Well, it's sad but true. I've been blogging on this site for over a year and a half and it is now coming to an end. However, I will not be leaving the world of blogging (how could I??). I have kept a separate photography blog all along and as I'm moving more towards defining myself as a photographer, I feel I should simply have the one blog where I write about everything from my personal life to my career adventures in one spot. No doubt, the photography blog will probably never be as deep or personal as this has gotten...but then again, who am I kidding? I will always be an open book. Please join me at the new blog where it'll still be me, just with pictures :)
This will be the last entry for this blog.
Thursday, April 30
Saturday, April 11
So Happy - So ME!
Woooohoooo! I finished rebuilding my website today and I LOVE IT! lol. Seriously, this whole branding thing has opened my eyes to something I've been telling other people for years...there is no one else in the world like you. You are unique, celebrate what makes you YOU. It's a duh statement, but how many times do we go around in circles trying to figure out who we are "supposed" to be, when the answer is staring us in the mirror? Geez.
I was hard pressed to design a logo so I always just used my company name - until I realized today that the way I've always signed my initials looks like YLD (used to look like YTD) because I do it in script with a circle around it. So I wrote it, scanned it, and TADA - instant logo :) Love it.
I'm just so happy to finally have a website that reflects who I am and what I'm all about. I'm going to be adding videos and other fun content to build a community and keep people coming back to the site.
Please check it out and leave me your feedback. xoxo
www.yadiralaguerre.com
I was hard pressed to design a logo so I always just used my company name - until I realized today that the way I've always signed my initials looks like YLD (used to look like YTD) because I do it in script with a circle around it. So I wrote it, scanned it, and TADA - instant logo :) Love it.
I'm just so happy to finally have a website that reflects who I am and what I'm all about. I'm going to be adding videos and other fun content to build a community and keep people coming back to the site.
Please check it out and leave me your feedback. xoxo
www.yadiralaguerre.com
Thursday, April 9
Branding and Marketing
"Don't look at someone else's cake (finished product) and lament because yours doesn't look like that. Realize that you have all the right ingredients - mix it up and make your own cake!" - Thesha Bove (my good friend)
I have been led lately to reinvent myself as a photographer/business person. I started last year and strictly put myself in a box as a children's photographer. Everything from my website to my business cards were geared towards getting that market. Yet the people who have sought out my services have been musicians, actors, models and entrepreneurs. I realized that I truly enjoy photographing adults, and if I need a children fix, I've got my own beautiful subjects :) Not that I will never take pictures of other families and children again, but I'm just busting out of that box.
So in my quest to market and brand myself, I reconnected with a good friend from years ago, Thesha Bove. We attended the same church at the time (the infamous Jesus Is Lord) and have both since gone in separate directions. I had no idea that she is a marketing guru extraordinaire in the making. She has in two conversations reawakened me and lit me on fiyah! It's nice to have someone else do that for you when you absolutely love doing it for others (what's that thing about sowing and reaping? lol). Everything I had read said I had to pick a certain aspect of photography, that I had to label myself. She made me realize that I am a photojournalist, an editorial photographer, one who tells the story through pictures...and that story can be anything. She confirmed that the best advertising I can do is through networking (which I've avoided but can totally get into). She reminded me that my image needs to be edgy and artsy (which my friend Tarsha told me years ago). That completely resonates with me.
In searching out different branding/marketing articles on the web, I inadvertently came across Jasmine Star, a born again photographer from California. She is absolutely amazing and speaks to me on so many levels. She left law school to become a photographer after being inspired by her own wedding photographer (David Jay) and is now at the top of her industry after only two years. When Thesha told me the girl reminds her of me, I was floored. Seriously? That's when she said what I quoted at the top of this page. I am so super excited to mix up my own ingredients and get a cake, instead of trying to get the ingredients that will make all the pretty cakes I've seen. David Jay is another born again photographer from California who is equally amazing. He tours the country and gives lectures about photography. I just became his fan on facebook (lol).
