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July 27, 2007

Local photographer living her dream

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

It’s the perfect dream job — be your own boss, schedule flexible hours around your home and family, and still have time to volunteer at a school.

But getting that dream job requires a lot of hard work and dedication.

And Angie Kirk is reaping the rewards.

Kirk, who has her own home-based photography studio north of Mt. Vernon, recently graduated from the New York Institute of Professional Photography.

As part of the program’s curriculum, she studied portrait photography, wedding photography, photojournalism, advertising and still-life photography as well as other aspects of the photography profession.

“I never actually thought I’d be doing this,” said Kirk, a former grade school administrative assistant and a wife and mother of two. “We only live once, and if there’s something you really enjoy doing, make it happen.”

Kirk said her love of photography began at an early age as she realized the “importance of preserving (memories) for years to come.”

“Whatever the occasion, I wanted to capture it and hold onto it forever ... from field trips as a child to special moments spent with my friends and family,” Kirk said.

When her children were born, she said her passion for photography took on a completely different meaning.

“As any parent knows, children grow up all too quickly, and even special little characteristics or something your child said or did will soon be forgotten,” she said.

Through her photography, Kirk strives to capture those special moments to pass on to future generations, she said.

While she studied for her photography course, she found photojournalism the most interesting, Kirk said.

“You’re actually catching everything that’s happening as it occurs; it’s not posed,” she said.

Kirk also said her family provides their full support. Her husband, Paul, and her two children, ages 11 and 14, help her with the studio and creative suggestions.

“My oldest daughter has a lot of ideas for different poses, and I’ve used those,” Kirk said. “Both my children use their creativity to help me with settings.”

• For more information about Kirk’s photography, you may contact her at 214-5224; to view her gallery of photographs, you may visit her Web site at www.photosbyangie.com.



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