Texas Border Business
By Ric Cavazos / Mercedes EDC
Jackie Valdez’s office is mobile and can be found anywhere from South Padre Island to Mission and upstate to San Marcos.
These communities and many others in Texas have been locations for the outdoor photographing work of the Mercedes-based Valdez. A look at her stunning portfolio of work features marching bands and high school football players, cows and cowboys at the Livestock Show, and newly engaged couples in love. The visual backdrops are often the natural light and open skies of the Rio Grande Valley and the endless variations of clouds on the move behind those photographed.
‘My goal is to reach people outdoors,” Valdez said.
Angles and skies, Valdez says, are among the key elements of her photography. So are the people in her photos, be it a young girl in her quinceanera best or quarterbacks in live game action reaching back to throw a deep pass. The X-ray technician-turned-photographer has shifted a hobby into a full-time job. Valdez’s focus is on improving her already impressive work and becoming a brand in her own right.
“My goal is to be a travel photographer,’’ Valdez said. “I want people to call me from different parts of the country to do work for them.’’
Getting Started
Before getting a wider recognition, Valdez had to start local even if it meant overcoming suspicions connected to a long-standing football rivalry.
She recalled some of her initial photo work was coming from Edcouch-Elsa. Clients from the Delta Area admired Valdez’s work in looking at her portfolio, but her being from Mercedes raised some questions.
“When it comes to what I love to do, it doesn’t matter that I’m from Mercedes,’’ she recalled with a chuckle, adding the concerns raised from E-E clients were good natured.
The scope of her work shows a have-camera-will travel viewpoint. In one of her photos, a teenage boy sits on a park bench at Market Square in Brownsville, appearing to look off into his future. Another photo features a smiling girl standing on a nature park walkway in twilight, holding a sign that says, “Gone to UTRGV.’’ A football player from Mission is featured in another photo holding his football helmet as the sun sets behind the stadium’s bleachers.
Her hometown is featured in many of her photos, especially when it comes to the city’s signature event, the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show. One photo shows a teenage girl wearing a cowboy hat kissing her cow at night as a Ferris wheel turns behind her.
Looking a Valdez’s gallery of photos, it can be hard to believe that in her words she had “no training, no classes.’’ She obviously did possess a great eye and natural talent to frame and visualize images in utilizing natural light and sky to further boost the quality of her photos.
Valdez’s work has not gone unnoticed. In recent years, the Mercedes Chamber of Commerce recognized Valdez for her contribution to the arts.
Doing More
Valdez cities her faith and expressed a gratitude to God for the talents she been able to develop with her photography.
A mentor and professional photographer in Dallas, Rick Davila, has also been a key element in her progression as a photographer in her own right. Valdez relishes the time flexibility being a full-time photographer gives her. She can set her own schedule in making sure to attend important events relating to her children’s’ school activities. Valdez’s ambitions in photographer are big and she appreciates pursuing those dreams from her hometown.
“I’m going to keep getting my name out there,’’ she said. “I want to do more.’’
