Photography

Good Morning Everybody,

What a day! We arrived at Central Park's Belvedere Castle, the location selected for my B&H shootout, around 10:45a.m.  Everyone was starting to gather for the big event.  Peter, from Quantum, and I scouted the surrounds for some good places to shoot. My buddy, David Brommer from B&H suggested a terrific location the castle which worked perfect for the day’s sessions.

By 11:30a.m. the crowds had started to gather and by noon we were off and running.  We had a huge crowd for the photo event, the largest in B&H/Central Park history.  David had put quite a bit a planning into it so it went off like clockwork.  Because of the large number of photographers, the larger group was broken down into 6 smaller groups who rotated through each of the 6 shooting stations they had organized around Belvedere Castle.

I think a lot of photographers including, a photographer from England and a couple of female photographers also from Europe just wanted an opportunity to photograph the pretty models - who wouldn't - and everyone really enjoyed the opportunity to do so.  I took a different tack and decided to present an extremely fast paced training session featuring the focal length lenses I use, some great portable lighting techniques, and a few compositional techniques thrown into my 30 minute segments for good measure. Yep, all in 30 minutes for each of the six groups.

I have to say, by 3:15, I was exhausted AND out of breath ;~) It was like a marathon lecture -high speed, non-stop for over 3 hours. In that same three hours I captured some wonderful images and, from the feedback of the 6 groups, it sounded like everyone really enjoyed my sessions.  In fact the buzz from all the photographers was that B&H organized a great event and everyone is looking forward to additional photo-in-the-park extravaganzas.

My Shootout At Central Park – Great Time and Great Images!

Most photographers are happy with shooting away in this kind of flat lighting situation (right).  Not me! For me it's always about making your lighting exciting.  I added a little off camera flash, thanks to my Quantum strobe, and got this image (below) instead.

In this next photograph we set up in another part of the gazebo. Shooting in this direction gave me a nice full green background of trees and foliage.  I needed to get the background well out of focus so I chose a favorite lens, the Sigma 70-200mm IS lens, for the job.

The problem was that the lighting was quite flat and uninteresting. BUT, if I turned our model’s face INTO the light, I could once again create that wonderfully flattering loop lighting pattern on her face.  I asked Laurence to rotate her head till I could just see the beautiful lighting caressing her face.  What I found was that her profile offered not just optimum lighting but also a beautiful natural light portrait of our stunning subject.

In this next image I wanted to demonstrate to the groups how they could take a photograph of their subject looking directly back into the camera and not have to settle with the flat, uninteresting, unexciting light the the scene presented originally.

I wanted to add additional light in order to create that detail, depth, and dimension to the subject.  This time I added the additional light by having LaDawn hold a 36 Westcott Silver reflector approximately 15 feet outside the shaded gazebo catching some of the sun rays and kicking them back onto our beautiful model.  The result was exactly what I needed but a bit too harsh for Laurence’s stunning features. It’s important to consider the look you want to obtain with your images.  This high contrast light source works better on guys, or a hard edged image instead of the soft background and overall feel of Laurence’s look. But in a pinch it is certainly better than no directional light source.

In the photograph below I wanted to show the class another way to add directional light to the photograph.  This time I wanted the light to be extremely soft so I decided to shoot through my 84 inch Westcott translucent parabolic umbrella.

It worked like a charm.  I used my Quantum flash with the reflector dome removed, on 1/2 power in a bare-bulb configuration.  With the flash tube completely exposed, and with the strobe head pushed in about 1/2 way down the shaft, the light was able to spread out and completely fill the super large light source. The results were amazingly soft and beautiful and a much better over-all feel.

The last thing I wanted to demonstrate was how I use wide angle lenses to accentuate long, converging lines in many of my compositions.  We stepped out of the gazebo down the steps on the opposite side.  The steps gave me just the compositional ingredients I needed to make my point. Fortunately the steps were shaded so it was easy to set up a decent composition in this location. 

The secret of shooting super wide lenses like my Sigma 12-24mm, my all time favorite wide angle optic, is to keep the subject away from the corners of the frame.  Get them, or any body parts too close and you'll create the Mr./Mrs. Gumby effect and optically stretch those body parts way beyond their normal perspective.

The next problem I faced was getting my tried and true dimensional lighting on my subject.  My creative solution was to place my Westcott silver reflector leaning against the wall to my right and just out of camera range.  I then asked Laurence to find a comfortable, relaxing position on the steps. I turned on my on-camera Canon 580EZ II flash, rotated it towards the reflector to bounce the photons from the reflector back onto my subject. I once again was able to obtain the lighting I wanted.  Pretty cool result, don't you think?

We had a great day in the park.  I was able to cover a lot of techniques in our short amount of time together.  My special thanks to my three vendor buddies, Westcott, Quantum Flash, and Sigma Lens for being on hand to answer any specific questions, loan lens and gear to the photographers and be available for tech support as needed. Thanks you guys!!!

My thanks to David Brommer and the entire crew at B&H for putting the entire day together - it was a great time!

Later yesterday evening LaDawn and I, my daughter Elizabeth, Jesica and Gabe from B&H and Nancy all headed down to Katz's Deli, for a taste of real New York City chowing down on Pastrami and Corned Beef monster sandwiches. Of course we selected the best seat in the house as you see from the sign over our table!  By the end of the day, after many laughs and giggles a good time was had by all, especially LaDawn and I. We can't wait to visit the Big Apple again!

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Hey gang, on that note I'm out of here.  We've got the day mostly off and plan to catch up with our friends Ralph and Cindy Romaguera.  We just found out that Ralph is in town receiving the United Nations IPC International Award - quite an honor.  He doesn't know that LaDawn and I are also in town.

