The Big "Manzana" & U2 Have Have Their Own "Way"

New York is the one city that I am just bursting to visit. My wife and I have been wanting to go for a few years now... I think that it is time that we check out New York. I am a very big U2 fan, which adds another reason to visit NY. I mean what other city has a street named after my favorite band? Any city that is that cool has to be visited and loved. Plus, my daughter would probably really love Central Park and I would probably really love the Guggenheim Museum. I would for sure LOVE to shoot a wedding in New York... maybe soon :)

I would also love to meet and hang out with some of NY's most amazing photographers. Check out some of their work:

Jason Groupp – NYC’s most awesome wedding photographer. This dude rocks. John Michael Cooper – Amazing wedding photography. Amazing off camera flash work. Check him out. Seshu – Connecticut documentary wedding photography Shannon Kelley – Knoxville, TN wedding photographer Tim Dinofa – modern south NJ wedding photographer with very neat handwriting Steven Young – amongst the most awesome NYC peeps Willi Wong – NYC modern and lifestyle type of guy Jacobus Photography – Jared + Rachel Jacobus! Jason Miller – Washington DC guy but missed the DC workshop I guess Jim Altieri – CT! Tina Jay Photography – Philly! Kim Percival – just Kim (leading a double life) Darren Squashic – fresh and fun Ahmetze – NY and NJ awesomeness

Rock On! info@ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

By The Way: My favorite U2 song is probably "One." But a VERY close runner up is "A Sort Of Homecoming." Brilliant stuff.

The OC is Oh-So Sexy

I am from the Midwest. Chicago to be exact. So whenever I hear of the "OC" I either think of the WB tv show or of the Old Orchard Mall in Skokie. I know, I know... I need to get out more. I will not argue anyone on that point. I would love to travel to the beautiful and warm OC, especially in the winter. Perhaps I can visit and hang with a few of these amazingly talented photographers when I go there in the future:

Joel Llacar – Representing Westlake Village, California. A very talented wedding and portrait photographer. Jay Hsiang (studio) – Destination wedding photographer based in Los Angeles Amanda Rae – an awesome Ventura County wedding photographer Chris Schmitt Photography – another cool LA wedding photographer Henry Wang Photography – Los Angeles wedding and portrait photographer Kien Trinh Photography – Orange County wedding photographer Miguel Pola Photographers – Orange County wedding photographer Scott Land Photography – a selfless Southern California wedding photographer Caren Lazarus – Wedding and bridal hair accessories! Peter Garr – Southern California wedding photographer & LA Smug Leader Michelle Johnson – Los Angeles engagement photographer Chelsea Elizabeth Photography – Sassy Santa Barbara portrait photographer Shaun Austin – Kiss Wedding Books (World’s Simplest Album Company) Jeff Jochum – cool marketing guy from Smug Mug Robert Evans – Celebrity wedding photographer Candice Cunningham – awesome inventor of Camera Slingers Doug Boutwell – The most rad photoshop actions for wedding photographers Jenny Liu – sassy girl with a camera Jeff Neal Photography – guy who taught me how to use the tilt-shift lens Furious Photographers (blog) – Doug the edgy fashion wedding photographer

Rock On! info@ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

TV's Are Bigger in Dallas

Are things really bigger in Texas? Well, this Dallas Cowboy TV is definitely bigger than anything else I have EVER seen. This tv is so big that U2 had to recently move the tv before they set up their stage, which is gigantic as well. I would love to see this screen in person. I would also love to meet these amazing photographers in person:

Meegan Weaver – A very talented wedding and family portrait shooter! Her images pop with color and personality! Scott Pickering –A very driven shooter that has an eye for different styles. Table 4 Weddings – Amazing photographers. Check out their work! Catie Ronquillo – Catie rocks and simply keeps it real. She is also a fellow Dane Sanders Fast Track Photographer workshop attendee.

Rock On! info@ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

Hi-Key, Hi-Drama - Chicago Child Portraits

I love photographing little ones, especially MY little one. Below you will see a few photographs I took last week of my Jocelyn. What you will not see is the drama that unfolded during the making of these photographs. I was photographing a clients daughter for her 1st birthday when Jocelyn came in and asked to be photographed next. Of course I couldn't deny such a request. But once it was her turn to be photographed she decided that she wanted nothing to do with this shoot. So I was only able to take about 7 photos. I was hoping for a few smiles, especially since she looked so darn cute in this dress. But she just wanted mommy. But it is all good and I ended up really liking these photos. [gallery size="large" columns="1"]

Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Alien Bee strobes - 2 on the background and 1 on my model. Note: the background was about 10 feet away from my model. Any closer and the light reflecting from the white seamless would enter the lens and create some contrast issues.

Pocket Wizards (2)

White Seamless background

Adobe Lightroom 2 for editing

That's about it for now. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about these images or how I created them.

Rock On! info@ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

Some places are like your auntie, but there's no place like - Miami!