I say all this to say that today I am inspired. I am inspired by my friend, Thesha, who has marvelously gotten me back on track. I am inspired by these two wonderful photographers that I've never met who are bold bodacious Christians, excellent in what they do. Most of all, I must say, I am inspired by all the wonderful things that are in ME that I get to pull out and use to paint a beautiful tapestry. I've spent so much time pulling out the gifts in others compared to the amount of time I've spent looking inward to find out what Yah put in me. I have a feeling there's some good stuff in there and I'm looking forward to what my own "brand" will look like. Let the baking begin!
I have been led lately to reinvent myself as a photographer/business person. I started last year and strictly put myself in a box as a children's photographer. Everything from my website to my business cards were geared towards getting that market. Yet the people who have sought out my services have been musicians, actors, models and entrepreneurs. I realized that I truly enjoy photographing adults, and if I need a children fix, I've got my own beautiful subjects :) Not that I will never take pictures of other families and children again, but I'm just busting out of that box.
So in my quest to market and brand myself, I reconnected with a good friend from years ago, Thesha Bove. We attended the same church at the time (the infamous Jesus Is Lord) and have both since gone in separate directions. I had no idea that she is a marketing guru extraordinaire in the making. She has in two conversations reawakened me and lit me on fiyah! It's nice to have someone else do that for you when you absolutely love doing it for others (what's that thing about sowing and reaping? lol). Everything I had read said I had to pick a certain aspect of photography, that I had to label myself. She made me realize that I am a photojournalist, an editorial photographer, one who tells the story through pictures...and that story can be anything. She confirmed that the best advertising I can do is through networking (which I've avoided but can totally get into). She reminded me that my image needs to be edgy and artsy (which my friend Tarsha told me years ago). That completely resonates with me.
In searching out different branding/marketing articles on the web, I inadvertently came across Jasmine Star, a born again photographer from California. She is absolutely amazing and speaks to me on so many levels. She left law school to become a photographer after being inspired by her own wedding photographer (David Jay) and is now at the top of her industry after only two years. When Thesha told me the girl reminds her of me, I was floored. Seriously? That's when she said what I quoted at the top of this page. I am so super excited to mix up my own ingredients and get a cake, instead of trying to get the ingredients that will make all the pretty cakes I've seen. David Jay is another born again photographer from California who is equally amazing. He tours the country and gives lectures about photography. I just became his fan on facebook (lol).
I say all this to say that today I am inspired. I am inspired by my friend, Thesha, who has marvelously gotten me back on track. I am inspired by these two wonderful photographers that I've never met who are bold bodacious Christians, excellent in what they do. Most of all, I must say, I am inspired by all the wonderful things that are in ME that I get to pull out and use to paint a beautiful tapestry. I've spent so much time pulling out the gifts in others compared to the amount of time I've spent looking inward to find out what Yah put in me. I have a feeling there's some good stuff in there and I'm looking forward to what my own "brand" will look like. Let the baking begin!
Wednesday, April 1
My church life...then and now.
Pierre went to work and left me the car so I could join him at church later. He told me to let him know if I wasn't going to come so he could find an alternate way home. The very fact that I would even consider not going to church with a car sitting in my driveway sparked a lot of internal questions. I actually didn't end up going because it was raining - but there was a time in my life when that would not have been an excuse.
Say what you want to say about Jesus Is Lord Church in Holtsville, Long Island, but that place kept me on target. We had Monday night prayer, Wednesday night choir practice, Thursday night service, Friday night dance practice, Saturday night Cross Fire (youth) and Sunday morning service. Yes, folks, I was in church at least 6 days a week...when we had a special guest or tent revival it was sometimes two weeks straight, twice on some days. Did anything stop me from going to church then? Nothing. Seriously, NO THING.
I got into a car accident on the way to church once; totalled my brother's car. I called for a ride and still went to church that night. There were many times I didn't have a ride - I would walk the 4.5 miles, most of which was along a busy highway with no sidewalk. I took taxis to church a few times. There was one time I drove to church in a serious blizzard, with my muffler dragging in the snow behind me the entire way. Those are just a few of the things I remember doing to get to church. There was never an option not to go...and I most certainly was never stopped by rain.