Last night Jesica told us he and Cindy were taking a tour of B&H today around noon. The plan is for me to don a B&H green vest, keep my back turned till they get up to the counter, then turn and offer my assistance as a B&H employee -  thus surprising them.  It should be a good practical joke. 

Later this evening we have tickets for the multi Tony nominated Porgy and Bess Broadway play.  Tomorrow we're seeing Newsies, another "hot Broadway play ticket".  Then on Sunday we are both supporting the huge Aids Walk taking place at, you guessed it, Central Park. 

Yep, it's one busy weekend.  On Monday morning we jump a plane to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a few days of real R&R.  How about I plan to see everyone on Monday from the warm temperatures and ocean breezes of Myrtle Beach. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

-David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"Coming At You"
©David A. Ziser 

This is just one of the images I captured yesterday at my B&H Central Park shootout.  It's just a simple portrait of this lovely young lady, Laurence.  What makes it special is the lighting.  Whenever you shoot under a gazebo like structure the light is usually flat and uninteresting. Unfortunately, most photographers are perfectly happy to shot away and be satisfied with an ordinary result.

How about we choose instead to make our lighting exciting and bring in some light from a direction that really flatters our subject?  I choose to do this by shooting my Quantum strobe through my super large 84inch Westcott translucent umbrella.  As you can see, the extra effort was worth it.

I balanced the strobe with the ambient light till I had the look and feel I wanted then asked my model to hit a comfortable pose and shot away.  I think we captured a really nice, easy portrait on a Thursday afternoon in Central Park

Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark III fitted with Sigma 70-200mm IS lens at 200mm, F3.5 @ 1/400 second, ISO 200.  Enjoy!  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"Soaring Away"
©David A. Ziser 

I captured this image yesterday morning as were were sitting in Radio City Music Hall waiting for the Pace Commencement Ceremonies.  It was the first time I was inside of the venue and was immediately taken by the the very cool art deco architecture. I had start photographing my environment.

I looked up, leaned back, framed up what I wanted and shot away.  I like this image, because as the name implies, the lines seem to me to be soaring to upwards, almost like waves of orange moving out from its center.  I like the striking colors and the contrasts of the smaller details we see in the ceiling. I think it’s a cool abstract of the building.

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 18mm, Canon Fisheye lens at 8mm, F3.5 @ 1/30 second, ISO 2000.  Enjoy!  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Good Morning Everybody,

It was a great day yesterday as we headed  to Radio City Music Hall and watched my daughter, Elizabeth, graduate from the Lubin School of Business of Pace University. She graduated just .05 points away from Suma Cum Laude receiving her Magna Cum Laude the night before at the Honors Ceremony.  She was also inducted into the most prestigious honors society for business in the world.  Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International. Congrats Liz!!!

Today its over to Central Park for my BIG shootout for B&H.  It's shaping up to be the biggest shootout they've ever hosted at Central Park with upwards of 300 photographers taking part in today’s fun. WOW! We need to be hitting the road soon so lets get right to todays post.

Business Day Thursday: Where’s The Beef? Don’t Believe Everything You Read!

It just kills me when I see this kind of post telling photographers which photo to shoot at a wedding.  I guess what bugs me most is that photographers read it as a complete list and fail to see all the holes to the coverage.  Recently WeddingIdeasMag posted  "The 20 Must Have Wedding Photos You Must Take At A Wedding" [link].  I have no problem at all with the 20 suggestions given.  In fact, we take ALL those images and more at a wedding.

The problem for me is that there are so many holes in the list. The list implies that a wedding photographer is only shooting for the bride and groom - WRONG!!!  Any wedding photographer worth his/her salt realizes that they are shooting not just for the bride and groom, but the bride and groom's parents, the grandparents, family and friends as well. If any of us miss-interpret this list and shoot only for the images listed we only shoot about 2/3's of the event, disappoint the rest of our clients with the LACK of images missed during the day and can look forward to sales much lower than otherwise possible.

Here are 10 more images to add to the list referenced above.

1. Photographs of the Bride and Groom with the bride's mom and dad and immediate family.

2. Do the same for the groom's family.

3. Don't forget to photograph the grandparents in separate photographs with the bride and groom.

4. Photographs of the bride with her girls.

5. Photographs of the groom with his guys.

6. Photographs of the bride walking down the aisle with her dad - vitally important!

7. Photographs of the groom getting ready too.  Remember, half the guests at the wedding are there for him.

8. Several photographs of the ceremony, church, synagogue.  Get telephoto shots and wide shots.  They make great panoramas in the wedding album.

9. Be sure to request if the couple will have any special guests at the wedding.  You don't want to miss that special aunt from Milwaukee or a special uncle or godparents.

10. Be sure to check with the couple to see if they need any photographs of college friends, roommates, sororities, fraternities, etc.

11. Key to any/all photographs listed in the link above is not just capturing the action of the day.  It's also important to capture the reactions as well.  For me, its about capturing the moments of the day - actions+reactions+special moments - and you can't do that without capturing both

12. Yes, don't miss the first dance, but be sure you get photographs of the bride dancing with her dad and groom with his mom - must have images.  The reaction photo - when the last note of the song hits and the bride and the groom warmly embrace their parents - hugely important!

And that's a quick 12 off the top of my head - the list doesn't stop there either.  If you want to do the best job at a wedding, keep in mind who your REAL clients are - bride and groom, the couple's parents, and the grandparents and the rest of the family.  If you keep that thought in mind while shooting, you will will have a much more complete coverage for your clients.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We've got to run and get up to Central Park a little early to check locations for today's shoot.  Hope to see a few of you there!

