Dramatic Portraits // Chicago // Debra Lopez

So my series in dramatic portraits continues with Debra Lopez, a very talented model and actress from Madison, Wisconsin. Working with Debra (and her husband - pics coming soon) was great for many reasons: she is a very talented and professional model, she was very enthusiastic about this shoot (which pumped me up), and she had a great sense of wardrobe and looks that made photographing her a lot of fun. We ended up capturing some really fun and amazing frames during our 2 hours photo shoot. I love these kind of shoots because we get so many ideas going that it is hard to stop shooting. My wife set out some snacks and drinks, which we ended up maxing out! Pedro (Deb's husband), Gary, and I even chatted a bit about football and Peyton Manning. Photography, beautiful models, food, and sports - does life get any better than that? The answer is NO.

Hey, you can check out a very funny short film called "Spin Cycle" Debra starred in here. Her character is so mean :)

Here are a few of my favorite images from our photo shoot. The final composite images will be on a new blog post soon:

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

Behind The Scenes


My many thanks to Debra! You and Pedro made this shoot a blast, and I appreciate your willingness to travel into Chicago. You rock! I also want to thank Gary Middendorf for his assistance and ideas. It is always so cool working with a fellow photographer. And of course a super thank you to my wife, Christina, for being so supportive and for doing a great job on Deb's hair. Thanks guys!

The Set-Up

  • Nikon D700 - Shooting in RAW
  • Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens
  • Alien Bee 400ws (5 strobes)
  • Medium Softbox (2)
  • 22" Beauty Dish
  • Pocket Wizard (2)
  • Lightroom 2 - For exposure and color adjustments
  • Photoshop CS4 - For all major retouching and background removal
  • 13" MacBook
  • Sofortbild - For shooting tethered to my MacBook. It's free for Nikon shooters!
  • Rock On! info@ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

    By The Way: Talking with Debra about her wardrobe was key. Not having the right wardrobe would have made this shoot boring and flat. It's all about communication.

    Dramatic Portraits // Headshots // Camille Kurowski

    I was really excited about Camille's photo shoot. She is a very professional, beautiful, and enthusiastic model and I am very grateful to have worked with her. She came in ready to deliver a great performance and that she did. It is always such a treat to work with others that are just as passionate about this art form as I am. This photo shoot was going to be a bit different than what I am used to. First: it is the first shoot in a series (yes, more photos coming very soon) of dramatic portraits and model headshots. I have never done a series like this before, so this was new ground for me. Second: it was going to involve a lot of post-production (Photoshop) work, of which I am used to. The end result of this shoot is to create a composite image with a completely new background and a more dramatic feel. I will be posting the final images soon.

    This headshot/portrait session was intended to be more artistic in nature and so all of the pieces had to work well together: a great model, a specific type of lighting set-up, great hair and make-up, energy, and me not messing it up :)

    It was great having my amazing hairstylist wife there and my talented brother-in-law (a very talented sports photographer) there to assist.

    Here are a few images from our shoot. The final composite images will be on a new blog post soon:

    [gallery order="DESC" columns="1" size="large"]

    Behind The Scenes


    My many thanks to Camille! You made this shoot so much fun. I also want to thank Gary Middendorf for his assistance and ideas. And a super thank you to my wife, Christina, for being so supportive and for doing a great job on Camille's hair. Thanks guys!

    The Set-Up

  • Nikon D700 - Shooting in RAW
  • Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens
  • Tokina 14-24mm f/4 lens
  • Alien Bee 400ws (5 strobes)
  • Medium Softbox (2)
  • 22" Beauty Dish
  • Pocket Wizard (2)
  • Lightroom 2 - For exposure and color adjustments
  • Photoshop CS4 - For all major retouching and background removal
  • 13" MacBook
  • Sofortbild - For shooting tethered to my MacBook. It's free for Nikon shooters!
  • Rock On! info@ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

    By The Way: It was great sketching out pose ideas and lighting ideas before the shoot. I was also able to do some test shots before Camille ever came over.