Photographer Interview: Linda Wride

Handrail to City Hall

Linda, tell us a bit about how you began your journey into photography.

I’ve taken photographs since I was a child, playing with my mother’s inherited Kodak Brownie box camera. I still have that ancient camera, now a family heirloom! As a student, I took a photography option for presentation purposes and learned the basics of developing and printing. Being able to process my own images fueled my enthusiasm for photography, only to be frustrated when I could no longer access a darkroom after graduating. This frustration prompted a move from black and white prints into color slides for a few years.

Occasional forays into more artistic images were limited by the cost of buying film, developing and printing. However, taking photographs on a limited budget meant making the most of every precious print. I would think about a shot before pressing the shutter release: compose the image in the camera; take care with speed and aperture settings; always look for the angle. I still try to do this, even though the advent of digital photography has lifted the cost constraints associated with film. More importantly, investing in a DSLR, computer and printer has once again allowed me to take control over the whole process - capturing, processing and printing images - and with it, the opportunity to be more creative. This has been a springboard in the transition from someone who takes photographs, to thinking of myself as a photographer.

With no formal training in the use of processing software, I have discovered techniques by experimenting and through trial and error. I’m still learning and finding new ways of doing things. Being exposed to the inspirational work of other photographers through the community at Fotoblur has broadened my creative horizons, opened my eyes to exciting possibilities, and helped me explore and develop my own style. Every day is like a new photographic adventure.

What are some major themes that you attempt to communicate through your artwork?

I think there are two main threads underpinning my artwork. One is a love of shapes, patterns and forms which are pleasing to the eye. Whatever I look at through the lens, my eyes intuitively seek out those elements which create symmetry, a harmonious whole, or a well balanced composition. Not surprisingly, many of my images have a strong graphic character which is accessible and easy to understand in purely visual terms. The other thread is the desire to convey a mood or feeling using processing techniques to create the image I see in my mind’s eye. It may reflect how I feel when I’m working on the image or my response to the subject - the reason it caught my attention, or moved me, in the first place. I want the viewer to share my emotion, but to respond in their own individual way. If the image leaves you cold, it hasn’t worked. If it makes something resonate in your heart, mind or memory then I am delighted!

Imagine

Your images have a mystical, dream like quality. What ideas did you have in mind and how were you able to construct these ideas when creating this series?

Two of the images are inspired by large-scale sculptures of the human head. I stumbled upon these public artworks when visiting London and Florence/Firenze and was drawn to them immediately. The head is such a powerful symbol - our center of thought and imagination, and the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Using images of heads was a natural choice to convey the concepts of imagination and inspiration. I selected images which seemed to me to best capture each concept: the head tilted up, viewed from below and the eyes, unfocused, staring into the distance symbolizing imagination in “Imagine”; the large forehead with ideas literally spilling out through a crack in the skull, symbolizing inspiration in “Inspiration”. The decision to work in black and white was key - moving the image out of reality and into the realm of ideas. The dream-like quality is further reinforced by the background; the heads are placed, or perhaps moving through, in an unidentifiable space. With no fixed point to relate to visually, the viewer is not constrained by a particular time or place, leaving his or her mind to wander freely wherever the concept takes it.

The architectural work owes much to my professional background in urbanism. I am fascinated by how people respond to the built environment and urban spaces. I wanted to create images which would grab the viewer’s attention, provoke a response and in doing so, raise awareness of the places where many of us live. The buildings portrayed in these images each have strong individual identity. I think that comes across more clearly without the distraction of color. By isolating the building from its surroundings, attention is focused on shape, form and detailing which can go unnoticed when viewed against a cluttered skyline or busy background. The sky treatment emphasizes and reinforces those features of the building which make it distinctive.

Monument

In your work, how do you use your subject to express your ideas and vision?

I rarely pick up my camera with a set agenda in mind. I know from experience that I am attracted to subjects with strong shapes, patterns and forms, be it a building, rural or urban landscape, or a small detailed part of an everyday object. More and more of my images now include people - not as portraits, but as active players in a scene, who give scale or change the dynamics of the space, for example. For me, ideas are suggested by and flow from the images themselves. If the original image doesn’t spark a reaction or trigger something in my imagination when I first open the file on screen, then it’s probably not worth spending time on it at that point. However, I may come back to it in the future and discover something I missed the first time around, or find that later, when I’m in a different frame of mind, a thought is triggered and I have an idea to work with.

What makes Linda Wride tick? More specifically, what are your motivations for reaching out to others using photography as your medium?

I come from an arts background. However, I can’t remember the last time I picked up a paintbrush or a pencil and sketch pad. But the camera is different. It’s been there with me all the way on life’s journey, recording events and, more recently, providing a channel to communicate visually, a refreshing and invigorating change after relying on the spoken and written word for so long. I have found that my images can strike a chord with people from all over the world who share my passion for photography. This has given me great delight and pleasure and real motivation to carry on.

What invaluable lessons have you learned that helped you develop your distinct style?

Don’t be afraid to try things! Keep an open mind, experiment, persevere, be inspired by others, but value your own vision - after all, you are unique!