Simon McConico Photography

Get out and Shoot

2008-12-09T23:53:00.002-06:00

Hey folks... weather here in WI is kinda gross right now. Not so fun to wander around outside when you might be putting your digits in danger of going black and falling off. (Like that guy in Mr. Deeds) The thing is though, that when you shoot or when you are an artist of any kind, you need to continually do your craft when it is easy and when it is hard. One of my friends, a song writer, was telling me something one of her professors said, "You need to write a bunch of crap before you hit gold." Uh... okay... so that isn't very catchy or inspirational like I thought it would be, but you get the point. I try to make it a point to shoot at least once a week at the least so that I am constantly learning and finding out new things about light and my camera.

That said... I went downtown yesterday night and took a few photos with two friends: Paul Sparks and Jake Rohde. Had some apple cider at Altera and got a chance to talk photography and creative stuff. It was good stuff.
I didn't get a whole lot of photos, but I did get a few to share with you:

Simon's Slamtastic Apple Picking Photo Op

2008-12-05T00:45:00.005-06:00

I like taking photos of people. I charge because a brothers gotta eat... well... I am sure I could be fine if I didn't eat for a day or so, but I would be hungry. I also like to see lots of people. My thought is that photography + lots of people = fun. Unless it is photography + lots of people + riot = not so fun. There was no riot, but there was apple throwing and eating and tractors and goats... (no goats were harmed and are not pictured for their kids sake. ha. kid. whatever.) So next time Simon has an event, this is why you should be there (Hillbilly House Party sometime in December) ->

If you are in these photos and want any of them, shoot me an email, leave me a comment, or give me a call and I will get them to you.

Homestead Apple Orchard

2008-12-04T08:49:00.003-06:00

A while back, a few friends and I went out to the Homestead Apple Orchard in Maple Plain, MN to hang out and shoot some photos. I will post more later tonight, but here is a sneak peek.

Tech Tuesday - Snow and Mexico

2008-12-02T23:52:00.004-06:00

A little explanation: Being a digital photographer takes not only skill as an artist, but also skill in knowing how to work with the equipment that you have. Technology has been something that I have had in my life nearly all my life. I want to use these posts to break down some technical stuff into something that makes sense to the average folk. That way I don’t feel like such a nerd when I say words like terabyte, sync speed, or aperture. That said… onto the post!

It is snowing in Wisconsin. I don’t mind the snow, being that I grew up in Minneapolis and was trick-or-treating in boots and a jacket (pretty sure you couldn’t even see my sweet clown outfit), but sometimes the sun is nice. All of the lamenting seems kinda random, but it all has to do with my hard drive.

Hmm… odd logic sir. Weeelll… A few months ago I was running out of space on my hard drive and needed to find a solution to that. When you shoot photos and keep them all on your hard drive, after a few years you build up quite a bit of space. I started shooting with film when I was younger, but it wasn’t really love at first click. I had to wait for the subpar photos and pay money to see them even though I paid for the film. Kinda felt like a rip off to me (in fifth grade??). I eventually got a point and shoot digital and started clicking away. I have an archive of images from 2003 till now and that is quite a few 64 meg memory cards later. Now I am shooting on 8 gig cards with 8 meg files (soon to be 25 meg with the new Canon 5D Mark II) and the files were piling up.

For those of you who are not technically savvy here is the deal in laymen’s terms:
1000 (k)ilobyte = 1 (meg)abyte
1000 (meg)abytes = 1 (gig)abyte
1000 (gig)abytes = 1 terabyte

A lil guestimation:
A photo on 5 megapixel camera (megapixel is different than megabyte) is about 2-3 megs.
A photo on a Canon Rebel XT, 8 megapixel camera is about 6-8 megs

So now that you get the idea of how big the photos are, I had about 1 terabyte of info on several different hard drives. That is a loooot of stuff. Granted there was quite a bit of music in there as well, but the majority of them were photos.

The solution to store my stuff was to buy a Drobo. It is a lil black box thingy that you put hard drives in and plug into your computer. (I am sooo technical) I initially bought 2 terabytes because I thought that would be enough to consolidate all my photos and info I have collected over the years. I was wrong. Sad. That is a lot of stuff! So over Thanksgiving I picked up two more hard drives for a total of 4 terabytes. I popped the drives in my black toaster and they ran like a charm. Simon = stoked. I have space. I can take more photos.

