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Here is an article written by Jennifer Johnston of the Daniel Island News on November 2, 2011 announcing the opening of my photography exhibit at the Honeycomb Cafe on Daniel Island in November.  This article captures who I am and I compliment Jenn for allowing my true nature to come through beautifully.

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Mary Wessner finds breathtaking images from spot-on angles.

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A young subject of Mary Wessner’s camera is caught delightfully off-guard.

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Mary Wessner knows the way inside your head: through your eyeballs. No, this is not some weird post-Halloween riddle. She simply knows that many of us have lost consciousness of the beauty right in front of our faces every day. So she has taken it upon herself to filter out the peripheral stimuli and place the hand-picked bits of glory right in our inescapable line of vision. It is her assertion that in the delivery from her camera lens to our ocular lens, a sort of reawakening occurs. And she’s got an education, and a true gift, to back this up.

Mary has lived here on Daniel Island with her husband Steve for seven years. She grew up in the Northeast and spent several years in New York City before moving to the Lowcountry, where she realized she is really more of an “outdoorsy type of girl.” Somewhere in between, however, she studied spiritual psychology in California, where she tells us she began understanding the heart and soul of people. Through her studies, she came to realize that when people are a bit lost, it is really just where they are at that particular point in life. When they are reminded of their own “loving essence” and faith in the world around them, they are better able to reclaim responsibility for supporting themselves and get back on track.

Mary worked at a clinic here in the Charleston area for a number of years, and thought about going into private practice. But life had other plans. Her mother, who was at least 50 percent responsible for getting Mary interested in photography so early in life, had fallen ill and Mary decided she needed to be there for her. So it was once again because of, and perhaps in her honor of, her mother that Mary returned to her camera. And there she stood between psychology and photography. Though a melding of the two disciplines was not necessarily deliberate, there naturally existed an undeniable link between Mary’s recognition of daily splendor and her belief that positive imagery does wonders for the human psyche.

Thru the end of the year, Mary Wessner’s photography will be on display at the Honeycomb Café here on Daniel Island. And on Wednesday, November 9, Honeycomb Café will host a special art gathering to introduce Mary’s work – from awesome landscapes on canvas to sweet family portraits – to the community.

Jennifer Johnston: Did your parents teach you everything you know about photography? Have you studied further to keep up on changing technology?

Mary Wessner: I definitely learned a lot from them. They belonged to camera clubs, and both received awards for their work. My mother was “the lover,” seeing beauty all around her, while my father was “the perfectionist.” I wanted to be like my mother, whose photos truly spoke to people. But I also needed a little bit of my father in there, because you do need to know about composition. As a young girl, I took a photo of my father on the ground taking a photo! Later, I read a lot of photography books and took some classes. And of course, since life is a learning process, I’ve committed to lots of practice. Every photographer has a different style, but you needto know the basics. But I think what I’ve learned that is most important is to capture people when they’re relaxed. For instance, I always get to know kids before taking their photo. When I ask them to show me their toy cars or make goofy faces at them, they seem to forget I’m there to take their photo. I’m then able to capture them in their moment of just playing, getting the real essence of who they are once they are past the anxiety of having their picture taken.

JJ: How much manipulation do you do with camera in hand vs. back at the computer (cropping, color fix, etc.)?

MW: I do both, and not really one more than the other. My goal is to do less Photoshop and get the shot I want in the moment without tweaking later. But sometimes what your eye is seeing is not what the camera is going to capture. So you might have to use the computer if you want to, for example, bring back that color that you originally saw. Photography, like any kind of art, is subjective. I’m not the final word on what makes someone’s heart ping when they look at a photo. I’m just there to capture it the best I can. Where I might crop out someone’s hands to get a closer shot of their face, having their hands in the photo might be meaningful to them.

JJ: Your personal profile on your website mentions that you were “called back” to photography. Do you think this would have happened in the absence of your studies in psychology?

MW: In school, we were asked to do projects that inspired us, so I naturally picked up my camera again, and something immediately pulled me back to it. I started looking at everything around me in a different perspective. There are so many things that people miss; we need to be thankful and really look at what we’ve got. I figured if I could capture those beautiful things that people might miss, I could really express and share little opportunities for joy. Without my studies in psychology, I think I still would have spent time with my camera. I always had a point-and-shoot, but when I got the digital SLR it coincided with the time I was studying spiritual psychology. Then it was no longer about taking shots at a birthday party or wedding, it became more about the smaller moments, when I just had friends over and wanted to capture an un-posed smile. The greatest thing is that it doesn’t feel like a job, it’s just my passion. There was always this artistic side that really made me happy.

JJ: How long have you been the Daniel Island Rotary Club photographer? Were you responsible for that stunning duck drop photo from last year?

MW: I’ve been with the Rotary Club for 5 years, and yes, all the duck drop photos are mine. We get more ducks every year. The yellow stream of ducks falling from the bridge looks a lot more yellow with 30,000 than with 15,000!

JJ: What is more difficult to capture: that perfect landscape shot or a cohesive family portrait?

MW: When you have portraits of children, they are moving targets. When I was taking one particular family portrait, the best picture I got was with the young boys climbing on their father’s back. I also got a good one with everyone “in place,” but the best was still with them on their father’s back because it captured their personality. A basic landscape is not going to move, with the exception of a bird flying into the shot. I wouldn’t say the family photo is necessarily harder, it just requires more patience to see the vision and more time to actually get it.

JJ: Do you sell any photos, on canvas or otherwise? At what will visitors to the show at the Honeycomb Cafe get a peek?

MW: Yes, I do sell works on canvas, and several of these will be on display. Honeycomb will also showcase people I’ve taken pictures of so visitors can see my style and what they could expect if they hired me for an event or portrait.

JJ: Your photos are so vibrant – is your eye naturally drawn to colors that pop? Where possible, do you suggest that your clients wear particular hues of color?

MW: I am drawn to color; you can simply look around my house to know that. I’m also not exactly an introvert! So, am I drawn to vibrancy? Yes, but I’m also drawn to calmness. I will often suggest muted colors or pastels for portraits. In the end, however, I really want the person, not the clothes, to stand out.

JJ: Where is the real smile: in the mouth or the eyes?

MW: I’d say both. A true smile that comes from your heart uses your whole face. I’ve seen people try to smile without using their eyes, and it just doesn’t work. I’ve taken photos of the “Hat Ladies” downtown Charleston, and they amaze me – they always have the most natural smiles!

Learn more about Mary Wessner and her photography at www.marywessner.com. And be sure to come out to Honeycomb Café on Wednesday, November 9 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. to meet the artist and experience her talent first-hand.