A Wedding with Style // Adler Planetarium Wedding Photography

I had a great time seconding shooting with my friend and fellow wedding photographer Veronica Hinojosa a few weeks back. We had the privilege of documenting Adriana & Steven's wedding. My day started over at Steven's house, over in Alsip, where I met him and his family. What a warm and funny family! I must say, I had a great time being around them. Seeing them work as a family unit was inspiring to say the least. After a few family portraits we headed over to the beautiful St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church.

After the ceremony we went around Chicago for the bridal party photos. We visited the Adler Planetarium first and then went to the Kinzie Street Bridge. The weather was a bit on the gray/gloomy side, but this was a fun group and they didn't care, so neither did we. The rains were held and the Adler Planetarium and Kinzie Street Bridge are great places to photograph, so no worries. Onwards to the reception!

The reception was held at the Chateau Bu-Sche in Alsip, IL. The decor was spot on and the reception was beautiful.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from Adriana + Steven's wedding:

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My many thanks to Adriana & Steven and to their amazing families for being such a joy to be around. And a huge shout-out to V for having her own style and for having me shoot another sweet wedding with her.

            

By The Way: Seconding shooting is a TON of fun. But I never forget that I am there to assist the main shooter - this helps make our days go a lot smoother.

When It Rains It Gets Colorful

This past Sunday was pretty wild in terms of the weather. The morning was amazingly beautiful - blue skies and all. By the afternoon the clouds started rolling in. By the early afternoon it was POURING! But then it stopped, but then it started again, and so on and so forth. It was a bit frustrating, but "the shoot must go on" I kept telling myself. And the shoot did go on at Navy Pier and it was an amazing shoot with dramatic clouds and a pretty darn cool couple. Here is a quick sneak peak of sorts. More to come.

            

By The Way: Stick to your guns and do the shoot - that is of course if your client is also willing.

Zion Wedding Photography // Melanie + Ashley Married

I met Melanie and Ashley through my friend Jill, whose wedding I photographed 2 years ago. It's always so cool and encouraging to get a referral from a past bride whose wedding I photographed. It means that they were willing to give my info out without me having to ask. That is good stuff indeed. So thanks Jill for introducing me to this fun and loving couple! It's been really fun getting to know Melanie and Ashley (M+A) - I liked them right away and I could tell that they really cared for each other. What was there not to like? They're both fun and creative, love to laugh (Ashley), mad comm skills (Melanie), and had custom Chuck's made for their wedding. Enough said.

Their wedding took place in Zion, Illinois at the Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center. The coastline of Lake Michigan looked sweet that day - thanks dramatic clouds! It was my first commitment ceremony, so I was very excited. The day started off really rainy and overcast. I was hopeful it would get better. And then it got REALLY cold. I think it got down to like 50 degrees at one point. I was still hopeful it would get better - I had to since the wedding was to be outdoors. The rain was still coming down as M+A walked down the aisle, but I could see that the clouds were going away. It finally stopped raining as the ceremony began (finally!) and then never rained again. Awesome!

Shooting at Illinois Beach was really cool. The sand and dramatic clouds made for an amazing setting. M+A were totally up for walking around the beach and we all had a blast shooting out there. I was assisted by the talented Suzy Rohan who took some beautiful detail shots and also kept me laughing the entire day.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from M+A's wedding:

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Melanie and Ashley, thank you again for being such a joy to work with. Photographing your commitment ceremony was such an honor and I, too, had a great time. I hope that you have amazing futures, as I am sure that you will. You guys rock! My thanks to my "dos" shooter Suzy again for making that day fun. Your willingness to learn is refreshing.

Illinois Beach Resort & Conference Center 1 Lake Front Drive Zion, IL 60099 (847) 625-7300

            

By The Way: Don't get too discouraged if the weather is nasty. Have a plan B and communicate it with your couple. Setting them at ease is a huge plus and a success to the rest of the day.