All of that to say that I was going through some of my old photos (only 2007, but still) and found some shots from Mexico and thought I would post them to warm me up on this cold December evening. If anyone is getting married south of the border, let me know. I would love to shoot your wedding and de-thaw.

Gil and Karen - Crazy Booth

2008-12-01T21:47:00.005-06:00

I have seen a few blogs of wedding photogs who have set up a crazy booth at weddings. The photos they get are super fun and crazy! I thought to myself, “Simon, you are a crazy mutha… you need to do a crazy booth.” So the next wedding I shot I brought out my lights and found a nice lil corner and set up the crazy booth. Granted, it really isn’t a booth, but people get the language and know what to do.

Aight… enough rant, more rave!

I pulled out the crazy booth at Gil and Karen's wedding at the Milwaukee War Memorial and craziness ensued.

Only in WI... good 'ole Spotted Cow.

My crazy booth puts the Rrrr... in Relationship.

He was getting down all night.

Open bar... late night... crazy photos? I think she was trying to play dead and they were play attacking? I just shrugged and took the photo.

Lambeau leap much?

....

If I am shooting your wedding next year and you want me to bring out the Crazy Booth, shoot me an email and we will make it happen.

(I kinda feel like I need a different name other than Crazy Booth because I am ripping off that name. A free 8x10 print of your choice if you leave a comment with a better idea for the name.)

Decible/Deep Bar Shoot

2008-11-22T22:02:00.004-06:00

I haven't really had time to work on my commercial portfolio and stock photos lately. That is a good thing, being that I have been really busy with seniors and weddings (all paying gigs!). This week I am almost all caught up with weddings and seniors, so I decided it was time for Simon to get out and shoot some stock.

First, there was a huge debate in my head about shooting. I pre-ordered the new Canon 5D Mark II, which is a beast of a camera. 21 mpx, 250,000 expandable ISO, Live View, HD Video, Full Frame sensor... drool... (All you really need to know is that this camera beats yours up... unless you shoot with a hassy). Ordered this camera and my 20D broke. I went to shoot with a model and found out that my camera wasn't working. The tip of the video cable broke off in the video out hole when I was trying to show some photos on a TV, so the back of the camera didn't work.

I thought to myself, self... you just ordered a bomb camera, just wait it out and after you get the new camera send yours in. So I waited, and waited, and the camera still hasn't hit the shelves yet. I sent in my broke camera to Canon in NJ this week and it was delivered there on Saturday. I'll probably get it back before I get my new camera, which is sad.

Anyoldways... I borrowed a camera from my friend Fuzz Martin, a guy I shoot stock with from WI. He let me use his Rebel Xt for the time being. I was hesitant to shoot stock with that camera because it was not as "good" as the other two that I had broke and pre-ordered. It took me until today, shooting, to realize that no matter what camera you use, you can take photos and they can come out good. I kinda thought to myself, I am too good for that camera, I have to shoot with something better. Sad thing is that I have shot my whole stock portfolio up to this point with MY old Xt and it is good enough. The camera doesn't make the photog, the photog makes the photograph.

So. That out of my system. My friend Stef and I pulled together a shoot on very short notice with 3 ladys and 2 guy models and a club. It was a lot of fun and I think that I got some killer shots for stock that are going to sell like mad. Let me know what you think:

Pearls For Teen Girls

2008-11-14T22:32:00.006-06:00

Last night I was given the opportunity to photograph a charity event for Pearls for Teen Girls, an organization that helps inner city teen girls reach their dreams and get to college. Being from the city, this organization really resonates with me.

I went to a school that had about a 50% drop out rate and many of the people I went to school with did not go to or finish college. There are quite a few obstacles to overcome as a female in the city that are seen and unseen. From the stereotypes put on them by music, to the sometimes sketchy education provided by the schools. To reach your dreams in the city is a fight and Pearls is a weapon that is providing a chance to shift the battle from losing, to winning. As a lover of people and the city, I would be amiss to not support something like this. Whether it be Pearls or another organization, get out and volunteer, donate, and support local groups who are making a difference in the community.

