Christmas Day is tomorrow, and in a flash it will all be over. The older I get the more I see Christmas as a time to spend with my family and friends. It’s really fun and cool seeing my daughter open up gifts and dress up in her “fancy dress” as she calls it. It’s also fun to see her in a Santa Hat… I couldn’t resist the urge to take a bunch of photos of her in that hat.

But this time of year can’t just be about shopping and buying stuff for the people in my life. I hope to raise my daughter in such a way that she knows that this time of year is about giving to others and about spending time with the people that she loves.

I can’t believe that 2010 is just about done! Have a great Christmas everyone!

Set-Up

By The Way: Christmas is also a time to make cool photos like this outdoors. Don’t be afraid to step outside in the cold and make some photos.

I am really excited to share my Collages.net Brilliant Album with you all. The look and feel of this wedding album is stunning – it is both solid and elegant. You might be tempted to think that I am “supposed” to say all of this stuff because it is the album that I offer my clients. But that just isn’t the case.

I loved this album the first time I held it in my hands. I imagined my clients photos on the pages and got really excited. Heck, I thought how awesome my wedding photos would look on these pages. This album rocks, from the high gloss/full bleed cover, to the awesome printing job, to the flush-mount pages. I am so glad to provide my clients such a quality product as this.

Here are a few photos (these pictures don’t do this album justice):

By The Way: Brides – Getting a wedding album should totally be on your wedding to-do-list. I wish that my wife and I could have ordered a wedding album like this one. Were these type of albums available 8 years ago? Instead I have a few framed prints and a shoe box full of negatives. All of your weddings memories should be in one place and an album is the perfect solution.

It’s been a little over a year now that I attended the Dane Sanders Fasttrack Roadshow – now the Fasttrack Workshops. I decided not to blog about my experience right away because I felt – and feel – that an experience like I had would take time to show its fruits.

I mean I could have written something like “Wow, I had such a great time at the Fasttrack Workshop! Dane is a really cool guy. I am so glad I went to the Workshop. You should go too.” I felt that saying something like that would have been without heart and a bit empty. The Roadshow meant a whole lot to me and I wanted to share just a bit of what has happened in the last year.

This Is My Life/My Business

The biggest reason that I’m a big fan of Dane’s Workshop is that it centers around “you” – well, in this case “me.” So many other workshops or seminars are centered around f/stops and posing. The technical stuff is essential, but at this point in my photography career I needed more: more substance, more insight, more business savvy, etc. And this Workshop delivered on that, and then some. Seriously, it was a game changer for me in terms of how I viewed myself and my business. It helped me to mature and to view myself, business, and peers differently and with more respect.

These People Are Awesome!

I love the Fasttrack community. I met some really amazing people at the Workshop, and have since met a ton of them via the Fasttrack Forums and WPPI. It was cool meeting other photographers that were like me – wanting more and wanting change.

What stood out to me about this community was how open and willing everyone was to share about their life/business/art, etc. And I firmly believe that Dane Sanders attracts such people because he is such a person. His honesty and openness were refreshing, and his love for people was unexpected.

On The Fasttrack – or at least the Righttrack

So have I “arrived” at a better place in my photography career because of the Workshop? Well, life is a journey and the Workshop was an amazing stop for me. My goal in life is never not “arrive”, but to constantly grow, change, and get better.

So with that goal in mind I have to say that the Workshop did help with my photography business. The Workshop is worth every last penny, and then some. If you are on the fence about going, then just get off of the fence and go. I know that I could have written so much more about my experience, but no one would want to read that much. Feel free to contact me and I will gladly share my experience with you or even answer any questions.

Dane, thank you for sharing so much with the photography community. I appreciate what you are about. You really give of yourself unlike anyone I have ever met in this industry. I hope to see you again at either Skips Summer School or at WPPI 2011.

Thank you.

By The Way: Continued education and networking are such vital parts of our photography business. I encourage you to check out workshops like this one, but do your homework first and make sure that it is what you need. There are so many workshops out there, but not all are what you need right now.

My friend Todd invited me to the Matt Pond PA show a few weeks back. The band was playing at Lincoln Hall, which is a really cool and intimate venue – a perfect place to see a band like Matt Pond PA. I had never heard of the band, but was won over by a few of the tracks on their site. I love going to live shows, so I was pretty pumped and ready to see, feel, and hear some new music.

