Digital ProTalk

What A Beautiful Evening"

2009-07-13T11:54:00.001-04:00

"What A Beautiful Evening" ©David A. Ziser

This image was made at Saturday's wedding. Things were moving pretty fast. The room looked great but the band was not quite set up and the banquet staff wanted to opens the doors for the guests in the next 60 seconds. Once the band was out of the shot, I asked the bride and groom for just a few seconds of their time and pulled this shot off minutes before the guests entered the room. I love it! Camera specs; Canon 5D Mark II fitted with 12-25mm lens at 12mm, F5.6 @ 1/13 second, ISO 1000. Enjoy! -David

Quick Hit Monday: Lightroom 2.4 Issues?; Wish List For Canon 580EXIII; and Much More

2009-07-13T11:50:00.001-04:00

Good Morning Everybody,

Wow - What a weekend! My team and I photographed a fabulous wedding on Saturday at one of my favorite venues - the Netherland Hilton Hall of Mirrors. Both the ceremony and reception took place at one of the most beautiful places in Cincy for a wedding.

We had a gorgeous couple to photograph and their families were both charming and gracious as well as beautiful. I have to tell you, all things came together for a absolutely beautiful wedding and reception. I've got all the images loaded up in Lightroom and they look great! I'll continue to post a few more images this week from the event.

Anyway, time to get on with this week's Quick Hit Monday - lots of stuff on deck for today. Here we go...

Lightroom 2.4 Issues With Canon 5D Mark II

OK, this one has me a bit concerned. I received an email last week from one of our DPT readers saying he was having some troubled with Lightroom's latest version (ver2.4) giving him underexposed looking previews after importing them. He pointed me to a post at DWF where some one else was experiencing the same problem.

Here is that post:

"My issue is that when LR previews my 5D II files, I (usually) get 5 seconds of beautiful imagery then as it renders the image, it goes about 1-2 stops darker. This only happens with the Mark II, the original 5Ds and 40D files don't do this and I understand LR is just processing the camera's RAW file which is different to how the JPEG preview appears on the LCD."

Anyone else seeing anything like this? If been all over the the Internet looking for more info on the subject but to no avail. Our DPT reader told me last week that he could "fix" the problem in Lightroom by hitting Edit->Catalogue Settings->Relaunch and Optimize. Sounds like a mystery to me. If any of our readers have been having similar issues and have discovered any other solutions, let us know in the comment section below.

580 EX III Flash Wish List

Wait, wait - I'm not trying to start any new rumors. I received an email from blogging buddy, Syl Arena, over at PixSylated.com pointing me towards his Canon Speed-lite wish list. Here is the link. Syl has 17 wishes listed - how do they compare to yours. Looks like somebody may need a magic lamp here and hope the Canon genie pops out;~)

Make Your Lighting Exciting!

Hey gang, KPPA has Tim and Bev Walden, two of the best portrait photographers in the country, and I doing day long programs in Lexington on August 16 & 17, 2009. The main topics for both of us will be on lighting. Tim and Bev will be covering the portrait side of things and I'll cover the on-location wedding situations wrapping my program with a little Lightroom magic. Here is the link for all the info. It should be fun. Hope to see you there.

And A Few More Quick Hits For The Road

Master digital artist and Photoshop guru, Vincent Versace, has extended his DVD offer till July 22 - Scott Kelby had a thorough description of the DVD's content right here.

"10 Things You Can Do Right Now For Your Photography Business" over at Lighting Essentials is a great piece of business building advice which we should all take to heart in today's economical climate. A very good read necessitating all of us giving ourselves a kick in the "you know where" to get the job done. Here is the link.

And just one more……..Tweeting more and enjoying it less. Here is a great link right here showing how to get the most out of the social media sites for promoting your small business - good stuff.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. Tomorrow I'm trying something different with my Technique Tuesday episode. I had Nicholas, my assistant, do some live video of me shooting the wedding on Saturday. I'll see what we captured so stay tuned - it might be interesting. See ya' tomorrow, -David

"The Last Catch Of The Day"

2009-07-10T09:01:00.001-04:00

"The Last Catch Of The Day"
©David A. Ziser

I thought I would finish the week's post with this tranquil image taken while on a trip to Florida last year. The sun had just about set and I spotted this lone boat on the bay with two fisherman making what I thought was the last cast of the day. I felt the colors and composition fit the title perfectly. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 17-85mm lens at 26mm, F5.6 @ 1/30 second ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

Soap Box Friday: Give Yourself A Creativity Boost

2009-07-10T09:00:00.003-04:00

maternity photography
Originally uploaded by Dalia Drulia

Good Morning Everybody,
Oh, the revelations one finds on the Internet. My buddy Damien was showing me his new iPhone yesterday. He brought up Google Maps to show me how cool that was on the iPhone. With some quick finger gymnastics, he brings up Google Street View and there it is, our home right in front of me - on Trash Day - now for the entire world to see.

I wonder if I could send Google an updated pic that shows the house in a much better light;~) Anyway, still haven't picked up the iPhone yet - too many buttons to make a phone call if you ask me - even if it is so easy a "caveman could do it."

Today I thought I would be showing you some burning sunsets from my shoot last night. Unfortunately the sunset was a "grey" sunset - not much happenin'. We're rescheduled for next Monday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate then.

One more thing - I'm asking you guys and girls the best time to schedule webinars. The first one I did went "gangbusters" so I thought 2:00 P.M. EDT was a good time for a worldwide audience. Anyway, please give me your feed back in the POLL to the right - I sure would appreciate it.

So how about we get on with today's post. Here we go...

Give Yourself A Creativity Boost
I received a call earlier this week from a very good friend of mine, Ralph Romaguera. Ralph and his sons run one of the most successful high school senior studios in the country - Romaguerra Studios. They are head quartered in New Orleans, Louisiana and have been doing business there - even through Katrina - for over 37 years.

Ralph called for two reasons. The first was to invite LaDawn and I to be part of one of the Krewe's in next year's Mardi Gras celebration. It looks like this time I'll make it -- I can't wait. I'll keep you posted when Mardi Gras rolls around next year. The other reason for the call was to share with me a story and experience he had recently with one of his employees. I think it really brings to bear something we all need to consider if we really want to bring our best to our photography in our studio operations.

It seems Ralph's employee had just finished a maternity shoot. The results were okay but Ralph, with his years of experience, thought the shoot could've hit a higher level with the images captured during that session. He says to me, "You know, a singer would never hit the stage without warming up his/her voice. A runner would never run a race before without going through all the muscle stretching warm-up exercises. A pilot would never fly a plane before working through his pre-flight checklist."

He mentioned to his employee that he personally spends 30 minutes each day cruising the Internet for image ideas which you can use to enhance the images he produces for his clients. I thought that sounded like a GREAT idea. How much time do we spend practicing our profession? For many of us the answer is not much at all.

