Photography leads war veteran out of the darkness

Dallas Gardner served in the Navy between 1997 and 2002.

In 2018, he was diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). His time in the armed forces had been traumatic and left a debilitating legacy.

Over the next 2.5 years he was in and out of hospital as he attempted to deal with his diagnosis and put his life back together. 

“In 2018 I had a complete mental health and physical breakdown, where I could no longer function in any way; to do with work or otherwise,” Dallas says. “It was then I was diagnosed with PTSD and MDD and everything started to make sense; just how I had changed and the trauma I experienced finally broke me.”

Dallas bought a camera in June 2019 and quickly found a passion for it.

“I found something I was good at.  Photography is a great thing for mental health; it helps you focus on that one image you are trying to capture, even when you miss that magic image, there is always another chance.”

In June 2020 he started studying Certificate 4 in Photography.

“My story is not one I tend to share very often… I do not like being the centre of attention,” Dallas says. “But the point of my story is to never give up, even in the darkest week, the darkest hour or the darkest minute.

“Life is not a sprint, or a marathon. It’s a very long roller coaster that sometimes get stuck at the bottom of the ride.”

Dallas says his biggest support has been his wife and kids and without their support, and the support of mental health profession I would not be able to write this story.

Dallas has donated four photographic prints to Blue Mountains City Council; three individual bird images, and an image of the iconic Three Sisters. They are on display at the Council Headquarters in Katoomba.

Pic: Mayor Mark Greenhill, Dallas Gardner and Councillor Brendan Christie with some of the photographs taken by Dallas.