The WINDY City // Jovi & Nedjo's Engagement Session

I love photographing downtown, especially in the early evening. That's when we get that "magic hour" light - the orange/warm light from the setting sun. It's also pretty sweet when we get 70+ degree weather in early April. That is something that rarely happens in Chicago, but we gladly take it when it does. I was shooting the engagement session of Jovi & Nedjo with Ray Pryor of Emotia. Jovi & Nedjo are a loving & fun couple, and so easy to photograph too. There were plenty of smiles and laughter going around, even as the crazy wind kept blowing Jovi's hair all around. I know we live in the "Windy City," but it was too literal that day. It seemed that Ray and I kept making sure that Jovi's hair wasn't in her eyes for a good portion of the shoot. She was so cool and calm about the wind. I feel like we made the most of a beautiful evening at the Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from that portrait session:

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My many thanks to Ray Pryor for having me be a part of this engagement shoot. I am looking forward to Jovi & Nedjo's wedding! Thanks guys.

John G. Shedd Aquarium 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60605 312-939-2438

Adler Planetarium 1300 South Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60605-2403 (312) 322-7827

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

By The Way: This shoot was a blast. Shooting with my friends is something that I am looking forward to this 2010 wedding season. I am blessed to have such talented friends.

Excitement & Color All Around

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.

Easter Sunday // Family Time & Portraits of the Kiddos

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

Nikon D90 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon SB-800 fitted with an umbrella - Thank you Gary for helping me out

Pocket Wizards (2)

Adobe Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS3 for editing

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.

It's All About the Details // Grayslake Wedding Photography

I had the privilege to second shoot the wedding of David & Crystal with my good friend Steven of Steven Ryne Photography this past weekend. I met David and the guys over in Vernon Hills at a local bowling alley. Yes - bowling alley. It was so cool hanging out with them and photographing them as they bowled right before the wedding. I could see that these guys really cared for each other, which made my job so much more enjoyable.

The ceremony and reception was at the Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake. That surrounding area was perfect for portraits. I remember driving up to the Barn and thinking "these portraits are going to be AWESOME! Just look at all of this open space." It was almost perfect to shoot in except that it had rained the entire day. No problem! We just made sure that everyone had umbrellas and we were all good to go out for a few portraits.

One thing that really stood out to me were the details. I typically look at the details and shoot away. I might move something to light it better, but that is about all of the interaction that I have with them. But these details stopped me in my tracks and forced me to notice them. I HAD to look at the top of the cake - I HAD to look at the hand written menu board - I HAD to look at the table decoration - I HAD to look and touch the wedding info handout - I HAD to photograph them all. All of these pieces made for a really great experience. I was then blow away to find out that Crystal, the bride, had designed and planned all of these details herself. What a talented bride/designer/wedding planner!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from this wedding:

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I want to thank Steven again for having me shoot this amazing wedding with him. Dude, you rock. I really appreciated your posing ideas. It was also really cool seeing you give and interact with your clients. Way to go!

My thanks to David and Crystal. I hope you guys have an amazing marriage!!!

The Byron Colby Barn 1561 Jones Point Road Grayslake, IL 60030-3536 (847) 543-1202

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

By The Way: Shoot at f/1.4 if you need to. I sure did for this wedding. The Byron Colby Barn is a great place to shoot, but it is very dim once the sun sets.

WPPI 2010 - Party In The USA

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: [gallery columns="1" size="large"]

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.

Impromptu Portrait Session - Vegas Style // Christine & Iaan

I was so excited to be going to WPPI 2010. I knew that I would be learning a lot about my wedding photography business. I knew that I would meet some amazing people. I knew that I would see some amazing products at the trade show. I also knew that I would go to a few parties. But the one thing that I was really looking forward to was taking pictures! I pretty much had all of my gear - all of it. So imagine my elation when I saw Feuza Dos Reis photographing Christine and Iaan - a fabulous couple I had just met earlier in the day. You see I was on the 9th floor at The Signature (at MGM Grand) talking to my wife. When I looked down and saw the portrait session in progress. I told my wife I had to leave and RAN downstairs to where the shoot was taking place. I asked Feuza if I can shoot and she said yes. Sweet. I was so excited that I neglected to bring my lens bag. I only had my 80-200mm f/2.8 lens. Good thing that Feuza also shoots Nikon, so I was able to borrow one of her lenses.

