WHEN her 12-year marriage began to break down, Jennifer Nagy wasn’t sure how to express the wave of emotions she was going through.

It seemed the answer was what she had been doing professionally for the past 26 years – photography.

“At the time, there was this feeling of hopelessness, that everything was closing in on me,” she said.

“I felt like it was a topic that was kind of shunned in a way, something people didn’t want to talk about.

“In the end, one of my friends encouraged me to start expressing my grief through photography as a kind of therapy, or release.”

Jennifer, who runs her own business specialising in portraiture, wedding and commercial photography, says it was “healing” to turn her skills inward to reflect on her emotions.

She began taking a camera with her on the long walks she took when she was feeling “depressed or down”, usually of an evening around Yarralumla.

“When I was in my dark period, I’d enjoy looking into the water at the reflection,” she said.

“As I sort-of progressed through the grieving process, I’d start looking towards the sky and at nature and beauty.”

Now Jennifer’s photography of her “healing journey” will feature in her third solo photographic exhibition, “Releasing The Victim Within”.

The exhibition, sponsored by the Australian Institute of National Photography, includes more than 40 abstract photographs taken over a period of three years as Jennifer struggled to end her relationship.

The images have a predominant theme of water to express emotion, as well as abstract reflections and forms of nature.

Jennifer says capturing the transition from ending a marriage to becoming a “strong independent person” was “cathartic”.

“When a marriage disintegrates, you really do go through a period of low self worth, and you feel like a failure because we all get married thinking it’s going to be forever and it’s terrible when it doesn’t work out,” she said.

“When I was framing this work, I was surprised the dark moody photos were really quite poignant. I feel there is beauty in pain in some ways… that feeling of trying to find who you are again.

“I do see this exhibition as a positive thing; it’s been a very empowering journey as it shows the pain, the despair, the guilt and the feeling of self-worthlessness, but also the feelings of where I am now, quite strong, independent and creative.”

Although her marriage ended five years ago, Jennifer says it has taken time to heal.

“I’m definitely in a better head space now, but I do still find it hard to be alone at night sometimes, so I keep busy.”

She says her ex-husband is aware of the exhibition.

“He’s okay with it. It’s not really about him, it’s more about me and my journey, so it’s not as if I’m revealing private information to the public, that wouldn’t be fair,” she said.

“I hope people will feel positive when they see this exhibition. Many people can identify with it, not just those who have experienced divorce, but anyone struggling to overcome something. It’s about releasing the victim and being able to say ‘I’m great and life is good’.”

“Releasing the Victim Within” opens at Cottage 1, Weston Park Road, Yarralumla, 3pm, on Sunday, August 5 and runs until September 1.