When you find the right person for you, everything just radiates LOVE.

It was an honor to photograph MIchelle and Stacey for their wedding and even more beautiful to see them both elated to have found each other in this big, big world. Surrounded by their most cherished and loving family and friends, it was a beautiful sight to see how much their love had brought all of these amazing people together on a beautiful beach in Mexico.

Weddings are beautiful in that way aren’t they? They bring all of the people together in one place to honor and witness how much love there is between a couple. So much love that it is solidified in vows promising all that is sacred and beautiful.

Michelle & Stacey: You’ve made me see love in an entirely new way that I had never thought before. And the fact that you’re just two of the most amazing people I’ve had the honor of photographing makes it so much more special! Thank you so much for choosing me and giving me this honor! I hope you cherish these photos for many years to come!

If I am given the opportunity to reuse recycled material in order to display photos beautifully, you bet I’m going to offer it to my clients.

WHCC is the professional lab where I get all of my fine art products. They are a professional photography lab that offers photographers amazing high quality products like albums, photographic prints, and these beautiful reclaimed wood frames.

They are frames made from recycled wood and put together in their facility. One of a kind, truly unique, and good for the earth makes them all the more reason to get these instead of traditional frames or those plastic ones from Target.

They currently come in two colors, Walnut and Maple. Both equally beautiful. I’ve made some mock wall galleries so you can see what they would look like hung up in a home.

For more information, contact me at hello@jackielamas.com or if your gallery is active, you can view the products high lighted on the main gallery page ;).

I just wanted to highlight some of the things I offer here at the studio because many times, photos get lost and guarded on a computer, USB, or elsewhere when they really should be displayed all over your home.

Seeing photos hung in your home makes you smile. It’s also a great reminder of how much your family means to you every day, as a mom, I know that reminder is nice to have - especially with my toddler! Ha ha!

Families that vacation together stay together…

Can we make that a thing? Because let me tell you, every family that I have the honor of photographing is just amazing and when family gets together to vacation all in one spot, it’s even better.

Photographing vacationing families during these once a year, sometimes it’s more of a gap, makes the photos even more special!

Tracey, Bonnie, and Vicki: You three have such amazing families and thank you for trusting me even though it was super hot and really bright at midday!

Want family photos while on vacation in Puerto Vallarta as well? Email me and we’ll get it all set up! hello@jackielamas.com

Writing tips for you has been such a great way for me to prepare you for your next portrait / wedding experience!

Not all photographers are the same, not all have the same style, personality, or way of doing things and these tips are where I explain a little of my process, shooting style, and you can get an idea of what the experience will be like.

I love helping clients to feel very comfortable and since many of my clients come from different countries on vacation, it also serves as a way for them to get to know me a little better ;).

I’m doing a master post so that you can view and click through the different tip posts that I’ve written over the years. I hope that they help you!

There are big families, and then there are BIG families! I love all families and big ones seem to be the norm around here!

I’ll never get tired of photographing these families because I feel like for a couple of hours, I’m a part of the whole clan. Seeing, playing, photographing moments that happen right then and there. Never being able to be re-created.

It’s a magical feeling when I can capture a family truly the way they are. Smiling, having fun, and enjoying each other. Families full of love.

And every family is unique which makes each session feel new and fresh! I’ve photographed several families here on this beach in Nuevo Vallarta, at the Grand Mayan resort and it never ceases to surprise me how each session can be so different from the next.

Thank you to all of my wonderful clients, like this family, who trust me with their memories and offer up vacation time to get photos taken! Makes it so special.

If you’d like to have your photos taken while on vacation here in Nuevo Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, Bucerias, and surrounding areas, please email me at hello@jackielamas.com so we can set it up! Sessions last a couple of hours and then you can enjoy a fresh margarita after!

I have been a photographer for about 13 years. When I was first starting out, Photoshop was getting into mainstream photography, along with digital. This meant that people, myself included, were editing photos like it was going out of style.

And then, it went out of style.

Over editing photos is not something I do anymore. I stopped over processing photos about 4 years ago because I just felt like the smoothing of skin and over editing colors and adding filters was just TOO MUCH.

