LENS-ING a helping hand

Profiles

Mary Ella Jourdak was born in Annapolis but considers herself “so Kent Island that there’s no “t” at the end of that word!” Her parents Mary and Charlie are from northern Minnesota and Virginia, respectively, but measured in Queen Anne’s County years, they’ve been here since there were street lights up and down Route 50.

She’s the sister of Timothy and Thomas and aunt and godmother to “two tiny fierce little humans” who are part of what keeps her tied to the Shore. Just before the pandemic, Jourdak and her husband, soundman and DJ Adam Halliday, moved to Annapolis near land populated by deer and foxes. But to Jourdak, Kent Island is home.

Jourdak’s career as a photographer began with her affinity for art.

“I quickly realized it might not be a viable way to live,” she said.

On a trip to Georgia, she discovered the Savannah College of Art and Design and its photography program from which she graduated three years later. Her wedding photography career began twenty minutes from Savannah when she took the place of a previously scheduled photographer at the Tybee Island Inn.

Now, although she describes her photography studio’s offerings as “all over the place”, weddings are its bread and butter.

“One of my teachers told us ‘you have to feed yourself before you feed your passion.’” And for Jourdak, that passion is travel.

“I didn’t get a passport until I was 25,” she recalled. “And after that first international trip, I knew travel was what I wanted to do. I set a goal to have 29 beers in 29 countries by my 29th birthday.”

She put her head down, worked as much as she could, and by May 2019, could mark the first of many travel goals as complete. Her other self-described obsession is scuba diving. She was certified in St. Croix and has dived in Belize, Puerto Rico, Honduras, and Mexico. So far, Turkey is at the top of the “coolest places to dive” list. She takes her camera underwater with her, encased in a protective housing, and “encourages the sharks to come close so I can photograph them.”

Jourdak credits her parents’ influence as the foundation for her activism. On Kent Island, the Jourdaks owned a produce stand from which they donated unsold items to families struggling to make ends meet. She recalls the Christmas her mother purchased a cow and three goats for a family in another country, an act she explained to her daughter as caring for neighbors, not just those next door but global neighbors. The lesson stuck.

“Now all I want for Christmas is for people to donate to the charities I love,” Jourdak said.

Globally, the list includes Charity Water, a nonprofit that brings safe, clean water to communities across the world. Nationally she’s committed to the work of the Equal Justice Initiative and its mission to end mass incarceration and wrongful convictions.

Locally, Jourdak supports the work of Haven Ministries and their service-driven dedication to providing shelter, clothing, food, and support for Queen Anne’s County’s residents in need. With the Sunday Supper Community, an organization formed to promote the improvement of race relations within the community, she moved from behind-the-scenes volunteer to serve as event Master of Ceremonies and social media/marketing manager.

“Part of the reason I have such a love/hate relationship with the area is that there are so many people who sit on the fence and tap-dance around honest discussions about race and inclusivity,” she said.

For Jourdak, activism has been a double-edged sword. A relatively recent series of events may have tarnished her name with some members of the community but Jourdak remains undaunted. Instead, she considers them to be a blessing in disguise.

“I’ve been pushed to stand up for what I believe,” she said.

Last year, for example, because the county has no pride group or much outreach, she and her husband started the Queen Anne’s County Queer Alliance.

“It is still in its baby stages but it does exist,” said Jourdak.

Mary Ella Jourdak

Photographer, adventurer, activist and ally, Mary Ella Jourdak is all of these. As a wedding photographer, she considers herself lucky to be with people on the best day of their lives. And in her own words, as an activist, she describes herself as a member of this community determined “to use my small (but mighty!) platform to educate and inspire others.”

By :RyanHelfenbein

Leavingalegacyisimportant forusall,but leavingan explanation of that legacyismuchmore beneficial to those left behindand generationstocome. We often findthe writeups in thenewspaper answering aseries of questions: Born on…diedon…wenttoschoolat…married to And thelistjustkeeps going. But, do thesequestionsreally explain thelifeofsomeone?B etteryet, does thepersonality come throughbyanswering questions, or shouldwelook at this differently? Perhaps we need to eliminatethe ideaof listingfacts, andinstead look at writingabout thehighlights of alifelived with thepersonality of that individual shining through. Let’sreplace an obituary with what I’dliketocall a ‘LifeHistory’.

The best lifehistory is autobiographical –written by thepersonthatlived thelifebeingremembered, andwell in advance. Second to that andmostcommonly, is a collectedeffort from closefamilyand friends collaborating over thewaystheyweretouched throughthe lifejourney of theindividualbeingremembered. There shouldbe no restrictiononlength, what shouldorshouldnot be included, or whoisorisnot mentioned. Most importantly, thewritershouldnot feel limitedtoanswering thestandard handful of questions. The recordingofalifeshouldshine with thepersonality of that individual andnot just be a recitation of facts that is differentfrom anotherpersononly by afew dates. Technolog yallowsmodernundertakers to showcasethe individual’s full lifehistory forall to find without costlynewspaper fees that restrict thenumberof wordsone caninclude.Inaddition,photosand background images canbeincludedinthe modernundertaker’s offerings to reflect the personalityofthe lifehistory created.

Agreat example of this waspublishedinMarch of 2019. Seeifyou canpickout thepersonality of this individual,in thefirst twolines alone: “Tim Schrandt(Spillville) made hislastinappropriate commentonMarch 29, 2019. If you are wonderingifyou mayhaveevermet him, youdidn’t -because youWOULD remember.” Within thosefirst two lines, andthere wasmuchmore to follow,futuregenerations will know that their friendand relative wasquite acharacter andfull of personality! Nowifatypical funeraldirector wouldhavewritten that openinglinefor thefamilyit wouldmostlikelyhavebeenwritten like so:“Schrandt, Tim(Spillville) passed away on March29ofcancer.He was63”.Major difference betweenthe two, right? The first sentence aloneexplained thelifeand personalitybehindthe individual as opposed to astranger’s dr yrecitationofthe facts.

Ever yone that read that Life Histor yofMr. Schrandtcould easily imaginewhathemusthavebeenlikeand that he trulylived lifetothe fullest. The rest of hisLifeHistory was equallyreflective of hisunique approach to life. It wasnoted that he wouldberememberedfor “alwayswearing hisshirts unbuttoned threequartersdown” andmypersonalfavorite, that “…he did notlosehis battle to cancer,thatcancer departedwhenhedid,sotechnicallyitwas atie.” What trulyhitshomeisthe factthatout of this Life Histor yalone hisfamilywill receive thestrongest therapy available–an openingfor friends,familyand acquaintances to freely share memories of what made Tim, well,Tim.

What if thepersonality is abit softer? Notaproblem. That in itself is themessage to portrayinthe Life Histor y. “At theage of 63, Sallyleft this worldpeacefully, at herhome, overlookingher garden, surrounded by family,tobewith herSavior.”This tellsusthatSallywas apeaceful person, with strongfaith andalovefor gardeningand family.You canalmostpicture thepersonbefore you.

Take thetimenow to simply list thehighs andlowsinlife, record thestories that showcaseyourpersonality,and make anoteofthe memories youholdespeciallyclose. Each of us has astory to tell,and by letting your personalityshine, you’ll paintthe pictureofyourlifelived.LifeHistories arecreated to allow an avenue of healingthrough shared memories. More importantly, they provide arecord of personalitysothatone is foreverremembered.