-David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Good Morning Everybody,

Well, today is one the big days we've been looking forward to on our visit to NYC - we're attending my daughter's Honors Ceremony at Schimmel Hall at Pace University campus.  Festivities begin at 5:30p.m. with a reception to follow. LaDawn and I are really looking forward to the celebration.

Schimmel Hall,  was the location for the debut of the very famous TriBeCa Film Festival years ago as well as being the stage for Al Pacino, John Goodman, and Jeff Goldblum, and many others.

We spent most of our first real day in the city walking, and walking, and walking - about  5 miles worth.  With Elizabeth's graduation events, the B&H shootout on Thursday, and the Broadway play tickets we nabbed yesterday, our calendar is pretty well filled up for the week. And that's a good thing ;~)

You know, even with all the walking we did yesterday, I took very few photographs.  The day was cloudy and we seemed preoccupied with to many other activities. Well see what happens today.  Anyway, that's the latest, greatest update from the Big Apple. How about we get on with today's Technique Tuesday.  Here we go.

Getting The Money Shot! Getting The Essential Photographs Of The Bride

Because this is a big family week for LaDawn and I, and also vacation time for the both of us, I decided to share with you a Technique Tuesday from a few years back.  I'm also sharing it with you because it was not heavily viewed and was probably missed by most of our DPT readers in spite of the important content on how to make people look good in front of the camera.

When I reviewed this video this morning, I was surprised just how much detail  I went into when making the original post.  I really do think it points up the important reasons why we need to get these essential bridal photographs at a wedding.

Every now and then, someone will comment on one of my images of the day and that comment will give me an idea for a future post. That’s exactly what happened a few weeks ago when I posted "Rocky Mountain High" and someone commented about my cutting off the bride's gown in the photograph. You should never cut off the bride's gown.

I agree 100% with the remark, except when I cut off the bride's gown. So, how about a discussion about when to cut off the gown and when not to cut off the gown. Hey, wait a second, let me give you the whole scoop on photographing a bride - what you need to cover, how to cover it, what you should expect as final result. Fasten your seat belts and hit PLAY below and watch and listen.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We're going to take in a few more sites of the city before we head to Liz’s Honors Ceremony this evening. Tomorrow is my daughter's actual graduation ceremony so I'm planning to pass on tomorrows post and plan to be here with a very "lively" post on Thursday. The title? The Worst Wedding Advice In The World For Photographers!  I'm really fired up!

See ya’ then, David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places"
©David A. Ziser

I’ve previously blogged this image but I still like it and thought I would bring it around again. The bride was hoping to shoot at Fountain Square, one of our most popular venues for Cincinnati city images.  Cincinnati was hosting their Oktoberfest celebration over the weekend and due to the large crowds put Fountain Square off limits for photography.

I had mentioned an even more urban location in which we had photographed earlier and she jumped at the idea. We were about 5 hours into the day’s pre-wedding photography session – yep, a long day -and now were headed to an alley at 8th and Plum in downtown Cincy.

We only had a few minutes to work because we were now beginning to run out of time and needed to be heading to the wedding venue within a few minutes.  I had an idea in mind, and I need to say, this was NOT a typical “David Ziser” wedding portrait, but I was looking to try something new and different.

This is one of the images from our “urban” shoot.  With the bride sitting on the curb and the groom straddling her, and both of them with somber expressions, it reminded me maybe of Bonnie and Clyde on their wedding day ;~)  Anyway, it was fun and the couple loved it.

Lighting (150 w.s. or full power) from Quantum placed camera left and shooting through my Zumbrella gave me the directional light I wanted.  Ever so slight tweaks in LR3 finished the image.

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with Sigma 8-16mm Lens at 8mm, F 5.6 @ 1/320 second, ISO 200. Enjoy!  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"Times Square Straight Up"
©David A. Ziser

This is one of the last images I captured at Times Square last night.  We were near 46th Street looking back down Broadway.  Before me were all the buildings, lights, and "glittereeze" that makes Times Square such a photographic Mecca.

I framed up the cornucopia of dazzling lights and billboards and shot away. The camera was pointed nearly straight up at the night sky which gave me the unique perspective of showing the building both before me and behind me. Zooming back to the full circle (full circle on the full frame 5D Mk3) 8mm setting on the captured this image.

Because of the range of the scene brightness, I had to select an exposure that would capture the true feeling and excitement of Times Square.  The HDR effect helps eliminate any hot spots too. 

Camera specs: Canon 5D fitted with Canon Fisheye lens at 8mm, F5.6 @ 500 second, ISO 6400.  Enjoy!  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Monday's Photoshop Freebies

Every weekend I enjoy scouring the internet for the latest collection of brush sets, textures, patterns, tutorials, and what ever other Photoshop tidbits I might find interesting for myself and my DPT readers.  I've found a pretty good collection for you today.  Here we go.

Free – Modern and Professional Brochure Design Templates: Thinking of putting together that new brochure to promote your photography business?  These pretty cool brochure templates may just do the trick for you. [link]

30 Awesome Cool Photoshop Text Effects Tutorials:  I'm a huge fan of fonts and text effects - always have been.  Even back in the early DOS/Windows3 days, I was a collector of fonts - I have thousands.  Today it's about adding the various effects to text.  This link features some of the most unusual text effects I've seen.  Enjoy TEXT fans! [link]

60+ Must Have Best Paisley Patterns for Photoshop:  I've said it a million times - I'm a child of the sixties and have to tell you that I really got fired up when I found the link to these best paisley patterns.  So, for all you ex-hippies and even current hippies, this link is for you ;~)  [link]

A Collection Of Free Photoshop Hair Brushes:  OK, this one is the most interesting, and I think the most useful link I've found today - hair brushes.  Wait, no, not hair brushes you find in a beauty salon.  Hair brushes for Photoshop.  That's right, now you can bring your beauty salon to Photoshop.  Hey gang, don't take this lightly - this is good stuff.  How many times have you had to clone hair in one of your portrait/wedding images and the clone tool simply was not the best solution for the job?  Well, now you have a brand new solution - just comb the problem away with these Photoshop hair brushes - I love them! [link]

That’s it for this week’s Freebies –more next week.  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Good Morning Everybody,

That's right, today and all this week, I'll be coming to you from the Big Apple - NYC.  We landed safe and sound yesterday, had a nice lunch with my soon to be graduated daughter, Elizabeth, and finally got checked in to our hotel late yesterday.