The event took place at Bosley's on Brady, which is a fantastic restaurant. The owners were great and the wait staff was top notch. (Now I need to go back and eat some of the food that was making my mouth water all night!)

There were some amazing gifts given, from scholarships to cash donations. The place was electric!

Yeah... they were auctioning off real pearl rings and necklaces... if I had a lady, I might have bid on this beauty... well... that is if I had money :)

It is always better to give than receive.

Test 1,2,3

2008-11-14T00:37:00.004-06:00

Just checkin out a new slideshow program I got...

P.s. The song is by Di Johnston. Awesomeness... I heard it on a Dove Commercial.

Mary - Senior '09

2008-11-12T20:12:00.004-06:00

Mary was a lot of fun to take photos of. We met at Seven Bridges Park and went walking in the forest. I never realized that the park was so big and that there were so many different places to take photos. We had some amazing light in the morning and I got some great portraits with natural light. I brought along my studio light for a few shots and had some fun with that. It was hard for her to stop smiling and she was always cracking up. What a fantastic person!

Check out her great smile!:

Cameron - Senior '09

2008-11-03T01:01:00.002-06:00

What do you do with a broken camera? I don't really know, but you can't really use it... I need to get my main camera repaired and just sold my back up camera, so I had a shoot and no camera. That was not so fun. Lucky for me I know a few people and Sam Dodge came out to help with my shoot and he let me use his D300 (shiver... Nikon) for the day. Everything was backwards, but all in all, I was able to turn the camera on and switch lenses by myself at the end of the shoot.

Cameron was pretty much the coolest girl ever. I showed her one of the photos and she told me that she looked like she was the ruler of the universe in it. Awesome. She was super fun to work with and we shot around Havenwoods State Park and a few streets near by. I was having a ton of fun with Sam's wide angle lens and ended up taking some of my favorite shots to date for senior photos. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Eric and Emily - Silver Spring Country Club

2008-11-01T22:22:00.005-05:00

Hmm… where do I start… Perhaps I will start in Starbucks where I met with Emily and her mom. I knew Emily through her brother who worked with me one summer tutoring kids in the inner city. We played a few games of ultimate Frisbee and she mopped up in the end zone with Eric hucking (check out ultimate Frisbee lingo) it up to her. It would have been great if I wasn’t the one guarding her… no hard feelings though…

Where was I... Oh yeah… Starbucks. We met and discussed her wedding and it all sounded fantastic. After shooting it, I can honestly say that it was fantastic. From the crazy groomsmen, beautiful bridesmaids, and the really fun family. A great time was had by all... check out some of the photos.

The dress, rings, and shoes were lovely as well as Emily.

Don’t mess…

When I get married, I am gonna be a mess just like Eric was when he saw Emily walking down the aisle. (I heard the ladies dig that?)

Uh… left my iPhone in the limo. Oops. I felt naked.

The reception was at the Silver Spring Country Club and we had some great light.

Beautiful bride, handsome groom…

After the food, they g.g.g.got down

Eric and Emily

2008-10-24T00:37:00.001-05:00

Sneaky, sneaky...

David and Sarah

2008-10-23T21:46:00.003-05:00

Ooooooookaay... so this blog has been a long time coming. I have been outrageously busy with senior photos and the other job to sit down and get these photos up. Alas, here they are in all their glory.

David and Sarah are awesome. Great people and good times all rolled into a three person package. You might remember them from their E-Session and I have the story of how we met there, so go read up.

The time finally rolled around for their wedding and I was really excited for them and to shoot the wedding. I knew that they were gonna have it at the Milwaukee County War Memorial and I was stoked about being outside and shooting at a lovely place.

We met the girls at a friend’s house where they were getting ready and Sarah was getting her makeup done. She had a fantastic dress and great shoes to go along with it.

The buckles on her shoes were pretty crazy and it took three people to help get them on... it was funny... but they worked. As a guy, I will never understand women and their shoes...

It was super windy outside and cloudy, which is good for keeping cool, but not so great for hair.

Patrick was just awesome.

The light was sooooo... how should I say... amazing?

The party bus. The bridal party was super crazy, and it was really fun seeing them go nuts at the wedding.

We got to the reception and the party was on!

And the food was... (please refer to photo below)

Whats the Story...

