Jackie Hurd 8/28/14 Jackie Hurd 8/28/14

Birthday Magic

It’s surreal to think that 10 years ago I became a mother for the first time.

Cait as a 10 year old- posing with Rachel

It’s surreal to think that 10 years ago I became a mother for the first time.

10 years ago, I was 20. I was young, I had no idea what I was doing and for the first 6 years of my daughter’s life, I was a single parent. When I look back those early years were really a struggle, I was totally winging it, but she didn’t know it and she loved me anyway. I think that’s how it goes with the firsts for everyone and that’s what makes first borns that much more special. As my Caitie Bug grew, I grew. As she learned, I learned. Now she’s 10 and I almost can’t believe it. Time goes by so fast.

My good friend Rachel, founder and director of the Old Glory Legacy Foundation provided the venue for an awesome party complete with horseback riding and a piñata. Side note: piñatas require LOTS of candy and I didn’t get nearly enough!

This was Caitlyn’s 2nd time requesting and having birthday party out at Rachel’s which I’m totally ok with because the photo-ops are always awesome. Caitlyn always goes with the same theme as well: mustaches and cowgirls (& boys). We grilled hotdogs and s’mores for the kids, not really my kind of food but birthday parties require exceptions. The biggest exception was the birthday cake, I love baking but ran out of time so we went with a Cold Stone Creamery ice-cream cake! It was amazing… I had two slices (another birthday party exception).

Below are some of the magical moments I was able to capture at the birthday party.

I have 3 other kids to throw parties for this year and need some inspiration for awesomeness so I’d love to hear some ideas and birthday stories in the comments below.

And incase you didn't know, I do offer birthday party and event photography services. Visit my events page for details!

Jackie Hurd 8/21/14 Jackie Hurd 8/21/14

Delta Dawgs: a logo re-draw for an Army unit

A logo re-draw for an Army unit.

Since my career started as an Air Force graphic designer, military artwork of any sort is my favorite type of project. I especially love doing unit logo redraws. This one was done for 3-4 ADAR, an Army unit on Fort Bragg. What they originally had was a hand drawn logo (below). The only file they had of it was a low resolution jpg so use of their logo was limited.

To recreate this logo I basically traced over the original the best I could (I use adobe illustrator) to keep it in line with the original hand drawn version. I left out a lot of the additional detail and added some spacing to the text to give it more room to breath.

Jackie Hurd 7/24/14 Jackie Hurd 7/24/14

Logo & Identity for Collette Zimmer Dressage

Read about the inspiration behind my most recent project, a website and logo design for Collette Zimmer Dressage.

Last month my friend Collette and I went for a run. Collette is an equestrian, a Dressage rider to be exact. I am an artist. I quickly realized that Collette who also happens to be training for her first ultra marathon, runs much faster when she talks about horses. So we talked horses, well, she talked horses and I listened. During this running conversation about horses we talked about her plans for the future and those plans of course involved horses. By the end of our run I had her convinced that she needed a website with a blog to showcase her talent and growing career in Dressage.

The inspiration behind the Collette Zimmer Dressage Logo.

A website can be quite an investment of both time and money so I only half expected that I would be building a website for Collette. However, a few days later, Collette was at my kitchen table eager to get started.

Collette was so sure of what she wanted for her website that it only took me a few days to get it built and launched. Realizing the potential that comes with an active blog, she began blogging right away and of course that got her thinking about the next step- an identity for the brand that she now has thanks to the website. She sent me an image of a 17th century painting and asked me to create something similar. At first I didn't notice that there were actually 4 horses interlaced so my first attempt was a flop but not a bad flop and she almost settled. As a designer, I don't like the idea of settling so I had her over for breakfast one morning to have an extended conversation about what she was looking for. During our conversation she pointed out what she had been trying to explain over text messages. Collette's idea came to life as I did a rough sketch over the painting and made adjustments with her input. Soon enough, the lines all fell into place and after a few hours of digital tweaking, the logo for Collette Zimmer Dressage was complete.

The logo works nicely as a stand alone or it can be used in one of the three variations provided. For the font I chose Julius Sans One and thanks to google's font pairing guide I discovered Sacramento. These two fonts look lovely together and are in perfect harmony with this logo. All of this carries over to her website as well as the other business materials that are next on the list of items to create for Collette Zimmer Dressage.

I'm very excited for my friend, she has a lot of knowledge and experience with horses. This is her life, it's her career. Now she has a place to put all of her information, share her stories and attract potential clients who I hope will be wowed not only by her knowledge, but also by the presentation of her brand.

To learn more about Collette Zimmer Dressage visit www.czdressage.com and be sure to like her Facebook too.

Jackie Hurd 6/19/14 Jackie Hurd 6/19/14

Black swans and luck

In the last year or two, I've found myself on a pretty good path career wise. I feel like I'm on my way to success. Was it all of my hard work or was it luck? Maybe both. In connecting the dots of past events I realize my life has been made up of a series of black swan events. Both good and bad, but it's those black swan events that got me to the here and now… the present where I find myself accomplishing the things I thought were impossible.