We didn't just want to hang around the hotel, a very nice one btw, so we decided to start walking towards Time Square to see if we could nab a Broadway play ticket or two and then take in a movie. It was about a half hour walk down to 42nd Street and I knew I would have my camera in tow - but which lens to use???

My NYC Photo Walk Challenge

I have this little creative game I play with myself whereby I'll put one lens on the camera and just shoot everything with that lens. Since we've been to NYC many times I sure didn't need any more touristy pics taken with my normal go-to-vacation lens, my 24-105mm IS lens. I wanted an optic that would give a completely different perspective on my subject than any normal focal length lens.

Also, I figured we would be walking back to the hotel after dark and I thinking it would be cool to get some shots of Times Square at night with whatever optic I choose.  OK, so which lens did I chose - drum roll please,  my new 8-15mm zoomable Fisheye.  Have I mentioned how much I like that lens? So, the Fisheye it was. Wait, there's more - I also set my Canon Mark III to the new HDR setting to simply play around and see what images I might capture.  Hey, If I didn't get the HDR effect I wanted, I still had the 3 separate exposures to choose from for a traditional photograph. 

Below is a collection of some of my favorite images from last night's walk back to our hotel.

From the AMC Theater roof top down on 42nd Street:

Another from the same rooftop looking down on 42nd Street:

In front of the McDonalds on 42nd:

42nd and Broadway heading up Broadway:

From 45th and Broadway looking down Broadway:

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  Don’t forget to check out my new set of Photoshop Freebies following this post – you’ll love them. On that note, we heading out to see the sights today and visit a few friends.  I'll plan to see everybody tomorrow for Technique Tuesday.

Have a great one and I'll see you then,  David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Good Morning Everybody,

In my travels around the country I meet a lot of photographers who lament the fact that their business isn't what it should be. New customers aren’t calling, they need new gear to get the job done, their clients are always looking for the best price, etc., etc., etc. You know what I mean and I've been there myself now and then.

Looking For Luck In Life

But then I got thinking about an experience I had as a child. I can remember sitting with my mom on a blanket in our backyard. My mom told me about lucky four leaf clovers. I was a young kid, five or six years old, and didn't even know they came in a four leaf variety. Every clover I had ever seen in our backyard was the three leaf clover. 

She proceeded to tell me that luck would follow me if I could find a four leaf clover and save it. I remember saying to my mom, "Well, let’s look for some right now!"  We both rolled over in the blanket, put our noses close to the grass, and began looking for the elusive four leaf clovers. As I remember, I found the first one and I can't tell you how surprised I was. There was, a four leaf clover – held the secret to my lucky days ahead. We probably spent another hour or so looking for more four leaf clover's. Hey, you can never have too much luck I figured ;~)  I remember that my mother found a couple of them but, by the end of our time together, I had found five or six – I was set for life! And as it turned out, the more I looked for four leaf clovers the more I found.

I Learned A Life Lesson That Day

I think there's a life lesson here. If I had chose instead to look for crabgrass – I surely would've found a lot more crabgrass with a lot less effort. It seems crabgrass and weeds were everywhere but four leaf clovers are much more rare to find and require a lot more effort to find.

Let's apply that to real life. I feel that if a person is always looking for crabgrass and weeds in their life, let's call it complaining – the crabgrass becomes the complaints of life. And we all know it much easier to complain than to look for the positive.  Looking for crabgrass and four leaf clovers works the same way. It’s easy to find crabgrass nearly everywhere you look. But as we spend time looking for weeds (or complaining) you over look the occasional four leaf clover (lucky opportunity) that's out there just waiting to be found. Said differently, weed seekers have a lot more weeds to deal with in their lives. Heck, it’s what they keep their mental focus on, what they think about – and those results would be the expected.

I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover….

Now let's say you were a four leaf clover finder – a person looking for new opportunities and working towards a goal. It seems to me that the more you look for four leaf clovers, the less likely you're see the crabgrass in your peripheral vision.  If you maintain your focus on the four leaf clover search,  and as I remember as I sat there on the blanket with my mom so many years ago, I don't remember complaining about all the grass in the way. I remember myself having a single-minded focus to find a four leaf clover. Once I found the first one I couldn’t wait to find the second one and soon found it too. My search continued, as I said above, until I found nearly a half dozen of the lucky four leaf clovers.

Success (Happiness) In Life Is A Lot Like Looking For Four Leaf Clovers

Life is exactly the same if we live our lives looking for four leaf clovers (opportunities).  Then the search for crabgrass (ongoing complaining) sort of dissipates in the background. But the opposite is true too. If we spend our lives looking only for only crabgrass, we will never find a four leaf clover. I also found that  in searching for those “four leaf clovers” in my life, metaphorically speaking of course, that I would indeed find them with regularity.

It's inherent that the search for four leaf clovers takes much more effort than the search for weeds. But you know what, spending time looking for four leaf clovers (opportunities) is a lot more productive than complaining about the weeds.

