Something that I have always loved doing is teaming up with local non-for-profits and going back to my “news” roots. Today we continued the McAllen Chamber’s Women of Distinction project and this time at the Quinta Mazatlan World Birding Center out here in McAllen. The birding center if full of history and a great place for photos if you’re looking to do something fun right by the McAllen Airport. As always they’re working on something and always upgrading the facility.
Happy Monday Morning! Today it’s a full day of editing headshots for different clients. This one was a fun one taken in McAllen last week for one of our local veterans applying for Leadership McAllen. You can always find Roy Aleman advocating for Veterans here in the RGV and helping educate the Valley about many of our freedoms. Good Luck Roy!
I just got home from a 13 hour day and now it’s Time to start editing. I had a great head shot session with Evelyn Cano the President Disability Chamber of Commerce -RGV and formally of Capable Kids Foundation, Inc.
She’s always doing something and she’s just about to launch one of a kind Chamber of Commerce helping adults with special needs and businesses that are looking for qualified personnel work together. You can always follow her instagram stories and her feed at @evelyn_theadvocate.
And here we go, McAllen / Mission High School Senior Portraits are under way.
Happy Friday everyone, I’m trying to stay out of the heat and spend the afternoon catching up photos and editing the first round of Senior Portraits. (I can’t believe I’m already shooting photos for Class of 2020).
So far so good, Mission Vet’s Mikey Garcia was our first senior for the season and he did great! If you’d like to book something now is the time to do it. We always have a last minute rush of seniors RIGHT before it’s time for them to graduate. It’s still hot outside but we can definitely make it work.
Send us a message! We’d love to hear from you.
Just wanted to say thank you to the Border Mayor for taking the time to take a picture of me. I know he’s always joking that photographers aren’t in ANY photos but he always makes sure that I come out in at least ONE. (One is better than none). My on going joke is I’m the chupacabras, you hear about me but rarely see me in anything.
Thanks again amigo! Photo credit goes out to Ruben O. Villarreal it was his phone, and I want to say this pic was taken by the @theinstaprofessor, aka Giselle Mascarenhas-Villarrealpart of the @boldinstatute team.
People You Should Know: Roxanne Lerma Casares
Did I ever tell you that I used to work news back in the day? Before I did all this I was a news videographer back in the 90s working for KGBT (our local CBS affiliate based in Harlingen). My job was to go out and collect around around the Rio Grande Valley, often with a reporter, and try to come up with something that would make the air. Some days were better than others but that job was fun as every day was different.
Now having said all that let me introduce you to the first reporter I had a chance to work with: Meet Roxanne Lerma Casares now with the City of Mission. She’s still very much into the news as she’s now the city’s Media Relations Officer. Part of her job is report for the city and help coordinate the news stations when ever something new is going on. She was also part of the team that help form the plan to bring Mission its first All American City award.
Emma Gonzalez – Field Mice: Memoirs of A Migrant Child
Some of the best parts of being a photographer are the people you’ll come in contact with. I was asked to do a headshot and help out with some marketing materials for local Author Emma Gonzales.
It was interesting to hear about her adventures of the migrant life during the 1950’s and 60s and what they did to keep themselves going during the good times and bad.
(She’s holding a photo of Mother Teresa, which she credits for inspiring to share her journey in her novel.) It’s been a few years since I’ve heard from her but visiting her amazon page I can see that she’s already finishing up her next novel. I wish her all the best.
Giselle Mascarenhas-Villarreal – The Instagram Professor
Meet @theinstaprofessor! The one and only Giselle Mascarenhas-Villarreal. She’s part half of the team that is teaching South #Texas and now online instagram strategies and brand building in a modern world.
You can often catch her working on her next workshop or even taking time to catch up on the latest Gary Vaynerchuk podcast to sharpen her game.
I’ve had the chance to work with her on projects over the years but I encourage any entrepreneur to take the time and set up a one and one meeting with her. She is a wealth of knowledge and has never held anything back.
It’s always good to update your headshot…it was great catching up with Katherine Perez and her family as she stopped back in McAllen for a quick headshot taken at her home.
Commercial Photography Behind The Scenes — I’d like you to meet Michelle Zamora (a Commercial Lender at Inter National Bank and current president of the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley). You can always find her volunteering somewhere, lately with the Food Bank serving as the current president.
She’s told me that they’re already preparing for Empty Bowls (held ever September). If you’ve never been you need to look it up, its a lot of fun and I’ve volunteered over the last few years. It’s kinda like a family reunion as I ALWAYS find someone I haven’t seen in years.