It was amazing being so close to the band. I love seeing how the band members interact with each other at live shows, as well as how they communicate and play together. It was a great night all around: I enjoyed some food/drink with some of my favorite people and the bands were amazing. Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the night.

By The Way: I challenged myself to only one lens for this show. I took my nifty-fifty and shot mostly at f/2.0. It was cool seeing how differently I shot the band compared to if I had brought my wide or zoom lens.

It’s so cool seeing nature bloom. Gone is the snow and crazy cold Chicago winter – can you say AMEN to that! The colors are amazingly vibrant. The flowers are beautiful. The sun is lasting longer and longer, giving us more of that golden colored sunsets. The sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes due to allergies are a pain. But I don’t even care about my allergy misery. I am just excited about having a camera in my hand and capturing these spring time moments.

I am also super pumped about all of the weddings and family portraits that I will be a part of this 2010 season. I am excited for my brides and grooms, and I really appreciate the amazing commitment that they are making. I am humbled and honored that they have chose me to photograph their wedding. What an awesome task.

I have some really cool families that I will be taking their portraits. I love it when families make the time and get together for pictures. That is something that my family never did, though I wish we would have.

I am looking forward to the moments and memories that I will capture. I am enjoying the dreaming and planning that it takes before I photograph a wedding. Good times indeed.

Here are just a few nature pics I have taken at Humboldt Park. Nothing award winning per-se. But definitely stuff I have enjoyed shooting:

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

By The Way: Let’s be passionate about all forms of photography. I am a wedding and portrait photographer, sure enough. But I cannot keep my eyes off of the colors that are all around me at this moment, and I cannot stop taking pictures of trees and flowers. I might sound weird saying this stuff, but I can’t stop shooting.

I really enjoyed this years Easter Sunday gathering: my mom-in-laws ham was SO GOOD, the weather was beautiful, and we had a Lamb Cake – yes, a Lamb Cake. It’s not a REAL lamb, but it was a real good cake (there’s a pic down below). It actually looked more like a cat than a lamb. I’m just sayin’.

The family met up at my brother-in-laws house over in Flossmoor, IL. He and his wife recently purchased a really nice place over there. The house was packed and all of our kids made sure that there was not a silent moment all evening long. Seeing the kids dressed up in their Sunday’s best was so cool – the girls looked so beautiful in their dresses and the boys were so handsome in their dress pants and shirts. They were all so endearing.

Here are a few pics from the day. I love the portraits of the kids. I had been looking forward to taking these photos all week long:

Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_01 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_02 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_03 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_04 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_05 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_06 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_07 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_08 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_09 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_10 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_11 Flossmoor_Kids_Photos_12

My many thanks to my family for making Easter so much fun. It was kind of a quick evening, but it was a much needed one.

Kid Portraits Set-Up

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

By The Way: I had pre-visualized where I would be taking the portraits of the kids. I had thought it through and knew what I wanted. But then came the rain. It forced me to rethink my plans and I had to make some quick decisions. I really liked the trees in the background and I figured they would make for a nice background.

Here is my WPPI 2010 experience in a nutshell:

• Enjoyed flying Southwest Airlines
• The Signature at MGM is fantastic
• Having 5 roomies was amazing – I love those guys/gals!
• Splitting food costs with roomies was one of the BEST ideas – highly recommended
• Should have bought more groceries at VONS – definitely more beer
• Party In The USA is the best song EVER
• The MGM Grand is HUMONGOUS! Should have worn my running shoes more often.
• Scheduling classes before arriving at WPPI was super helpful
• Budgeting for food and gear saved me from being overwhelmed
• Should have done more photo shoots
• I LOVE JASMINE STAR – JD is a stud
• Honored to have met Jamie Delaine
• Should have said hi to The Becker (walked by him like 5 times)
• Sarah Petty, Mike Colon, and Dennis Reggie are SUPER TALL
• FINALLY met Christine Tremoulet – wish we could have hung out more :’(
• It was great seeing Dane Sanders again – the world needs more guys like him
• Kenny Kim is a major connector and stud
• Bambi Cantrell is a posing DIVA!
• Have to get a photo booth
• Love Collages.net even more – Abbey rocks!
• Should have slept more – had more quiet time to reflect
• Pictage knows how to throw a party!!!
• David Jay and Mike Larson are amazing photogs and spiritual leaders
• Met a ton of fantastic people
• I have major iPhone envy
• WPPI 2011 – I want to go to there!