Four leaf clovers are also a metaphor for good luck. But as you can see from my story, it takes a lot more effort, focus, and work to find four leaf clovers. Said another way it takes a lot more work to find four leaf clovers, success, and happiness in our lives.

Start this weekend searching for those four leaf clovers and it’s a lot more fun. It's also a wonderful, productive, and prosperous way to make your journey through your profession and, maybe even life.

Food for thought: David

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Hey gang  that's it for me today. I hope everybody has a great weekend. LaDawn and I are heading to Louisville, Kentucky tomorrow to attend a friend's wedding and we are both really looking forward to it. Then is a 90 minute drive back home, finish packing our bags, and head to New York City Sunday morning. How about I see everybody bright and early on Monday hailing from the Empire State. Have a great weekend everybody!

See you soon, David Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"Fantasy Landscape”
©David A. Ziser

I made this image on our first trip to Sedona, AZ a number of years ago.  The colors of the desert, dark green foliage, and rick blues of the sky certainly made you feel like you were standing in the middle of a vortex almost wherever you were.

We were just cruising through one of the scenic drives and I decided to park the card and take in the beauty of the desert a bit more slowly.  Right off the side of the road was this unusual looking plant all alone on its small rocky plot with it’s “branches reaching for the sky.  I’m thinking, “A perfect subject for my wide angle lens.” The wide angle lens really accentuated the foreground and did a good job diminishing the attention on the objects in the background calling the viewer’s full attention to the plant centered in this image.

The title also implies that the colors have been manipulated here, but let me assure you, only slightly. It's the natural surrounds and colors of the dessert that render the scene a lively display of colors with only modest tweaking in Lightroom.

Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F5.6 @ 1/50 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"Butterflies Are Free”
©David A. Ziser

Yesterday afternoon LaDawn and took a little time off to visit the annual Butterfly Show over at the Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, Ohio. It’s a great place to relax on a beautiful spring day.  I thought we would get a decent image or two from one or two of the butterflies flitting through the show.  I managed to get one or two.  This one was one of my favorites.

One of the cool things I learned yesterday was just how close I could get to the butterflies – about 10-12 inches away.  That close focusing characteristic of the lens allowed me to create nearly 2:1 macro shots of the butterflies.  In the image above the butterfly measured about three inches across and I was able to photograph it nearly full frame.  Heck, saves you money on a macro lens ;~)

Instead of posting it as just as a photograph of a butterfly, I decided to add my very own kaleidoscopic effect to the image via Photoshop by flipping it a few times top to bottom and then left to right.  This was the result – kind of cool, I think

Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark III fitted with Tamron 28-300mm lens at 300mm, F9.0 @ 1/80 second, ISO 1600.  Enjoy!  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Good Afternoon Everybody,

Things have been pretty calm around here this week even though our plane leaves for New York City in just the next few days. The fact that we just returned from Texas School means that the equipment bags are mostly packed and ready to go. LaDawn completed a few orders, retouched a two volume wedding order and is near completion on designing the albums. She should be able to head to New York City without too many work worries on her plate.

Anyway, you don’t want to hear about our upcoming vacation so, let's get right on with today's post.

The Angel Is In The Details

I know I paraphrased the regular saying, “The Devil is in the Details”  but, I think today's post really points to Angels. That is, Angels of profits. There are a lot of great new wedding photographers inundating the market, many of them offering different perspectives, styles and products on wedding photography.  But, when I look at wedding photographs, competition albums and web sites I see mostly photographs of brides and grooms, the wedding party, some great candids but little to no photographs of the reception venue. What I want to suggest is that you look for the Angel in the Details and place a little heavier emphasis on the reception venue. 

Wedding photography surely has to be about the bride and groom, their families and  friends. But remember, you’re not just shooting for the bride and groom, and family members, you're also shooting for yourselves knowing that the images that you capture can be used for sales, marketing, and promotion of your studio.

Here is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Whenever I shoot an event, I always make it a point to take several photographs of the banquet room before all the guests arrive. I may take up to 24 images in the 7 – 10 minute time slot I arrange in advance with the banquet captain timed just before the guests enter the room. These images include overall views of the room and many close up details of the table settings. Now, you may think I'm a little crazy for taking 24 images and say, "Just how many of those photographs do the bride and groom want to buy?"

It's not about the bride and groom purchasing all these photographs or even a few of these two dozen photographs. It's about me having them as a resource I can use to approach the wedding venue and offer them a selections from the extensive ballroom shoot, high-lighting their efforts. The reason for this is pretty obvious.  First, it shows that I'm a decent wedding photographer and let’s me showcase my work to the vendors I want to recommend me. And secondly, it’s a great benefit to the reception venue and my business building to get these images in the hands of the sales team at that particular venue.  It’s a win-win for both of us. 

Over the years we have created small, five to ten page vendor albums, which includes our branding on several of the pages, for most of the wedding vendors we have directly connected. We select about 24 or 25 images showcasing the details from the wedding, assemble them into five to ten 8x10 collage pages, and bind them together into a simple book for presentation to the venue.

What I'm suggesting today is to give a  much heavier emphasis to the detail ballroom photographs since that vendor is key to my business building and whom I want to recommend my photographic services as they interview prospective brides and mothers of the bride.  In my selection of 25 images, I’ll include a few photographs of the bride and groom, the flowers, and a few activities from the very special day.  All in all the mix may split 75% featuring the reception location and table/room detail photographs of the venue. That leaves 25% of my signature images just to add a sense of WOW factor.

We collage images very quickly within LumaPix Fotofusion. With the recent release of LumaPix V5, it is an even a more incredible fast and efficient tool to do this. We print the collage pages up as 8 x 10 size prints, bind them in an inexpensive cover (about $12) and give them to the reception sales staff for their use in their sales room. The sales staff is pleased to receive the samples because it shows  a recent event and it's free advertising for them (and for me, too).