Practice means more than just shooting. Practice also means exploring the possibilities of like-minded photographers to see how they photograph similar subjects. Back in the old days, Ralph and I both purchased what many of lecturers of the day provided. These were called The Master Sets of images.

We used these image Master sets as our guides to improve our own photography. My first Masters set of images was purchased by legendary wedding photographer, Monte Zucker. Monty unfortunately passed away a few years ago but his website Monte Zucker.com still offers some great insights for classical portraiture.

Today we have no excuse not to explore the creative ideas and practice the possibilities presented by so many other photographers on the Internet.

Let's just do a little exercise here. Let's say you were the photographer working for my friend Ralph. You have a maternity shoot at 10 o'clock on Tuesday morning. When you approach that shoot with only your current "toolbox" of ideas, will you be satisfied with the result? Let's hit the Net and see what the other possibilities are for maternity photos shown by other photographers. Here is the link for several that I found online at Flickr.

Sure, you have to separate the "wheat from the chaff". But as I browsed through the first 10 pages of thumbnails, I found images that in many cases were creative, sexy, and simply striking in their rendition of the subject.

This exercise can be played out in so many other aspects of our photographic endeavors. I love Ralph's idea of just spending 30 minutes each day studying and practicing our craft. The obvious benefit is that you give yourself a mental squeeze of our "brain juices" to get that stream of creativity flowing. Heck, maybe your next shoot will reflect some of that newly discovered creativity.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. We've got a big wedding again this weekend and I've got batteries to charge, lenses to polished, and flash cards to be cleared. Have a great weekend and I'll plan to see everybody on the flip side of the weekend. Arrivederci, -- David

"An Easy Day At Mandalay"

2009-07-09T11:27:00.003-04:00

"An Easy Day At Mandalay"
©David A. Ziser

At first glance this is a basic, straight forward wedding portrait. But now take a closer look - I love the composition of the photograph. Notice how the ceiling lines lead right to the couple. Notice too how I framed the couple's faces within the windows behind them. All these elements combine for an image that is both flattering to the bride and groom and visually enjoyable as well. Lighting was simply the ambient light illuminating the scene from the windows at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Camera specs; Canon 1D Mark III fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 24mm, F5.6 @ 1/25 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

Business ay Thursday: Appointment Nirvana

2009-07-09T11:27:00.001-04:00

Good morning everybody,

We are pretty much back to normal (whatever normal is) around here today. Blogs are going up on time, I'm getting caught up on all my editing for Kelby Media, and I'm ready for my sunset portrait session this evening.

Let get right to today's edition of Business Day Thursday...

Appointment Nirvana

Last week I was thrilled to share with you some new technologies in setting up real-time meetings/appointments with clients who are out of town. Anyway, since last week I have had many ideas pop into my mind about how we can extend the functionality of this new technology in communicating and collaborating with our clients. Let me share with you what I've been thinking about in the last week.

My Top 8 Suggestions For Using Remote Communications With Your Clients

1. Meeting Prospective clients in "real time" - Now instead of just talking with them over the phone we can now make this initial customer experience a "sizzle". Call them back using our remote communications software for example "GoToMeeting". We can now walk them through our images, all our album designs, and a few of our product suggestions. We have “broken the mold” and placed ourselves on the cutting edge - far ahead of our competitors, for the initial phone conversation in communicating our photography, products and services to these perspective clients.

2. Clothing conferences with portrait and high school senior clients - I mentioned in our earlier Portrait Day Wednesday series post about the importance of a clothing conference with the client [link]. Once again, we can handle this simply with our remote communications software. The client now has first-hand experience on what it takes to get a great looking family portrait. Without making that trip to the studio.

3. Quick proofing meeting with commercial clients - Got to get some quick proof images to your commercial clients so they can meet a deadline? Phone calls and e-mailing don't hold a candle to the kind of real-time meeting we can put together with our remote communications software. Once again we can meet with our client in real time, get the decisions made, and get the images fired off to them in little to no time.

4. Image presentation to bride and groom, bride's parents, and groom's parents, grandmother, aunts and uncles, etc anywhere in the world. One of the biggest objections I hear from clients about our projection appointments is the fact that the parents are from out of town. That no longer has to be a problem with the new way we are doing business at Ziser Photography. Now, with our clients sitting in our studio, we can have their moms' and dads' be part of the presentation regardless of what city they reside. With a good microphone attached to the computer, everyone living anywhere can be part of the conversation. What "sizzle" that adds to the client experience.

5. Album review - Have a client that wants to review your album design before it finally goes off for final binding to the bookbinder? This is now super easy to do with the remote communications technologies at her fingertips. Let's take this another step. Many photographers are just shooting and then burning their images onto disks. Wouldn't it behoove these photographers to quickly design an album for their clients so that they can easily see how beautiful the finished album lays out? Not a bad way to get the client's mind off of a disk of images and onto a wonderful collection of beautiful images she can easily share with family and friends. I think the doors of opportunity swing open wide in this application.

6. Go Green - John Calvin, one of our DPT readers even mentioned that now you can "go green" with your clients. He had mentioned the remote communications software that his company uses actually shows the client's gas savings on the "dashboard" of the remote communications software. Pretty cool!

7. Create products like B&W’s, albums, and frames part of your remote presentation. Take your products visually, via your remote communications application, to your client since your client can't come to you. It's so easy to put your products and services before your clients’ eyes. Just add the JPEGS of your best sellers to your presentation. Even though your clients are not sitting in your studio , it’s still easy to preview several of your other products like frames, albums, treasure boxes or any other image products you feature in your studio.

8. Vacation appointments - And lastly and probably the best reason of all. Now you can be on vacation in Honolulu and still meeting with your hometown client. Heck, maybe now you can be on vacation more often than ever before and still get a little work done from the beach;~)

Hey gang, you probably have some good ideas I’ve not even thought of. Why not share them with our other DPT readers by adding them to the comments section below. I have to tell you, I've never been this fired up about anything before. Good communications improves sales and customer service and now we have about the best and most efficient way of accomplishing just that.

On that note gang, I'm out of here. Plan to stop by again tomorrow for Soap Box Friday. It promises to be another scintillating post. See you then, -- David.

"Rorschach Bouquet"

2009-07-08T11:29:00.004-04:00

"Rorschach Bouquet"
©David A. Ziser

I created this image two days ago at my studio. Yes, the operative word is created this image. No camera, lenses, or flash was used in creating this image. In Monday's post I mentioned a visit to the Easton Art Fair a few weeks ago. I commented on Earl English's wonderful images he had on display in his booth. Many of Earl's images were created with a simple digital scanner.

I loved the effect it gave to the resulting image. Because of the extremely shallow "depth of light", the light fell off so quickly and gave this images a completely different kind of look than what I had seen before.

