by Bondo Wyszpolski

"What I do is make them relax by being calm, cool, collected. It's just knowing what to say, when to say it, and how to say it."

But Amy Cantrell stresses that it's all intuitive. She's talking about the subjects in her current show, Celebrity Portraits, a collection of her photography now on display at Vis a Vis Art Gallery.

her portraits include George Burns, James Coburn, Michael York, Jack Palance, Dom DeLuise, Karl Malden, and Jane Wyman. Over the span of one-and-a-half years Cantrell photographed most of the covers for Beverly Hills 213, a weekly magazine.

One senses a kindness in her work. She appears to respect the integrity of every person by not using harsh, distorting, or unflattering light. But while the portraits generally compliment the sitter, they don't pander to their vanities either. Cantrell may be pleasant and gentle; at the same time, she's the one calling the shots.

Some of these people are photographed so often, how do you coax them out of their stock poses?

Sometimes you have to be really quick and catch them in between, as they are relaxing," Cantrell replies, "at the point where they're still smiling. Or you actually just say something that makes them laugh or react, and that's when you get them."

On other occasions, it's simply necessary to take many pictures. Cantrell says, "as long as I got the genuine expression in the eyes, that was all I was concerned with. As long as their eyes are real."

Her current exhibit includes a number of concert photos as well, many of which were taken years ago in Atlanta. It was this work, focused on prominent musicians, that fueled her interest to pursue photography in earnest.

I always felt like the music inspired me to take portraits of them playing, because I was always trying to capture the music in the photo."

Cantrell seems to sum up her approach in these words, "I like the psychology involved within photography. Because everyone is so different and you just have to deal with each person the way they are, and do whatever it takes to make them comfortable."

The pictures speak for themselves; that's what it comes down to, of course. They'll be on display through May 6. Vis-a-Vis Art Gallery is located at 602 N. Pacific Coast Hwy. (between Catalina & Beryl), Redondo Beach. Hours, Tues. to Fri., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., & Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please call 318-9090. ER