Simon McConico | Valo Photography

So… sometimes people find us in odd ways. They hear of Valo from a friend of a friend of a friend who knew me 5 years ago and we played a basketball game together. This is much more odd. Jake and I were shooting a wedding at the Intercontinental Hotel and went to Blu on top of the Pfister to shoot some photos with our bride and groom. The bridesmaids got the bride and disappeared. That isn’t totally abnormal, but when your looking for them and not one is around in a not so large place, it gets confusing. Eventually a bridesmaid runs into the bar and grabs me and drags me into the ladies bathroom… to take photos because there are awesome windows and amazing light. All the ladies were in there and I snapped a few photos and was in the middle of rocking some shots with the bride when someone walks in. Not a part of the wedding party, it was a little odd… She walks in, looks at me, looks at the bride, looks at me. Simon “uh… were taking photos because the light is awesome…” Her “Oh… cool, do you have a card? I’m getting married here in a few months”

That was how I met Lisa. Super funny story. Fast forward a few months and we are shooting Lisa and Josh’s wedding at the Big Red Church right next to the Marquette campus and having a reception at the Pfister Hotel downtown. The wedding was super fun, great light, and shared a bridesmaid with the wedding that we shot the day before.

Lisa is awesome! Josh is awesome! and oh yeah… thanks to the grooms men who got us shots in wine glasses…

1 Comment | In: Weddings | tags: pfister hotel, picture taker, Valo Photography, wedding photos. | #

Ooo… Maren and Craig are such a cool couple and had such a lovely wedding. Rocked the Wisconsin Club for the reception which is super beautiful. Gonna have more for ya to check out soon!

No Comments | In: Weddings | tags: maren and craig, milwaukee wedding photographer, simonmcconico, Valo Photography, wedding photos, wisconsin club. | #

Madison is crazy after a Badgers game. Not to mention when the Badgers lose. To the Hawkeyes. Granted, this was good news for Kevin and Sarah. Call it an early wedding present for the two Hawkeyes that were getting married that day in Madison.

The setting: The Orpheum

The Orpheum was a really cool venue. Really dark… but really cool.  Lots of texture and lots of space. Those always make for fun photos.  Jake and I went up to Madison a few hours early from Milwaukee to shoot an engagement session for Nick and Dana who are getting married at the same place next year.  After the shoot we got some lunch then it was time to get our wedding shoes on. (I don’t really have wedding shoes, although I did wear pink and white chucks when shooting my cousins wedding)

There were lots of cool touches to the wedding that made it very personal and fun to shoot.  Sarah had her mother and grandmothers dress on display as well as their stories for people to check out.  The bouquets were made out of different herbs and smelled amazing.  After they said I Do and kissed, Sarah’s dad busted out a guitar and Kevin serenaded her on the steps of the stage.  It was a very warm and fun wedding to shoot even though it was chilly outside.  I am so glad that we got a chance to be a part of these two Hawks special day.

3 Comments | In: Weddings | tags: @jakedavidrohde, canon 5d mark 2, http://www.orpheumtheatre.net/, madison, madison wisconsin, milwaukee photography, milwaukee wedding photographer, milwaukee wisconsin, orpheum theatre, Photography, photos, the orpheym, Valo, Valo Photography, valophotography, wedding, wedding photographer, wedding photography, wedding photos, wisconsin, wisconsin photography, wisconsin wedding photography. | #

Oh my, oh my, oh me… Again, I can’t express how much I love shooting weddings of people who have a personal flair to everything that they do.  People who infuse their personality into everything from the vows to the shoes to the drinks to the wedding party.

Shawn and Cassie’s wedding had all of their awesomeness infused into one giant day which has now turned into one giant blog post.  I loved everything from the Chuck Taylors that the grooms men wore to the Crazy Booth that is going to be tough to top in 2010.

The wedding was at the Eisner Museum in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, which has tons of really great places to take photos.  After the ceremony we went running around the Third Ward taking tons of photos, tripping on things, and dropping bridesmaids. (Wasn’t as fatal as it sounds)  From there, the Ceremony rocked and the Crazy Booth was brought.  By the end of the night I was exhausted, but had such a fun time shooting and capturing an amazing party for two amazing people.  Congrats Shawn and Cassie.