I decided to give it a try for myself on Monday. I simply grabbed one of the artificial flowers that we have on display at the studio, laid it on the copier, and "exposed" my image. I then brought the image into Photoshop, cleaned it up slightly, and enhanced it a bit with the "Levels" control till I had a tonalities exactly where I wanted them.

Although I was excited with my image at this point I wanted the final composition to fill a larger space. I have a handy little Photoshop action that, at the press of a button, will give me a mirror image of the original. That is what we have here. I love the final result. To me, it is reminiscent of the old ink blot tests, or more specifically, the Rorschach tests.

Click on the image for larger view and then spend a few minutes just viewing it. I find I quite enjoy the experience. Time to play some more with this technique - thanks Earl. "Camera specs; Flowers copied with a Xerox C2424 Workcenter and saved in JPEG mode. Image was opened in Photoshop, converted to black and white, and adjusted with the "Levels" control. Image was then flipped and rejoined with first image to create the final result. Enjoy! -- David

Family Portrait Wednesday: It's Showtime; New Webinar Update

2009-07-08T11:12:00.004-04:00

Good Early Afternoon Everybody,
What a day yesterday turned out to be - you know, one of those days where you feel you are moving through molasses to get anything accomplished. Whew! But today is a brand new day and I'm off to a good running start today.

I'm posting a little later today because of the super late post yesterday. By the way, thanks for all the nice comments on yesterday's Technique Tuesday - I was pleased on how it came together, too.
[link].

It also took much longer than expected to get the my new Webinar up and running. Yep, if you haven't heard, I've got another webinar scheduled for July 22, 2009 at 2:00 - 3:30P.M. EDT (that's 6:00 P.M. GMT.) I'm charging a nominal fee for this one just simply because webinars are not my day job and we still have to pay the expenses. Here is the link again to register.

Pricing Note: I've talked with lots of photogs that my $19.95 is truly a steal of a deal. Case in point, I've conducted webinars for other companies who charge $59 for an hour program. I tried to build good value (90 minutes long instead on an hour) and keep the price super reasonable only $19.95. This is like less than two trips to McDonald's. Yes, and this webinar is safe for any low calorie diet and it's fat free too;~)

Anyway, on with today's post...

Portrait Day Wednesday: It's Showtime
Over the last several weeks I've tried to be as detailed as possible in how we handle family portraits at my studio. Well folks, today it's "showtime." All of us put a lot of our energy and effort into creating a beautiful family portrait for our clients. But, unfortunately making the sale is where many photographers begin to stumble, fumble, and fall before they cross the finish line. It's sad that so many photographers are only order takers instead of order makers.

A New Way To Present Your Images
In today's post I want you consider a brand-new way of presenting your images to your clients. This brand-new way does not include the Internet, proof books, or images on a disc - it's projection! This is the single most powerful way to present your images to your clients when engaged in a personal meeting with them in your studio.

I have been projecting my images for my wedding and portrait clients since 1980. From that point forward, I watched my sales triple over what they had previously been. Why is this? It's because now when the clients see their photography in a slide show with music, they are thrilled with what you've done for them. And that thrill is partially because of the methodology and intimacy of the presentation.

Why It's Important To Your Sales
Years ago I photographed the wedding of a funeral director's daughter. The bride and groom along with parents came over to the studio to see the images. After the presentation the dad made the remark, "Wow, if I did that kind of presentation in my business, they would arrest me!" We all had a good "giggle" with his remarks. But they echo what so many of my clients have said over the years, "What a great way to see our wedding pictures!" Folks, the rest is history - I've been projecting my images with music in a slideshow presentation ever since.

When your clients connect emotionally with what you've done for them, you can always expect the sales to increase. There is nothing wrong with that. We are creating a exciting, wonderful, impacting set of memories for them. Why should these wonderful memories be devoid of any emotional connect? Heck, don't we make buying decisions based on our emotion connect with the product at hand - think new camera, iPhone, etc?

How To Set It Up
So, how do you set your studio up as a projection studio? This is really quite simple. The cost of flat-screen TVs have substantially decreased over the last several years. A quick check at B&H shows most 32 inch LCD sets under $500. [link]

Many of these TVs even include computer inputs which, basically makes him a very large monitor upon which to review the images you create for your clients. This is probably the least expensive way to proceed.

My favorite way to project my images is with the use of a data projector. Check out my earlier post right here where I give you a studio tour. The first projector I purchased in 1999 was $6000! You can now find reasonably priced projectors that will do the job easily for around $600 [link]. As a matter of fact, just yesterday I received an e-mail from Dell promoting their brand-new pocket-size projector for only $332 [link].

Folks, the technology is right there in front of us. It's technology that can excite our clients with what we were excited about capturing for them; technology which can substantially enhance the client's studio experience and our sales.

Folks, the bottom line is this; Too many photographers are in this profession for "beer money" - a few extra bucks made on the side. I think it's time we got serious about what we are all excited about producing. I, like so many other working studios, have to make a house payment, rent payment, car payment, and cover all my other expenses. It's time to get serious about how we sell our photography if we want to be successful in this business.

Are you in this business for fun or for profit? I hope it's both. It is, I hope to still see you reading this blog next year.

-- Food for thought.

Next week I'll walk you through the exact sales process I follow at my studio when presenting my images to my clients.

Hey gang, that's it for me today, we've got lots of exciting stuff cooking around here - I'll keep you posted. Also, can you believe it - we are gearing up for the Fall session of my Digital WakeUp Call tour which kicks off September 8, 2009. Remember, we added Las Vegas and Honolulu to our list of cities. Here is the link for all the info.

So, how about I plan to see everybody tomorrow for another edition of Business Day Thursday - good information planned. Till tomorrow, Adios, -- David

"Dancing In The Aisles"

2009-07-07T17:08:00.002-04:00

"Dancing In The Aisles"
©David A. Ziser

This image was made at the beautiful historic Mother of God Church in Covington, Kentucky. The church offers a lot of great spots throughout the interior to capture some striking bridal portraits. This image was taken in one of the side aisles of the church. Both the windows and pillars offered wonderful framing elements for this beautiful portrait. My main light was coming in from the right to give me the loop lighting I wanted on the bride. I also had another assistant light up the mural behind the bride to add a bit more color to the image. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 75mm, F5.6 @ 1/40 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday: New Webinar Announced! & Sunset Serenade - A Live Photography Tutorial

2009-07-07T17:05:00.008-04:00

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Hey gang, welcome to another "Better Late Than Never" Ziser post. Good stuff happening today though. I'm announcing my new webinar, "Lighting, Lenses, and Composition - Creating The Dramatic Bridal Portrait." I'll spend 90 minutes walking you through how to light and compose beautiful wedding images on location. My discussion will include lighting gear and what lens to use to maximize the dynamics of the image.

