The Virgin Mary - How Do You Photograph Her Impact? | Exposure

I wrestled with the idea of why was I picked for this. Of course, I believe in God, but I never grew up with Mary. I never grew up worshipping or having a strong devotion towards the Virgin Mary. So for me, I was wondering, why did I get this assignment? You know, I don't want to feel like a fraud. I want to feel like I own the story, and I can't photograph it unless I feel it. That takes a while.

From my trip to Magic Oriya in Bosnia, it was my first trip, and again, not knowing really how to visualize this, you know, I wasn't making the images that I wanted to be making. It all felt off. The last few days, I decided I had met a nun, and I had asked her if I could live with her. She opened me up in a way I never expected. She allowed me to feel Mary, and she allowed me to feel the story.

That image of the halo came about after those few days of being with her, and I don't think that's just a coincidence. You know, a lot of the places that we've gone to, there have been crowds, and it's been more of a spectacle and more of a show. I'm not used to that. I go to locations where no other photographers are and where there are a few people. Here I am, thrown into these beautiful traditional conservative moments and trying to find my way.

Mary bridges people, bridges cultures, bridges religions. That has been the biggest takeaway, where this person acts as a mediator to all different cultures. That's why I like being a photographer, because I feel that I can relate to everybody. To know that this particular subject enables people to be closer is something so beautiful.