As everyone starts getting into the rhythm of college, Pepperdine first-year student Mercer Greene prepares to document it all as the Pepperdine Graphic Media assistant photo editor.
For Greene, the idea that her passion for photography could become her career began to cultivate in summer 2019 on a mission trip to Jamaica.
Greene, from Nashville, Tennessee, experienced a life-changing moment as she photographed patients in a Jamaican infirmary.
“Some of these people had not seen their reflections in years,” Greene said. “I got to show them their pictures and just watching their reaction was one of the most life-changing things in my entire life. Watching how something I did changed someone’s life. It was a really cool moment that made me realize how passionate I am about photography.”
She changed her major from business to art.
Now, in addition to the Graphic, she also runs her own photography business where she photographs families, senior portraits, sporting events, engagements and creates mixed-media pieces.
Grace Teague, first-year liberal arts major and Greene’s roommate, has been able to see how hard working and dedicated Greene is.
“In the future I can see her having her stuff in a gallery,” Teague said. “Maybe opening a business where she can have photographers working for her.”
When Teague found out about Greene’s position on the Graphic it was no surprise.
“That girl just doesn’t stop,” Teague said. “She is always working hard in the moment and moving toward future goals.”
MG Smith, one of Greene’s closest friends from high school, is excited for Greene’s future.
Back at Brentwood Academy, Greene served as the yearbook editor her senior year. Smith saw her hard working spirit through the publication process.
“She is always helping other people out,” Smith said. “The last three weeks of high school, Mercer was always in the yearbook room editing. So it’s not surprising that she’s doing it in college too.”
Greene said working for a college newspaper is a shift.
“It’s nice to be on a team with creative-minded people like me,” Greene said. “In yearbook, it was very different because it was just a class but here I am surrounded by people who are like minded.”
While on campus this year with COVID-19 still around, Greene said she expects to face many challenges.
“It is tricky keeping distance during photoshoots because I can’t pose people,” Greene said. “Instead of being upset or angry, I want to work with the regulations the best I can and remember that everyone is facing the challenges together.”
In the past year, she said she believes she has grown a lot as a person and she hopes to continue that growth on campus.
“I hope that I can get to a place where I can help other people who are in the same positions as I was once in,” Greene said.
Over quarantine in March 2020, Greene was able to explore more creative forms of art. She took portraits from her portfolio and blew them up into large prints. With the prints laid out, she would create mixed media art pieces using broken mirrors, spray paint, anything she could find.
Looking into the future, Greene hopes to continue the creative process of photography.
“This year I want to explore a more creative side of photography,” Greene said. “I really want to work on the creative, more journalistic, editorial style of photography through the Graphic.”
