Last week, I posted this on my instagram: 

Normally I would post something like this on my blog but given the circumstances I am going to use instagram to post. Back in February my husband and I decided to move closer to the ocean. We felt that the places we had backpacked through in December provided us with a vibe like no other. A place with people who think and are more like we are. A place where we imagined raising a family one day. A place where we could grow as individuals and as a couple. So we began taking the necessary steps to make this dream come true. A dream so big that we are astounded at our resourcefulness and determination to make it happen against all odds. We set a date as to when we'd leave and on July 15th we made it happen. Packed up our things into our car and drove the 15 hours to Tepic, Nayarit. We are in awe of this place and it's only been a couple of days. It was the most beautiful road trip with its green hills and excellent weather. And with the ocean an hour away, the adventures are going to be endless. This is the beginning of a new journey. A new HIStory. I can't even begin to explain how big a part God has been in this new beginning. I will leave that for my blog as this is becoming a novel. Stay tuned for more adventures! 

I can't believe that we actually put all of our belongings in our car and drove the distance to pursue a dream together!  In the span of  3 years I have done this twice.  Once for love and now for life.  Both working in tandem and offering the best of everything. I am truly truly honored that God has worked His plan and we stayed confident that He was going to provide us with the light at the end of the tunnel.  Man oh man, He definitely exceeded our expectations and we are truly grateful.  This city has been magical.  Beautiful.  And the way that it has received us has been the best experience so far.  Smiles everywhere you go, never a dull face, and lots of happy people.  Happy people equals a happy city and a happy city therefore creates a happy life.  That's the equation I've come up with for Tepic.  

We have a lot to discover still and so many places to get to know.  So stay tuned to this blog here because it's going to get interesting!!!

xoxo,
Jackie

P.S. Anyone from or been to Tepic before? Give me the insider tips in the comments below! 

Recently, a student criticized other students on how terrible their photos were.   I couldn't believe my ears!  I understand that perhaps not everyone was meant to be a photographer, and that is understandable.  Just like not everyone has the “it” to be a lawyer, doctor, yoga instructor, or what have you.  But no one has the right to shoot you down for trying.  

And I really mean no one.  My students are more illustrators than photographers, and some are going to be fantastic photographers.  So, when I asked this kid how does he know if the photo is a good one or a bad one?  Is there a rubric? Is there only one path to good photos?  The answer is NO.  There isn’t.  You cannot tell someone a photo is bad or good just like you can't tell someone who paints that their paintings are good or bad.  

What you can do is analyze and interpret what the artist is trying to say. Does having lots of noise in the photograph contribute to the overall theme of the photo? Is there more to the photograph and therefore the negative space is actually helping to understand the concept?

It made me furious to hear that this kid, thankfully not one of my students, judge other artists so simply.  Photography is not as simple as taking a photograph and watching magic reveal before our eyes.  It takes time, training, and breaking of the rules to find a style, a voice, a theme.  

The point of photography is to be moved by the image.  Either in a positive way or in a negative.  As long as you feel something, then the artwork is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.  There are no good or bad photographs.  There is just art. 

Let me know what you think makes a good photo in the comments below.  And if you liked this post, share it with others!

*click on the photo above to download because art shouldn't be kept to oneself.

If you've been following my blog, you know that I teach photography at both the university and high school levels.  During the semester, I try to schedule a few mock shoots so that students can observe first hand how to direct, pose, and carry on a session.  There is no right way of having a session and I make sure to tell the students that everything depends on their style.  However, I believe that having them observe how I shoot, take control, and allow myself to focus on my models/clients, they can learn a little and apply it to their own sessions.  

Enter Jorge.  Jorge is an event planner and one of the best I know here in Chihuahua.  He is incredibly detailed and his candid nature makes it easy to know what you are going to get.  Jorge was kind enough to model for us and help me to teach the university students a little about posing, studio lighting, and how to use a reflector.  Thank you Jorge!

