BRUCE DALE

Referred to in the Washington Post as "a jewel in the crown of the National Geographic," Bruce Dale's work for the Geographic took him to 75 countries and resulted in over 2,000 published photographs. Twice named "Magazine Photographer of the Year " by the National Press Photographers Association and the 1989 White House "Photographer of the Year," he has received numerous other awards. One of his photographs now journeys beyond the solar system on board NASA's Voyager Spacecraft, as testimony about planet Earth.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dale got an early start in photography when he was 13 years old. A discussion on photography led Dale and a friend to the local library where they borrowed a book on darkroom basics. From there they went to the drugstore, purchased some chemicals and went back home to construct a ragtag darkroom. He got a roll of exposed film that his mother had shot, and promptly ruined the film. His first lesson: if the film is wrapped in green paper, you cannot develop it under a red light. His mother never let him process her film again.

Later, during the school year at Lakewood St. Edward High School, he was taken under the wing of several teachers -one of them a graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography - who helped him develop his skills. By the time he graduated, he had over 50 photos published in local Cleveland newspapers. While at school he worked at a camera store and at Cheshire Studios. Upon graduation, he spent a year as a medical photographer for the Cleveland Clinic and then joined the Toledo Blade newspaper at 19 and was a staffer there for seven years.

Dale's photographic vision developed at numerous university workshops where he focused on photojournalism. It was at the University of Missouri where Dale came to the attention of Robert Gilka, of National Geographic, who gave him his first chance to shoot for that magazine. Later when Gilka became Director of Photography he hired Dale. Later, he went back as an instructor at two of them -- the University of Missouri and Syracuse University. He has also taught at the Maine Photographic Workshop, New York's International Center of Photography, Summer Vale, Colorado, and Palm Beach Workshop in Florida. In addition, he has lectured for the NPPA Flying Shortcourse, National Geographic Society, National Film Board of Canada, York College, the University of Indiana, and throughout China He has conducted foreign workshops in China, Provence, and Crete.

While at National Geographic, he covered a wide range of subjects and was often called upon to orchestrate complex images such as working with pulsed laser photography to help produce a hologram of an exploding crystal ball for the Geographic's 100th Anniversary cover.

One of his more memorable photos involved mounting two cameras on the tail of a Lockheed Tri-Star jumbo jet to make spectacular views of the big jet in flight. One, a 23 second time exposure, led to a three page gatefold in the Geographic -- the other a cover on the magazine.

For a story on the roadrunner, the elusive southwest bird, Dale made a dummy roadrunner, using a radio controlled toy and a stuffed bird. While he hid nearby, Dale could make the decoy wag its tail and call to a live bird (thanks to built-in tiny tape recorders). When the live bird appeared, Dale photographed the courtship behavior with a radio controlled camera mounted alongside the decoy.

Still he considers his best images are those serendipitous moments totally alien to the well planned picture. "I try to be sensitive to the world around me and actually plan on the unplanned picture. If I can capture the spontaneity and mood of the moment then it becomes a more memorable photograph.

Two books, Gypsies and American Mountain People, both illustrated by Dale, offer a sensitive insight into these people and have often been regarded among the finest books produced by the Geographic. His self imposed guide line was to try to photograph these people through their own eyes -- as they see themselves. He produced a 30 minute documentary slide show on Mountain People that was translated into Chinese for use in Asia. His work is included in other Geographic books including Journey Across China, The Soviet Union Today, Images of the Worlds, The Photographs, and On Assignment. His most recent book, The American Southwest, the result of a yearlong odyssey, was published by National Geographic in January of 1999.

From 1983 to 1987 he was Vice President of Dale Instruments Inc., a company specializing in the design, manufacturing and world wide sales of specialized photographic equipment. His son, Greg, had designed the "Dale Beam" and "Dale Intervalometer," devices indispensable to capturing high speed action.

Dale is married and lives in Arlington, Virginia. He and his wife, Joyce, whom he met in Toledo, have three sons. She is an accomplished photographer herself and works with Bruce on many of his current projects. Bruce pursues several hobbies. An accomplished woodworker, he once built a reproduction Shaker table built from a cherry tree cut down in his yard and occasionally finds time to put finishing touches on an Austin Healey sports car he has been restoring.

In 1994, Dale left National Geographic to pursue a wider venue in photography. Corporate and advertising clients since leaving the Geographic include: Acura, Allstate, American Airlines, Caterpillar, Epson America, Getty Foundation, Harriet & Henderson, Mack Truck, Nikon, Mastushita Industries, Quintile Corporation, Shell Oil, Southwest Airlines, Southwest Parks, The Tropical Forest Foundation, Trammel Crow, and Willis & Geiger.

Dale is well versed with digital photography and uses it in conjunction with much of his current work. His association with electronic photography goes back to the 1970's while consulting with SFC Graphics in Ohio when they acquired the first Hell Scanner in the country. He recently received a leadership award from the Smithsonian Institution for his innovative work with digital photography. From 1994 to 2003 he conducted a photographic workshop at a small retreat on the banks of the Pecos River near Santa Fe, New Mexico. During the past several years, he has been honored as one of Epson's Professional representatives and has lectured throughout the country.