Attila Ataner is a Toronto-based photographer.

Attila focuses on creative portraiture, editorial-style work and related fields. He uses innovative lighting techniques, and tries to emphasize shadows, as much as light, by way of sculpting form and figure, and in order to add a sense of intrigue and intimacy to his images. He also often applies non-generic colour grading, mainly in order to create an atmosphere around subjects that is complimentary to their character … but also to grab the viewer’s attention. 

 Above all, Attila aims to present his subjects in ways that emphasize their inner strength and dignity, and he often tries to capture them in contemplative, thoughtful moments. … In colloquial terms, he aims to produce images that are “timeless.”

Attila is represented by Toronto's Berenson Fine Art Gallery, and his body of fine-art photographic work spans the last two decades. His fine art images examine architecture, urban landscapes, and the built environment.

Attila is available for commissions and is able to serve both private individuals, as well as commercial/institutional clients.

In his spare time, Attila plays chess with his children and enjoys making Bauhaus-style sketches like the one on this page.

BIOGRAPHY

I am currently based in Toronto, Canada … but my background is Turkish-Bulgarian, and I was born in Svishtov, a small town on the Danube River. During the 80s, my family and I lived in North Africa, in Tripoli, Libya, as ex-pats.

I learned about photography for the first time while attending an international school, the “Oil Companies School [OCS],” for the children of foreign workers. It was here that I first received a comprehensive education in the basic practice of photography - including the workings of the camera, composition and aesthetic principles, developing film and other darkroom techniques. I learned about photography from one of the most incredible teachers I’ve ever had, starting in Grade 6 at OCS.

I came to Canada with my parents just as I started high school in Burlington, Ontario, and there I continued my education in photography from one of my all-time favourite art teachers. I have been a lifelong lover, practitioner and occasional teacher of photography.

I am a graduate of McGill University (BA), McMaster University (MA), and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (JD). I’m a recipient of multiple prestigious scholarships and grants, as well as a published author in various academic journals. (You can access my publications via the link below.) I practiced law for a number of years, but for the sake of my health, I changed track and returned to school to do graduate-level work.

My family and I, including my wife and our two young children, live in downtown Toronto. In addition to my photography practice, I am a part-time Ph.D. student in philosophy at the University of Western Ontario; my studies focus on environmental philosophy as well as the work of early-modern German philosophers, namely Kant and Hegel.

You can find more information about me via my links page:
linktr.ee/attila_ataner