2008-10-20T14:09:00.004-05:00

Sooo... I have been talking with Erin Richards, a journalist at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who was writing a story on Senior Photos and the trend of seniors wanting a more personalized shoot. I wasn’t sure when the story was going to run, so I didn’t post anything about it here, but one of my friends sent me an email telling me that there was an article in the paper that I was in. It is pretty cool having some of my photos online and my name in the paper.

If anyone reading this blog found it from the paper, it would be great to hear your thoughts.

In addition to Seniors, I shoot Weddings, Headshots, and Families. Check out my site at www.simonmcconico.com. I am booking fast for 2009, so get in quick!

Check out the article here: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=807756

Lauren and Lucy

2008-10-18T14:10:00.004-05:00

Yee Haw!! I don't know about you, but I like horses. I have had many an experience with horses, mainly good, but some bad (like when I was walking behind one and it decided to relieve it's self). I got an email from Lauren's brother, who's wedding I will be shooting in the Spring, saying that his sister needed to get her senior photos done. I jumped at the chance and was even more excited when they asked me to come out to the horse farm where Lauren rides. They own a horse named Lucy, who is absolutely beautiful. We brought Lucy out to shoot with Lauren and ran around the farm and took a ton of shots. It was a lot of fun seeing all the different horses named Meatloaf and Big Mamma... Here are some of the shots from that day:

Moda3 Boardfest

2008-10-11T20:06:00.003-05:00

I was a busy lil bee today. Shot two senior sessions, thought I was suppose to shoot a third (my mind has been all over the place lately), and stopped by Boardfest in the Third Ward after finishing my last session. There were skateboarders all over the place. I pulled over and, since I had all of my equipment in my car, asked a group of boarders if I could take their photo. I set up in a parking lot and almost got hit in the face by a few boards, but got some great shots:

Seth - Senior '09

2008-10-10T21:03:00.006-05:00

Walk tall... hmm... well, that wasnt an encouragement to stand up for what you believe in (which you should do anyways), but was rather a reference to the front cover of the movie staring the Rock. Seth came out early one Saturday morning and we shot in Walkers Point, which is just south of downtown Milwaukee. As I was flipping through his pics I saw a photo that, if he had a 2x4 in his hand, looked just like the cover of that movie.

Seth was a cool dude. We were chatting about a ton of random stuff from Halo to walking like a Monkey at work. It took him a while to wake up, but once he did we were running all over the place. Kicking fences and jumping off walls, it was a blast until... the cops showed up.

Well, it really wasn't a big deal, but Seth brought his truck and I had his sister park it on the sidewalk because Seth does what Seth wants (or something like that?). His sister just moved the truck and we were all good. Check out the sweet photos below:

Ally - Senior Photos

2008-10-09T00:43:00.003-05:00

You might remember rainy day Ally from a few posts before. The Saturday we were going to shoot it was rainy and gray all day. No one likes that! Unfortunately she needed a photo for her yearbook and I was going out of town to San Fran the next week. What a conundrum!

Well, me, being the king of all things Ghetto when it comes to setups didn't let a little bit of rain stop us. Ally and her mom came over to my house where I set up a small head shot studio in a spare bedroom and we got her head shot. After the shoot we rescheduled the shoot for a later date and off they went.

I got back to Milwaukee in one piece and we met on Friday in New Berlin at a golf course behind a Walgreens. It was an interesting place, but we got some great shots there. After we ticked off the many golfers on the course (I think we saw one...) we went to a hotel across the street that had a gazebo in the back and a small courtyard area. We shot a bit in there then moved to another hotel that had a Grand Piano in the loby. Ally is a singer and loves music, so she wanted to get a shot with a piano. We got in the hotel and they were having a huge convention or something like that. There were people who looked like they just graduated from college or something like that and a bunch of business people milling about. Lots of people generally does not equil good for photography (specially when you are in a hotel lobby). We got in, I got set up, and banged out a few shots and got what we needed then moved out like a ninja. All in all it was a very fun shoot and it was hard to pick what to edit for this post. I can't imagine how Ally is going to pick the shots to order... Crazy!

New Logo?

2008-10-08T08:41:00.008-05:00

Well, I have been toying around with getting a new logo and I think I have made one that I like. Let me know what you think about this bad boy: