Moving over

Hey folks! I am moving my blog to http://www.valophotography.com/blog/simon - go check it out. More info on what is happening to come!

If you have a wedding booked with me already, I will send out an email letting you know what is going on, for other people interested in booking with me, still send the requests to me, but we will book you under the business Valo Photography.

Expect big things!

Buizzzzy

I have been amazingly busy. From the holidays to getting ready for a new business venture (more about that in a few days) I have been swamped. I have been booking a lot of weddings and getting ready for senior season as well as doing a few stock shoots hear and there. I bought a new camera (the amazing Canon 5d Mark II), new wireless triggers for my lights, and some more storage space for my photos... yikes.

I am currently looking for models for a large shoot we are doing towards the end of January. Check out more info here: http://www.brewlypse.com

Here are a few photos I shot with my new camera:

Shot a promo card for an event coordinator and friend Stef of Star Fire Events who is putting on a fashion show in Milwaukee in March. More on that later.



Me just being me...



Don't normally take photos of landscape, but here are two that I shot the first day of my new camera. Pretty.




Polar bear plunge January 1st in lake Michigan. Crazy folks...




Shot with a Milwaukee designer, Tena Her, and model in the freezing cold. Shots turned out awesome!

Get out and Shoot

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:

Decible/Deep Bar Shoot

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

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.

Cameron - Senior '09

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

Sneaky, sneaky...

David and Sarah

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...

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

Moda3 Boardfest

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:

New Logo?

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:

San Fran Pt. 1

This week I went out to San Francisco for the weekend and then some. I went specifically to attend a workshop given by two amazing photographers who are an inspiration to me and my work. If I am able to get even close to the skill level of these two that would be amazing. The two photogs are Gene Higa and Jose Villa.

I had a few days to bum around San Fran and see some of the sights and chill with some of my homies doing it big out on the West Coast. I stayed with my boy Dj Debo and we had a blast. We went out one day to get some In and Out Burger, see the Golden Gate Bridge, and see the ocean. We came back to his dog Dodge who had devowerd a whole box of Nerds, a half a box of Gobstoppers, and a whole thing of Sour Straws. I get the Sour Straws and the Nerds, but how the heck does a Dog eat Gobstoppers?? Here is part one of my San Fran trip:

Mariah - Senior Weekend 1

Mariah was a super sweet girl. We shot early in the morning at 8:00 a.m. (That is early for me on a Saturday). There was some great light and we were able to make some amazing photos. We shot at Doctors Park, which is a great park on the North East side of Milwaukee. I shot another senior that evening that I will post really soon, so in the mean time, check out these shots!









Vote for me as the best photographer in Milwaukee

Amanda - Senior Shoot

Rios and Ruth

Albert is his real name, but in college he went by Rios. Rios has been a good friend for about 4 years and has done everything from eating spoonfuls of pepper to almost finishing The Matrix game in one sitting. Ruth... well, she is a little bit quieter. A lot of fun, but still much quieter. They started to date when I was living with Rios in college and got a chance to briefly meet her and got to know her a little, but by the way Rios raved about her, I was pretty sure that she was the right girl for him. I moved away and hadn't talked to him for a while when I got a call from him. I knew he had been engaged to Ruth but hadn't talked to him since then. He asked if I could shoot his wedding and I was excited to do that for him. I went up to Minneapolis (an amazing city... love it) for the weekend and shot the wedding with my friend Cooper. Here are a few shots of the very affectionate wedding.

p.s. it is a long post....

These two girls were so much fun... mention Hanna Montana and they got huge smiles.

Rios wanted to do an "Abby Road" photo with his 8 grooms men...

I rented a fish eye lens for the wedding and had a lot of fun with it.

We had some fantastic light in the evening

Martinez Family

Breathless

There aren't many photos that move me. There have been a few that have and I have loved photos before, but this photo took my breath away. I love my family very much and they are very important in my life. I don't know that I have a favorite, but I have always felt very close to my youngest brother. Perhaps it is because we sound the same on the phone, or slur all of our words together the same way... I don't know what it is, but I have always felt close to him. He is married to a very beautiful and talented woman named Melody. Jon was getting ready to go into the Military a few months back and Melody and Him discovered that they were pregnant.

Jon went to boot camp close to the 4th of July (I think that weekend or the next) and Mel was back in MN by herself. Knowing Jon, that was probably one of the hardest things in life to do. He, like me, is a lover and a hopeless romantic. Some would call him whipped, I guess I call him in love. A few weeks into boot camp Melody started to have some issues with the pregnancy. She went to the Doctors and had an ultra sound and found out that they were gonna have twins. Everyone was super excited. Jon had the name picked out as soon as Mel told him that they were having twins.

I am not sure how long after the ultra sound, but Mel started to have more problems with the babies. She had to go in and have a surgery because she was having some contractions. She was put on bed rest for about 10 weeks (if memory serves me right). She moved in with her mother because she couldn't do much if anything for herself because she had to be in bed all day and night.

Yesterday I got a call telling me that Mel was in the hospital again. She started to have contractions the night before and was still having them the next day. All throughout the day she was at the hospital and the contractions did not stop. I was at work and at a photo shoot and getting updates all day from my Dad and Sister. Things weren't getting better for Mel. It was later in the evening when the Doctors had to go and undo the surgery that they did the week before. As the night went on Mel became tired and her body wouldn't stop contracting.

The rest of the details are a little fuzzy and might not be accurate due to it all being second hand knowledge. Around 10:30 p.m. Mel delivered the babies. They were only a few months along, but were developed enough to have a little heart that could be seen beating in their chests. Their nostrils weren't developed or lungs enough to sustain long life. One was darker then the other and both were moving a little. They were alive for about 2 hours before they passed. My sister was in the delivery room and took a few photos of Eli and Enoch McConico. My father emailed a photo that they took last night and it took my breath away. While they were not developed enough to live they were beautiful. Granted I am very close to the situation, but it was hard to breathe when I looked at the photo. It really is amazing what a picture can say or what a photo can do.

