Capturing writs From page 18 think quickly and improvise. With portraits, I won't take a photo until | know the subject is ready. (Yousuf) Karsh, for example, sometimes takes two days with a client.” Taking a portrait is an intimate interaction between the subject and the artist, and Kennedy Birch says that many of her clients — company executives, board- members and CEOs — have con- fided in her during sessions. “They feel vulnerable and ex- posed. They think I’m sort of capturing their spirit so they tell me a lot of their fears and con- cerns,"’ she says. Both her industrial and portrait work require patience. For in- stance, it took three separate visits to Waterfront Park before she could successfully capture the scene for North Vancouver City: smog hampered the image she wanted to portray. In the same way, a single ciga- rette butt, an unwanted footprint, or a passing car, can ruin a shot. But the right shot, says Ken- nedy Birch, is always worth waiting for. PHOTOGRAPHER DIANNE Kennedy Birch has found herself in some life-threatening situations. Most days she can be found —? zi MEWS photo Mike Wakefield scaling walls and climbing up highrise rooftops in order to capture images of commercial projecis for clients. In Her Own Words: the freedom of photography What inspired you to study photography? ‘‘I was given a 35-millimetre camera and | didn’t know what to do with it, so 1 enrolled in a night school course in North Vancouver. After that, I went ahead full force.”” Why did you decide to make photography a career? “‘Photography is a very lonely profession, and I like to work alone. It’s nice not to have an art director hanging over you. I have a lot of freedom in my job. And I find it exciting to see large in- dustries in production.” LIZ SCHICK No one even has to know you're on a diet, Dieting is hard enough, without having telltale boxes or strange foods announcing it to the world. At Diet Center® you eat real foods that you can order in any “restaurant or buy in any grocery store. The only thing to notice is how great you look. Call us today! The difference is real. Good with any 4 week Program. Diet@> Center The weight-loss professionals®™ 922-2021 #104-565 17th St., West Van Winge lov anct speed of toss wi wary wn ridnndeal 199) Deet Cervus tne Are you scared of heights? ‘‘I am, but when [’m working I don’t think about it.” Describe one assignment that stands out in your mind. ‘‘It was while I was covering this year’s Motorcycle Show. I wanted to get an overhead shot of the room, and I only had a few minutes be- fore the public was going to be let in. I looked through my lens and spotted a big muddy footprint on the carpet. The janitor hadn’t completed his job and was on a coffee break. There was only one vacuum in the building, and | found it. | started vacuuming the print, but as I was doing it, I got the chord tangled in the wheels of a motorcycle wheel. I eventually cleaned it and got the shot, but “with only seconds to spare.”’ Describe one incident that re- quired a lot of paiience: ‘‘I wanted to capture a dusk and dawn shot of Waterfront Park. | stayed there the whole day because the light changes so quickly — almost from frame to frame.”’ Custom Renovations Building for the Selected Few cS ELS CONTRACTING LTD. Bus: 926-0343 Cel: 250-8239 Renovations © Additions © New Construction If enrolled in two sessions, 2nd clinic is $60 And if enrolled in all 3 sessions, 3rd clinic is $50 West Vancouver Tennis Club Registration at the club 821-21st St., West Van Registration Dates Sessions 1,2 8&3 Saturday, March 16/91 Saturday, March 30/91 1Gam-12 noon Session 2 & 3 Saturday, April 27/91 10am-12 noon Session 3 Saturday, May 25/91 10am-12 neon Coach: Larry Scott 922-9733 What’s the usual resction from people when they see you climbing walis and rooftops? ‘They're amazed that I can carry all of my equipment.”’ What personal satisfaction do you Entire stock u 3x5 Dhurries se-s150 p to 78% G derive from your work? ‘‘! like the challenge, the idea of not knowing what the subject will be. And of course the pride that you can capture on film what you've spent a long time thinking about.”’ whoa Now $48 Bring in any competitor’s ad znd we will meet or beat their price! iy eD Save-On) «..