Where does inspiration come from?  

Each photographer has their own sources of inspiration and mine is a little quirky.  I get most of my inspiration by looking at images of interior design.  Home tours are my favorite.  Depends on my mood but the inspiration ranges from my outer bohemian hippy side to my inner clean lines and white interior side.  

There is something calming about these images and interior design photography that seems to inspire me.  I believe the reason that interior photography inspires me is because there are no people in the photographs.  Just lines, color schemes, lighting, and mood.  How the elements interact organically within the photograph from one side of the room to the other.  

Looking at a different kind of photography helps me to step out of my own day to day imagery where everything is love, couples, and people.  Getting away from that helps me to reconstruct my own images from the very basic and work myself up to creating the moods.  There is something in interior design photography that just gets me.  Could be the introvert in me that likes to see these spaces void of people, void of noise, void of distractions and just look at them be.  Nothing to hide.  It is beautiful in every sense.   

Where do you get your inspiration from?

click on the image to get taken to my Pinterest page for more inspiration boards!

It's nice to be in the stillness of the apartment.  Cars pulling out of driveways, gates opening and closing, the whoosh of a car blazing past.  It's as if we're all alone inside.  Separate.  Isolated from the world that continues to go on.  I love afternoons like today.  Watching the sun set slowly through the windows.  The silence makes it feel calm.  A deepening silence.  The kind that make the smallest moments change the attitude of the day.  No matter what happened before, right now, everything is moving and working in complete harmony.  Connected effortlessly.  Balanced.  Just silence.  Just stillness.  Where our thoughts are a voice we can hear.  I breathe deeply as I close my eyes and suspend myself in the stillness.  Allowing it to engulf my every molecule.  I slip into the stillness, break through, and when I open my eyes, I am changed.  I am new again.

Download full resolution photo by clicking on the image.  

My husband is witness to the fact that I love Pinterest.  He secretly does too though, hanging over my shoulder when I take a look at all the amazingness.  I can literally kill some serious time scouring through all of the images.  That's what I love about it, no extra stuff, just images.  It's the mecca of inspiration.  And without much introduction, these are my favorite pins lately!  Don't forget to check out my Pinterest boards and follow me :).

Click on the images for their link!

Happy Monday!

I thought I'd start a new series on my blog: 6 Things.  Bi-weekly I will post 6 Things that I can't live without!  Every post will be of different things, this week is 6 Apps I can't live without.  I am by no means paid to promote these apps.  I simply love to use them and they make my life easier.

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1.  Lazy Swipe
I love this app!  It is a simple launcher app that allows you to have all your favorite apps in one place.  Swipe from either corner and there is everything you need.  The screenshot from above is of this app!  Makes everything so much faster and easier.  Also, a red dot appears when there are new notifications.  

2.  Google Keep
Another amazing Google app.  I love the clean design and it keeps me coming back to add notes, lists, checklists, and voice notes.  Also has a great reminder feature to keep me posted when something is important or when I need to get something done.  

3.  Hootsuite
This is a great social media management app.  I love this app because it keeps me posting at a moments notice to my Twitter and Facebook accounts including my Facebook Page.  Also allows me to schedule the posts for the future.  I love that feature because I think of posts at random times and don't want to forget them, so I like to schedule them so that they aren't flooding the feeds... instead, I space them out.  

4.  WhatsApp
In Mexico, the cell phone plans are expensive and it's common to use apps that work on Wi-Fi.  Given that internet is not unlimited and the cost of regular messages can eat up the money you have prepaid, WhatsApp is a messaging app that works over Wi-Fi and everyone uses it here.  Which makes it indispensible for me and everyone here!

5.  TeacherKit
This one is on my iPad and is such a life saver as a teacher!  Keeps all my classes organized, rosters, helps to take attendance and even input assignments and grades.  When I have 6 classes, things can get really unorganized!  So this keeps me sane with more than 100 students.  

