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! 

The clouds were gloomy but we ventured into the session any way.  We never thought that with the rain a double rainbow would appear in the backgroud with the sun hitting their faces creating such unique images! We had to work fast to capture the moment but I think we did a pretty good job.  After, it kept raining but Cristy + Lalo didn't even flinch.  They kept going with energy and laughter.  It was a fun session :).

Can't wait for their Cancun wedding in November!!! 

When things collide with inspiration... your trigger finger ends up hurting at the end of the day.  These are just perfect for summer! Helps that your model is absolutely gorgeous!

Oh these two.  The love just radiates out from their heart-to-heart connection.  When their eyes meet, you can see the flame burning ever so brightly!  I loved every second of getting to know them and having them in front of my camera.  They were naturals and loved to laugh.  They are adorable!

I can't wait until their wedding in October! I know it's going to be beautiful!

Back in 2009, I bought a template website.  It was perfect in all of it's new flash glory... But something incredible started to happen and my website became an issue.  Mobile devices began to dominate navigating the web and smartphones became the new audience.  Accommodating my flash website for mobile devices meant more money and a sub-par web presence on a 4" screen.

Fast forward to October of this year, I was in need of a new website and I began researching for a company that would offer a beautiful website with the capabilities of being as beautiful on a smartphone or tablet.  And this here is what you see now.  

Did you know that over 60% of my visitors daily are visiting on a mobile device? That means that more than half the people who visit my website everyday are doing so right from the palm of their hand!  

Let's look at some real numbers...

In the chart above we can see that only twice since my website has been mobile friendly, has there been more desktop visitors.  The rest of the year has been primarily from mobile devices!!! Check out the month of May, mobile users account for 72% of the visitors that month.  The biggest difference to date!  It's only the second week of June and we can see that 67% of visitors are through a mobile device.  

You might be saying to yourself, "Well, that's all good but why does it really matter?"  

1.  INCREASES EXPOSURE

You might not realize it but people are attached to their smartphones!  If they need something, they use an app.  If they need directions, they use maps and GPS.  If they need a question answered... you guessed it, they use Google right from their phone.  We use our phones for everything now and with bigger screens, we can appreciate bigger pictures and more content.  

Having a mobile friendly site can increase your exposure among clients that otherwise you might have not been able to reach.  Not everyone gets on a desktop computer everyday to check Facebook.  No, they do it right from the convenience of their mobile device.  I use device because it could be their smartphone or tablet.  Could even be Apple TV.  

Now imagine that someone shared your website onto their Facebook.  What happens next is incredible, people begin clicking on the link to view your portfolio online.  Wouldn't it be nice to reach all those people every day with a site that streamlines from desktop to mobile without skipping a beat?  You bet it's amazing.  

2.  YOUR PORTFOLIO IS ALWAYS ON HAND

I don't know about you but as a photographer, I have often found myself at a dinner with friends and the begin to ask about my work.  Rather than handing them a business card, I whip out my phone and launch my website.  I show them the galleries, allow them to browse through the blog, and let them play with the site while we're having dinner.  Instantly, I have connected with a potential client.  This actually happened once and I was able to convince a bride of booking with me.

Another great example is when I do hand out a business card and the client jumps onto the website minutes later.  What they see is a seamless connection between my business card and the branding of my website.  They are able to stay a while and check out the different galleries.  Instantly, they have become a potential client.  

Having a person wait until they jump on a computer to view your website is like putting money in a pocket that has a hole in it.  You lose potential clients because they won't remember later, they won't write your website address down.  What they will do is look for you on Google and Facebook and from there connect to your site right from their table at Starbucks.

3.  Google 

Google has begun to penalize websites who are not mobile friendly.  If that isn't cause big enough to make you get a mobile friendly site, then I don't know what is!  Regardless, Google is onto something big.  They are aware that most of their users are connected through a mobile device.  Google is aware that having a site that is ready for any device is crucial to its users.  What happens when you open the browser on your phone and Google something?  It gives you exactly what you're looking for:  Google's rapid search results with the same branding that Google has on desktop computers.  

I'm not sure whether penalizing websites for not being mobile friendly is a good thing or a bad thing, but I do know that what they are trying to accomplish through this new strategy is going to move the future of websites.  Make sure that you don't get left behind!

If you need to check if your website is mobile friendly enough for Google, click HERE to find out. 

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Don't lose exposure because your website is not mobile ready.  You could be losing more than visitors - potential clients!  Use the link above to check on Google if your website is mobile friendly and stop losing potential clients now.  I know this completely changed the way visitors connect with my photography and me!

Happy Friday my friends!
 

This post won't quite be the usual list of 5 tips.  However, this will be a long list of what you should be doing when you are photographing a wedding.  Each photographer goes about their process differently and it really depends on how you are setting up your photography business. 

In the time that I've been photographing weddings, I've learned that the following checklists are good to skim over from time to time.  Helps us in not making future mistakes, which let's face it, we're human and can occur at any time!  

Make sure you click on each photo to download your own copy :).  

Pre-Wedding

So you booked a wedding, I'm very proud of you! But now you're freaking out because you're second guessing your skills.  You're most likely going to be up all night thinking of the worst case scenarios, like the bride's zipper is going to get stuck, or you are going to drop your camera, or one of a million things.  Do not fear, this checklist is going to help you get through the night and sleep like a baby.  Well maybe not like a baby, but at least more soundly and without nightmares.

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Wedding Day Photo Checklist 

The wedding day can be even more stressful, especially if you are new to the wedding game. This little guide will help you through the whole day.  This is a general guide as wedding timelines can be different from one event to the next.  Make sure that you confirm the DAY OF timeline with your clients so that you know when and where to photograph each moment.  

What is most important for your clients is what you should be photographing.  It's common to read that you should photograph for publications, photograph for your blog, photograph for the album... While it's good to keep all of that in mind, getting what your client wants is the top priority.  Make sure to do this during client meetings (which is a completely separate post).  

Before even picking up the camera, make sure you arrive at least 1.5 hours early.  This helps to make a plan and get a good idea of what kind of light you're working with, the location, and introducing yourself to the make up artists and anyone else in the room.  

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So that's all for the tips feature this time!  

I am also putting together an e-book for wedding and portrait photographers... it's going to be full of information and how-to with lots of tips for the new or even seasoned photographer.  What kind of information would you like to see in the e-book? Write your thoughts in the comments below!  

Since I have lived here, I have been so fortunate to meet a lot of my husbands friends.  What is more unique is when they become a part of your family.  We learned of how they met and their love story when we photographed their engagement session.  How during a mission event with their church they began to message each other which lead to an special inside joke only they would know.  Later, that small spark grow to a flame and when Roberto hung a hand painted banner with the words "Will you marry me?" all the while serenading her with his lovely guitar and voice, she knew her answer was yes! 

This adorably in love and happy couple reminds us of why love is so powerful and how when we know who is the right person for us, we never want to let them go.  I am beyond words for these two, our friends, our family.

This semester marks my 5th semester at Prepa UVM here in Chihuahua.  It's been such an amazing experience seeing these kids grow and mature through the semesters.  They change so quickly and make me proud of their accomplishments.  

After each semester, my friend and art teacher Nora and I put together an art show for the students to show off their work.  Most of the students have been with us for a couple of years and their work has just improved and improved with each day that passes.  I am amazed at the talent that these kids have!  Makes our jobs so much more fun and interesting.  

Last night we inaugurated this semester's art show and had many students and parents come to see the fruit of their labor.  Such an amazing experience.  I'm so proud of all the students!

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!