When I first started coming to Faith Exchange, the fervor carried over. I would leave work early for midweek service so I could catch the LIRR and get to church. I would take that same LIRR home and arrive back in Long Island after 1am. I was a live-in tutor at the time with a very nice family who used to wait up for me every week to turn off the alarm and let me in. I did a lot of crazy things to get to church back then. Tonight I was stopped by rain.
Well, Yadira, you have a family now. You can't be doing all those crazy things with two young ones. True. I wouldn't do the things I did back then...but drive my own car door to door? That's hardly crazy. The fact is that although Faith Exchange is my church home, something(s) is/are missing - and have been for a while. I have the main course, but without the appetizer or the dessert. I have the green smoothie without the fruit, the raw diet without guacamole...the pasteles without the ketchup!! Until I find the pieces to fill in those missing parts, the rain that once spelled blessing and melodies from heaven only serves to douse my fire. I love Yeshua. I do. ...and I need more.
Say what you want to say about Jesus Is Lord Church in Holtsville, Long Island, but that place kept me on target. We had Monday night prayer, Wednesday night choir practice, Thursday night service, Friday night dance practice, Saturday night Cross Fire (youth) and Sunday morning service. Yes, folks, I was in church at least 6 days a week...when we had a special guest or tent revival it was sometimes two weeks straight, twice on some days. Did anything stop me from going to church then? Nothing. Seriously, NO THING.
I got into a car accident on the way to church once; totalled my brother's car. I called for a ride and still went to church that night. There were many times I didn't have a ride - I would walk the 4.5 miles, most of which was along a busy highway with no sidewalk. I took taxis to church a few times. There was one time I drove to church in a serious blizzard, with my muffler dragging in the snow behind me the entire way. Those are just a few of the things I remember doing to get to church. There was never an option not to go...and I most certainly was never stopped by rain.
When I first started coming to Faith Exchange, the fervor carried over. I would leave work early for midweek service so I could catch the LIRR and get to church. I would take that same LIRR home and arrive back in Long Island after 1am. I was a live-in tutor at the time with a very nice family who used to wait up for me every week to turn off the alarm and let me in. I did a lot of crazy things to get to church back then. Tonight I was stopped by rain.
Well, Yadira, you have a family now. You can't be doing all those crazy things with two young ones. True. I wouldn't do the things I did back then...but drive my own car door to door? That's hardly crazy. The fact is that although Faith Exchange is my church home, something(s) is/are missing - and have been for a while. I have the main course, but without the appetizer or the dessert. I have the green smoothie without the fruit, the raw diet without guacamole...the pasteles without the ketchup!! Until I find the pieces to fill in those missing parts, the rain that once spelled blessing and melodies from heaven only serves to douse my fire. I love Yeshua. I do. ...and I need more.
Saturday, March 28
The power of prayer - oops.
This past Tuesday was my birthday. I realize I didn't write anything on that day so I just wanted to jot down for my own memory that it was really nice. My dad called first thing in the morning to sing Happy Birthday to me (which is the best gift I could ever receive from him). Him and Gladys got to speak to Joshua and Juliette - yes, Juliette. She talks a lot at a little less than 3 months. It was cute. I also got dozens upon dozens upon dozens of cheers and regards from my friends through facebook. Pierre and I took the evening to eat at Pure Food and Wine in Manhattan, and we saw the moving Knowing (Nicholas Cage, one of my favorite actors). I didn't enjoy those activities much except that I was with my best friend and that made it wonderful.
Ok, so now on to today. I had a slumber party last night and there were about 13 ladies plus me. We stayed up talking until after 5am. One of the subjects we touched was knowing that I Am. We pondered the question, what if we walked in our authority to such a level that everything we said literally came to pass exactly when we said it? A lot of us would have to live with regret until we got our tongues in order. Well, little did I know that I was walking that out.
Earlier in the week my pastor asked if he could come to the slumber party and speak with the women for about an hour. I reluctantly said yes. I say reluctantly in all honesty because I really wanted the women to have a night of rest and relaxation, where they just spoke openly to one another and could enjoy being with other women of like faith. The entire week I was complaining, literally, about how I didn't want him to come and do some heavy thing. I wanted the get together to be light and fun. I even prayed, "Yahweh, please just let him not come somehow. Speak to him or something and convince him not to come." I didn't believe that prayer for a second because obviously I thought my pastor had the upper hand in getting his desires across before my selfish desires. I was wrong.
