Dale Rio

Photographer
In Absentia
Stories (12)
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Nationality: American
Biography: I am a photographer who has been shooting and printing my own work for nearly thirty years.  I received an MFA in photography from Pratt Institiute in 1996 and a Fulbright Travel Grant and the Miguel Vinciguerra Grant in 1997.  Since... read on
Public Story
In Absentia
This body of work features places that once buzzed with life but are now devoid of humanity.  Places where you think people should be but aren't.  Objects that serve as stand-ins for people.  It begs the question: When the spirit of a person, place, or thing has parted, what is left in its stead?  This work echos my concern with mortality, man’s relationship with the environment, the destruction of community, and what the future holds for the planet. 
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By Dale Rio —

VISUAL STORY

The Black Mambas APU

By Dale Rio — In November, I traveled to South Africa to create portraits of members of the Black Mambas all-female..
VISUAL STORY

Reconciliation

By Dale Rio — These images represent my experiments with pinhole photography.  Some are part of a "Work-a-day..
VISUAL STORY

Maasai Olympics

By Dale Rio — In December 2018, I traveled to Kenya to create portraits of the participants in the 4th biennial Maasai..
VISUAL STORY

Terry Collection

By Dale Rio — The Terry Collection is a world-renowned forensic anthropology collection housed at the Smithsonian..
VISUAL STORY

Forgotten 66

By Dale Rio — Historic Route 66 exemplifies the interconnectedness of history, emotion, and humanity’s complicated..
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Band Archive

By Dale Rio — From the 1990s through the early 2000s, I photographed a lot of bands in New York and elsewhere.  I was..
VISUAL STORY

Mt. Moriah Cemetery

By Dale Rio — Mt. Moriah is a cemetery in Philadelphia that was created in the 1800s as an alternative to the crowded and..
VISUAL STORY

Portraits

By Dale Rio — This portfolio contains portraits that I've made over the past fifteen years or so.  The photos..
VISUAL STORY

Superfund

By Dale Rio — Superfund sites are those deemed contaminated or polluted by the Environmental Protection Agency, which then..
VISUAL STORY

One Nation, Oblivious

By Dale Rio — A few years ago, I was struck by the number of people who nearly walked into me because they were so..
VISUAL STORY

The Borscht Belt

By Dale Rio — I have always been fascinated by abandoned places, particularly those that were of great importance in their..
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