I am a huge U2 fan. One of my favorite songs of theirs is "Miami" from the album "POP." The main reason I like it is for its amazingly awesome drum beats. It is a weird and unusual song coming form a band like U2, but I appreciate that they recorded it. That song also made me want to visit that city as do these amazingly talented photographers:

Roy Llera Photographers – Super fun and amazingly talented wedding photographers. Check them out! Todd Good – Is a talented family and wedding shooter. A dude after my own heart :) Lydia Shannon – Has a very fun blog and is super versatile, shooting families, weddings, seniors, etc. Check her out. Doreen Kline – Another Floridian talent shooting both weddings and families.

Interview with Collages.net

I was recently interviewed and highlighted on Collages.net's blog. Here is the link to read the interview: Collages.net Blog. I am honored to be a part of Collages blog, as they have offered me the best customer service and provide the best photographic products in the industry. All of my clients have absolutely loved their wedding albums and love the on-line photo ordering system that I host my wedding images on. I want to provide my clients with the best quality product available and Collages.net allows me to do that. So check it out and read on to learn a bit more about me and feel free to leave some comment love. Thanks Collages.net!

Rock On! info@ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

Tofurious Seattle SEO Workshop

I really enjoy a good cup of coffee. It is a total comfort beverage that just makes for a good morning. But my tastes in coffee have changed throughout the years. I started drinking the instant stuff my dad used to drink and I thought "this coffee stuff is pretty nasty." Then college came around and I started drinking Dunkn Donuts' coffee. I really enjoyed this brands coffee and pretty much stuck to it for years. Then I decided to drink Starbucks coffee just to give it a try. I remember my first cup of coffee from Starbucks and thought "this stuff is nasty" and then proceeded to run to Dunkin' Donuts. But then after a while I actually started to enjoy the stronger tasting coffee and now enjoy it just about everyday. So I would be tickled pink to visit Seattle one day and check out the original store.

But Starbucks is not the only reason I would like to visit Seattle. There are some really fantastic photographers that reside in Seattle and I think it would be amazing to meet and shoot with them. Chris Waters – A very cool website! Check out his Polaroid section. Awesome stuff. Eternal Reflections Photography – Beautiful and very romantic images. I love the images of the bride with the mountains in the background. Jenny GG Photography – Super creative and amazingly versatile! I love the "i see the family" images. Rockie Lee – Wow, Rockies images are amazing. And he shoots with a medium-format camera. That is too cool. Candice Cunningham – Amazing wedding shooter and creator of the camera sling! Josh Thompson – Solid wedding photographer rockin' it out in Seattle!

Thanks guys & see you later! - Contact Me | Wedding Portfolio | Little Ones Portfolio | Older Ones Portfolio

San Francisco Tofurious SEO Workshop

I have always wanted to visit the west coast, especially San Francisco. You see I grew up watching "Full House," a family show that took place in SF. Please do not hate on me, as I am sure plenty of you were/are fans just like me. Hey, Uncle Jesse totally rocked and I had a minor crush on D.J... okay, a major crush. My sincerest apologies for the cheesy photo.

But I digress. I recently had the privilege to attend the Tofurious SEO workshop here in Chicago. I had a really great time and learned a ton of stuff. I was also able to meet new photographers, which is always a blast. Tofurious is taking the SEO workshop all around the States and he recently visited San Francisco. These photographers are now a part of the Tofurious SEO club and are VERY talented people. I have been checking out their work and I must say, they really do ROCK! I hope that I will be able to meet you guys someday soon!

Check out their work and give them some comment love! The Memory Journalists – wedding photography led by Jennifer Dunham Starr based in Folsom, CA Tiffany Fosnight – Adeline and Grace are wedding and boudoir rockstars in Napa Valley Marin Kristine – Bay Area boudoir and wedding photographer. We are Twitter buddies. { WLQ } Photography – San Francisco based engagement and wedding photographer Rebecca Wilkowski Photography – SF and Bay Area Green photojournalist Jessie Cho Photography – SF and Bay Area wedding photojournalist Dave Shilling Photography – From Sacramento who shoots rad pictures Lori Paladino Photography – SF and Bay Area wedding and lifestyle photographer Jerry Yoon Photography – San Francisco wedding photographer woot Kirstie Tweed – wedding and portrait photographer based in Banff, Canada

Thanks guys & see you later! - Contact Me | Wedding Portfolio | Little Ones Portfolio | Older Ones Portfolio

Chicago Tofurious SEO Workshop

I read Jasmine Star's blog daily. I like her style and her photos are as unique and as fun as she is. So one day I see that she is endorsing an SEO workshop offered by a company called Tofurious. Trusting J*'s brand I naturally checked out what this SEO workshop was all about. I visited Tofurious' site and I am surprised to see the "A List" of photographers, such as Dane Sanders and [b]ecker, endorsing this workshop. My friend Ray Pryor of Emotia was already signed up to go, so it seemed that all signs were pointing me to this workshop. So I signed up and was in in for the SEO workshop ride. The day of the workshop arrives and I am pretty excited. I walk into the workshop room and see Lawrence Chan of Tofurious fame. We chat for a second before I meet Jules Wiegand (who ends up sitting next to me) and Kara Schultz. Ray sits down at the same table and we all chat for a sec. Then the studly Kenny Kim walks in fresh from his Italy workshop and sits next to me and then offers to pick up some Starbucks for anyone interested. Bob Davis ended up sitting at our table as well and brought along an amazing assortment of cookies. Thanks Bob!

