Jackie Chaiken, Dallas, Texas

Jackie Chaiken is a Dallas-based fine art photographer.  

“I remember taking my first photograph and then developing it like it happened yesterday. I remember the smell of the chemicals, and that feeling that comes over you when you create something you are proud of,” says Jackie. “A family friend noticed my interest in photography and he took me under his wing. He taught me how to bring to life a blank sheet of white paper.  I am forever thankful for his encouragement because without it, I know that photography would have been a passing fancy, rather than a lifelong passion.”

“I graduated from The University of Texas in 1986 and moved to Washington D.C. where I worked as a Studio Manager for a commercial photographer. I loved the people, the process, and the life. But, I changed the course of my career, this time because making a living in photography was financially challenging.  I put down my camera for the next 18 years.”

“Fast forwarding through the next 18 years; I moved to Dallas, married my husband Ken, started an advertising agency, Creative Alliance, and then had three incredible children, Erin (17), Matthew (15), and Kevin (12). In 1999 I decided to be a stay-at-home Mom and closed Creative Alliance. Then, one day in 2001, while mindlessly watching TV, I flipped to a documentary about Margret Bourke-White. As I watched it I began to cry. I knew it was time to pick my camera back up. I missed the process of photography. I especially missed the wandering around and letting my camera take me places that I would otherwise be to shy to go, or where going there meant a facing some other kind of trouble that I would have trouble admitting I got into on purpose.”

“In 2004 we moved into a house and inherited a garden in desperate need of love and care. It proved just the right time for me to spend time outside in nature, caring for the ailing flowers, and myself in the process. I had just had surgery and was in need of time for some rest, relaxation and reflection. I will never forget that first spring. From the barren ground came the most beautiful roses - in my own yard. That day, I started recording flowers, their first buds, their many stages of growth, and eventually their death. As the months went by, and my friends became more and more worried about what I was doing for all those hours in the studio, a group of pictures came together and I knew that this passion was not just a crazy, passing phase for me. I am currently pursuing my Master of Fine Arts degree at The University of Texas, Dallas.”