Kristen Imig

Makes fine art by reflecting life

Fine-art photographer Kristen Imig's images have appeared in six major mainstream Hollywood movies: "A Lot Like Love," "Spiderman I" and "Spiderman II," "Welcome to Collinwood," "Ice Princess" and "Crazy Beautiful."

She's had six solo shows and numerous group shows. Her latest is "Headlights," running through Nov. 29 at the Globe Gallery, 105 S. Main St., in Pioneer Square.

But fine art doesn't pay the bills, so her day job is at a local professional photo lab.

Now 29, she spent three years abroad, studying in Paris, living on the Left Bank near Place de la Contrescarpe, in a tiny five-story walk-up not unlike the one Ernest Hemingway writes about in "A Movable Feast."

She had a brief meeting with Henri Cartier-Bresson at a museum party honoring him and his photo agency, Magnum.

Considered by many to be the greatest photographer ever, "he was very old and hard of hearing. I told him his work inspired me."

In her work, Kristen often uses the 2 ¼ Hasselblad camera. It's a rather heavy studio camera, but she takes it out into the street, hand-carrying it around like it was just another point-and-shooter.

She doesn't have one favorite photographer. "Just like music, you can't really pick the best." And she doesn't have a favorite among her photographs. "My pictures are like my children. I love them all."

Recently she had a show in her hometown at Colorado's Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, just blocks from where she attended high school.

Her proud father, who helped pay for much of college, sat in the audience and was not reluctant to ask about photos after the lecture.

There is a large black-and-white print from Africa, in Mozambique, where a young girl is standing, serenely, shoeless, balanced, one leg in front of another, a basket on her back.

But a father is always a father, and the child always the child.

After finishing her talk he inquired, "Tell me about that one-legged girl."

Her answer:

"D-A-A-D!"

To see some of Kristen Imig's work, check out www.kristenimig.com.