Copyright Linda Treleven 2025, Lighting by Terri Ross, Black and White Conversion by Ron Ross.
History
I’ve been a photographer for a long time. I got my first camera when I was about twelve, and my first SLR when I was about sixteen. After high school I completed the two year professional diploma in photography at Fanshawe College. I then spent fifteen years as a photofinisher, AV technician, forensic photographer, wedding photographer, tour group photographer, projectionist, and a bunch of other mundane photo jobs.
Eight plus hours a day of photographic donkey work didn’t quite kill my desire to do photography as an art form, but it came close. I went back to school, and ended up as a research and CRM archaeologist. A few years of academic life and a decade spent living in England and Wales revived my creative juices. Unfortunately, I was way too busy teaching and digging big holes to spend a lot of time doing photographic art.
In 2007 I decided to reduce my involvement in research and teaching, and once again seriously pursue photography. 2008 was a major turning point, in all sorts of ways, including in my development as a photographer. After much agonizing, I decided to move into the digital age. This shook me out of my comfort zone, and led me to face a lot of questions artists normally face when they are much younger: what is my vision, what is my style, what am I trying to say, how do I want to say it, what makes a superior image, and so on.
Now, a few years on, I think I’m starting to get somewhere. Go have a look at my images, my blog, and my ramblings on photography. Keep an eye on the Shows announcement page if you want to see my work up close and personal.
Style and Vision
Artists are often obsessed with finding their ‘style’ (or vision). Usually that means finding a formula for commercial success. I am not trying to make a living out of my art. Therefore, I have never been particularly concerned about creating and sticking to a style. My work partakes of many different genres and subject matters.
In 2024 I decided to see if I do have a style. This involved analysis of existing digital images since 2008 (and looking at a sample of silver-based work from 1973 to 2008). In other words, I took the same data-based approach that I would in any art historical study. This showed that my photographs are characterized by various combinations of a set of attributes. This can be called my style.
Abstraction. Almost all of my work focuses the viewer’s attention on the formal elements of the image: lines, shapes, colours, surfaces, textures, and techniques. The degree of abstraction can vary quite a bit, but it is always there. A significant amount of my work approaches, and uses the techniques of graphical art. For more detail, see the notes to the Abstract Gallery.
Composition. I normally like to have a clear, easily identified center of interest (COI). I draw the viewer’s attention to that center through tonality (most often a brighter area or object), colour (intense or vibrant colours if the image is not monochrome), and sharpness/texture. I support that COI with leading lines, depth of field, vignettes, framing and other techniques to identify and strengthen that visual locus. I use third lines and points on a regular basis, although I also do centered and symmetrical compositions. I often use a singular COI, but if I have two or more, I use a lot of diagonals and triangles, explicit and implied. Unless I am printing, I do not use a specific aspect ratio. I make the ratio suit the subject. However, I tend towards squarer ratios, including a fair bit of 1:1, 4:5, and 4:3. A reflection, I think, of my use of large and medium format cameras back in the day.
Smooth balances sharp. I use noise reduction and other processing techniques to create a photographic smoothness. I usually don’t go as far as “creamy”, and do not eliminate or reduce textures or details. I actually like to make my images hyper-detailed, while still visually smooth. This involves conventional processing techniques, as well as application of special effects and filters.
Tonality. My images almost always contain a full range of luminescence (tone) from black to white, even if they are low contrast.
Tight framing. I tend to isolate my subjects through tight framing. I invite the viewer to consider the subject as itself, rather than mediated by its context.