Christine Meintjes and Iaan Van Niekerk were an absolute blast to talk to and photograph. They are from Cape Town, South Africa, so I made sure to shut my trap and ask questions that would make them talk. I loved their accents, but ended up loving their warmness even more. I wish that we could have spent more time together.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from that portrait session:

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My many thanks to Feuza for setting this up. She followed her photographers instinct and because of that I have 2 new friends. Christine and Iaan, I hope that our roads cross again. Rock on guys!

The Signature at MGM Grand 145 East Harmon Avenue Las Vegas, NV 89109 (877) 612-2121

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89109 (702) 891-1111

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

By The Way: This shoot taught me to follow my instinct and approach people with confidence. There have been a lot of times when I see people that I want to photograph. A simple question to photograph them might turn up into a great time.

David - Writer/Film Critic/Illustrator - My Friend

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:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Alien Bee strobes - just used the modeling light

Medium Softbox

Adobe Lightroom 2 for editing

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.

Dramatic Model Portraits // Chicago // Mark Brouwer

My series in dramatic portraiture continues with Mark Brouwer - a model from Chicago with comedy and acting skills. So imagine this session: photography, laughter, fun conversation, and music - life is really good when these elements come together. Mark was fun to work with - he kept things lively, and I appreciate that. I am typically the one making sure everyone is laughing at my photo shoots. So having Mark contribute to the liveliness that day was really fun.

I wanted to create some dark images with Mark. I asked if he could bring clothing that would work well with the "dark" themed photo shoot, which led to a conversation about what I meant by "dark". He mentioned that he had a dark green trench coat. Perfect. The trench coat ended up looking great on screen. I also wanted the lighting to be more harsh than with my previous dramatic shoots. I made sure to stay away from softboxes and only used gridspots and bare-bulbs on my strobes.

You can check out photos from previous model photo shoots: Camille Kurowski, Debra Lopez, and Ankita Baxti.

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

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Behind The Scenes

My many thanks to Mark for his professionalism and humor! I hope you have an amazing career in modeling and acting. You rock dude! And a super thank you to my amazing wife, Christina, for being so supportive, for doing a great job on Mark's hair, and for rocking out the Flip Mino HD. Thanks babe!

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)

13" MacBook

Sofortbild - For shooting tethered to my MacBook. It's free for Nikon shooters!

Lightroom 2 - For exposure and color adjustments

Photoshop CS4 - For all major retouching and background removal

Rock On! info [at] ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

By The Way:

Dramatic Model Portraits // Chicago // Ankita Baxi

My series in dramatic portraiture continues with Ankita Baxi. I was very excited about working with Ankita. She has done a lot of modeling photo shoots here in the States and in India. Her energy and enthusiasm was very encouraging and made for some pretty cool photos. Ankita's communication skills also added to the great experience - she was very prompt and concise in answering all of my questions and even throwing in a few of her own. I love that. She is a pro and it was a lot of fun working with her. You can see photos from the previous photo shoots with Camille here and with Debra here.

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

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Behind The Scenes

My many thanks to Ankita! I hope you have an amazing and long career in this industry. Have a great time in Los Angeles. You rock! I also want to thank Gary Middendorf for his assistance, video skills, and ideas. And of course a super thank you to my wife, Christina, for being so supportive and for doing a great job on Ankita'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 [at] ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

By The Way: Talking about the shoot in advance with Ankita was HUGE. I felt like Ankita and I were on the same page before she showed up at my home-studio. That was great because I was able to communicate better and express some ideas a lot clearer.

Divine Expressions Ministry // North Park Event Photography

I love the work of Joe McNally, specifically his work with professional dancers. I love how he captures the dancers' grace, elegance, and expressions. Dancers poses a control over their body that most of us just don't have any idea about, self totally included. I was honored to photograph Divine Expression Ministries graduation ceremony a few weeks back at the beautiful North Park College. I was very excited to work with DEM for many reasons, one being that I would be able to capture their dancers in action. I was also very encouraged by the type of organization DEM is and I appreciate what they are about. It was great being able to walk around and capture the tension and nervousness that comes with such an important event. All went very well and ended up being a lot of fun being there and meeting so many great people. The band they had performing that night was AMAZING!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the DEM graduation at North Park College:

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My many thanks to Wendy Matthews, DEM's HR & Admin extraordinaire. I hope to work with you all again!