With LumaPix you can easily send a follow-up email including your collaged pages to the sales staff that they can forward to out-of-town perspective clients showcasing their location and ballroom. Just be sure you have include your branding within a few pages of the album, so as the sales team forwards the images your logo is included.

So, the next time you head out on your next wedding, especially your larger weddings, I suggest you look for the Angels in the Details.  That Angel  may just give your profits, those newfound wings, to a more prosperous photographic future.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We've still got a few loose ends to tie up and then were doing our final pack for NYC trip. How about I see everybody tomorrow for a quick note on four leaf clovers – you’ll have to tune in to see what I’m talking about ;~)

See ya’ then, David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Good Morning Everybody,

I can’t believe it!!! I just got a call confirming that I will be presenting a program for the Professional Photographers of Spain the first week in November - WooHo!I!   Wow – Italy in October and Spain in November – looks like I might have to do my 2012 Kelby Photo walk in Europe this year ;~)

LaDawn and I have been talking about having a slower year but with these two trips and my new book due to be completed by August 31, and over a dozen events on the calendar I think the year is about booked full.  Don’t get me wrong – we’re loving it.  Italy and Spain are two countries I’ve never visited so we are really looking forward to it.  I’ll keep you posted.

Hey gang, I’m quick in and quick out today.  I just wanted to bring you up to date with a few projects I’ve got coming up.

My Italy Master Class With Clay Blackmore September 30-Oct 7– Almost Sold Out!

That’s right, we are limiting the class size to only 22 people – that’s all the rooms we have on the castle grounds – and those rooms are about booked.  When I talked with my buddy, Jeff Medford who is coordinating the reservations, he told me we have only about 3 seats left!

Jeff is in Italy as we speak checking out locations for our class, lining up models, and being sure all the arrangements are made to make this the most exciting photographic experience EVER!!!  If you are the least bit interested, give Jeff’s office a call at 202.448.2895 to reserve your space.  Here is the link for the all the info right here.

Sold Out In Central Park Too!!

Next Thursday I’ll be doing my “Beyond Light Shoot Out” in Central Park,  along with 4 other talented photographers - thanks to B&H.  Sign-ups are limited to the first 350 photographers that register.  Lots of gear available to borrow and try-out, make new friends, and have a great time! The last I heard was there are still a few seats available AND IT’S FREE!!!

Want To Win An iPad 3?

You can and it’s really easy.  Just sign up and submit images to a brand new photo contest entitled “Spring Through Photos”  at Photo Scramble The deadline is May 14 – hey gang, that’s next week already!  My good buddies at MorePhotos.com recently fired up a new website for anyone to host photo contests.  I think the concept is really exciting and I plan to use their new service here at DPT later this summer.

Here is the “inside skinny”. Not many people have entered  (only 32 entries so far) so you really do have a very good chance of winning.  If I didn’t own an iPad 3 yet, I’d sure be entering!  Check it out right here. Remember deadline for contest submissions is next Monday May 14, 2012 – Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!!!

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today. Believe it or not, LaDawn and I are taking the afternoon off, running a few errands and grabbing a late lunch.  How about I see you tomorrow for another Business Day Thursday.  Have a great one and I’ll see you then.

Adios, David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"A Private Moment”
©David A. Ziser

I decided to dig back into the archives for today’s image.  This one is from a wedding I photographed shortly after switching to the Canon 20D – yep, we’re going back a few years. I should also say that the groom's family have been my best clients over many years.  I've photographed 20 Bat/Bar Mitzvahs for the family and two weddings.  This is the first of the 22 cousins to be married!

As you know, I’m a big fan of back lighting, and, whenever I get a great location – this just happens to be the groom's parent’s home, I like to pull off something dramatic and special. We had finished all the getting-ready-photographs, family portraits, and bride and groom portraits and it was time to head to the synagogue.  On the way out the door, I asked the bride and groom for one last photograph before we left.  This is the image I captured.

Lighting was simple – all I had to do was balance the ambient light (about 1 stop underexposed) with the light from my Quantum laying on the floor behind the couple at 1/4 power. I love the result.

Compositionally, look how all the lines from the stairs, both left and right, together with the converging vertical lines of the back wall and windows all point you to the couple.  Also, note the contrasting colors of the warm tones throughout contrasting with Dale Chihuly glass sculpture on the table in the foreground. All coming together for a pretty cool combination in the finished image.

Camera specs: Canon 20D fitted with 10-22, lens at 10mm, F6.3 @ 1/200 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Good Afternoon Everybody,

Hey, better late than never, right?  Sorry for the late post today.  The morning got a little ahead of me and before long it was nearly 4:00 p.m. and I hadn’t even begun the post yet.  No problem, I got it together and posted on the “air” before midnight ;~)

Hey, all joking aside, I think you’re really going to like the post today, especially if you want to  make your images look their best. With the trend towards “run and gun” photography, by far too many photographers, much of the wedding images all look the same.  I’m suggesting at least understanding a few “tools and techniques” of the portrait masters of years past will help you to create your own style.  Knowing those details really can make your images stand above your competition and away from the crowd.  And, if the crowd doesn’t care, doesn’t want to make an effort to learn at least you should if this is your path as a true professional.

Fine portraiture is not just smiles and pretty faces. It's about making the client look the best they can from head to toe, including right on down to the smallest details. Those details include, in addition to so many other aspects, how the client's hands are presented in the image. It's our job to enhance and flatter our clients, key on their assets and camouflage the areas that may need less attention. That includes their hands.