I'll have Damien standing by to answer questions as they arise and also forward questions to me as needed. I've scheduled it for Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 2:00 EDT (6:00 GMT). It's not free this time but the price is a super reasonable $19.95 (w/code WEBLLC09) which should offset the costs of time, logistics, and personnel needed in putting the webinar together.

Wait, there's more - I will also be giving away $200 worth of Door Prizes before we wrap the webinar too. It should be a lot of fun - I hope to see you there. Please be sure to use CODE WEBLLC09 when registering to get the special $19.95 price. Here is the link to register right here.

Also, I got and email from Master Digital Artist and friend, Vincent Versace, this morning introducing his 2 new DVD sets. Oz to Kansas 2.0: The Black and White on Black and White Conversions [link] and The Lazarus Effect - [link] This four DVD tutorial is for anyone who has ever taken an image in which the focus was a wee bit “off”.

If you know Vincent, you know he is a master at what he does and is a terrific teacher. Check out his DVDs at the above links. You can save $10 on them if you order them before July 15th.

OK, on with ...

Technique Tuesday- Sunset Serenade - A Live Photography Tutorial
In today's tutorial I'll walk you through part of my wedding shoot-out which I presented at the KPPA Summer Seminar a few weeks ago. What I like about this tutorial is the fact that it shows how I work to get the shot to come together - lighting, posing, composition, tweaks and all. I love the finished image. Hit the PLAY button below to see how I put the shot together and enjoy the show.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. It's taking way too long to get these tutorials up and running - 5 hours today! I'm going to have to come up with another method. Anyway, my problem. Sorry for the complaining - we have a gorgeous day in Cincy and I think I'm going to head on out into the fresh air. See everybody tomorrow, -David

"My Embraceable You"

2009-07-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

"My Embraceable You"
©David A. Ziser

This image was from a wedding I had photographed not that long ago. I had photographed the older sister's wedding a few years earlier and received the call to photograph the youngest daughter. The couple was great to work with and were really into the photography. I covered the bride and groom's heads with the bride's veil and asked them to just whisper, kiss, and touch each other softly. I love the images I get from this kind of photo series. I shoot with a long lens and just wonder around them capturing the expressions and tender emotions of the moment. The clients always love the results. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 70-200mm IS lens at 200mm, F5.6 @ 1/60 second, ISO 320. Enjoy! -David

Quick Hit Monday: A New Look At Creativity; Studio Tours; Rebates; and More

2009-07-06T14:04:00.002-04:00

Good Afternoon Everybody,

Hope everyone had a great 4th even if you didn't fire off a "cracker" or two. Pretty rainy in Cincy this past weekend so many events postponed till yesterday. Anyway, we are drying out and ready to go for a great week.

Just some quick news - look for another webinar, "Lighting, Lens, and Composition" to be announced on Wednesday. I'll give you the details then - it will be a good one!

Hey gang, let's get on with Quick Hit Monday - here we go...

A Different Peek At Creativity?

Last week while visiting friends in Columbus, we attended the Easton Art Fare. Several artisans from around the Midwest were displaying their wares.

I always like to check out the photogs. There were about 15 at the show ranging from not so good to "knock your socks off" gorgeous. I usually do more than "looking" at these shows - I like to visit with the artists to get the behind the scenes story on their work.

I have to say - three of these guys had some beautiful work. I first stopped at Mauricio Fernandez' booth. I was struck by the beautiful simplicity of his floral images all against a black background. Although many images are created in his studio, Mauricio confided to me that even outdoors on location, he drops a black cloth behind his "subjects" in order to isolate the flowers from the surrounds for a striking effect. All said, he had striking work at the show and pointed me in some creative directions I can't wait to try. Here is a link to his site right here.

Next I stopped at Earl English's display. Earl had remembered me from programs I had presented in the Columbus area which he had attended when he was shooting weddings. It was good to catch up with an old aquaintence. Now Earl is into fine art work and many of his images were just beautiful. He shared with me one of his very unusual techniques for "photographing" his "subjects" - he scans them. The result is a very shallow "depth of light" on the flowers which gives them almost an ethereal presence - very cool. Yep, I'm giving that one a try too. Check out Earl's galleries right here - worth the visit.

Ron Opfer of Canvas Visions was the third photog I visited. Ron was showcasing some very beautiful landscapes 30x40 inch wrapped canvasses. Check out his site right here. His colors were striking on each image. Turns out he prints all his work on one of Canon's iPF Prograf printers - the image quality will "blow you away!"

But now the rest of the story - Ron was moving his prints out of his booth at a very fast clip, at least for these type of art shows. That secret of his success - the right price! He was selling his canvas stretched 30x40 inch works of art for $159 - sort of a "show special" since they are $189 on his web site (which I still think is a great value deal.)

He won't tell me how many he had sold during the show, but on of the exhibitors across the aisle from Ron confirmed that they were "selling like hotcakes." He sold three while I was talking with him. "High fives" to Ron for great photography and finding the "sweet spot" on pricing.

My personal congrats to all three artists showing "knock out" samples of your work. Continued success to all three artists. All of you give nice insights with your talent and your images to a different view of creativity we sometimes miss in our wedding/portrait world.

You've Got To Check Out This Studio

My buddy, Kent Smith, pointed me to this link last week. Check out Yuri Arcurs studio tour right here- it's amazing! The cool thing about Yuri's site is the wealth of additional information he has posted - a site definitely worth the visit! Here is the link to his main site.

More On Creativity

Last Friday I pointed you towards Jim Talkington's site ProPhotoLife - a great site with tons of information. Jim retired from updating ProPhotoLife this past January and started his new "Picture-A-Day" site. Jim is a creative shooter, so if you get a minute or two, you can check it out right here. All the EXIF data for each shot is also posted.

25,000 Walkers Strong!

Hey gang, if you haven't signed up for Scott Kelby's 2009 PhotoWalk, you are missing the boat to a great experience. It was a kick last year and I'm looking forward to a good time this year too. I'm hosting one in the Cincy area, but last time I checked, we had about 3 more happening around town too. R.C. Concepcion of Layers TV fame just posted an update on how to get the best out of the experience, If you are walking you might want to check out his short video right here.

Got A New iPhone 3Gs - Then You Need This

Yep, one of the hottest features on the new iPhone is video capture. Well, wouldn't you know it - somebody has developed a video grip for the iPhone. If your an iPhone "phonatic" you need this new grip by Zacuto - here is the link. It will only set you back the cost of another iPhone - totally unbelievable!!!

And Lastly, Canon Rebates End July 11, 2009!