The night progressed and everyone got here. Turned out I was the only one who really didn't want him here. Everyone kept asking for him, looking forward to hearing what he had to say. We kept calling him on his cell phone and only got his voice mail. The women all stayed up talking, laughing, ministering, praying, and laughing some more until around 5am - but something was missing. Pastor Dan never showed up.
I found him on facebook just now and IM'd him. Here's the conversation:
8:52amYadira
pastor dan we missed you last night
Dan
Oh my gosh.... My wife was in such severe pain that I completely spaced it. We had her in the doctors office.
I am so sorry.
Yadira
her teeth again?
is she ok??
:(
Dan
No, not this time. It was her hand. It is all swollen.
Oh, my gosh... I can't believe I did that. I didn't even remember until you said something. Please give my love to everybody and my sincerest apologies. Wow... I never do that. Something must have completely blocked me.
Yadira
wow - well you know you were exactly where you needed to be exactly when you needed to be there. no worries...:) her hand - is that random or did she do something to it?
Dan
It seems random. It has an infection. She didn't cut it or sprain it. I hope you had a wonderful evening.
Yadira
we had a girly evening of talking, talking and more talking. went to bed after 5am
Yeshua was lifted up. it was good
Dan
Great. How many ladies? Sonya, Drea, Neubela, Rachael, Eunice, Kim M., Jo,
Yadira
Drea's 2 friends, Christine patterson, kelly jones, Jo rolle,
not eunice
Dan
Kelly, Christine, Dreas friends? Kiana
Yadira
tamiko and yvonne comordo
Dan
nice...
Yadira
Drea's friends Aya and catherine
gloria bradford
satoya
i think that's it. 13 in all, + me
At that point he went offline. So my question is, how many levels of that is my doing? Him not coming? Him completely forgetting, which caused him not to come? Pastor Annie having an infection in her hand, which caused him to forget, which caused him not to come?? I'm a bit sobered right now, and sad that I let my own flesh get in the way of whatever blessing was meant for the ladies last night. I don't believe anything is coincidence, and although I am a firm believer that things happen the way they should - I don't think they happened the way they should've last night. I think last night was simple sowing and reaping on my part, and my reaping had negative affects on other people. That's real.
Ok, so now on to today. I had a slumber party last night and there were about 13 ladies plus me. We stayed up talking until after 5am. One of the subjects we touched was knowing that I Am. We pondered the question, what if we walked in our authority to such a level that everything we said literally came to pass exactly when we said it? A lot of us would have to live with regret until we got our tongues in order. Well, little did I know that I was walking that out.
Earlier in the week my pastor asked if he could come to the slumber party and speak with the women for about an hour. I reluctantly said yes. I say reluctantly in all honesty because I really wanted the women to have a night of rest and relaxation, where they just spoke openly to one another and could enjoy being with other women of like faith. The entire week I was complaining, literally, about how I didn't want him to come and do some heavy thing. I wanted the get together to be light and fun. I even prayed, "Yahweh, please just let him not come somehow. Speak to him or something and convince him not to come." I didn't believe that prayer for a second because obviously I thought my pastor had the upper hand in getting his desires across before my selfish desires. I was wrong.
The night progressed and everyone got here. Turned out I was the only one who really didn't want him here. Everyone kept asking for him, looking forward to hearing what he had to say. We kept calling him on his cell phone and only got his voice mail. The women all stayed up talking, laughing, ministering, praying, and laughing some more until around 5am - but something was missing. Pastor Dan never showed up.
I found him on facebook just now and IM'd him. Here's the conversation:
8:52amYadira
pastor dan we missed you last night
Dan
Oh my gosh.... My wife was in such severe pain that I completely spaced it. We had her in the doctors office.
I am so sorry.
Yadira
her teeth again?
is she ok??
:(
Dan
No, not this time. It was her hand. It is all swollen.
Oh, my gosh... I can't believe I did that. I didn't even remember until you said something. Please give my love to everybody and my sincerest apologies. Wow... I never do that. Something must have completely blocked me.
