Meet Mary
Photography in my life has transformed from a hobby to a passion. It has been a blessing to be invited to document moments of blessing, from weddings to hikes to pregnancy announcements and in between.
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My goal is to preserve personality and movement in each photograph. In my early years of casual photography with friends and family, I recognized that when I looked back on pictures, I would initially grieve the loss of the moment in the lens - no voices could be heard, no breeze could be felt, the sun did not scorch, and the water did not splash. The changes in a person’s face in the preceding moments would never be seen again. The scenes underwent death inside the lens as the life was stripped from them, and only a portion was extracted.
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On the other hand, I would flip through the pictures after some time and find that moments came back to life when I thought I would never experience them again. Movements were fluid again, laughter filled the pictures, and the light within my loved ones shone through the photograph. After moving to college, I could transport back to living with my sisters when I looked at pictures of them. My brother was back in town, and my childhood dog was still alive. My dad was trying to hide a smirk before making a joke, and my mom was squeezing me in a bear hug. Memories became tangible in the pictures.
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Inspired by the lives of the saints, my ultimate goal is to preserve as much life as possible within a photo. In the words of Saint Irenaeus, “The glory of God is man fully alive”. May your days be filled by the hope of heaven and your lungs be filled with the breath of life.
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Maria, tota pulchra, ora pro nobis!
about me
The majority of my childhood was spent in beautiful Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was blessed with a tight-knit community that fostered a desire for truth. In high school, I was tasked with an assignment to write an essay about the most compelling argument for the existence of God, based on Saint Thomas Aquinas' five proofs, if I so desired. As I began my studies, the proof that I found most complete was the fifth argument: by way of design. This proof of the existence of God points to the purpose and order found around us: the intentional and perfect design of the natural world. The order isn't random, so there must be a God.
My interperetation of this proof led me to beauty which in turn led me to the need of humanity for art. In the subsequent years, I did what I liked to call, "candid art" capturing moments that I thought were beautiful... or funny... or substantial in any way. The disposable cameras that I had asked the easter bunny to put in my basket each year became more and more common until I decided I needed to buy a film camera in my second year of college at Franciscan University. Everything took off from there. I found broken cameras left and right that I was determined to fix. Analog cameras were my favorite.
The following birthday, I decided I would ask for a digital camera so that I could practice composition without spending more than I could afford on film and developing.
Suddenly I was rarely seen without my cameras, scoring me a few extra wedding invites with a request that I "bring the camera" for some fun pictures. Soon enough, I found myself with a title of "the photographer"... aaand i loved it!
After writing my senior thesis on the importance of beauty and preserving the unity of goodness, truth, and beauty, I earned a bachelor's degree in Catholic theology, and I have found that beauty is an inexhaustible study. With each photo I take, I hope to preserve the truth, goodness, and beauty of the subject.
I believe that our culture is missing the importance of beauty, and by even the littlest attempt to preserve beauty, we can make leaps and bounds toward a society that values beauty, goodness and truth!
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. I invite you to reach out if you have ideas!
(616) 350-5653