The last day to get your best deal on Canon gear is next Saturday, July 11, 2009. Here is the link to the rebate coupon PDFs.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. I'll see everybody tomorrow for another episode of Technique Tuesday. See ya' then, -David

"Witch's Lair"

2009-07-03T16:05:00.003-04:00

"Witch's Lair"
©David A. Ziser

I was in one of my "moods" yesterday - that usually means "killin' some time in Photoshop. This image is not what it seems. And, I'll think I'll keep it a secret. I will say that it was made while on a trip to Hawaii a few years ago. I brought the image into Photoshop, and as so many of us have done in the past, I just began "toying" with the image. I like the result - the deep blue color with the disturbing abstract pattern implying a secret path to some foreboding place in the midnight woods - hence the title. Camera specs: Canon 5D fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 70mm, F4.5 @ 1/60 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! (if you dare) -David

You Light Up My Life Friday: A Quick Follow Up From Yesterday's Post & More Than a Dozen Lighting Videos For Your Viewing Pleasure

2009-07-03T16:01:00.004-04:00

Good Late Afternoon Everybody,
Whew! Just finished my meeting with my NYC client (about 2:00 p.m.) Re-read yesterday's post [link] where I discussed my super easy way to offer exceptional customer service to out of town clients to see what I'm talking about. Well, today was the true test. The meeting ran a little long, but my client was thrilled that I took the time to review her wedding images with her and "fine tune" the order.

Folks, therein is the bottom line when it comes to customer service. What kind of a response can we expect from WEB ordering only? In fact, my bride re-iterated just how frustrating it was to make any kind of selection online. She did not like the whole frustrating experience.

This morning she kept raving about how great today's ordering experience was. She was confident, pleased, and relieved (since we worked together on the selection) that she had selected the best images for her album and now can't wait to see the finished result!

We worked together to select 303 images for her 2 volume set. On our last review of the images, I commented just how strong the images told the wedding story especially when you look at the tightly edited series of images. She overwhelmingly agreed.

The groom's mother wants to make her own choice. Instead of waiting for months till she has a chance to see the bride's finished album, I suggested we set up another meeting with her mother-in-law. The door has been opened to work personally with another client
and to assist with the decision process in making the best choices. By the way, the bride's mother is getting a duplicate set of the bride's albums.

I've got a lot more thoughts on this whole process that I will share with you next Thursday. I promise you, it will be worth the read.

Light Up My Life Friday: More Than a Dozen Lighting Videos For Your Viewing Pleasure
I had another Lighting lesson planned for today but can't pull it off unless I want to still be blogging away at six o'clock tonight. So gang, I'm taking the easy way out today. It is late in the day and we have to get ready for the holiday weekend, so I'm going to point you towards my fellow Cincy blogging buddy, Jim Talkington's series of videos over at YouTube. Here is the link.

Jim had his ProPhotoLife site "cookin" in 2008 and then retired his blog early in 2009 to pursue other endeavors. ProPhotoLife still gets "tons" of traffic because it is so loaded with content. That's why I'm pointing you there today. Jim covered so many things on his site, it's still a pleasure to go back and visit now and then - mainly because you can't take it all in in one visit.

This is "Light Up My Life Friday" so head over to ProPhotoLife.com and check out Jim's more that 30 videos on studio operations with at least a dozen of them on lighting! There are not long but they are definitely informative. Enjoy the browse, have a great weekend, and I see all you guys and girls on Monday. May all your USA pixels have a very sparkling 4th of July. See ya' next week, -David

"My Little Brother"

2009-07-02T12:23:00.002-04:00

This is one of my early digital images. I actually photographed this little girl a couple years before (on film) when she was just a baby. I got the call from mom for a maternity photograph and she wanted her daughter to be part of the photograph. This was the resulting image. The big eyes, her very soft complexion, and a gentle expression combine for a very sensitive and warm maternity portrait. Camera specs: Fuji S-1 fitted with Tamron 24-135 lens, F8.0 at 1/125 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! -- David

Business Day Thursday: Selling To The Out Of Town Client - It's Easier Than You Think!

2009-07-02T12:15:00.010-04:00

Good Morning Everybody,
Well, it looks like yesterday's 5 - Questions... Webinar was a HIT! We had nearly 400 show up and stuck around for the entire program. Just read the comments in yesterday's post [link]. Everybody seemed to have a great image quality and clear sound from all points around the globe. Thanks to all who attended and to all those who offered the feedback on the Webinar.

Several asked about recording the Webinar - I did record it as a WMA file. Converting it to a MP4 file resulted in a 3 GIG! file - a little large for an easy download. We are looking at alternatives so stay tuned.

I'm planning another webinar in two weeks - Topic-wise, I'm thinking, "How To Use Off-Camera Flash To Create Beautiful Bridal Images In the Church." What do you think? I'll keep you posted. Anyway, lots of good stuff waiting in the wings.

Oh, by the way, if you missed it, I finally got my video posted on how to shoot panoramas on Tuesday's post. Here is the link right here - Enjoy!

Hey gang, let's get on with our Business Day Thursday episode today. Here we go...

Selling To The Out Of Town Client - It's Easier Than You Think!
I know, I know, everybody's thinking, "Just put the photos up on-line. Then anybody can see them and pick out what they want." It's that type of thinking that make photogs "cry" about their sales averages. It's why we have so many photogs in business today and gone tomorrow. It's the reason so many photogs are in this profession for "Beer money" instead of "Real money!"
OK, strong words from my soapbox. Why am I up on my soapbox again? Folk's it's simple - Unless you are proactively involved in the sales process, expect the sale to go nowhere! I've been shouting that mantra for 29 years.

Sure, I jumped into the photography business the way so many photogs have gotten into the business today - OK photography, cheap prices, and crummy sales. Thankfully I attended a seminar or two early on that changed how I ran my business. I remember a photog speaking at our local group and showing a slide show of his wedding images. I was tearing up watching the images - and they were not even my images - something emotional was happening to me and many others in attendance.

Hit the "Read More..." link below for the rest of the story.

I thought, "What would happen if I showed my clients their images that way?" The rest is history - I almost overnight tripled my average. By 2006 we were selling over 70 weddings a year at over $2000! Boy, don't get the wrong idea - I'm not tossing this info out to brag. I'm tossing the numbers out to get your attention!

In 1980, I began inviting my wedding clients back to my studio to view a slide show of their wedding images. They loved it. I was able to share with them what I saw in my "mind's eye" and felt in my heart as I photographed their wedding. I was able to bring "meaning" to so many of the images I had created for them on the wedding day. How in the world do you do that on-line? YOU DON'T!

Putting your images on-line only makes you an ORDER TAKER - you need to be an ORDER MAKER if you want to be successful in this business. That is especially true today when every photog with a camera is a "wedding photographer."

I know I'm getting fired up here. You say I can't get my clients to come to your studio or home to review their images - time is just too short. Folks' that brings us to today's post. You go to them, but still in the comfort of your own home or studio. And best of all - it's simple.

