Photography Talk: Struggles, Creativity and Fulfillment

As a photographer, Oliver Du Tré's journey has been one filled with both passion and resilience. Through his work, Oliver strives to create evocative imagery of the unseen and mundane. He seeks subjects that can tell a story and speak to the emotions within us all.

However, the path of an artist is rarely smooth. There are times when he grapples with the uncertainty of the art world, whether it's finding opportunities or dealing with critiques that can feel deeply personal. Balancing the desire to express himself with the realities of life can be challenging, and these hardships often test his commitment to his craft.

Yet, Oliver believes that these struggles are essential to his growth as an artist. Each obstacle pushes him to explore new dimensions in his work and to dig deeper into the stories he wants to tell. In this heart-to-heart coffee talk, Oliver will give you a high-level overview of what it is he does. He will talk about past experiences, both good and bad, and how he used those to produce work that – he hopes – resonates with others.

Oliver's journey continues to be a source of creativity and fulfillment, even amidst the challenges that come with being an artist.

For me, everything is black and white, but never lacking in passion. My approach is best described as sophisticated minimalism, in that I always strive to simplify a scene to its essential core elements of light and line.

My enthusiasm for symbolism and symmetry, evidenced in my photographs, is paired with the use of contrast, full tonal range, proportion and depth. All within balanced and easy-to-understand compositions. It is my goal to ensure that my work is accessible to as broad an audience as possible and to provide them with the opportunity to gain insight into the delicate aspects of life that are so often overlooked by us all.

"I don't tell viewers what they should feel, I simply set the stage for them to tell their own stories." - Olivier Du Tré

Through my work, I aim to bring to light the details of everyday life that are often overlooked and to highlight the beauty that can be found in the mundane. The subtle, tranquil and sometimes tender elements in my photographs help to emphasize the subtleties of life that I am exploring.

For all my work I choose to use film as my medium of choice. I like to use my large format Shen-Hao 4x5 camera with a selection of 3 Fujinon lenses (90, 180, and 250mm). After exposing the photograph, the negative gets carefully developed by hand to get the appropriate contrast that is suiting the subject I photographed.

Please Note:
This is an In-Person Event. Your registration is required and we'll provide you with a reminder email. Should you have any questions or issues, please email [email protected].

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Camera Store, 802 11 Avenue Southwest, Calgary, Canada