Harvest of the Heart: Photographer Dal Neitzel

For photographer Dal Neitzel, the journey behind the camera began on his 10th birthday in 1958. He got exactly what he wanted: a Kodak Brownie. That little camera launched a lifelong technical and creative journey that has taken Dal around the world and, eventually, back to the beauty of his own backyard on Lummi Island.

From 1966 to 1970, Dal served in the Marines as a motion picture cameraman and still photographer throughout the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. After leaving the Marines, he attended college in Ohio while beginning work as a documentary filmmaker for PBS, local television stations and international production companies.

His career behind the camera has taken him to some extraordinary places. Over the years, Dal has photographed wildebeest in Africa, sharks off the coast of the Philippines, shipwreck hunters in South America, Expo ’85 in Japan, tulip growers in Holland, the recovery of a World War II-era B-17 bomber from Labrador, Canada, and a joint U.S.-Soviet expedition to recover a lost Japanese World War II submarine. His work eventually brought him west.

Dal moved to Seattle in the late 1970s, working as a producer at KCTS-TV, followed by a position with RKO in Boston and then a return to the Northwest. In Bellingham, he founded his own documentary production company, Vidcom.

In 1992, Dal and his wife, Kathy, bought the old Tubby and Nyleptha Ford house and made Lummi Island their home. He continued his work in television and video, and in 2005 was hired to build and program a community television station for the City of Bellingham. After retiring from that position in 2019, Dal returned to still photography—not because he had to, but simply because he loved it.

And these days, some of his favorite subjects are much closer to home.

Dal frequently shares beautiful photographs of Lummi Island’s flowers, wildlife and natural surroundings with neighbors on Nextdoor. His camera continues to invite him, and those who see his work, to pause and notice the remarkable beauty that can be found right here on the island.

Three of Dal’s photographs are currently part of Harvest of the Heart Exhibition at the Lummi Island Health & Wellness Resource Center, celebrating the work of eight island artists. His photographs offer a wonderful reminder that a lifetime spent looking through a camera can ultimately bring us back to something very simple: the joy of seeing.

Dal’s photographs in the exhibition are available for purchase.

To learn more about his work or inquire about purchasing one of his photographs:

Email: dneitzel100@gmail.comWebsite: www.dalneitzelphoto.com

We invite you to stop by the Resource Center to see Dal’s work, along with the other artists featured in Harvest of the Heart. Monday - Thursday 9:00am - 12:00 pm.