Yadira
wow - well you know you were exactly where you needed to be exactly when you needed to be there. no worries...:) her hand - is that random or did she do something to it?
Dan
It seems random. It has an infection. She didn't cut it or sprain it. I hope you had a wonderful evening.
Yadira
we had a girly evening of talking, talking and more talking. went to bed after 5am
Yeshua was lifted up. it was good
Dan
Great. How many ladies? Sonya, Drea, Neubela, Rachael, Eunice, Kim M., Jo,
Yadira
Drea's 2 friends, Christine patterson, kelly jones, Jo rolle,
not eunice
Dan
Kelly, Christine, Dreas friends? Kiana
Yadira
tamiko and yvonne comordo
Dan
nice...
Yadira
Drea's friends Aya and catherine
gloria bradford
satoya
i think that's it. 13 in all, + me
At that point he went offline. So my question is, how many levels of that is my doing? Him not coming? Him completely forgetting, which caused him not to come? Pastor Annie having an infection in her hand, which caused him to forget, which caused him not to come?? I'm a bit sobered right now, and sad that I let my own flesh get in the way of whatever blessing was meant for the ladies last night. I don't believe anything is coincidence, and although I am a firm believer that things happen the way they should - I don't think they happened the way they should've last night. I think last night was simple sowing and reaping on my part, and my reaping had negative affects on other people. That's real.
Wednesday, March 25
Calling ALL married ladies...let me TRASH YOUR DRESS!
This is a casting call for any woman who would be willing to put on their wedding dress one last time for some amazing photos...
Why suffocate your wedding dress in a box for the rest of its life? You are married now and you have wonderful memories to cherish from your unforgettable day! You know darn well your daughter will not want to wear your dress 20-30 years from now! lol
Why settle for your beautiful gown being stashed away in a closet somewhere when you have the possibility of getting some amazing photos - you sure paid enough for it. Bring your dresses out, steam them or have them pressed and put them on for the photo shoot of a lifetime!
I am not talking about posed, every day, and sometimes rather boring wedding photos. I'm talking about edgy, artsy, wild and crazy editorial type photos. I need to build my TTD portfolio, so I'm offering this to my friends for $35. You read right! This is something I will be charging hundreds of dollars for. You can take advantage now for this incredible low price + you will get a few prints of your favorite photos as my gift to you. Hey - throw a suit on your hubby and get him involved, too! I'm willing to do (6) of these shoots. First come, first served.
Why suffocate your wedding dress in a box for the rest of its life? You are married now and you have wonderful memories to cherish from your unforgettable day! You know darn well your daughter will not want to wear your dress 20-30 years from now! lol
Why settle for your beautiful gown being stashed away in a closet somewhere when you have the possibility of getting some amazing photos - you sure paid enough for it. Bring your dresses out, steam them or have them pressed and put them on for the photo shoot of a lifetime!
I am not talking about posed, every day, and sometimes rather boring wedding photos. I'm talking about edgy, artsy, wild and crazy editorial type photos. I need to build my TTD portfolio, so I'm offering this to my friends for $35. You read right! This is something I will be charging hundreds of dollars for. You can take advantage now for this incredible low price + you will get a few prints of your favorite photos as my gift to you. Hey - throw a suit on your hubby and get him involved, too! I'm willing to do (6) of these shoots. First come, first served.
Monday, March 16
Monday: Weekend Update
Soooo...on Friday Pierre went away to a men's retreat and I was here with the kiddos all weekend. We actually had a great time. Friday night I watched The Family Man after I put Joshua in bed. I really enjoy Nicholas Cage in all his movies. The Family Man is an oldie but a goodie. I liked it. Catch it on Hulu if you haven't seen it.
On Saturday I opened my business bank account - yay! I'm officially official. The fact that I have to have $1000 minimum in the account after the first year bothered me a bit, though. Not because I don't think I'll have $1000, but because with everything the way it is I want to stay as liquid as possible. I realize now, though, that $1000 is not a lot to have tied up when you consider the big picture. I'm sure there are business accounts that require more. Then again, what do I know? I'm just happy to be legal.
