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!

I have to say that it is a wonderful feeling to see people reading a local magazine with your photos filling the pages!

Thank you LOOK Magazine for the feature.  And a special thanks to the wedding coordinator Weddings by Herick Lamas for sending this wedding our way ;).

It was such an honor to have been a part of this wedding yesterday!  Great friends who get married are what makes my job so amazing!

So, so, so many more to come! 

My best friend Theresa has been my friend since 2005.  We have been through fun times, trips, long distances, and many, many more memories!  As time went on, we moved away from each other.  First, I moved from Orange County to Riverside.  Then, she moved from OC to Texas.  Or, Texass as we called.  And when she moved back to OC, I left for Mexico.  

But no matter the distance, we never let our friendship waver.  We started to write to each other using the post office as a means to share our most intimate moments and never skip a beat.  When one of us would visit, we'd have our coffee date.  

It is no question that we will be friends until the end of time.  Now with a little baby T to join the friendship :).  I love this kid already!!! Getting to photograph these little moments between my best friend and her baby is something I'll never forget.  Also something I hope to do for many, many, many years regardless of the distance.

Love you T and your beautiful family!

What a beautiful and romantic wedding in Mazatlan!  We are so honored to be able to share in our clients' happiness and most of all be a witness to their love.  On this day, these two were inseparable, enjoying beautiful weather  and an even more beautiful backdrop.

We couldn't have imagined a more beautiful day for these two! 

One of the best parts of my job is being able to go to places that hold a special place for my clients.  To show them familiar places in a different light.  We had big gloomy clouds above us and I was able to experiment with a little bit of flash.  Which, if you know me, I have a love-hate relationship with flash.  Engagement sessions allow for this kind of experimentation.  Helps to try new techniques without the pressure of making any mistake you can't take back, like on a wedding day.

Anyway, these two are really in love and I had such a great time photographing them in their hometown, where they met and fell in love!

Just wait until I post their wedding from Mazatlan!  *Soon*

I am just so lucky to be able to watch these families grow!  We had this session out in Balboa, which happens to be my favorite beach in Southern California.  I just love how small town it feels and of course, the beach!

I love these two sooo much!! And the moodiness of the photos :)

Oh my where do I begin with this family?!?!  Every time I get to see them or visit, they take me in like I'm family!  A long lost cousin and we just all have such a great time!  I've photographed a wedding, two newborn baby girls, and a handful of family memories.  I love them so much!

I'm so glad that we (totally a we because I'm the long lost cousin, remember?) were able to get everyone on board for this family photo.  Everything about these photos makes me happy, the lighting, the location, and of course the people!