→ Here are a few pics to help me remember all that took place at WPPI:

There is so much more that I could write about. But it would probably bore you. Plus, I still need to write it all down and make sure that I don’t forget all of the great stories and business ideas that I learned. One thing I can share with 100% confidence: I love the wedding/portrait industry! I am so glad I made it to WPPI.

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

By The Way: I should have remembered to bring my point-and-shoot camera. I could have captured a lot more of my experience at WPPI. Lesson learned.

I have known David and his family for a handful of years now. We both have toddler-aged daughters that are BFF’s and have known each other since infancy. My wife and David’s wife are friends as well. You can probably guess that we are pretty close.

David is the kind of person you want to know: extremely loyal, funny, smart, and a huge U2 fan. He also posses an insane amount of movie and music knowledge. He KNOWS this stuff inside and out. I kid you not. I am always more than impressed with his knowledge of directors, producers, actors, plot lines, writers, performances, etc. I always feel like I can learn so much more about movies when I am around him… and I consider myself a “movie person.” You can read his movie reviews on his site keeping it reel.

Here are a few portraits my friend David. The original plan was to photograph his daughter, but she was not having it (she’s 3 going on 21). The lights were set up and ready to go. He “volunteered” for a few portraits and away we went – I am not one to let a portrait session pass. Here are a few of my favorites from that portrait session:

Set-Up

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

By The Way: I loved that I was able to just use my strobes modeling light for this shoot. I should have set up a custom white balance though, as my colors were kind of funky out of camera. The high ISO shooting ability of the Nikon D700 allows for this kind of shoot.

The Help-Portrait experience was truly amazing. I am so grateful to Jeremy Cowart and his crew for having an idea about giving and making it happen. Because of the them a great community of photographers banded together to bring smiles to people that otherwise might not have smiled the day they were photographed.

I am not posting images of the families that we served on Sunday (12.20.09), as that is not the reason to participate in Help-Portrait. We all helped out to give back and not to promote our work. But I do want to show off all of the other photographers, make-up artist, and hair stylists that helped out. They were all amazing and brought their unique talents to the Help-Portrait photo shoot. What an amazing group of people!

The best crew in the world. Amazingly talented, super cool, and just a little silly.

I want to thank everyone that made this day so memorable and special:

Hinojosa Photography – Veronica, you made so much happen that it is hard to imagine this event going so smoothly without you. I am so glad that Milo and your kiddos were there to help. They were amazing!

Jaclyn Simpson – Jaclyn, your awesome Lightroom editing and printing skills were impressive. Thanks for being so giving and such a joy to work with.

EB Creative Photography – Elisa, your studio set-up and knowledge was so rocking. The images you, Jaclyn, and Veronica made were so cool. It was awesome working together. And many thanks to your clients for their donations. Thanks!

Todd James Photography – Todd, my many thanks for making sure that the photos were edited and printed properly. It was a joy working with you. I hope we work together again soon!

Delack Media Group – Nathan, your video skills are impressive to say the least. You were so cool to be around and to work with. Thanks for the final video and the frames!!!

Emotia – Ray, thanks for your support and for your video skills. I look forward to seeing what you shot that day. Having you around was such an encouragement.

Starlight Makeup – Lillian, you were the star of the show in my humble opinion. You were the sole makeup artist and you made EVERYONE look so beautiful. So truly ROCK!

Tanya, Mona, Angela and Sam: you were all so great and made everyones hair look amazing. I was so surprised/impressed to see you all giving actual haircuts! Such great hearts. Angela and Sam, Please pass along my “thanks” to the Paul Mitchell School.

Set-Up

Little Village Boys & Girls Club
2801 S. Ridgeway
Chicago, IL. 60623

Paul Mitchell the School Chicago
1225 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60607-5025
(312) 733-9285

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

By The Way: It really is better to give than to receive. I plan on giving more this year than ever before.

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!!!