(now on to the photos which is why you are looking at the blog anyways)

2 Comments | In: Weddings | tags: @jakedavidrohde, canon 5d mark 2, eisner museum, historic third ward, milwaukee, milwaukee photography, milwaukee wedding photographer, milwaukee wisconsin, Photography, photos, simonmcconico, Valo, Valo Photography, wedding, wedding photography, wedding photos, wisconsin, wisconsin photography, wisconsin wedding photography, www.eisnermuseum.org/. | #

Before I leave to spend Turkey day with my folks in MN, here is a lil something for you until next week:

You can check out their E-Session HERE and HERE

No Comments | In: Weddings | tags: @jakedavidrohde, canon 5d mark 2, milwaukee, milwaukee photography, milwaukee wedding photographer, milwaukee wisconsin, Photography, Valo, Valo Photography, wedding photography, wedding photos, wisconsin, wisconsin photography, wisconsin wedding photography. | #

The Orpheum, The Art Museum, and a whole lot of awesome light in Madison helped make this E-session with Nick and Dana pretty amazing.  From there we went down the street to a fantastic little restaurant and took some more photos and had lunch. We said goodbye and then Jake and I went to shoot a wedding at The Orpheum.

2 Comments | In: E-Sessions | tags: canon 5d mark 2, engagement, engagement session, madison, madison e-session, madison wisconsin, milwaukee, Photography, photos, the orpheum, Valo, Valo Photography, valo photos, wedding photographer, wedding photos. | #

Running around a strange town is sometimes the best as a photographer. Not knowing any locations or places, you get to look at all the great landmarks and places with fresh eyes. Nick and Dana took Jake and I around downtown Madison for their E-Session and we had a blast.  Here’s a sneak peek on what I am working on.

No Comments | In: E-Sessions | tags: canon 5d mark 2, engagement, engagement session, madison, madison e-session, madison wisconsin, milwaukee, Photography, photos, Valo, Valo Photography, valo photos, wedding photographer, wedding photos. | #

Oh my my my my… I love shooting weddings. Rob and Christina’s wedding just continued to keep me on my toes.  Tons of home made things, small details, and lots of fantastic vendors to work with.

Rob and Christina contacted me from New York where they live and work.  Both of them have been involved in theater and the arts and it was evident at their wedding.  Christinas dress was handmade and so were all of the flowers.  The flowers were paper and crafted by St. Jude’s Creations and looked fantastic.  The wedding was at the beautiful Villa Terrace, which is an awesome location overlooking like Michigan.

I love to see the different emotions that people go through at a wedding… from the nervous first steps to the first kiss.

They had an adaptation of one of my favorite author/illustrator, Shel Silverstein’s work “The Missing Piece Meets The Big O”

We had some fantastic light for photos after the ceremony.

Of all the great personal touches, this one takes the cake. Rob is a big Back to the Future fan and Christina surprised him with renting a Delorean (from TimeMachineRental.com) to go from the Villa Terrace to the reception site, Cuvee.  Pretty much the most fantastic thing ever.

Heck… I even got in on the action.

The cake was from Eat Cake and was not only gorgeous, but was the best smelling cake ever. I could smell the berries before the cake was even cut.

Later that night we went out to the car and took more photos and had a great time quoting lines from Back to the Future and attempting to go 88mph. Didn’t work…

A big thanks to Dynamic Events for helping pull everything together and make this a great night for Rob and Christina.  There are more photos coming from the Crazy Booth… I’ll post those in just a bit… too crazy for my computer to handle.

7 Comments | In: Weddings | tags: @jakedavidrohde, back to the future, canon 5d mark 2, cuvee, delorean, dynamic events, eat cake, midwest wedding, midwest wedding photography, milwaukee, milwaukee wedding photos, milwaukee wisconsin, paper flowers, simonmcconico, st. jude's creations, villa terrace, wedding, wedding photography, wedding photos, Weddings, wisconsin wedding photography. | #

Some days are great for taking photos. Other days are not so great… We scheduled Drew and Vanessa’s engagement session and Mr. Weather man told us that we should think about picking a different day.  We met early in the morning hoping to get the shoot finished before the rain came out, but had no such luck.  We left and planned on coming back later if the rain stopped.  As the day went on, the rain tapered off and the sun came out.  The weather changed for the best and the photo session was on!

We went to one of my favorite places to take photos, Havenwoods State Forest, and tromped around the fields tucked away in the middle of Milwaukee.  Jake and I were having a field day with the light and the couple. They both were having a good time and so were we, which in turn, gives us great natural expressions and moments to capture.  Check out Jakes version of the shoot HERE, and enjoy my photos below:

4 Comments | In: E-Sessions | tags: black and white, can, canon 5d mark 2, cool, drew and vanessa, e-session, engagement, engagement session, havenwoods state forest, milwaukee, milwaukee wisconsin, modern, Photography, photos, Valo, Valo Photography, wedding photos. | #