When she was young, Dale thought that she would become a writer when she grew up. Until, that is, she met what was to become the love of her life; photography.
Now that she’s somewhat grown up, she does both.
Dale double majored in Russian Literature and Studio Art at Smith College, focusing all of her studio art energy into photography. She decided to continue her studies and attend graduate school at Pratt Institute. While there, studying under Phil Perkis, Dale worked as an assistant and printer for photographer Elaine Mayes. She also worked in the Brooklyn Museum, assisting in the photographing of the Museum’s various collections. This proved to be an invaluable job when it came to learning about the challenges of studio lighting .
In 1997, she was awarded a Fulbright Travel Grant and a Miguel Vinciguerra Grant to travel to Sicily and photograph rural life there. Soon after her return, she began working as an independent contractor at Exhibition Prints, Inc., a high end photo lab dedicated to fine art and commercial photography. Owned by renowned photographer Joel Sternfeld, EPI attracted clients such as Joel Meyerowicz and Annie Leibovitz, and Dale printed for all of them. She worked with EPI until it closed its doors in 2007.
Back in her grad school days, she had also started working with some of the bands she knew, doing live and promotional photography. That segued into years of steady freelance work for music magazines, as well as tattoo magazines, where she became reacquainted with her first love and began to write her own articles.
She has been hired by prestigious overseas companies to do fashion photography, produced promotional headshots for L.A. law firm Willenken, Loh & Stris, and used lessons learned at the Brooklyn Museum to do product photography.
Because of her experience and expertise, Dale began teaching photography at the Photographic Center Northwest in 2008 while living in Seattle. Upon returning to New York City, she got involved with the International Center of Photography, acting as a teaching assistant both at their community programs and at the mid-town location.
Since launching the two magazines that she co-owns and edits, much of her photography and writing skills have been funneled into roller derby, (Blood & Thunder Magazine), and burlesque, (Shimmy Magazine). Her immersion on the world of burlesque led to her teaching pin-up photography classes at events around the country and in New York City through the New York School of Burlesque.
Having relocated herself and her studio to Philadelphia, Dale is offering her services as a photographer, printer, and educator at Studio Noir, located in the Sherman Mills complex.