6.  Instagram
This is my favorite social media! I don't share very many personal stuff on FB or even here on my blog, which I'm working on...  Instagram allows me to document and share daily events that happen in my life.  It's simple and very fun to share PHOTOS!  What better app for a photographer!

When I moved to Mexico, my husband helped me to find work.  Honestly, he was the whole reason I even started teaching!  After some time, I was referred to another school by a client for a photography teaching position.

There are moments, many moments actually, when a student shows you that they have learned and applied what you have taught them.  When you sit back in awe and an indescribable amount of pride fills you up!  When they are eager and go beyond what you have asked.  As a teacher, those are the moments that make late night lesson planning, grading projects, creating exams worthwhile.

And getting a coffee mug saying thank you for your hard work and dedication always helps!

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A few months ago I participated in a Bridal show and wanted to show all the types of photography that I do.  Particularly, family sessions.  Because of time constraints, I decided to make my own albums.  I took photos during the process to share with you how easy it is to make your own photo albums!  

Materials you will need:

• Ruler

• Gluestick or photo spray adhesive

• Two posts (I've seen it done with ribbon or twine as well)

• Pencil

• Knife or boning tool

• Hole puncher

• Cardstock

• Cover material

The instructions are below the photos :).  

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Step 1:
Measure from the edge about 1"- 1.75" for the crease to allow the pages to turn without any problems.   Make a line.  Measure again another 1/4" out and draw another line.  Check out the photo where I'm hole punching and you can see two creases.

Step 2:
Once you measure the page, use your ruler and the blunt side of a butter knife.  I don't have a boning knife so I used a regular butter knife.  Works just as well! This will make the dent for the crease.  Do this for the next line that is 1/4" away from the first line.  This creates two creases like in the photo of the hole punch.  As you add more pages, the second crease will help with folding in the later pages.  

Step 3:
Fold where you made the creases to really help it crease.  This will help the pages turn easier.  Do this to all of the pages, my album is 20 pages so I did it to each page.  

Step 4:
Measure from the edge to make the holes for the posts.  It's important to make sure they are in between the edge and the creases.  Don't get to close to the edge so that with use, the pages don't tear where the hole punch is.  I halved the width and halved it again to where I put the holes.  Using a single hole puncher, punch the two holes for the posts.  

Use the first page you punch as a guide to help with the rest of the pages so all the holes line up perfectly.  

Step 5:
After steps 1-4, paste the photos on the pages.  Make sure you don't cover the creases.  My photos are a bit smaller so the pages created a pretty border.  I like this look better than flushed and helped with not allowing the photos to lift up when turning the pages.

Step 6:
To make the cover, use any material you want.  I used the same cardstock paper and added a nice fabric type of paper to the cardstock.  I did steps 1-4 as well to make sure it turns easily and the holes are in the correct place.

Step 7:
Put in the posts.  These posts are small given the size of the album but you can add pages and take away as well as add taller posts.  It's all about preference :).  Stack the pages and put the posts in to finish it off.

And viola! You have a pretty, personalized, photo album to showcase your portfolio, family photos, trips, or anything you like :).  I've also seen other albums where you can make the photos smaller and write on the cardstock.  I plan to do that for my vacation albums! 

Happy album making! 

One thing I have noticed since living in Mexico, is that people travel more often.  Even if it's to the sierras, or only to the other side of the border, they make time to get out.  They make time to take family trips, enjoy the beaches the country has to offer, and refresh.  

We had the opportunity to go to San Antonio with the school we work for and make sure that the hs kids didn't get left behind.  To be honest, I haven't traveled much of the United States, so this was a first trip for me to San Antonio.  

It was amazing being able to see San Antonio in all of it's Christmas splendor!  We visited a few museums, a couple of missions, the outlets (which wasn't my cup of tea, but we did go to Outback Steakhouse so yum!), Six Flags, and the Riverwalk - which was my favorite place of all!

Looking at the photos, I already want to go back!