The Set-Up

Nikon D700 - Shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon SB-800 without dome diffuser

Tokina 12-24mm f/4

Rock On! info[at]ottorascon.com | my portfolio | facebook | twitter | 773.430.4785

By The Way: Be ready for challenging shooting situations. Get your exposures down before the performances begin and get a good feel for the room you are about to shoot in. Knowing the best ISO, shutter speed, and f/stop combo before the action starts is huge.

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:

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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.

My Little Ballerina! Chicago Toddler Portraits

My daughter is a part of every photo shoot that I do. She is a) either entertainment for the models, b) a testing "assistant" while I adjust my lights, or c) just a innocent bystander while I shoot. Whatever she is, I am glad that she is there to watch me work. These portraits came after my model was done with her Dramatic Portraits. Jocelyn came in with her tutu ready to be photographed, and I am not to shy away from a portrait session opportunity. Plus, I love photographing children, especially when it is my kid.

Here are a few of my favorites from Jocelyn's impromptu portrait session:

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Set-Up

Nikon D90 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Alien Bee 400 strobe with 22" Beauty Dish

Pocket Wizards (2)

White seamless for backdrop

Adobe Lightroom 2 for editing

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

By The Way: Be ready for impromptu shoots. I was getting ready to pack up my gear when Jocelyn came in dancing and wanting to be photographed. I was tired and ready to stop, but I could not pass up taking a few frames of what I knew would be a memorable portrait session with my daughter.

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:

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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.

Chicago Help-Portrait - Spreading Some Love With Portraits

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!

Help Portrait Chicago from Delack Media on Vimeo.

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

Nikon D700 and Canon 5D MK II - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8

White Seamless Paper (2)

Alien Bee Strobes with Medium Softboxes

Pocket Wizards (4)

Adobe Lightroom 2 for editing and Printing

Epson Photo Stylus 1400

Flip Mino HD for video

iMovie for editing and exporting for web

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.

Sam the Handsome! Huntley Baby Portraits

I love baby Sam for many reasons. One is that he is just so darn cute (his head makes a perfect circle)! Another reason is that he was such a pleasure to photograph (I love baby photos). He also has this very cool and calming attitude about him that makes him even more lovable. But the main reason I love him is that he is my nephew, my youngest baby nephew. I love photographing my family, even if it means traveling to Huntley, Orland Park, or Merrionette Park. I do my best and make sure that my nieces and nephews are photographed because they will never look the same. They grow up so darn fast. Here are a few of my favorite Sam portraits:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Tokina 12-24mm f/4.0

Nikon SB-800 fitted with an umbrella for background

Alien Bee strobe with medium softbox

Pocket Wizards (2)

White sheet for backdrop

Adobe Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS3 for editing

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

By The Way: Always be careful when shooting babies. I always have the parent sit right next to the child as I photograph them. The final image you see is a composite of 2 images. The one with the baby originally had the mother right next to him. Then I photographed the background without the baby and then combined them in Photoshop.

Chicago Polar Bear Club - 2010 Polar Bear Swim Photos

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:

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Chicago Polar Club Swim 2010 from Otto Rascon on Vimeo.

Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

A lot of layers!!!

Adobe Lightroom 2 for editing

Flip Mino HD for video

iMovie for editing and exporting for web

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!!!

Happy New Years Everyone!

"All is quiet on New Year's Day - A world in white gets underway - I want to be with you - Be with you night and dayNothing changes on New Year's Day - On New Year's Day"

Yeah, I am a U2 geek. I know it and embrace it. But here we are on another new years day. It is a quite morning so far, which is weird considering I have a 2 year old. I am getting ready to photograph a cool event I will be posting later and I also find myself in a very relaxed mood. I also find myself in a reflective mood.

I hope that you and I have a fantastic year. I need some time to dream it up and put on paper. I encourage you to do the same so that we can see our dreams and goals written out before us. I know that I need that this year. Here is to a ROCKIN' YEAR!

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

By The Way: I will be shooting the Chicago Polar Bear Plunge in the afternoon. I hope my camera doesn't freeze up...