It was one year ago today that Vanessa + Luis tied the knot in the beautiful Holy Cross Church. I was so honored to have been their wedding photographer and to have experienced their amazing wedding day. You can see the original post here. Congratulations to you guys. I hope that you had a great year - and here's to MANY more!
Here are a few of my favorite photos from Vanessa + Luis' wedding:
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It's an honor doing what I do. Photographing my bride and groom is something I never take for granted. Elysia + Donny's wedding was particularly an honor because they are my friends - and they are totally into each other :)
I met Donny back when I was a student at The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago where we were both Visual Communications (graphic design) majors. Donny was the first person I ever met that owned an iPod - remember how big and monochromatic they used to be? That pretty much made him the coolest person I knew at that point in my life. As time passed I got to know him and had the chance to work on a few jobs together. He's a brilliant person, and both compassionate and crazy talented. Yes, he's one of "those" people, the type that just get things so much quicker than most. Oh, my daughter loves him and he introduce me to Penny's Noodles. What more can I say?
So one day I hear that he and Elysia are getting married! My wife and I flipped (not literally). You see, we had secretly been hoping that they would wed. I totally wanted to shoot their wedding and was so glad that he and Elysia felt the same. They are amazing people, the kind you just want to hang with, chat, laugh, and have meals with.
Weddings are all about collaborations. And when each do their part, amazing things happen. These Chicago wedding vendors rock:
• Floral arrangements by the amazing fleur - Kelly and her crew did an amazing job!!! • Elysia's dress was custom made by Dame Couture in Evanston. • Location: Glessner House Museum and Woman's Park and Garden in the South Loop.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from Elysia + Donny's wedding:
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Elysia and Donny: thank you again for having Christina and I be a part of such an amazing day in your lives. Seeing you guys make your vows was so inspiring. I hope that you have amazing futures and that we have many more dinner dates. You guys rock!
My thanks also go to my friend Nick for assisting me. You rock Nick!
Glessner House Museum 1800 S. Prairie Avenue Chicago, IL. 60616 312.326.1480 fax - 312.326.1397
By The Way: I always listen to and enjoy the vows made at the ceremony. This is what the wedding day is really all about! I know as photographers we want to capture those really cool and sexy photos after - but let's enjoy all aspects of the wedding day.
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:
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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:
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.