Many of you attended my 5 Questions... Webinar yesterday, well here is the deal. The same company that made that technology possible also offer another service called, "GoToMeeting." It is a very simple, reasonably priced way for me to collaborate with my client on their wedding selection in real time. Here is the GoToMeeting link.

I simply fire up the GoToMeeting applet and send an email to my client. They click on the meeting link in the email, enter the 9 digital code, and presto, we are connected with both voice and picture. Yes, you hear me right - I can put my computer screen right on their computer screen and we can both hear each other like we are in the same room - it's like WOW!

Last week was my first try - the client's words were, "This is wonderful!" I knew I had "struck gold" with a practical application to reach my out-of-town clients. I could still share with them my thoughts and suggestions on what images would be best for their album. I could suggest a series of images that would be best at telling their story.

It was a win-win studio/client communications solution. I'm actually meeting with my NYC client one more time tomorrow morning to wrap up the her wedding order. I have to say, I'm looking forward to it. I'll put my screen (showing Lightroom) on her laptop and simply "fine tune" the order together.

The bottom line is this folks, we have to stay connected with our clients if we are to offer them the best customer service and support possible. Heck, we are all "super" connected with each other on the social scene via Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. Why not be connected where it counts - while making the sale. What better service could you offer your next out-of-town client than you being with them sharing your own thoughts, feelings, emotions, expertise, and creativity in putting their wedding collection together?

The technologies are easily available - some even are free. Here is a link to several I found in my Google search right here. Some like DimDim [link] have gotten some pretty nice reviews.

I have to say, I'm a big fan of GoToMeeting as it is still my favorite source because, right out of the box, it was easy and intuitive to use. I've also found their Tech Support to be friendly, knowledgeable, and easily accessible.

So there you have it folks - the easiest way in the world to be connected with your clients around the world. Plan to watch your client's enthusiasm blossom and your sales grow - it's a brand new world out there!

Hey gang, that's it for me today. I've got a few projects on the front burner that I need to complete. How about I see everybody tomorrow for another episode of "You Light Up My Life Friday." See ya' then, -David

"Love At All Angles"

2009-07-01T13:17:00.003-04:00

"Love At All Angles"

Okay, I get it - not a very creative title today. Hey gang, you try to think of a title 260 times a year;~) Anyway, here is one more image from last Sunday's shoot. I asked the bride to head to the second floor of the hotel. I loved the lines I was seeing in my viewfinder. The challenge was getting a directional light on my bride's face without burning up the ceiling near her. I asked my assistant to relocate about 20 feet from the bride. Next, I oriented the bride's face to a "two thirds view" in order to keep the light off of the front wall of the balcony area, and shot away. I positioned her in the viewfinder keeping in mind exactly how I wanted the diagonal lines to play into the composition. This was one of my favorite images of the shoot. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10–22mm wide-angle lens, F5.6 at 1/125 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! David

Webinar Wednesday: 5 Burning Questions...

2009-07-01T13:02:00.006-04:00

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Today is the BIG day - my first ever Webinar Wednesday! We have almost 600 people from around the world registered and who will be "giving a listen" in just about an hour. Here is the link one more time to register.

I'm going to open the "Webinar doors" about 30 minutes before the start of the program so that everyone has plenty of time to check in. I'll also have Damien waiting in the wings with any technical issues that may arise.

I would love to get your feed back on the program. Why not just post them to the "Comments" section of this post - it would be much appreciated. Your feedback will help us fine tune the process for the next time around.

On that note, gang, I'm out of here to get the last minute details organized. I"ll get back to our regular programing next week. I hope everyone attending enjoys the show.

See you soon, -David

p.s. Yesterday's Panorama Tutorial video is now "live". Sorry for the delay. -David

"I Can See For Miles"

2009-06-30T17:59:00.003-04:00

"I Can See For Miles"
©David A. Ziser

I made this image while in Yosemite this past May. We had the weekend off and headed to Yosemite on Saturday. The time of the year was perfect for a visit to one of our country's favorite national parks. The snow had started it's spring melt and the waterfalls were flowing at full force. The park was alive with all it's best features. On the way out, we discovered that the road to Glacier Point had just recently opened. Glacier Point offers some of the most spectacular vistas of Yosemite. That was going to be our last stop for the day - we weren't disappointed. This image was made from the perfect spot to capture all the majesty of Yosemite. It is a panorama composed of 16 shots offering a nearly 180 degree view of the Yosemite valley. Check out today's Technique Tuesday for how it was done. Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark II fitted with 24-105mm lens at 28mm, F11 @ 1/320 second, ISO 250. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday: Panoramas Done Easy- Part 1

2009-06-30T17:45:00.006-04:00

Good Late Afternoon Everybody,
First the good news - my first Webinar Wednesday, "5 Burning Questions...",[link] is shaping up to be a very cool program with "tons" of great info on lighting, camera settings, wedding inspiration, and more. I've spent about 8 hours getting it together so I'm stoked to see how you like it.

Webinars are like seminars - only I'm not physically in the same room with you - only my voice and presentation. You can even ask questions via the chat screen on the GoToWebinar app. I have to admit, this is a test run for bigger things down the road. I'll open things up at 1:45 P.M. EDT (5:45 GMT) so we can start on time. I tend to go over, time-wise, on these Webinars so you will get a little more "bang for the buck". Anyway, I hope to see you there. Remember, you can sign up - right up to the last minute - pretty cool.

Now the bad news..... I've been dealing with Camtasia issues and computer issues all day. And try as I might to post today's Technique Tuesday, it just wasn't meant to be. And to add more road blocks to the plan, I've been back to back with scheduled clients and studio appointments. It's just been one of those days. So, here's the plan. I've posted the text of what I am planning to cover in my post on panoramas. The video will post later - probably tomorrow - telling the rest of the story. So give the post a read and I'll give you and update on the video tomorrow. Sound OK? Good, here we go.

Panoramas Done Easy - I Can See For Miles
In today's tutorial I want to discuss panoramas. I really been having a great time experimenting with them in Photoshop CS4 these last couple of weeks. I found that the other versions of Photoshop aren't near as effective as the latest, greatest version.

When most people are photographing images for their panorama one of the key rules is to keep the camera perfectly level. Although that is the recommended way to create a pano I think it's okay to break the rules now and then. But, I'll save that for a future tutorial.

In this tutorial - let's head back to my visit to Glacier Peak at Yosemite National Park. From that wonderful vista I made several pano images simply by turning to my left and then scanning to my right keeping the center focus spot position on the horizon - no tripod, all hand held, You would think that might complicate the process for Photoshop CS4. The reality was that CS4 did a great job in the stitching process and the result was a wonderful panorama.

OK, that was my "down and dirty" method. If you want to make panoramas the correct way here are my 9 tips to obtaining great panoramas simply and easily:

Hit the "Read More..." link below for Video Tutorial and the rest of the story.

