Kimberly Klass

In my career as a portrait photographer in Vancouver beginning in 1977 until recently (I keep shooting portraits in my dotage), I photographed many important and famous people and the not so famous whom I met in my everyday life. Some became my friends.

Such a person (not famous) was Kimberly Klass. She came into my life as a guest in our Thursday tertulia at the Railway Club in the 80s. She was adventurous and curious. She would come to our home(which I shared with my Rosemary) in Kerrisdale as she wanted to listen to my extensive jazz collection.

I took many photographs of her. Months later she committed suicide. None of us ever found out what led her to that.

Now with my splendid 38inch wide Acer monitor I have been browsing all my photo files. When I got to Kimberly’s I was astounded at those that featured her black clothing and black stockings. With my new expertise in using my Photoshop 8 (22 year’s old) which has resulted with my constant use of it I have found a better way to show here these photographs that I took of this amazing woman.

In his poem Negro el diez, Julio Cortázar has a line - tu sombra espera tras de toda luz. That translates appropriately for these photographs as - Your shadow waits behind every light