After the bank I took the kiddos to the park. Watching Joshua in public places with other children is always amusing to me. He literally went and stood in the middle of the playground to watch all the children. He's the supervisor, always has been. He finally decided to play, and even that is funny. He was running up and down the ramp saying, "Weeeeee!" I didn't bother explaining to him that the ramp is not "the fun part" of the playground. He seemed to think it was. Eventually he made it over to a slide.
That night we went to celebrate my friend's 40th birthday in the city. Joshua danced the night away and Juliette smiled at everyone who came over to say hello. It was a lot of fun. We didn't leave there until midnight, and then I had to drive back to Jersey. You would think Joshua conked out in the car as soon as he got into his seat - but no. He was talking the whole way home, mostly about all the foods he ate. He had a blast.
Speaking of food – let me just go on record as saying that cooked food sucks. I've been eating cooked foods all weekend and I feel like crap...lethargic, foggy, heavy. The dark circles under my eyes are back, I’m craving junk food and I’m tossing in my sleep. That said, I had THE MOST AMAZING toasted almond cake the whole weekend and that, my friends, was worth it all. Back to raw.
Sunday was chill. I overslept and missed church, so I took the kiddos to the local park. Today I spent a good portion of the day updating my website. I got my exercise videos in the mail - watched one with Joshua. I’ll do it tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it!
Oh my goodness…I almost forgot the best part of the whole weekend. On Sunday night, my friend (Barbara Lindorme) called to pray with me. We used to pray together all the time back when I was single. We talked for a little bit, set up a weekly time to pray, and decided to pray a little right then and there since we were already on the phone. Well let me just say that I haven’t cried like that in a long time. We both wept because of the presence of the Lord. It was cleansing, affirming, beautiful. I was so inspired that I was actually going to pray on the daily prayer call this morning instead of just listen…but I fell asleep a few minutes into it. Darn cooked foods. :)
On Saturday I opened my business bank account - yay! I'm officially official. The fact that I have to have $1000 minimum in the account after the first year bothered me a bit, though. Not because I don't think I'll have $1000, but because with everything the way it is I want to stay as liquid as possible. I realize now, though, that $1000 is not a lot to have tied up when you consider the big picture. I'm sure there are business accounts that require more. Then again, what do I know? I'm just happy to be legal.
After the bank I took the kiddos to the park. Watching Joshua in public places with other children is always amusing to me. He literally went and stood in the middle of the playground to watch all the children. He's the supervisor, always has been. He finally decided to play, and even that is funny. He was running up and down the ramp saying, "Weeeeee!" I didn't bother explaining to him that the ramp is not "the fun part" of the playground. He seemed to think it was. Eventually he made it over to a slide.
That night we went to celebrate my friend's 40th birthday in the city. Joshua danced the night away and Juliette smiled at everyone who came over to say hello. It was a lot of fun. We didn't leave there until midnight, and then I had to drive back to Jersey. You would think Joshua conked out in the car as soon as he got into his seat - but no. He was talking the whole way home, mostly about all the foods he ate. He had a blast.
Speaking of food – let me just go on record as saying that cooked food sucks. I've been eating cooked foods all weekend and I feel like crap...lethargic, foggy, heavy. The dark circles under my eyes are back, I’m craving junk food and I’m tossing in my sleep. That said, I had THE MOST AMAZING toasted almond cake the whole weekend and that, my friends, was worth it all. Back to raw.
Sunday was chill. I overslept and missed church, so I took the kiddos to the local park. Today I spent a good portion of the day updating my website. I got my exercise videos in the mail - watched one with Joshua. I’ll do it tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it!
Oh my goodness…I almost forgot the best part of the whole weekend. On Sunday night, my friend (Barbara Lindorme) called to pray with me. We used to pray together all the time back when I was single. We talked for a little bit, set up a weekly time to pray, and decided to pray a little right then and there since we were already on the phone. Well let me just say that I haven’t cried like that in a long time. We both wept because of the presence of the Lord. It was cleansing, affirming, beautiful. I was so inspired that I was actually going to pray on the daily prayer call this morning instead of just listen…but I fell asleep a few minutes into it. Darn cooked foods. :)
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