My name is Mary, and I am from a very small town in Indiana just outside of Chicago. I am a sophomore here at IU majoring in Contemporary Dance. My family and friends are some of the most important things to me, and while they are two separate groups of people by blood, they are one and the same to me. Music is a shared love for almost every member of my family, from my grandfather’s bluegrass music that he plays at his church, to my mom and her piano, to my brother Ike and I writing our own style of songs together. My best photography comes from what I am passionate about—I can’t consider a photo I take to be one of my best unless the content is something I really had a desire to capture and be a part of. My greatest inspirations for photography this summer, therefore, were music and family. I am extremely excited about being an RPS photographer this year because all summer I have been counting down the days to return to campus where there are exponentially more photo opportunities that appeal to me than in my small and quiet hometown. I am especially excited about living in Read Center again because so much there is music- and dance-related.
This summer, I had the chance to return to Dover, Tennessee and visit some of my family there who I rarely get to see anymore. My dad and grandmother and cousin took me to a cemetery from the 1800s, where my great-great-grandparents are buried.
My grandfather took me to his church for a bluegrass festival where he played, and I’ve never seen more talented musicians than the ones who played there that night. I brought down a recording of Ike's and my songs to my grandparents on that trip and it was so amazing to share music across so many different genres and generations.
After returning home, I was anxious to play more music myself, and I took some photos of Ike that he could use on his solo work while I am away at college during the school year. Weekends this summer were the only time I could spend with my mom. She has a very busy work schedule, so any time I could spend with her meant a lot to me. I liked to capture as many of our times together in photographs as I could.
