Thank you very much for granting us the opportunity to take part in this interview with us Mary. It is a great honour. Mary is a very well known conceptual photographer here on dA and one I admire a lot. She is friendly, really helpful, and easy to talk to and has quite a creative mind. With every piece she uploads, you wonder why you didn’t think of the idea before because it’s so simple, humorous and clever. She continuously creates, original, conceptually great pieces. So if you haven’t watched her yet, I suggest you do

We all know you as just the photographer, but we’d like to get to know the true person behind the lens. Tell us a little about you.

I'm not a teenager! My watchers usually are shocked by this revelation, lol, I’ve struck 31. I'm a mother of two children, I work and not as a photographer. I take photos for fun and for passion and I don't aim to make it a job. My name is Mary (well, Maria Elisa) and I'm Italian.

When did you first discover your passion for photography?

I used to take photos often, after that my children were born...you know, snapshots. Slowly I desired to improve my technique and the quality of my photos, and I discovered a passion for this communicative medium. I bought my first dslr camera 3 years ago.

What does conceptual photography mean to you?

An idea transposed into image.

How long has it been since you started conceptual photography?

Since I started photography! Conceptual photography is totally congenial to me.

What equipment do you usually use to create your photos?

Canon EOS 350D camera with an external flash. The lenses I use to create my photos are canon 50 mm and an old canon 28-90 from analog canon cameras.

How would you describe your career as a photographer? (amateur, professional, hobbyists, experimentalist, other)

I'm not a professional. To live I do another thing, I'm an ophthalmologist. Photography is a passion/obsession.

What is the driving force behind your ideas and how you come up with them?

The messages in my photos are not too deep, generally. My style is intentionally easy, positive, simple and childlike; because these are the feelings I search for and need to make photos.

Who are what motivates you, where do you get your inspiration?

Since I was a child I always had an imagination and a strong power of observation. I think that it is the combination between these two elements that makes my ideas sprout. Surely, living with two little children helps to keep my imagination well-trained.

How has deviantART contributed to your growth as an artist?

deviantart is an ongoing inspiration source and the support I've always received encourages and motivates me to go on and improve myself.

What types of settings and set ups do you usually include in the making of your conceptual photographs?

One simple and clear idea, a simple background and the lowest possible number of elements to express the idea.

Many conceptual photographers tend to base their photos on portraiture, objects , nature or a merge of these elements to create their conceptual photo, which elements would you say you are most comfortable using and why?

I'm a working mom with few chances to travel and no chance to get models apart from my children. In my photos, I use everyday things, what I find in my home and obviously my daughter and my son. They are great models, maybe because they got used to "posing" since they were born, lol. I try to make it a play and not to bore them with my photos.

As a photographer what do you aim to achieve with your conceptual photography?

To surprise and often to make people smile.


When you look at a conceptual photo, what is the one thing you look for to strike you the most?
The originality, the immediacy, the strength and impact of the concept.

What is your personal favourite(s) conceptual photograph from your gallery?

I don't have one personal favourite photograph, but the ones I love most are the ones with my children.

Aside from conceptual photography what other types of art are you interested in?

I love taking portraits of my children, and photographing plants, flowers and animals.

What advice would you give to new photographers who are perusing conceptual photography?

To observe carefully and to think hard, to create associations between ideas, concepts, objects, facts and try to be original in the realization of the concepts, look for the most incisive and appropriate ways to translate them into images. It is not necessarily the most complicated and elaborated, just the opposite!

Is there anything else you wish to say?

Thank you so much Faheema for the honour and thanks to the stoical people that read this article right to the end And a big thanks to that helped me with the English translation.