Most photographers today pay NO attention to such things, but artists in past had to be sensitive to the finer points of the portraits they painted as they were painting for the royalty and prominent citizens. If those in the royal court were presented in an unflattering manner or looked bad, heads, literally, would roll.

Why not hit the PLAY button and enjoy the presentation.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  I’ve got a few announcements for tomorrow’s post so I hope you’ll join me.

See ya’ then,

David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"The Softness Of Your Smile”
©David A. Ziser

I just love it when I can create a very nice portrait in the simplest of surrounds.  That was the case here.  I was teaching a class at Texas School last week and the first church we had scheduled on our agenda was a small Baptist church not far from the hotel.  The sanctuary offered some cool composition elements to work with and we captured some terrific images.

When I entered the lobby of the church I was immediately intrigued by the simple, clean surrounds of the building.  As I was exploring those surrounds I noticed this hallway which I thought would give me a very pleasing space for a bridal portrait.

What I was seeing was the white wall, to the right of my subject, creating an interior frame with the wall you see in the foreground.  I’m thinking that the space would be a good way for me to frame up my subject. I decided to light my bride with my Z-Ray flash light.  It worked perfectly giving me that George Hurrell Hollywood lighting on her face –  small cone of light illuminating the subject’s face with it’s gradual fall off down the dress.  That, plus the little “kicker light” supplied by the light coming in the far door down that hallway also helped to sculpt the bride’s beautiful features.

The warm lighting on that pale yellow back wall added to the soft feeling I see in this image. The image bonus was the repeating splash of color contributed by the touch of yellow flowers in the background to the right.  All these elements, together with the bride’s very nice smile all combined for a very pleasing portrait of our bride.

Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark III fitted with Tamron 28-300mm VC lens at 109mm, F5.6 @ 1/50 second (handheld), ISO 1600.  Enjoy!  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Good Morning Everybody,

LaDawn and I spent a somewhat relaxing weekend back in good Ol' Kentucky. The weather was perfect and we both got a chance to relax. This week we regroup, meet with a few clients, plan for the latter part of May and June's upcoming events, and then get ready for our trip to New York City. Yep, we are back on the road again as we head out this coming Sunday morning. But, this time it's for a 12 day, only working a few of those days, vacation. We have been waiting for this for quite a while I'm really looking forward to the trip.

The highlight of the trip will be attending the graduation ceremonies for my daughter Elizabeth who graduates with her Marketing degree from Pace University - Magna Cum Laude!

We've been invited to the Honors ceremony on Tuesday evening and then Wednesday morning I'll be one proud dad watching his daughter make that long procession at Radio City Music Hall to receive her degree.

The next day I'll be doing my shootout in Central Park. I just received a note from my buddy and coordinator of the event, David Brummel, from B&H, and he tells me we have over 300 photographers signed up for the event so far – WOW! There may still be a few slots open so head over to the registration page and get all the info right here. I hope to see you there. I'm also thrilled to have my sponsors Quantum Flash, Sigma, and Westcott on board for this grand event. In addition to myself there will also be for other top photographers participating in the event. Models are scheduled. It should be a kick as well as fun and informative!

The rest of the week we'll spend relaxing, seeing a play or two on Broadway, visiting a few friends, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. Then we are off to Myrtle Beach for some real fun in the sun.

Hey gang, I have a client coming by shortly so how about I point you to a few links I found over the weekend that I think you'll find interesting.  Enjoy!

Photography - Weddings and More:

What Exactly Creates A Great Wedding Photographer: At peek into the reality of wedding photography (albeit, a few spelling errors along the way). [link]

Oaxaca, Mexico Wedding from Cliff Mautner Photography: My buddy, Cliff Mautner is a master of lighting – be sure to check out his images. [link]

Photographer Spotlight - Los Angeles Based Wedding Photographer Roberto Valenzuela: I had a chance to meet Roberto at WPPI – amazing photographer! [link]

Animated Pirates Movie Made With One Million Stills From Fifty 1D Mark III’s: So where did they come up with 50 Canon 5D cameras (before they were released ) to make this movie – uhmmm… Most of us wish we could get our hands on just one. [link]

Pinterest for Photographers: A Guest Post by Lisa Devlin: Hey, I’m a little late to the party but I just signed-up myself. You’ll want to check it out for yourself! [link]

Photoshop and Lightroom 4:

Introduction to Photoshop Layer Styles: I think these next two links give a pretty good overview of Layers and Layer Styles. I appreciated a deeper peek into the topic. [link]

Layer Masks Not Just For Professionals: [link]

Watercolor Splashes: Texture Pack: Another Photoshop freebie for you. [link]

Before & After {Lightroom Photo Editing Tutorial}: Pretty Good tutorial for photographers. [link]

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Hey gang, that's it for me today I've got a client coming by in just a few minutes to review Bar Mitzvah photographs (I featured one of those images in today’s post above) so I've got to get moving. How about I see everybody tomorrow for a brand-new episode of Technique Tuesday. Tomorrow's episode will feature how to make your clients look beautiful in front of the camera. More specifically, I'm discussing the finer points for better portraiture.

See you then, David Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

"Right Of Passage”
©David A. Ziser

I have to admit, I really enjoy photographing Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.  Maybe it’s the parent in me that likes to see these young men and women do well on their very special day.  As I make these images I feel the pride each of each parent whose child is making this rite of passage. 

It takes about one year of study for the young Bar/Bat Mitzvah to make it to the bemah.  That means learning Hebrew, studying the Torah portion, and then preparing a lesson to the entire adult congregation.  Each of these kids are indeed “Rabbi for the day.”