The workshop starts and the info pours in. I quickly realize how little I know about SEO and about blogging. Lawrence did his presentation and we all mingled in between the short breaks.

I was able to meet some really amazing people at the workshop, all very talented photographers and smart business people. It was a pleasure meeting Doug Sturgeon , who came all the way from Toronto. Molly Michel from Madison, Kara Shultz, Jay Crihfield, and Dan Georgia, my friend from the Dane Sanders Fast Track Roadshow Workshop. I hope to see everyone again soon. These people are the salt of the Wedding Photography industry.

We all went to get some pizza after the workshop. Here are a few pics from that fine dining experience at Giordanos.

[gallery size="large" columns="1" orderby="title"]

Here are all of the photographers that attended the Chicago SEO workshop. Check out their sites and leave some comment love! Kenny Kim – Life style wedding photographer and all around stud Bob and Dawn Davis – Celebrity wedding photographer Kara Schultz – Chi-town wedding and boudoir photographer Ray Pryor – Emotia photography - fusion wizard Jules Wiegand – Quirky Louisville (Louville) photographer Jay Crihfield – Chicago wedding photographer who rocks Navy Pier Kenny Nakai – Once a teacher, now a rockin’ historian and fellow Nikon shooter Eclipse Photography – Toronto Awesomeness and world traveler Molly Michel – A girl who titles her blog posts, “Wow” because it is expressive of her fun personality Dan Georgia – A photographer who captures the one’s uniqueness and fellow FTP'er Otto Rascon Photography – part graphic designer / part photographer – it will be the perfect marriage of art and photography - thanks for that discription Lawrence!

Thanks guys & see you later! - Contact Me | Wedding Portfolio | Little Ones Portfolio | Older Ones Portfolio

Chicago Event Photography // Zombieland Movie Screening

I had a blast last night at the Chicago screening of Zombieland. I had seen a few previews of the movie and I was really pumped to go see it. So it was ON when my best friend David J. Fowlie (he writes for FanBoy Planet) told me he had scored a few screening passes from one of his favorite comic shops. YES!!! The overall atmosphere at the screening was amazing. It felt like a Halloween party, a pre-mature Halloween party, but a party nonetheless. My hats go off to all of the amazingly cool people that were out there with make-up and all - thanks for posing for me. You guys ROCKED and made the evening a memorable one! The movie was really good and Woody Harrelson was perfect as the lead character. You can read David's take on the evening on his blog.

Here are a few of my favorite photos of the night: [gallery columns="1" size="large" orderby="title"]

AMC Theatres River East 21 322 E Illinois St. Chicago, IL 60611 (888) 262-4386

Thanks guys & see you later! - Contact Me | Wedding Portfolio | Little Ones Portfolio | Older Ones Portfolio

Get On Your (Froggy) Boots!

There is nothing cuter than kids clothing. I mean, c'mon, they are colorful, cheerful, vibrant, exuberant and sometimes plain ole' silly. Here, with my daughters new rain boots, we see the silly side of kids clothes and I love it. Don't these cute boots just make you want to smile? What would happen if we wore boots like this to work? Maybe us adults should wear items like green froggy boots... Imagine the smiles (and weird looks) we would get... imagine the lightheartedness we would feel throughout the day... imagine the cool points you would score with any child you would come across... But I digress, so back to the boots. My daughter has been asking for rain boots for about 2 weeks now. I am not exactly sure why she thinks they are important. What made her think she needs these boots? I might never get an answer to this question. All I know is that she looks pretty darn cute in her boots and dress. [gallery size="large" columns="1" orderby="title"] Thanks guys & see you later! - Contact Me | Wedding Portfolio | Little Ones Portfolio | Older Ones Portfolio

Portfolio | Contact Me

My Sweet Victory Dance

We, too many times, make commitments and do not keep them. We are basically lying to ourselves. Keeping our promises should have us dancing!

My New ShowIt Website!

I am so pumped to announce the launching of my new website: ottorascon.com. I am also super excited to be using the services of Showit Sites to design and create my site. This service allows me to design and export a Flash based site, which gives my clients and audience a more rich and vibrant experience . I am looking to add a few pages and I have picked out some music to accompany the galleries. So check out next week for a new experience. Thanks!