Meet Alyssa: The Eye Behind the Cover
Alyssa Ray first picked up a camera in 2018, when she took a photography for self-expression class at school, taught by photographer (and Partners in Policymaking® graduate) Jen Vogus. Alyssa enjoyed the photography class so much that when Jen later started AbleVoices, Alyssa joined right away.
Her cover photo, Tree Canopy, was taken during an AbleVoices summer trip to Warner Parks in Nashville. Alyssa says the tree stood out to her because it looked different from everything around it. She says she chooses her subjects by instinct. “I know it when I see it.” She does have a clear subject matter preference. “I like nature and animals and architecture.”
This is not Alyssa’s first time being featured on the cover of Breaking Ground. One of her earlier photographs, showing a light fixture in the tunnel between Cordell Hull and the State Capitol, appeared on our 2024 arts issue. Alyssa’s photography also recently won first place in the floral category at the Williamson County Fair.
When she is not taking photos, Alyssa is busy as a self-described film buff. She’s also taking classes at the Refuge Center in Franklin through Borderless Arts Tennessee and trying other kinds of art, including watercolor.
Her advice to other artists with disabilities is simple: “Just get started, and remember to keep taking pictures or keep making art.”