BYU Graphic Design Student Mary Nielsen Explores Sacred Sites and Religious Traditions Across Five European Countries on the Light and Truth Study Abroad.
Mary Nielsen learned to adjust shutter speed and aperture while photographing religious sites across Europe. At the same time, she studied the beliefs connected to the places in front of her camera. She attended the Light and Truth Study Abroad, a monthlong program that took 28 students to England, France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium.
“We hit five countries in 30 days,” Nielsen said. “It was a whirlwind.”
Led by photography professor Paul Adams and religion professor Scott Esplin, the program combined courses on the foundations of the Restoration and world religions with photography instruction.
“The first part of the study abroad, we learned about the history of our church and all the sites in England,” Nielsen said. “Then the second part of the study abroad, we got to dive into visiting cathedrals and holy places of worship of other faiths.”
Students also received photography assignments throughout the program. They began by experimenting with shutter speed, aperture and exposure before moving into portrait photography.
For one assignment, Nielsen had to approach a stranger and ask to take their portrait.
“It was nerve-wracking but really fun,” she said. “Some of my favorite photos are from that assignment.”
Other assignments focused on the locations the group visited, including the coastal cliffs at Étretat and Mont-Saint-Michel in France. Students selected photographs from those locations and will submit some of their work to a Kennedy Center contest.
Nielsen said the other students were a major part of her experience.
“Being with those 27 other people really just made the experience 1,000 times better than if I had gone on my own,” she said.
One of her favorite memories took place in Bruges, Belgium. After eating dinner in the town square, Nielsen and several classmates began playing hacky sack. Two American travelers joined them, followed by security guards working nearby and a young Belgian child.
“We did not have anywhere to be,” Nielsen said. “We were just exploring, taking in the culture in this massive town square, meeting new people and getting to bond with each other.”
The program also included visits to locations connected to early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At Herefordshire Beacon in England, Nielsen stepped away from the group to pray, listen to hymns and study the scriptures.
“I felt really connected to God, even though I was not in a temple or anything,” she said. “Those experiences helped my testimony grow and helped me see the devotion of the saints before me and all the incredible sacrifices they made.”
Visiting sacred sites from other religious traditions also influenced how Nielsen understood faith.
“Seeing how much sacrifice and effort and talent went into building cathedrals and making sacred spaces accessible helped me see God’s love for all His children,” Nielsen said. “He blesses everybody with light and truth, not just us.”
Nielsen said her main takeaway was to remain open to people and beliefs she may not already understand.
“Even though I do not believe in those faith traditions, I noticed a connection to God,” she said. “If I had been closed off and not wanted to visit that mosque or that monastery, that would have never happened.”
She said she wants that approach to continue beyond the study abroad.
“I do not want to revert to the person I was before I had all these experiences,” Nielsen said. “I want to stay changed and keep changing and looking for those opportunities.”
