The photographic methods used by Linda Harding juxtapose anthropomorphic forms against hauntingly desolate landscapes. Influenced by the avant-garde provocations of the Surrealists as much as by the soft palette of Edgar Degas, Harding’s photos are touched by charms normally reserved for works of magical realism. Intrinsic to her technique is using desaturated values and softened painterly tonalities, making the photographs she captures look more like hand-drawn works of art. In this way, her subjects take on a dream-like quality that makes viewers feel as though they’re peering into a mythological world.

Harding constructs some of her images by meticulously layering multiple photographs to create a scene that is left up to the viewer to interpret. In Reaching, an isolated forest seems to be reaching towards an ever-expanding fog. The image feels almost cinematic, like a still-frame that suggests a greater narrative in the way details are either exaggerated or underscored.

Her work hangs in both public and private collections across the United States. When she isn't traveling for photoshoots, Harding resides in Little Rock, Arkansas.