My editing style is pretty close to the original image! This is because it keeps the photo timeless.

I also realized that filters are part of trends, and that means that when a trend goes out of style, that editing also goes out of style. And then you’re left with photos that are out of style.

Of course, to each their own. Each photographer has their own particular style and I’m not here to say that it’s wrong or out of date or anything, it just isn’t for me or my clients.

I like to stick to a nice elegant and timeless look with the photos that I create. I feel like editing this way means that your photos will never look dated or out of style.

What do I do then? I color correct, bump up the warmth, take out blemishes, clean up the skin a bit and brighten and add contrast. It’s very minimal and takes me less time to edit which also means your photos get to you sooner.

Editing this way has revolutionized my time in front of the computer and lets me focus more on the creative part of my photography.

I love letting my clients see exactly firsthand what they can expect to see when they get their final images. So, I’ve pulled together some before and after photos so you can see exactly how I edit the photos!

What do you think? What kind of look do you like to have for your photos?

I am so excited to get this off the ground running!

I’ve been thinking of starting a newsletter for quite some time (ahem, like years, but who’s keeping track anyway), and when the whole fiasco happened with Facebook and their apps today it made it more concrete my decision to start a newsletter.

Social media was/is a fun way to connect and be inspired by my clients and photographers all around the world. I loved sharing the new and exciting things happening here at my computer desk, because let’s face it, that’s where all the work really happens, ha ha!

I also know that many people who come to the blog aren’t active or even on social media so I’d love to connect with everyone. I have always liked the idea of newsletters though. I just feel like they are a more direct way to connect with YOU.

I’ve chosen to send out the newsletter monthly because I think it’s more doable for me as far as work. I also think that getting an email once a month is comfortable for most people and I never want to feel like I’m spamming your email!

I’ll be sharing recent blog posts, images from sessions, inspiration, links to the current photography articles that I’ve written, and just general news from Jackie Lamas Photography!

Sign up below to get the first newsletter coming out April 2nd!

Beach portraits are wonderfully unique because of the location! The beaches here in Bucerias and Puerto Vallarta are breathtakingly beautiful and offer long stretches of beach and sunsets like no other.

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However, because you’re on a beach there are a few things to consider when you’re having your portraits taken.

Sunset Golden Hour is the best time

The best time to schedule your session is about an hour to an hour and half before sunset. I’m sure that you’ve heard it as it’s the infamous “golden hour”. This is when the sun is going down, making it less harsh but giving it such a beautiful golden wash to the photos.

The sun sets behind the beach here which makes any time between 11am and 4pm brutal to photograph in. The sun is still behind the water a bit however, the sand will reflect all of that light back onto you making it hard to see, often resulting in squinty or closed eyes.

Why start so early before sunset, isn’t it still too bright?

Having enough time to photograph your family fully is always the best bet. I want to make sure you have lots of photos that you can revisit time and time again. If we only photographed during sun set, we’d have only about 10 minutes to photograph your family.

This way, we can also walk around, have fun, splash in the water, and get individual photos and candid photos of your family being themselves. It also gives me time to hang with you and get to know you better!

Don’t worry if we photograph at a different time than sunset!

Maybe you have a tour scheduled and won’t make it in time, or perhaps nap times have to be considered and I can definitely understand with my 2 year old!

Don’t worry, I got you covered. If we do photograph your session at a different time than sunset, we can still get absolutely stellar images that you’ll love for many years to come!

The difference here is that there will be less posed photos and more interactive photos. This is because the sun is pretty bright any time after 9am and so rather than having you cringe and squint trying to look at the camera, I’ll have you play and interact with each other.

But don’t worry, if there is shade, we’ll definitely use it! If there isn’t, I’ll try and position you so that the sun isn’t so harsh.

Keeping you comfortable while still photographing your family interacting make for the most emotive photos! These are my favorite type of photos to create!

Do what’s best for you and your family

Choosing the best time for your family is always the best way to schedule your session. I am comfortable and experienced in photographing at any time during the day so that you have the most beautiful photos of your family on vacation.