So what are black swan events? According to Nassim Nicholas Taleb "A black swan is an event, positive or negative, that is deemed improbable yet causes massive consequences"

As said by Basecamp's Jason Fried "When you look back on events, it’s pretty incredible how things come together. Nothing happens independently. Everything is tied to something before it. Sometimes the links are more obvious than others, but it’s healthy to take a few moments to reflect on how many things – and people – had to come together in order for another thing to happen."

Believe it or not, these black swan events aren't just sheer luck, they aren't as random as we'd like to believe. Its just a matter of opening yourself up to them. And obviously, its the positive black swans -- the ones that attract unlikely bouts of extreme good fortune that we'd like to attract, not the contrary. To win the lotto one has to make a conscious effort to drive to the store, hand over the cash and obtain the tickets. Winning is definitely luck, but it would have NEVER happened if this person wouldn't have set themselves up for it. With that said, below are a few of the things that I believe will open the doors for the unexpected bouts of good fortune we'd all love to encounter.

Follow your own style:

Stop worrying about what everyone else likes. I mean, yes take some of it into consideration, but for the most part be original.

Invest in what you love:

Slowly and consistently invest your time in what you enjoy doing. The important thing is a build up. Grow your hobby, build connections and surround yourself with like minded people. Have fun and take a few chances. Have an adventure. Along the way you will open yourself up to opportunities, perhaps one of these opportunities will be the chance to jump into the deep end and make a living out of your hobby.

Be good to others:

Ever hear the saying "what goes around comes around"? How you interact with others can be the ultimate black swan generator, wether it be positive or negative. People love to name throw. Eventually someone is going to say a (hopefully good) thing or two about you to the right person at the right time and what is said may just lead to your big break. So be kind.

Understand that you can't force success. Sometimes it is luck, but that luck has to be influenced. Think of the random (positive) black swans that got you to where you are today. How did you influence them?

Jackie Hurd 12/26/13 Jackie Hurd 12/26/13

The importance of family portraits

As a mother, I am rarely in photos which is why this one that I am sharing here in my blog is so special to me. It is the only photo I have of me with my family together.

As a mother and a photographer, it's so hard to actually get on the other side of the camera. This year's holiday card portrait was a bit of a challenge for us thanks to busy schedules. We had planned on getting our friend, former Golden Knight free fall photographer, Rachel Medley, to do our family holiday card photo but timing didn't quite work out. So with my handy tripod, I was able to capture our holiday card portrait… unfortunately our dog Logan was distracted by the other dogs frolicking in the adjacent field and wasn't looking at the camera. Regardless, my very own family portrait session was a success and prints have been ordered.

The holidays are a great time to do family portraits and I was swamped doing them this year! It was a pleasure to work with such great families and I look forward to next year's holiday rush. As busy as life is, it's so important to pause and document your family as it grows and changes. Time is gone before you knew you had it and there really is so much value to having those photos to have, hold and cherish. It's nice to have that permanent reminder of your family as they were at certain milestones and furthermore, to have everyone on the documenting side of the camera! As a mother, I am rarely in photos which is why this one that I am sharing here in my blog is so special to me. It is the only photo I have of me with my family together. Wether you are a do it yourself kind of person or prefer to leave it to the professionals, I urge all families to get these sessions in at least every 2 - 3 years in order to capture and preserve your family's story for years to come.

Jackie Hurd 12/16/13 Jackie Hurd 12/16/13

I quit my day job

I've been working away at a job where I was unhappy. Something important to note is that at my Army job, I spent most of my days reviewing soldier suicide investigations for release to their next of kin. Doing this everyday was a real strain on a creative sole like myself. As a creative, I visualize everything... words come to life. I kept thinking that with each pay raise perhaps happiness would follow.

In my last blog post I wrote about more to follow on some changes, so here is my more to follow…

I started my career in the arts about a decade ago when the U.S. Airforce told me I was to serve as a graphic designer and later a photographer. Somewhere along the way I took myself off of that career path for a higher paying one with the U.S. Army. So for the past 4 years I've been working away at a job where I was unhappy. Something important to note is that at my Army job, I spent most of my days reviewing soldier suicide investigations for release to their next of kin. Doing this everyday was a real strain on a creative soul like myself. As a creative, I visualize everything... words come to life. I kept thinking that with each pay raise perhaps happiness would follow.

Almost 2 years ago my second child was born and while I was on maternity leave I picked my camera back up and realized what was missing. In time, I took on a few long term freelance opportunities, started scheduling photography sessions and fine tuning the skills that I had been neglecting. My time spent creating brought me the happiness and job satisfaction that I deeply desired. During the day I had my Army job, at night I had design and photography commitments to fulfil. I thought it would slow down or fizzle but it didn't, it picked up. It got to the point where everyday that I went to "work" I was watching the clock, waiting to go home only to go right back to work. Work was all I did.

