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:

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

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.

Mario + Liliana // Married // Adler Planetarium Wedding

The Lopez wedding was an absolute party! Mario and I are co-workers, so I knew that his wedding was going to be full of energy. Needless to say, I was very much looking forward to his wedding.

The day seemed to be perfect. The weather was absolutely awesome (look at the sky in the photos... saweeeet). The church was beautiful and the priest allowed me to walk around the entire church. That was cool of him. And all of the family members were present for the family portraits. After the portraits we jumped in the limo and drove over to the Adler Planetarium. Oh, did I mention that there was little to no traffic, on a Friday night!!! That was sweet all on its own.

So we get to the Planetarium and the sky is looking luscious... it was just asking to be photographed. There was also some beautiful light bouncing off of the building right next to the Planetarium, which gave me some amazing fill light on Mario and Liliana. They loved the photos and I was a happy camper. My Nikon and I were best of friends that day. I guess the only negative was that it was pretty darn chilly that evening, so our shoot was crunched down to about 12 minutes (fun).

We then took off to the reception. The music was pretty much blasting from the moment we arrived and it never let off. I think my ears are still ringing from that night. I could not have had a better time with the Lopez and Galarza families. Thank you again Mario and Liliana!!!








Thanks guys & see you later! - Contact Me | Wedding Portfolio | Little Ones Portfolio | Older Ones Portfolio

Ryan + Yung-Yi // Willis Tower Wedding Photography

Thanks to Ryan and Yung-Yi for having me shoot their awesome wedding. I cannot say enough about how much energy and excitement there was at this wedding. I knew this was going to be a fun wedding as soon as I met all of the bridal party. They were all playing and smiling right from the get go, and they did not stop having fun the entire day. The day started out at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. From there we all went the Adler Planetarium for group photos. we had some great weather that day, though it was a bit hot (low 90's). The humidity and heat did not stop us from having a great time. We got some really fun and exciting images near the lake and on the large cement steps. From there we went to the ceremony, which was held at the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower). It does not get any cooler than that. I am glad that we were inside for the ceremony becuase the rain came down pretty hard. It is pretty neat seeing rain when you are so high up.

The reception was amazing. That is all I can say. From the first dance to the last, it seemes that not pne person was sitting down. Everyone was dancing, and I mean everyone. From very young to very old, all were moving. Thanks again to the Nindorf's for having me be a part of their great wedding. We will be working on their album soon. I am looking forward to that. The wedding was taped by Matt Buckman of idofilms.net

Hyatt Regency Chicago 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois, USA 60601 Tel: +1 312 565 1234    Fax: +1 312 239 4414

Sears Tower (Willis Tower) 233 S Wacker Dr # 3530 Chicago, IL 60606-6437 (312) 875-9696

Matt + Erin // Chicago Wedding Photography









I want to thank the Jones and the Unander families for a wonderful wedding experience. This was a very fun wedding, though the weather was a little less than ideal. But bride and groom were both up for walking around Navy Pier and around the Adler Planetarium after the ceremony. I really did appreciate their willingness to walk around in the cold and fog, as we were able to get some beautiful shots near Olive Park.

The reception was held at the gorgeous Sutton Place Hotel. We were able to take a few portraits up in their suite, which overlooked the city of Chicago (breathtaking view!). After the portraits I was able to go downstairs and take some photos of the guests and family. The night was kept lively by Madeleine Kuhns of Toast & Jam DJs. The bridal party arrived and the rest of the evening was kicked off. Plenty of great food and dancing ended the night. Thank you all again for a great evening. Fourth Presbyterian Church 126 East Chestnut Street Chicago, IL (312) 787-4570