So if we need to photograph at 10am because of a nap time, I’ve got you covered. After lunch time when tummies are full and every one has lots of energy, let’s do it.

The time that is best for you and your family is when I want to photograph you. This is a sure way to get the best expressions, energy, and have the most fun during a session that everyone will love!

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Have you had a family vacation session before? Are you interested in scheduling your next session while in Puerto Vallarta? Contact me so I can send over all of the info and get your family photographed!

I love when people come to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate, relax, and just immerse themselves in the beauty of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! I love it even more when I get to spend time with amazing people and cute families!

It was a true honor to spend time with this little cutie on her second birthday! We played, jumped, sang, ran, and had so much fun during our session!

Toddlers are so fun because they’re coming into their own and letting them play and have fun while taking their photos best shows their personalities! We can see how adorable this little girl was and she gave the best hugs!

If you’re looking to get your photos taken, please click here to get in touch!

When I first started in photography, it seemed like there were a lot of skepticism over whether someone was a professional or not. Even to this day, there is a lot of advice concerning wedding and portrait photographers that is just plain silly.

But I get it. You’re going to be spending money on possibly the most important vendor of the day and you want to make sure they deliver what they promise.

However, you also need to know that sometimes, all those articles on photographers that are not written by a photographer are not going to help you but only annoy the photographer you meet with.

Here are some things that the photographer sitting opposite you really wants you to know but will never tell you.

It’s not about the gear.

I can’t even count how many times someone has met with me and right off the bat, they want to know what gear I photograph weddings with. I know this was a concern 10 years ago, when digital was getting its foothold in photography, but it’s not so much of a concern now.

Each photographer has their particular style that they have slowly perfected over time. It’s always evolving, that’s for sure, but this really has nothing to do whether they photograph your event or session with a Canon, Nikon, or Sony.

Now, almost all gear is pretty comparable and while some photographers might cringe at that statement and argue it’s not true, you as the client, don’t really care at the end of the day. What should you care about? Care if you get along with this photographer. Care about budget. Care about style and whether you like their work.

Having all the gear in the world can’t make up for years of experience and dominating the gear the photographer uses regularly. Make sure to ask about experiences at weddings, set ups they like to use, and if they are capable of lighting at night. This is more productive for you in terms of understanding their photography style rather than a show of what lenses they have in their bag.

Being able to photograph in different circumstances and having the experience as a wedding professional goes a long way. Much more than lenses and fancy lighting.

Know what you like

If you like a particular style of photography and meet with a photographer who is completely different than what you like, what are you doing?

You are wasting time is what you’re doing. I know that sounds harsh, but let me explain. There are photographers who can photograph different styles and usually, this is because they have a team of great photographers at their studio. However, in my case and the many case of many photographers, I’m a one woman show with an assistant/second shooter.

I have a particular style that I’ve been creating for many years and there is nothing that can waste our time more other than trying to change the way that I visually create each photograph.

Know what you like. Look for and meet with photographers that photograph the kind of images you really like. Look at their style, is it consistent with what you normally gravitate towards visually? Would you love to have something similar hung up in a frame above your sofa?

Photographers choose their clients as well

I think that one of the biggest misconceptions about photographers is that we have to take all of the paid work that comes our way. Including clients that we don’t necessarily vibe well with.

Know this, your photographer is also interviewing you! If I walk out of our meeting wanting to be your best friend (which usually happens), then I am seriously praying that I get to be with you on your wedding day.

If you feel like you don’t vibe with your photographer, then start looking for someone you do vibe well with. In order to do a great job, the work relationship has to be positive. It has to inspire me to do a great job and you have to feel like you can trust me.

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As professional and seasoned photographers, we understand that planning a wedding is hard and most brides have never done anything like this before! I just wanted to write a quick note to help you get the most out of meeting with a potential wedding photographer so that you can truly get the right person for the job.

Your photos are important and so is the person who is taking them. Make sure that you vibe well, like their style, and I guarantee that you’ll be happy with the end result!