That early guidance has helped her to define what she wants to do in her photography, which is to find those moments that often go unseen. “I’m patient and look for good light and intimate moments in nature. Most of the images I make are fleeting moments, they’re things that happened in a split second that a lot of people miss,” she says.
Many of her images were made in wild, far away places like Alaska—she has a special affinity for grizzly bears—but many others were made right in her own backyard. She enjoys shooting subjects close to home, where the urban setting meets nature. “Often people ask me, ‘Where did you take that picture?’ And I say, ‘Oh, about 200 yards down that path right here.’”
One of her most compelling images was shot not far from her home in Marin County—the courtship of two white-tailed kites, birds that live in trees on the on the edge of open grasslands and sometimes near urban areas. She also recalls a photograph she took of a string of tree swallows sitting on a wire, with one poetically facing the opposite direction, and a solitary song sparrow resting in the cattails at Las Gallinas Ponds in San Rafael. Mary insists that by taking the time to stop and look around, there’s a lot of nature to see.
“I look for quintessential images of animals in the landscape. I’m not trying to document that I saw that creature; I’m trying to reach deeper into how it really lives its life,” she says.
To get the incredible shots she does requires a willingness to stay the extra hour. Even after the light might seem to be gone, there’s usually more to see. “I’m dedicated to spending the time; that’s when the magic really comes through.”
She does little post-processing of her images; the colors found in nature are impressive enough. Mary says the goal of her work is to bring awareness to nature and the need for conservation, to show that nature is all around us and is worth protecting. “I would love to be able to make my images more accessible to people so that they would remind them of where they live and that nature’s all around. I’d also like to be able to use the images to support conservation efforts of various kinds.”
Mary has also sought critiques from experts in the field of nature photography, which have been met with increasing success. “I’m fearless when it comes to finding people in the field of photography to evaluate my photographs,” Mary says.
“I’m very opinionated about what makes a good picture, but it really helps to have someone to bounce those ideas off of—talking with Stuart has just been invaluable. Now I’m at a point where I’m happy with the images I can make. It was Stuart’s direction and mentoring that has really helped me improve my work,” she says.
Photography is how Mary balances her life, with work on one side, and her passion for art and nature on the other side. “I enjoy being in the outdoors, and nature’s my inspiration and my passion. So this is a craft that allows me to experience that whenever I get the time,” Mary says.
You can see more Mary’s images at seenature.net or follow her on Instagram @marydphoto.
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