Sorry if that was a little deep, but as a photographer who can get giddy about photos and excited about lighting and processing telling a story and capturing the essence of those who I photograph is what I want to do. If you think of it, please say a prayer for my sister and brother while they grieve.

Stef

Bloooooggg

I'm in need of sleep. I need it bad. I'm gonna get some now, but soon... soon... I will have new photos up. A model shoot, a family shoot, and a wedding! I got it all coming very soon, so hold your pants.

Matt and Krista - Engagement Shoot

I met Matt at work and he saw a few of my photos in my cubical and asked if shot weddings. I in typical Simon fashion said, "Well... today is your lucky day, I do.". After that Matt, Krista, and I met at Starbucks to talk about their wedding. They saw my photos and we talked about their special day and they were sold. We scheduled an engagement shoot a few days later and here are some of the photos from that day. They are two really fun folks.

Katie - Senior Shoot

Today I got to shoot with an amazing senior. We shot over in Walkers Point, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to shoot, and on Bradford Beach. We had fun trying to chase Seagulls, falling through trailers, and kicking rocks. (I got some bruises on my shins from the trailer incident... but according to Katie, it looked like something out of a movie.)


When I got home, I removed my camera bag from my car. I grabbed it by one of the straps, but didn't realize that it wasn't zipped up. Tumbling out came my camera and a lens onto the concrete. My UV Filter shattered, but the lens works, but I cant get the broken piece off the lens. If you have any suggestions about that let a brotha know. Yeesh... not too fun.

Amanda

Today I got invited to shoot with one of my friends Sarah G, who's wedding I am shooting in August. She is a lot of fun and great to hang out with. She wanted to shoot with a friend from work, so I dragged myself out of bed and went along with her. I am in love with shooting and creating art as well as meeting new people. We went to Seven Bridges and ran all over that place. We started shooting on a bridge then moved to the beach, got attacked by black flies, so we went to a stream, then went to a field... it was pretty crazy. Here are some of the shots that I got from today. Amanda made it easy, she was beautiful!

Run, Run, Run

Today I got a chance to hang out with a kid named Cayden. He was a handful and running everywhere. He wanted to play with his ball then he wanted to blow bubbles, then he wanted to throw the football. I have no clue how he could do all of that and still have more energy to play in the park. I think it has something to do with him just turning three, but who knows. I miss that energy... well... I don't know that I remember what it was like to have that energy. This was my first "official" kids shoot and I think it went pretty well. I shot just a little under 3 gigs, so there will be plenty of photos for Mom to sort through in the next week or so. Here are a few shots from today.

Tom and Sarah

Tom and Sarah got married today. It was a fun wedding that was almost ruined by a storm in the middle of the day. Luckily, the clouds and rain only stayed for a little while and passed on. This will be my third wedding and I am continually learning what to do and what not to do during the course of a wedding. It is fun and I can tell that I am getting better, not only from having more and more shots that I love, but from being in the right place at the right time. I am a character and it is always fun to see how people react to the odd things I say. It is always good for soliciting a smile or even a hardy laugh. I don't know how I got to be the way I am, but it seems like people are okay with that. Here are some of the shots that I got from today and from the rehearsal dinner.

Model Citizen

Sometimes I am slow. With working a full time job and also doing photography it can take a lot out of a person. I think I average 5 hours of sleep on a good day... that is trying. Oh well. I have got a few photos edited from an older shoot that I am excited about and some shots from a shoot done last Saturday that was fantastic. Take a gander at them.

Rock Stars!

So. Last night was pretty crazy. I got talked into shooting a bunch of crazy teenagers by my friend Liana. The church Poplar Creek had a contest going for quite a while with teams and at the end the winning team got treated to a Rock Star evening.

I finished up with work (You know... that thing that normal people do to pay bills) and rushed over to the church. They started to gather at about 5 and that was when i got off of work. I was shooting to get there by 5:30 and did pretty good pulling into the parking lot by about 5:45. I went and set up my lights the night before, so that helped. I came in and adjusted a few things then started to shoot.

My lighting was fairly simple. I used two strobes in the background pointed down and gelled pretty heavily. In the front I had an AB800 with a large softbox at about a 45 degree angle to the rockers. From there I just needed to turn on the fan and get them to rock out.

I shot all of them in groups and then we went out to the stretch hummers. From there we had pizza at a local restaurant and then went off to the lake front. Took some photos with my loverly 50mm 1.8. I love that lens! Get one. Now. We took the group photo, which was an interesting task. I packed my AB800, softbox, and stand and was ready to shoot, when I realized that I left my portable power pack in my car, which was about an hour away (I rode in the limos). So, no big light... that means I get to use a small one. Pulled out the 580ex II, put on the cactus triggers and shot away. I am a little frustrated with the lens I used though. It was the only option for the occasion, at least from my bag. I was using the Canon 28-135 IS, which has worked well for me, but it is reeeeeealy soft around the edges at 28mms. I hate that. Tack sharp in the middle, but soft as new socks at the edges. I really need a new lens. I am thinking of the Canon 24-70 2.8... anyone want to give me a grand? Anyoldways... I got the shot using the 580 on a stand over my head pointed at the crowd. It worked out.

After that we went to the bowling alley, where I didn't bowl, but I edited photos and had a mass of people watch me. It was kinda funny. I had a huge crowd watching me photoshop the photos, which was good because I got a lot done in a short period of time. Here is a before and after shot for you folks to see the lights and the original version as well as the PS version: