So what the heck is a wedding and family portrait photographer doing shooting the Chicago Polar Bear Swim of 2010? The only answer I can think of is that I am both a lover of photography and a little bit crazy.

This polar swim is becoming a yearly ritual for me. It all started last year when I went down to North Ave Beach on March of 2009. I was not sure why I was there. It was cold. I was without friends. I had no coffee. All I had was my camera and a crazy idea that I would get some cool photos of a few brave and shivering people. I ended up having a blast and vowed to return this year.

This time I was warm and ready with some coffee and a few of my photog friends. I was also there cheering on my best friend David Fowlie. What a brave and cold soul. I had a blast and cannot wait to do it again in March. You can get more info about the Chicago Polar Plunge here. You can check out some of Gary Middendorf’s (my brother-in-law) photos here.

Here are a handful of my favorite shots from the 2010 Polar Swim. Please remember, it was 19 degrees outside:

Set-Up

North Avenue Beach
1000 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 742-5121

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

By The Way: It would have been nice to have had my 400mm lens today. I then could have captured more facial expressions. Lesson learned: bring my lenses!!!

I am a NASA and space geek. I love the moon landing photos from Armstrong and Aldrin (pure medium format joy!). I loved “Apollo 13″ and make sure to watch any PBS special that’s focused on space. Think about all of the amazing technology it took to send people to the moon? It is just amazing stuff to me.

I actually visited the NASA station in Florida a handful of years back and LOVED it. I wish I would have seen an actual take-off. That’s cool, I still had a great time as did my wife.

If ever I get to visit Houston I would love to go out shooting with some of these photographers, though the shooting would have to be in some place with plenty of air conditioning:
Allison of Phreklnose Photography – an ultra cool children photographer in The Woodlands
Joanna Garcia – Houston wedding photographer living the dream
Eric Yeh – work hard, play harder. Shooting happy people and living their dreams
Kim Ashford – mom, wife, Baton Rouge wedding photographer
Morris Griffin – starting out but eager to learn
Clark Lara – Clark and wife Rica are rockin’ image makers!
Aaron Hogan – lighting and emotion freak

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

By The Way: I don’t think that the moon landing photos were fake. I also wonder what camera system they would take into space if ever there was another moon landing.

There is so much of this country that I have not experienced yet. One of the places that my wife and I really want to visit is Washington DC. My older brother visited this city a few years back and really had an incredible time there. He came back talking on and on about all of the cool things there are to see there. This got me all excited and have ever since wanted to check it out. Shooting a wedding in Washington DC must be so amazing with all of its rich history and importance. Maybe I will get my chance sooner than I think :)

Here are a handful of DC photographers that I would love to chill with and go shooting with. Check them out:

Jan Michele Photography – A very talented wedding and family photographer from Washington DC.
Meaghan Elliot Photography – A chocolate connoisseur and creator of some really sweet images!
Rodney Mickle – A cool and talented art and fashion wedding shooter.

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

By The Way: I REALLY want to see the Lincoln Memorial. Hey, I am from Illinois! I have to represent.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!

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