This image was made Friday before Charlie’s big day.  Charlie was a great guy to work with – obliging his parents wishes and mine for the entire photography session.  This is one of those images from our Friday shoot.  It’s a simple set-up showcasing our Bar Mitzvah reading his Torah portion which will be featured in the next morning’s service.

For this image I strived to get a dramatic profile view on my young subject then added my signature “loop light” to his face with my Quantum shooting through my Zumbrella at 1/4 power camera right and slightly behind the subject.  Balancing the ambient light to underexpose by a about 1 stop makes the subject “pop” from the background and gives us a very memorable image for our clients.

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with Sigma 8-16mm lens at 8mm, F6.3 @ 1/30 second, ISO 800.  Enjoy!  -David

Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html

Hi Everybody,

We just wrapped a wonderful week with a great class at Texas School in Dallas, TX.  I started this post on the plane heading back to Cincinnati, OH. and I’m trying to stay awake as I write it. If you ever have the opportunity to attend Texas School - it is one long super packed week of learning and fun. But, boy are the instructors and staff exhausted at the end of the week.  The students get to go back to their rooms and sleep after all the parties and evening activities.  The instructors, on the other hand, head back to their room and for many of us we are editing images and preparing for the next class.  I want to be a student next year:~)

Hey don't get me wrong, like Don Dickson the director of Texas School says, "You can all sleep next week." Which, I’m sure is his plan too.  Don is definitely the hardest working guy at the school and gets even less sleep that we instructors do.  All I can say – it’s one GREAT time!  Next year Texas School is scheduled from April 28 - May3, 2013. Class sign-up starts on January 3, 2013 11:00 p.m. sharp. Mark your calendars NOW so you can enjoy this fabulous week. The hottest classes go fast so check out their website next year,

I'll tell you, one of the surprises was "who was taking who" this week.  Julianne Kost, Adobe’s resident Photoshop and Lightroom guru was at Texas School and gave a wonderfully informative all day program on Saturday to start off the week.  But for the rest of the week, she was there as a student studying with Richard Sturtevant, a true master of digital art – be sure to check out Richard’s website right here – AMAZING intro page.  You've got to check out his website right here - amazing!

Dave Cross, one of the Photoshop Guys was also there.  It was good to catch up with Dave even though the visit was brief. The talent line-up is always diversified and always top notch.  I think Julianne made a good case for some of us instructors to come back as students.  Why not? Everyone can always learn something from the instructors at Texas School.

Parties happen most every night.  I took the opportunity to shoot a few shots at the big Boots and Boxers party Tuesday evening.  Yep, you had to come dressed up just as the theme implied.  It was a hoot.  Many of us instructors were all trying to figure out how to side step the Boxer theme.  I sure didn't want to come to a party in my boxer shorts, and I don't even own boots!

My creative solution was to come as a prize fighter - a boxer- and LaDawn was to be the "ring girl".  Her name- Bootsie! OK, I’ve been debating posting this picture all week and LaDawn said a resounding NO! – but I’m doing it anyway.  It took her a few glasses of wine to find the courage to even wear that tee-shirt. Hey, life is short – enjoy it! dz. 

During the party, I grabbed my camera and ran it through its Hi ISO paces to see how the experience shooting with the Tamron 28-300mm VC lens totally using only available light would be.

The reality was that, even shooting at ISO 25,800 the light was too dim to stop all the action at 1/50 - 1/80 second.  For the slower moving moments of the evening it did just fine and the Tamron's image stabilization worked really well.

DAZNOTE: I've been shooting a lot of available light images at my events lately and slowly developing some ideas on how to use the high ISO characteristics of these new cameras to get the best results for wedding and event photography.  Stay tuned that's going to be a pretty lengthy post in the not to distant future.

BTW, that’s my good friend Tony Corbel on the left with a skit on Michael Jackson – Thru the years.. Tony is one of the top instructors on lighting anywhere and he really enjoys a good time ;~)

Friday's festivities began at 8:30a.m. with an all school meeting.  This 2 hour session is always a hoot.  The video class spends the week filming activities and highlights of the week. They add a little zaniness and a lot of creativity to the edit, and present it to the entire school of students, instructors and staff.  It was tears-to-your-eyes funny.

Part of the Friday morning activities included giving away over $20,000 in door prizes!!! You heard me right - $20,000!!! Our class hadn't won anything all week, but then Neville was called, one of students in my class and our entire class was super excited for him to win Tamron's brand new 24-70mm image stabilized lens. This just happens to be the only lens on the market in that focal length that is stabilized. CONGRATS and big smiles from ear to ear for Neville and Anu and Ed also door prize winners.

The morning wrapped with a special appearance by Aaron Johnson, the genius behind the What The Duck photo-centric comic strip.  I had a chance to hang with Aaron the night before at yet another party, and he struck me as a genuine nice guy, as well as, a very busy guy.  

On the right the photo shows, from left to right, my buddy Ralph Romaguera – incoming president of PPA; Don Dickson – Texas School Director and past president of PPA; Aaron Johnson – What The Duck creator; and myself.

Aaron' s real profession is animation, graphic arts, with a little photography thrown in for good measure.  He was  heading back to Wisconsin today to run in a big race this weekend.  Then on Sunday he is scheduled to work in a sound studio for four hours recording an album. Yep, he's a musician too – jazz bass.  And I think I'm busy. Next to Aaron, I feel like a real slacker ;~)

Let me wrap today's post with a short video of some of my favorite images together with a few others I took throughout the week.  I hope you enjoy them.  

 

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That's it for me his week gang.  We've got an easy weekend and plan to enjoy the time off.  So I hope you too have a great weekend and I'll see you next week,  David Announcing my 2010 Success Collection! http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-my-2010-digital-wakeup-call.html