Maria Passannante-Derr [RA 2022]

First name: Maria ;
Middle name:  ;
Last name: Passannante-Derr ;

Member: Resident artist member ; 
Begin: 2022 ;
End: n/a ;

Biography:

I am a native of New York City. My grandfather emigrated from Italy and raised seven children in Greenwich Village. One of his daughters, Marie, an attorney, raised me and inspired me to attend law school.. With her encouragement, I studied piano, classical guitar and flute and sang in choir. It was during this time that I began a lifelong infatuation with live music.

As a teenager, I photographed analogue and built a darkroom for black and white printing in my home. I put photography aside while I furthered my law career, but my love of image making never left me. I had my awakening in the Sahara Desert, positioned upon a sand dune at sunset, photographing the camel caravans. It was then and there that I made the commitment to become a photographer. I have steadily moved forward and not looked back since.

​I contribute photographs and reviews to InFocusVisions, an online music magazine, and travel extensively throughout the world on special photo expeditions.

https://www.mpdphotography.net/