Behind The Lens: Olivier Du Tré

Each week we’ll feature one photographer from the PhotoShelter community, and share his or her story behind the shots that caught our eye. Photog...

Each week we’ll feature one photographer from the PhotoShelter community, and share his or her story behind the shots that caught our eye.

Photographer: Olivier Du Tré
Specialty: Landscape
Current Location: Cochrane, Alberta
PhotoShelter Website: olivierdutre.com

The Shots:

Photo by Olivier Du Tre

The Story:

It’s the first image above that made Olivier decide to completely change his direction from color photography and begin shooting solely black and white. He was on his way to Claresholm, Alberta when he passed the scene: “I debated on photographing it,” he remembers. “I passed it and decided to return. This was one of those instances that screamed for the ‘when in doubt, stop and photograph it’ rule. As it turned out, it was the start of a complete turnaround in my style. That weekend I decided to pursue black and white photography, and to stop creating colour shots. It was a revelation, an epiphany.” He wrote about his experience and new creative direction in his photography blog – take a look here.

Olivier describes the Badlands area in Alberta, where he got the second shot above, as “an unbelievable sight,” but also “a very challenging area to photograph in. Contrasts are crazy and very tough to keep under control. This photograph zooms in on one of the tiny coulees near the Hoodoos along highway 10 on the Hoodoo Trail.”

Olivier is currently working on his series Volts, which he began shooting as a reaction to the all the utility poles that would creep into his camera frame. “I decided to investigate them a little further, with this series as a result.” Throughout the summer he’ll be working with a close colleague documenting summer storms, which he plans to create large 40×60 inch black and white prints from.

What caught our eye:

Olivier creates images that simplify the landscape, stripping it of color, and help guide the viewer’s eye straight to the light. The tonality in most of his images create a smooth aesthetic thats lies somewhere between a peaceful silence and ominous feeling.