Thaddeus Holownia

In a career that spans more than 25 years, Canadian photographer Thaddeus Holownia has explored the complex relationship between humanity and natural and built environments, be they urban surroundings, industrial landscapes, or vast natural terrain.

Born in 1949 in Bury St. Edmunds, England, Holownia studied communication and fine arts at the University of Windsor. After graduating in 1972, he moved to Toronto and began to photograph extensively. It was during his time, immersed in Toronto's arts communities and experimenting with different photographic equipment, printing techniques, styles, and subject matter, that Holownia began to work with the camera that would become a signature of his photographic style. Through the advice of designer Allan Fleming, Holownia began photographing with a large-format view camera, which soon led him to purchase a Folmer & Schwing Banquet camera from around 1925. Originally manufactured for creating portraits of large groups, the Banquet camera is a relatively cumbersome piece of photographic equipment that can nonetheless capture a sizeable crowd while also rendering individuals with great detail and clarity on its 7 x 17 inch negative. Holownia makes use of the Banquet camera's ability to document broad landscapes and city streets alike, bringing forth features and details that might otherwise go unnoticed.