When Diana Markosian was asked to photograph her first assignment for National Geographic magazine, a piece on the power and legacy of the Virgin Mary, she was cautious. She didn’t grow up with a strong devotion to Mary, and she wanted to make sure she could still tell the story in a powerful way.

In the video above she speaks about her quest to develop an emotional connection with the story and how, in the end, she discovered a kind of kinship between her own role as a photographer and the blessed mother.

See how Markosian collaborated with Mary devotees in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing their sightings of the Virgin to life, on Proof.