exploring mental health, trauma, and emotional depth. There will be landscape photography that reminds you to slow down and breathe. A few stories from the Arctic, Art-led Poetry and my developments into mixed media art limited editions.
So, whether you’re here because you love art, need a little inspiration, or just accidentally clicked on the wrong link…welcome. I hope you stick around. I hope my work makes you feel something. And I hope you never stop seeing the beauty in both the light and the shadows, I am a Fine Art Photographer from Chichester on the South Coast of the UK, until next time.