1. Place your camera on a tripod with a leveling head and be sure that the camera is perfectly level.

2. When making your sequence of shots be sure to overlap at least 20% of the preceding frame with the current frame.

3. Use a medium focal length lens when making your sequence of images. I have occassionally used a wide angle lens for some very cool and interesting panoramas.

4. Experiment around by using your camera in the vertical position when scanning the same panoramic landscape to get even a higher resolution.

5. When starting your series of images from the left, First make an exposure of your left hand. Finish your pano series with a shot or your right hand. Now it's easy to find the pano shots from the day's shoot.

6. Also, it's best that your camera is not in auto-exposure mode. Determine what your best exposure will be for your panorama then set the camera to manual mode with the correct f-stop and shutter speed. This assures consistent exposure for the entire pano.

7. It is also best not to change focus when shooting your panoramas - that means setting your camera to "manual" mode after establishing your main focus point.

8. I choose to import the images into Lightroom for the final image tweaking. Find the most representative image of your sequence and give it your best efforts. Now sync all the rest of the images in the sequence to that image.

9. Now you are ready to go. Select all the images you want to be part of your panorama, hit Photo -> Edit In -> Merge in panorama and let Photoshop CS4 take over. Photoshop will fire up and offer you many pano stitching choices. I just let CS4 handle the entire process automatically and I've been very pleased with the results. We'll have to explore the other panorama possibilities in a future post.

Want to see how it all comes together? Then just hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show. Next week I'll show you what happens when you break a rule or two.

P.S. In a previous post at DigitalProTalk, entitled, "A Very Wide View", one reader has a suggestion for some pano of stitching software that they thought were good choices too. Here are the links to those other software suggestions - PT Gui Pro $115 [link] and Panorama Factory $79 [link]. I haven't had a chance to try these yet so I'm only sharing the info and will have to take the commenter's word for their reliability.

Hey everybody, that's it for me today. Come by tomorrow for Webinar Wednesday, "5 Burning Questions...", [link] - You still have time to register! See you then, -- David

"Three Happy Faces"

2009-06-29T09:01:00.002-04:00

"Three Happy Faces"
©David A. Ziser

Again, one from the archives - I stumbled upon this great photograph of these three little ring bearers just recently. It was one of those moments that was just great to capture for the bride and groom. We had finished our regular series of photographs and I remember just wondering the church looking for other special moments of the day to record. I walked into the church sanctuary and found these three boys just hanging around. I saw them, they saw me and I grabbed the shot. I think we've got a great candid of these three kids -- a wonderful addition to any wedding album. Camera specs; Hasselblad 500 CM fitted with 80 MM lens, F2 .8 at 1/60 second, Kodak Vericolor 400 film. Enjoy! -- David

Quick Hit Monday: Jasmine Star - One Of The Best; A Creativity Workshop; Media Life Expectantcy; Twitter Ediquette; and Geek Technique

2009-06-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

Good Morning Everybody,
We had a great time at the wedding this past weekend and spent more time enjoying the wedding than shooting images. I was trying to get something going with video on my 5D Mark II but it was a bit more frustration than quality as the final result. I plan to keep plugging away till I get it solved - I'll keep you posted.

Anyway, lots of good stuff from me again this week. This week's Wednesday Webinar [link] is getting pretty full but, there is still plenty of seats left. If you are planning to attend, I recommend a computer with both a working microphone and speakers. It just makes the webinar experience that much richer. I'm starting to put the finishing touches on the presentation today - it's looking good.

'Nuff said, let's get right to Quick Hit Monday.

New Jasmine Star Interview
Since Crash Taylor featured me on his blog last October [link], I have been keeping an eye on what he's been up to. I love the concept that Crash has put together. He pulls together wide ranging ideas and imagery from wedding photographers from around the world once a week. It's cool to see how each of them approach their craft and their art from a different perspective. It's always worth a visit now and then to head over to Crash's place and see what he's up to.

I wanted to take the time today to encourage you to head over there for his latest post. This week he is featuring an interview with Jasmine Star. Jasmine is an energetic, talented photographer whom has developed quite a stir over these last few years.

Jasmine story is both illuminating and uplifting. She's originally a photographer who was going to law school but then decided photography with her passion. I love her photography to. Head on over to Crash's site and give her interview a read right here. Also enjoy a generous helping of her imagery and thoughts over at her blog right here - all good reading.

Marc Blake's Creativity Workshop
Last week I had mentioned a talented photographer and videographer, Marc Blake, who had produced the Westcott video that I featured in last week's Technique Tuesday. A few days ago I was on the phone with Marc discussing some other projects and the subject of his blog came up. I headed over to both his website -- link right here, and his blog entitled, "Marc Blake's Creative Workshop" -- link right here, and loved the images that he was featuring. Just spend some time scrolling through the images on his website and I think you be quite impressed with what you see. There are several gems in the mix.

On his blog, he has spent some time discussing some of his assignments which include traveling with the band Pablo Cruise recently. Scroll through several of his posts including one of my favorites, "Biblical Portraits." It's a nice peek into the creative mind of a working photographer -- worth the visit.

DVD & CD Media - Is It Fading On You?
So, how many of you have considered that your CD's and DVD's have been fading over the years. The fact of the matter is most people don't realize that there's a great difference between the quality of the CD's and DVD's being sold out there. To photographers, this should be a huge concern for us particularly when it comes to archiving your clients images.

I did quite a bit of research in those early days and found out that there were indeed some brands that were substantially better than others. As a matter of fact, Kodak, who was the maker of the film that I shot, was also manufacturing gold CD's at the time. Yes, they actually included a very, very thin layer of gold in the manufacturing process which gave them an extremely long life. You can still find them online. How long do they protect your data - 100 - 300 years!

I thought I would bring you up to date on some of the data that I had uncovered about six years ago. I recently received an e-mail from one of my suppliers that speaks to this subject. I strongly suggest that you check out this link right here. It includes a discussion of the first, second, and third rate CD and DVD media available. It discusses the longevity of that media and what to look for when purchasing CD and DVD media.

One of my sponsors for my Digital WakeUp Call tour, Delkin Devices [link], offers some extremely long-lived media including Blu-ray disks. Check out their White Paper on archival media right here. Media is not cheap, it's actually a bit pricey, but, I still think it's a small price to pay for preserving our images in the long term.

Twitter Etiquette - You Need To Know
Okay, many of you who are following me on Twitter know I have not been the best Tweeter out there. Frankly, I've been trying to find my way around both the significance and value of Twitter.

Last week I had the honor of being interviewed by David Warner of LensFlare35.com. LensFlare 35 is an audio podcast community for professional Canon photographers to stay informed. I'll let you know when the interview goes live.

