Hi World!
I'm William Ben,
I can’t help myself, I see stories everywhere, and don’t
think I could stop if I tried. I consider it a gift, and I purposely tap
into it every single day in my art. I’ve been successful songwriter for
many years, and that makes me a storyteller of sorts, a gardener of
tales. Stories that I lovingly tend and nurture.
I was
raised in southern Oklahoma between the cool shade of the Arbuckle
Mountains and the endless turns of the promiscuous Red River. My
childhood gave me a deep reverence for nature as I grew up wandering
knee-deep through all her ever-changing symbols, lessons, and metaphors.
When I reached my early twenties, I traded one deep forest for
another by moving to New York City to pursue my art. It was here that I
discovered acting, music and songwriting. After several years I married
the woman of my dreams, and settled down in Brooklyn. We had a backyard
garden, careers, and each other. We had everything.
Then she died, and I was broken.
To
ease my grief, I began walking a path, the same path, every day through
what had once been, our favorite place in the world, Prospect Park in
Brooklyn. It became a meditation for me, a discipline, something to look
forward to, and after a year of only looking down, repeating the same
footfalls, making the same turns, I looked up and saw the true beauty of
the path, and remembering the breadth of nature, I pulled out my phone
and took a picture.
Soon I began taking more and more pictures of the path and it’s other inhabitants, whatever I found beautiful. I started seeing beauty in the city as well, with all its shadows, patterns, and worn-down edges. A year later I got a dedicated camera, doubling my reach and vision, and I moved beyond the path, and deeper into the city, totally unaware that, my camera was bringing me gradually back into the world.
I’m still healing from my loss, and often my best comfort is in either the company of the wildlife that I photograph, or the sense of history and continuance that I feel in the older parts of the city.
And as with all stories, something beautiful this way comes.
My art business has been designated as a "Trusted Art Seller" with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.
After living in New York City for decades now, I’ve worked with a dozen or so true creative geniuses, many of them giants in their art, names that I grew up hearing my whole life. I understood their greatest influence on me, when I discovered the very uncommon thread that passes through all of them, and continues to draw us to them, their complete and unapologetic embrace of their own unique perspective. They connect to their gift, and we connect to that.
My favorite painters are Maxfield Parrish for his saturated hues, John William Waterhouse because of his romantic themes, and Edward Hopper for his isolated images and use of stark lighting. In film, I love Stanley Kubrick for his attention to detail, David Fincher for his psychologically dark themes, and both Francis Ford Coppola along with Martin Scorsese for the exact same reasons, they tell a story like no one else.
In music, I marvel at the storytelling of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, The Grateful Dead, and Neil Young. And finally, what I am learning from photography itself, is that I prefer to photograph anything that isn’t self-conscious, or feels the need to pose. I believe nature, as well as her impact on all the contraptions we have built, is not trying to be beautiful, it simply is.
I recently upgraded to a Nikon Z7ii from my Nikon P1000. My zoom lens, which I use for 95% of my shots, is a NIKKOR 200 -500mm. My monopod is by Sirui, and my tripod is by K&F Concept. For color correction I use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. And for focus and endurance I’m never far from a good cup of coffee.
I am a recipient of the Meet the Composer Grant from New York State Council on the Arts, and have been honored as a New Folk Finalist at America's most respected folk music festival, The Kerrville Folk Festival. Under the banner of collaborator, my work has been performed at The Songwriters Hall of Fame, The Songwriter's Guild of America Pro Shop, and the prestigious New York Songwriters Circle. My music has been heard on The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS's primetime comedy, how I met your mother, the international release of The Hammer, Good Day New York, and VH1. I have also appeared on several daytime dramas including Another World, One Life to Live, and Search for Tomorrow. I am also the author of the book, “How to Write a Love Song”, have released eight full-length albums on the Magnatune label, and am currently penning my second book.
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