November 2012
Dale Niles
A way in, a way out. Make an entrance, make an exit. See in, see out, all through a portal. So many sizes and types.
Portals is a series of work that I did not go out to create. These images kind of found me, spoke to me. Sometimes it is the uniqueness of the portal. Other times it is a memory it creates, or just the unknown of what is beyond.
They all let in light and air, as well as sounds and views of our environment. Others are closed to us, which often sparks curiosity of what is inside.
The architecture is always a draw, the geometry of their structure. How the light plays with the geometric patterns is what creates the image for me.
Personal portals may hold a memory. Swinging screen doors in the summer lead to numerous adventures. A breeze from an open window in the summer gives reprieve from the heat. Sun streaming in a window brings warmth to a cold day. Thoughts go on and on.
Biography
When I was growing up things would happen and I would take them for granted just assuming that things go on without changing. I suppose I thought “I will be able to do that or see that again”. As I have grown older, I have noticed that things constantly change and opportunities do not always arise again. Life is busy, different opportunities arise, some people leave our lives forever and life goes on. Taking photos for me is a way to freeze time, giving permanence to existence.
I love being behind a camera because it takes me to another place, makes me really see. I feel like an explorer, looking for something. I rely on serendipitous moments when I am photographing. Sometimes you find it, sometimes you don’t. But when you do, everything comes together and it is a feeling of triumph. A feeling that I have fully captured all of the moment. It’s wonderful!
I have taken photos for more than 30 years, from film to digital, from wet darkroom to the digital darkroom of the computer. It is not until the past three years that I have started to show publicly.
I was born in Norfolk, Virginia and raised in small North Carolina towns, I currently live in Fayette County, Georgia.
