NEW WEBSITE AND BLOG!

Finally, I am www.marisolizaguirre.com is back in it's new online home. The website has had a major update and a complete re-design. You can view my portfolio and contact information at WWW.MARISOLIZAGUIRRE.COM where you will also find a brand spankin' new blog. 

This blog will remain here at this address (marisolizaguirre.blogspot.com) indefinitely but I will no longer be posting updates here. Please visit the new blog (http://www.marisolizaguirre.com/blog/) to keep current on all new postings as well as all business news. 

See you there!

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY is your wedding date available?

If you are planning a wedding in the next couple of months and have still not booked a photographer, I encourage you to inquire for detailed pricing and date availability. Small or big weddings, I enjoy photographing all types of ceremonies where brides say I do to their grooms. 

I currently have dates available for late September, early October, November and December. What is your date? Email me for booking information: mary@marisolizaguirre.com

Happy Wedding Planning!

ALEXANDRA + MARCUS rustic couple's session | mission, texas

I believe I mentioned in earlier posts that I photographed a couple for marketing material to be used with La Munequita Ranch in Mission, Texas a few weeks ago. Today I want to share another session that took place at the lovely ranch with a beautiful couple who have been together for a few years. Alexandra and Marcus have been together for a while and together they enjoy traveling through the state of Texas having fun and serving events with their photo booth rental business. I originally met Alexandra through Facebook and at a wedding fair a few years ago, although I don't remember which came first, and we have kept in touch via social network and just recently when I photographed her and her cowboy :) 

Their session was a breeze and Marcus mentioned Alexandra liked having their portrait taken together quite often so it they were naturals in front of the camera. La Munequita Ranch played a perfect background to their rustic couple's session and made Marcus' cowboy hat and Alexandra's awesome boots really shine. 

Alexandra and Marcus, thank you for coming out and smiling for my camera. It was a pleasure to see you again Alex and great to meet you Marcus. I wish you both much success and love in your relationship. 

You can find more information about La Munequita ranch by emailing lamunequitaranch@gmail.com and for more information on Alexandra's Photobooth Service, you can reach here here: This is the 1! Photo Booth Rental.

Happy Monday friends!

SHINING BRIGHT remaining strong and humble when you want to fall

I blog so that as the time passes by, I can have something to look back on and reflect. I want to be able to see where I started, read about what I experienced, and look at how hard I have to work to get where ever I end up. 

Sometimes I wonder if anyone reads this; does any one care about what I write?

I read it. I care. Me, myself, I. 

I don't ever want to forget where I started. The zero knowledge that I had. In the beginning I was excited and dreamt about what my photography could be. I can't forget about that now. No matter what, no matter who, if I was still back in high school pinning curtains to my parent's library wall and using a desk lamp for light to photograph my mother in her best gown, I'd still be happy.

I can't let anyone take my happy: my happiness and love for the art. It is not perfect. It is not the universal best. But it is subjective and, most importantly, it is mine. 

Today I have a little more knowledge than I did yesterday. What will tomorrow teach me? 

Cheers to the coming weekend! What are your plans?

JENNIFER a rustic bridal session | mission, texas

Earlier this summer I met Jennifer who contacted me for a bridal session after hearing about a casting call I made via the Facebook business page. I needed a bridal model for marketing purposes for La Munequita Ranch in Mission, Texas. If I have to photograph a bride, and portray bridal scene, I always prefer to use real brides. Real people, in real situations, show real emotion and to me that's extremely important. So because La Munequita Ranch needed to show a rustic bride, who better than Jennifer - a true Texas gal planning her fall wedding - to have her bridal portraits done. 

Jennifer was easy to photograph and while a little nervous the first few frames, she quickly came into her own and made the session a breeze. Her beautiful red bouquet, provided by HEB Blooms in Mission, Texas, added a perfect pop of color to her cowgirl boots and beautiful wedding gown. 

You are beautiful Jennifer!

If you are looking for an awesome venue to host your next wedding or event in South Texas, La Munequita Ranch is the place for you!

Have a fantastic Wednesday friends!

OUT OF THE OFFICE i'll be traveling to end the summer | USA

At the end of the month I will be traveling through the good ol' US of A and I am really excited. I'll be packing up my camera and find as many new places as I can to photograph. If you are in the area and would like to meet up, grab some lunch, or have your photo taken, let's make something happen.

San Antonio

Austin

Dallas

Oklahoma City

Minneapolis

Chicago

If you are in any of these cities and would like to schedule a session in late August/early September, please let me know. I'd love to photograph you!

You can follow me on instagram (@mary1203) to keep up with my trip(s) and my Facebook page!

OFFICE SPACE missing my old one and making a mess in my current one

I'll be honest, I miss my old office space. Back when I was in Suite 405 inside the historic Villa de Cortez in Weslaco, Texas I had my own little corner, a space all my own, to share with the world. I loved meeting potential clients in my office and absolutely loved getting dressed, driving a few minutes, and climbing the stairs to head up to the fourth flour. I hardly rode the elevator; I was too afraid to ride in it alone. For some reason, having that suite address attached to my name made me feel like I had made it. I was, literally, on top of the world. 

