Olivier Du Tré (˚1977, Ghent, Belgium) is a fine art photographer based out of Cochrane, Alberta.
“Zo vader, zo zoon” the Dutch equivalent for “Like father, like son” holds true for photographer Olivier Du Tré, who credits his father as his inspiration.
“He’s a fantastic painter and a gifted photographer. As a child, I marveled at his uncanny ability to ‘dial-in’ his Leica M3 and produce the most beautiful shots without the aid of a light meter. I don’t ever recall thinking ‘I want to become a photographer’ at that time, but because of him, I definitely knew I wanted to be an artist.”
After graduating as a graphic designer in 1998, Du Tré found his passion after enrolling in a three-year photography program at KISP in Ghent. During this time, Olivier immersed himself in film cameras, darkroom printing techniques and black and white photography, all of which continue to play a huge role in his work today. After seven years of travelling back and forth, Olivier and his wife Sarah decided to make Canada their permanent home in 2009. They settled just west of Calgary in the small town of Cochrane.
“The move was a product of passion. My wife is an avid horseback rider and I wanted to be closer to the subject matter that I found so intriguing, the open spaces and the compliment/contradiction of man and nature, there’s a unique symmetry to it all.”
Olivier’s work has been published in multiple online magazines (ƒ11 Magazine no. 19, Stark Magazine no. 7, Landscape Photography Magazine no. 18, …) on numerous photography blogs and in print in Lenswork Magazine no. 103. Recently one of Olivier’s photographs received a bronze medal in the annual international photography competition Prix de la Photography, Paris (PX3). The Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver noticed Olivier’s work too this year and now represents his work for Western Canada.
“I don’t tell the viewer what to feel, I merely offer a setting for their own story.”
-Olivier Du Tré-
For Du Tré, everything is black and white, but never lacking in passion. His approach could be best described as sophisticated minimalism with an unbridled fascination for symbolism and symmetry, a reoccurring theme throughout his work.
Through precision contrast, proportion and depth, Du Tré captures a ‘formal aesthetic’ with a multi layered, well-balanced frame that questions the fragility and instability of our seemingly certain world. His photography challenges the audience to consider multiple perspectives and a careful examination of the unseen. A subtle, quiet, and at times romantic take on the unnoticed, passed-by or mundane. [Official Website]