After much thinking and discussing with my husband, we realized what had to be done… it was time. So here I am today, Monday December 16th, my first official week of full time self employment! This is both exciting and scary. Instead of sifting through hundreds of pages of documents, I am sitting at my desk, at home, taking a break from creating to accomplish something that I have rarely had the time for before now… updating my blog... connecting with those who desire to know more about me and what I have to offer. I am finally back on the right track and feeling very satisfied.

If you have some words of wisdom to offer or a similar experience to share, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Jackie Hurd 11/26/13 Jackie Hurd 11/26/13

Autumn thoughts

Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year. To me Autumn means long runs through brightly colored trails, cool weather, pumpkins, and the crisp smell of the crunchy leaves beneath my feet. I wish it would last longer :)

In addition to all of the wonderful things fall brings, there is of course Thanksgiving. A time to reflect and think about all of the things I have to be thankful for. And I truly have a lot to be thankful for. In particular I am thankful for all of those who have supported my small business, especially those who have afforded me the opportunity to capture their special moments. I am forever thankful for my husband, my family and my friends for all that they put up with as I work to accomplish all that is required of me as a photographer and a designer.

As I look forward to the new year, I have a lot of big ideas and very important goals. More to follow on that line, just know that I will be working very hard and will be a lot more active in my sharing via this here blog and social media so stay tuned.

With that said, Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Thank you for stopping by.

Jackie Hurd 7/1/13 Jackie Hurd 7/1/13

An unexpected venue

As the Evening of Wine and Cheese grew closer, the founder and director of Old Glory Legacy Foundation, Rachel Medley, was hard at work finalizing the details of the event. Rachel envisioned an evening outdoors with white lights, lots of candles, tables made of pallets, hay-bale seating and her barn as a back drop. However, the weather trend for the week was rain, rain, and more rain so with that Rachel decided the event would be indoors. Working from dawn to dusk, Rachel and a few friends (Lisa, Sherri Jo, Wendy, Buddy, and Kayla) gutted the barn, scrubbed it clean, hung lighting, laid clean wood shavings, stacked hay, and burned their fingers with hot glue guns making the embellishments. As you can see from the photos, this decision was worth gold. It didn’t rain, and people had the option to mingle outdoors or indoors.

Outside, there was an antique tractor on display, serving as the perfect country backdrop. The horses ran around in the field as some guests played a few games of corn hole while others sat quietly basking in the ambiance of the evening.

Inside, the party was lively. There was something very magical about sitting on a hay bale drinking French wine from a mason jar with the live Bluegrass band, “Cousin Amy”, playing quietly in the background.

Midway through the event, the attention was directed to special guest Howie Sanborn. Howie, a U.S. Army Ranger and Golden Knight, was paralyzed a little over a year ago. He was on his road bike, training for a triathlon when he was hit by an unattentive driver. Weeks after being told he would never walk again, Howie was already training for his first wheelchair-bound race. Six months to the day after his injury, Howie completed his first para-triathlon and has was recently chosen to represent the United States in the Paralympic Games. Howie spoke of this in a great story of perseverance and explained to the guests how the Old Glory Legacy Foundation would be able to help soldiers like him by providing an outlet where they could come and enjoy some time “away from it all”.

Bert from the Triangle Wine Company volunteered his services for the evening and was such a gentleman as he served a variety of delicious French Wines. Cheese purchased from the Southern Whey of downtown Southern Pines paired perfectly with the wines.

Beth Carmickle, a Fayetteville-based event planner, helped add the perfect finishing touches with her attention to detail and fine catering.

The delightful cupcakes were provided by Jennifer Rodriguez, of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Also a big hit at this event were hand crafted horse hair pottery pieces by local potter, David Moulton. These pieces were auctioned off in a silent auction and winners were announced at the end of the night.

Overall, this event was a perfect one hosted in an unexpected, but magical venue with delightful guests, good wine, delicious food, and great music!

To schedule use of the OGL Foundation Farm for your party or event, call or email Rachel (Founder and Executive Director) at 210-253-0730 or rachel@oglfoundation.org

For top notch party planning, email Beth Carmickle at bethcarmickle@yahoo.com

Fantastic cupcakes, call Jennifer Rodriguez 910-476-6159

And of course, for the photography, contact me Jacqueline Hurd at jacqueline.hurd@me.com.

To view the rest of the photos from this event visit: http://jmhurd.shootproof.com/OGLFwine

Jackie Hurd 7/1/13 Jackie Hurd 7/1/13

Big smiles

These three cuties sure knew how to work the camera, especially the youngest, baby Sophia! I took these photos on the practice football field of Jordan Matthew's High School in Siler City where I was once a student, many years ago. It was nice to revisit the location. I don't think anything has changed

Jackie Hurd 7/1/13 Jackie Hurd 7/1/13

Baby Ema

It is always such an honor to create the first portraits for proud mommies and daddies of brand new little ones. Here we have sweet little Ema who was only 5 days old in these portraits! I loved watching her interact with her mommy, such a sweet baby!