Mary-Louise Levick is an Australian based photographer with Parkinson’s disease.
Growing up in regional Queensland, she developed a passing interest in photography when her older brother brought home a 35mm SLR.
A major turning point in Mary’s life was her diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease at age 34. Knowing what challenges lay ahead, she began to live life fully and started to travel more extensively. Mary decided the best way to keep these memories was through photography.
Never being one for conventional studies, she sort mentors. One of these mentors had a family member with Parkinson’s disease. He encouraged her to use her tremor to create photographic art. The “PD effect” was born.
Now in her 40’s she has an extensive body of “PD effect” work, as well as some other fine art and documentary type travel photography.
In 2011, Mary went on a photo tour to Venice during Carnival. She was captivated by the “the masked” posers and their elaborate costumes. She returned several times to the Carnival to photograph them, even putting on a costume “for research”.
Mary is a self confessed Auroraholic. She has chased and photographed the Northern Lights in Iceland, and Lapland several times. She also dabbled in underwater photography. Photographing Whale Sharks in Western Australia and Humpbacks in Tonga.
But her real passion lies in Light Painting Photography. This form of art also lends itself well to the “PD effect.
Photography is all about capturing light and with long exposure and my tremor, I can create a distinct geometrical patterned or soft impressionistic/fauvist type art works.
Mary has recently undergone Deep Brain Stimulation. This is a surgical treatment of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This will not stop her experimentation with the PD Effect. I will just make it easier to manage.