Okay, so I was only on top in the fourth floor but while my office window may not have had a view of Napa Valley, the Caribbean, or the Mediterranean Sea, it still had a view and I loved it. I picked out the most perfect curtains to frame the window and saved for the perfect white leather chair. I used to admire the chair weekly and think to myself one day I would have my very own office space in which to sit in it. 

And I did. It was hard work, a lot of hard work, but I made it happen. 

There I was, looking like a teeny bopper but still making my own decisions and being the boss. My own boss. Fast forward to today and here I am sitting amidst a huge mess - one I made solely by myself. Ahh, I don't even know where to begin cleaning.

After I got married and moved away from my parent's home (finally, ha!), careful thought and consideration led me to conclude that I would be better off closing shop and working from where ever I was until we decided on a more permanent location. Having daily morning sickness, up until the eight :: EIGHT:: month made making this decision so much easier. While I loved my office, it just was not necessary at that stage in my life. It was beautiful to have but I had no desire to maintain it. All I could do was worry about keeping food down my tummy and enjoying playing house. While I did work, I worked a whole lot less and just enjoyed being married. 

But now that our little one has been born, I think the nesting bug left me because I have had such a hard time wanting to organize my workspace at home. I constantly move things around only to make more of a mess each and every single time. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't even know where to begin cleaning. I find myself in here late at night, looking around, hoping to be inspired to create a space where I can work comfortably. 

I am currently typing with one hand, feeding my baby with the other, and sitting on top of a pile of curtains I previously left on that white leather chair I used to day dream about. Yikes! What have I done?!

I've made a mess. A big one.

Pictured above is the current state of my desk... there is nearly enough room for that one hand I am using to type. Oh my goodness, I need to clean up!!! I have been telling my husband that I feel like I am going through a frump stage ever since I cut my hair and realized I miss my long, black locks. Well, I think I am going through a business frump stage as well. I think I know the culprit behind it all. I may very well share with you but I think that will make for another blog post.

So for now, good night. Happy Saturday friends, and to all those who were married today, congratulations!

Yours truly,
Frump Girl

AUGUST GOALS setting a standard for myself | personal

I've been at the office pretty much all day since I woke up this morning catching up on some work, worried because I forgot to file a franchise tax report back in May and after locking myself out of my online account I managed to finally get back in with the help of an operator. I've also been ceaselessly attempting to clean my office but alas I don't even know where to start. Instead of cleaning it, I added to the mess and left remnants of a french fry on my desk along with two half empty cups.

Sigh.

"Tomorrow",  I tell myself, "tomorrow I'll clean up." 

Well, since I began thinking about what to write for tonight's blog post I decided that I needed to pick up that leftover french fry, put away the cups, and really make myself tidy up my desk tomorrow. Now that I think about it, I realized that I should apply that mentality not merely to the aesthetic look of my current state of office but to my overall state of mind, both personally and professionally. Thus, I think it's time I start setting monthly goals. It's a brand new month {Hello August!}, so why not?

I'll start off small...

Business Goals:

1.  Clean & organize my home office

2.  Blog daily for the whole month of August

3.  Order that new sample album

4.  Work on some marketing (it's been a while!)

5.  Book one wedding this month

Personal Goals: 

1.  Learn to make ranchero beans

2.  Clean my laundry room

3.  Maintain my entry way mini-garden

4.  Photograph Abigail daily

5.  Surprise my husband with an amazing home-cooked meal, dessert included

It's a new month so I feel motivated! 

It's almost the weekend, yay! Oh wait - I'm a wedding photographer. ;)

Smile!

ERIKA + VICTOR gladys porter zoo wedding | brownsville, texas

Erika and Victor's wedding joined my summer schedule almost at the very last minute. Two weeks prior to the wedding date, I met Erika to discuss wedding photography. While we met in June and I was aware that her wedding was in July, it did not dawn on me until we were planning her engagement session that the wedding day was quickly approaching. For some reason, my sense of time during the summer is not as sharp as I thought. The days of summer, while long, seem to pass quicker than I thought. 

Guests at a wedding I photographed early in June, Victor and Erika were meant to be one of my wedding couples. After meeting with both of them, I honestly felt like I had known them a lot longer than a mere two weeks! Every time I spoke with Erika I kept feeling like I knew her from somewhere before. Careful thought and consideration led me to realize that she reminded me so much of one of my favorite co-workers from the law firm. 

Victor and Erika have dated for over ten years! These newlyweds were finally ready to tie the knot and celebrate with a proper wedding. As the only daughter in her family, Erika planned a beautiful wedding that her parents could be proud of. Victor is caring, charismatic, and completely in love with Erika. While both of their personal vows during the ceremony were heartfelt, Victor's were written with a little bit of comic book humor. 

It was very special to witness these two get married as it was evident all of their guests had long awaited this moment. Congratulations Erika and Victor!!!

I had an amazing time at their wedding and loved the fact that we were treated very special at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas for their wedding portraits. Thank you to the Gladys Porter Zoo and to the Bride and Groom along with the bridal party for their cooperation. Erika and Victor, thank you for allowing me to photograph your wedding. Congratulations again, be blessed!

Special thank you to Joe Rokxs Entertainment, the DJ services, for sharing the timeline with me at the last moment! And to my friend Monica, of M. Perdomo Photography, for lending me her wide angle lens at the very last minute. Thank you!!!