Anyway, Dave and I had a great conversation for about an hour about Twitter before we even got into my podcast. It turns out he's quite the expert on the subject. He gave me some great pointers and my eyes were opened to just how viable this might be to our profession. As a matter of fact, I even "Tweeted" three times during our conversation. I know many of you think I'm crazy for even considering twitter but let me invite you to head over to SocialPhotoTalk.com.

SocialPhotoTalk.com is written by Aaron Hockley, a photographer and technologist living in Vancouver, WA. Aaron has fifteen years of experience in the technology industry and is part of the active tech scene in the Portland area. Aaron, a friend of this blog shows us neophytes how to get the best out of Twitter and goes a bit further in pointing out proper Twitter Etiquette as well. I had a nice browse through the site and found it quite informative. SocialPhotoTalk For Twittering ears who want to know more, let me point you towards Aaron's site right here.

Geek Alert! Wait There's More... About Lenses
I'm not sure how many of my readers receive the magazine Digital Photo Pro but I find it an extremely informative magazine. Not only do I enjoy the printed magazine, but you can also find all of the information online at DigitalPhotoPro.com.

Two recent articles spoke to the "geek" in me. One article described just what was under the hood of our high-tech auto focused, image stabilized lenses. Anyway, if you're into this kind of stuff it's a nice read right here.

And speaking of focus, DigitalPhotoPro has a second article on how to get exact focus with your auto focus lenses. Here is the link to that article.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. I've got a few things on the back burner that are moving to the front burner this week. One of the projects in my post on panoramas for tomorrow. I'll give you the low down on just how to create them simply and easily to get a great result. This just might be a piece you want to clip out and put in your keeper drawer. Anyway, check in tomorrow for the rest of the story. On that note gang, I'm signing off. -- David

"Working With The Lines"

2009-06-26T13:42:00.002-04:00

This image was also made as part of the KPPA a shoot this past Sunday. As you know, I'm a big fan of lines, shape, and form. I had originally started to set up the shot right outside the hotel lounge. As I surveyed the location, I was even more taken by the very strong lines leading up to the ceiling skylight. I immediately thought a low vantage point would be the best place to capture the long lines reaching to the skylight. What resulted was this very non-traditional bridal portrait. Still, I thought it still had quite a contemporary feel. Here was the challenge though. Look at the ceiling area at the top of the scene and also the side of the sofa. Had I used my traditional shoot thru umbrella methods such as my favorite shoot through umbrella method, the entire space - ceiling and sofa - would have been illuminated. To me, that would have been a major distraction in the composition. How do I eliminate the lighting on the surrounding areas? I needed a smaller "cone of light" to illuminate the bride, a light that would not flood the rest of the scene.
By using my magic Z-Ray light, I was able to control the light without having any spill hitting the ceiling or the sofa. Now the viewers' eye goes directly to my subject's face. And the strong line from the skylight also leads the viewer's eye right down to my subject. So, a little bit of thinking was necessary to bring this image together but I think we got a really nice result. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10–22mm wide angle lens, F5.6 at 1/125 second, ISO 800.

Enjoy! – David

Light Up My Life Friday: Face Time With A Clock - Lighting The Reception Pics; Webinar Update!

2009-06-26T13:24:00.009-04:00

Good Afternoon Everybody,
I've been following the registrations to my first Webinar next Wednesday -5 Burning Questions - 5 Definitive Answers - and I'll tell you, it looks like it's going to be a world wide event. We have photogs signed on from Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and many more. I think this may be the start of something. Next Wednesday's Webinar will be a nice "test drive" of this new idea.

There have been a few questions that have popped up in my email like:

1. Can I attend on my MAC? Yes, we tested it first on a MAC around here and in NYC.
2. What time does it start, I don't know what 2:00 EDT means, I'm from GB? That would be 2:00 P.M. New York City time or 6:00 P.M. Greenwich Mean Time for our international attendees.
3. Will it be LIVE? It sure will and I can take questions via the "CHAT" box. Also, we can have have up to 25 of the attendees live on the "AUDIO" too.
4. Will it be recorded? I don't know - I'll see how that works.
5. Will you be doing any more of these Webinars in the future? I'm planning too, I'm looking at lots of options right now.

So gang, hit the Info and Registration Link to Webinar Wednesday right here- it should be a blast!

The posts have been quite long this week so today's "Light Up My Life Friday" post is going to be a short and sweet. Today I want to take a few minutes and give you the quick low down on how I light my wedding reception candids.

Hit the "Read More..." below for the rest of the story.

Here we go.

Face Time With A Clock - Lighting The Reception Pics
What makes wedding photography look dramatically different from the competition's? It's always about the lighting. Most photogs are going out there shooting with an on-camera flash and just blasting away. Other are using various light modifiers to soften and spread the light.

I guess this is fine in some instances, but for the photog who really wants to set his/herself apart form the competition, then a little extra effort is required.

I typically light my reception images with three lights; one on-camera, one off-camera held by my assistant, and a "room light" on it's own stand. We are all tied together with Quantum's FreeWire radio system.

What's my set up? Folks, it's quick, easy and simple. Think of the face of a clock.
Let's say all the reception action takes place in the center of the clock. I'm going to describe the three lighting positions with respect to the clock's face.

First, I am always referenced at the 6 o'clock position on the clock's face. The "room light" and my assistant take up the positions at 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock. If the room light falls at the 10 o'clock position, the my assistant needs to be at the 2 o'clock position and visa-versa. I call it my "Tri-Angle of Light" method. You get a pretty good idea of the light set up in the next image where you can see all three lights because of the very wide view of my fisheye lens.

The BIG rule here is that neither my assistant or myself should ever line up with the room light as it is stationary. If we do, we bring in too much light from the same direction and will over expose the subject(s). Yes, my assistant needs to attentive to me and the room light to get in the right position - but, hey, that's their job, isn't it?

Folks, that about it - pretty simple isn't it? We get a great result because we create great separation of the subject from the background. We create detail, depth, dimension, and color saturation in a reception candid where so many of them go limping along these days.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. LaDawn and I have a wedding to go to today. I might just give the Canon 5D Mark II video capabilities a try - I'll keep you posted.

See everybody on the flip side of the weekend. - Have a good one! -David

"Just Breezin' By The Bridge"

2009-06-25T13:00:00.001-04:00

"Just Breezin' By The Bridge"

This is one of the images that I made at the KPPA shoot out this past Sunday evening. We got a lot of great shots of our model but this one with the wide-angle image is one of my favorites. In the setting sun the lens' wide angle view certainly adds to the dramatic feeling of the photograph. Look at the bride's positioning in the composition. The fact that she she placed forward in the composition added to the visual interest of this image. It almost seems as if the bridge is pushing her into the viewer's eyes. Lighting was accomplished with my off-camera flash coming in from the the right to give me the loop lighting pattern on the subject's space. Camera specs Canon 40 D. fitted with 10–22mm, F8 @ 1/320 second, ISO 200. Enjoy! – David