B (142)

•    Her    only    tip to

photographers   is

to  learn   to  just    let

go  and get back    to

projects    that    you

might   have    found

frustrating initially,

at  a   later   date.

•    “Just  trust   yourself,

your    creativity

and vision. It  is  all

a   part    of  being   an

artist,”    she says.

tIps bY bIrthe

she was intrigued

by the idea of being

in a small town where

everybody knew one

another, and where the

closest metropolis was a

seven-hour drive away.

No wonder she was fascinated by

the place.

“When I moved to Vancouver in 2005,

I wanted to explore the country. I was

especially interested in the North, as the

vastness of that region not only makes

up such a big part of Canada’s landmass,

but also of Canadian identity,” she says.

Her series is aptly titled The Idea of North,

and is inspired by Canadian pianist Glenn

Gould’s work, also by the same name.

She went about the project

photographing people’s lives and

identities, shaped by this particular

region. “Yukon’s history is closely

interwoven with adventurism, discovery

and opportunities. I wanted to see how or

if this is reflected in the people.”

Unearthing Untold stories

However, as pleased as she was with

The Idea of North, Birthe felt a little

“the Idea of North

is my favourite

project. Not only

because of the

wonderful time

I had up there,

but also because

it reiterated the

reason why I took

up photography in

the first place—

to make pictures

of people.”

In a way, the Idea of

the North was a huge

eye opener for her.

she couldn’t fathom a

place so remote and

shaped so much by the

nature surrounding it.

101

march 2015 Better PhotograPhy

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