Legacy by Mary Presson Roberts

''Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there.
-Ray Bradbury

In the spring of 2022, my mother passed away after a long illness. I was her primary caregiver for two and a half years. While she was ill, my mother advised me to get a storage unit so that I could take my time in making decisions regarding letting go of her things. I followed her advice and stored treasures from my mother's house for over a year. I kept boxes of books, buttons, knitting needles, empty envelopes, wooden stools, and cut-out squares of green paper, which meant something to my mother thus meant something to me.

I intended to photograph these items and then let them go. In that first year, I made a few photographs. Then I made space in my home for the boxes, tubs, and stacks and brought my mother's things to my house. I began making photographs of the items. Although the items were more accessible, the pictures I created using them did not fulfill me. The photographs seemed too much like what I had photographed before. They held no meaning.

One day, I took a stack of my mother's books to Grandfather Mountain and photographed them along a path. As the books led the viewer along the path, this photograph led me toward my project, Legacy. As all things return to nature, photographing my mother's objects in nature seemed right. The process of creating each photograph allowed me to release my grief and the hold the objects themselves had on me.

Legacy is a project about accepting the past, being in the present, and having hope for the future.







Mary Presson Roberts
Mary Presson Roberts is a visual artist, author, and educator based in Tega Cay, South Carolina. Mary uses her camera and digital tools to focus on the beauty in this world as well as to explore her thoughts and emotions associated with life events and concerns.

Mary received her Bachelor’s Degree from Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, and her Master’s Degree from the Citadel, Charleston, SC. Mary has been an educator in the Carolinas for more than three decades.

In 2015, Mary combined her passions for photography and education. She leads photography workshops and photo tours, provides private photography instruction, and gives inspirational presentations of her photographic journey. Mary has a diverse interest in photographic subjects.

Mary has exhibited works in the United States and Internationally. She has been published in Our Magnificent Planet by Lenswork, Nature’s Best Photography International Awards, and FotoNostrum Magazine. She has also had a portfolio of her work published in LensWork Magazine.
www.themaryphotographer.com
@marypressonroberts