Mallory MacDonald: The Woman Behind the Lens

IF YOU made it to ’s party earlier this year, you might have seen a curly-haired brunette with sparkling eyes bouncing around the room behind a camera.

Photographer Mallory MacDonald has done some work for Kirkland Patch, in addition to her own business M MacDonald Photography, and her architectural photographs are on display at the downtown coffee shop  through the beginning of September. They showcase the city of Oxford in Great Britain, where she spent a summer studying, Medellin, Colombia,-- "a wild city" -- and Seattle. They are part of a larger series that also include shots from Florence and the Stonehenge.

Mallory, who lives in Juanita, was born in California to David and Joanna MacDonald. But she has also lived in Hawaii, Virginia and Washington, D.C., since her father’s job as an U.S. Army physician necessitated moving from place to place. She is the oldest of six children, all homeschooled by their mother.

Mallory, 25, loved the experience, saying it enabled her to be creative with her time and business because of the more flexible schedule afforded by a homeschool education. She was able to assist other photographers in wedding shoots, dance recitals and other events, gathering valuable insight into the craft. It also allowed her to take a six-week trip to Asia.

It was her experience in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Thailand as a senior that sparked an international interest in Mallory, who has since done a great deal of traveling in Europe and most recently, to Zambia.

"I've loved attempting to be a chameleon amidst various cultures and people," says Mallory.

A DEGREE in communications and public affairs from  fits quite nicely with her photography skills, allowing Mallory to work for social justice through art. In addition, 15% of her proceeds go to a special hope network in Zambia.

She believes in journalistic objectivity, saying her personal value is to be honest in everything. “Most journalists take a picture to communicate a particular message.”

Mallory tries not to go in with an agenda and attempts to “pull out the most honest bit of a person.” She abides by the Aristotelian concept of people’s inner significance.

While wedding photography comprises some of Mallory's business, she especially enjoys capturing the images of children and families.

“I love to surprise people with their images,” says Mallory. “My motto is ‘reveal and illuminate.’ Illuminate what is actually there and reveal what could be.”

Though it takes her subjects a good hour to loosen up during the shoot, most end up having a great time and this is what she like to capture. The psychology lover in her revels in families finding their happiness potential.

Mallory loves the outdoor and urban elements of this area. She is a part-time backpacker, runner, and cyclist and sometimes plays forward on an outdoor co-ed soccer team called the Blueberries. She works part time as a Development Associated writing grants for Bridge Disability Ministries, an organization that works with disabled adults.

That also fits well with her passion, which can be an effective tool to communicate need and hope, but also has intrinsic value: “Art is valuable in and of itself.”