Mary Soddy couldn't help but love photography; it was a family affair.

Soddy is at least a third-generation photographer. She has photos of her grandmother taking photos in 1913, and her mother, Dorothy Legler, worked for the Monroe Times.

In 1960, Soddy began submitting articles and pictures to the Times for publication.

She has been a professional photographer for 23 years and owns Creative Photography in Monroe.

"I enjoy it, because every day is a different day, and when the phone rings, you don't know what it's going to be about," Soddy said. "When photographers get together, they say it's one of the best professions in the world."

Soddy loves taking photos of children and also enjoys nature and landscape photography. She's not crazy about doing sports photos.

"I like things to stand still," Soddy said. "You have to take a lot of pictures to get a good sports shot. I like every picture I take to be a good picture."

Soddy said she was the first person in Monroe to "go digital" and abandon film cameras in 2004. She loves the resolution, the instantaneous viewing of her work and the beauty of digital photographs.

If you could be any other person for a day, who would it be and why?

Princess Diana. She had a very interesting life, and I always thought being a princess would be cool.

What's your least favorite task?

Bookkeeping. Anything that makes me sit for too long.

What's is something you've always wanted to do, but haven't yet?

Go to the Grand Canyon, walk down into it and back up.

What gets you relaxed?

Yoga. It's the most relaxing thing I've ever done.

What is one burning question you're dying to know the answer to?

Will Monroe ever reach 25,000 people?