"Christmas Colors"
©David A. Ziser
I made this image this morning with my new “Christmas lens” I received from LaDawn. The image, I believe, captures what many of us reflect upon at Christmastime – soft, warm colors, twinkling lights, and wonderful pine scents of a live Christmas tree. Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with Canon 100mm F2.8 IS macro lens, F5.6 @1/30 second (handheld), ISO 1600 (Jpeg). Enjoy! -David
Read More...The Christmas Holidays can be wrought with hustle, hassle, frustrations, and impatience. Try as we might to enjoy the sights, sounds, and fragrances of Christmas, to often the daily world in which we live gets in the way.
Hopefully today, we will be able to just pause and step aside from our daily lives and remember that first Christmas Day. Hopefully we can enjoy the richness of family and friends. Hopefully we can enjoy the sounds, songs, colors, and smells of this special day. Hopefully we can fill this day with the Peace and Joy of Christmas.
With fondest wishes to everyone reading these words, Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you on this wonderful Christmas morning.
-David and LaDawn
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"Christmas Time At St. Xavier"
©David A. Ziser
I was trying to think what image I wanted to feature in today's Christmas Eve post and then remembered a wedding I had shot right around the Christmas holidays a few years ago. I remember walking into the church and being struck by the poinsettia display. I had never seen anything like it in Cincinnati area churches before. St. Xavier is on of the most popular and most beautiful sanctuaries in the metro Cincinnati, Ohio area. The striking turquoise interior is "one of a kind" in this part of the country. It's the turquoise colors that contrast so well with all the poinsettias. I thought is was a very appropriate "image of the day " post. By the way, when you read the specs below, you may be asking yourself how I maintained the depth of field at the wide aperture. The answer is easy - with a 10mm lens on a Canon 40D, the depth of field is from 3.4 feet to infinity with the lens focused at 10 feet - just thought you would like to know. Camera specs; Canon n40D fitted with 10-22mm wide angle lens, F3.5 @ 1/30 second (hand-held), ISO 1600. Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Afternoon Everybody,
I hope you stockings are hung by the chimney with care, for tonight is the night we hope Saint Nick will soon be there. Hey gang, I hope you are finding a little time to relax over this Holiday Season. For the past several years, once we got our Christmas delivery schedule better organized, we have always closed the studio between Christmas and New Years.
The staff spends time with family and friends that week and we run a very light schedule around here checking the phone messages twice a day, tidying up after the rush, and just mostly "just "playing with our toys" after Christmas ;~) Hope you get to do a bit of the same.
I'm wrapping this week with a Business Day Thursday that you might be able to use for next year. Here we go...
Business Day Thursday: Still Delivering Family Portraits Right Up To Christmas - Even Though You Haven't Shot Them Yet
OK, what am I talking about here? So many times photogs shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to sales. Count me in that number years ago. We know how long it takes to shoot a portrait, have the client see the results and choose a favorite. Now we have to get it printed, framed, and delivered before Christmas.
As we get closer to the holidays and maybe a bit more greedy, we continue to book appointments closer and closer to Christmas. That doesn't seem like much of a problem till it comes times to show, sell, and deliver those images. That's what can make Christmas rush such a downer.
How about offering your clients an alternative to the actual portrait that still helps you make the portrait sale, but really takes some of the stress out of making those deliveries at the last minute. Don't get me wrong - you are still going to make a holiday delivery to the client, but this time, it's going to be in the form of a "proxy portrait."
Hit the "Read More..." link below for the rest of the story.
Now don't get me wrong here, that's just the term I'm using here, not to the client. For the client, we may call it a "Portrait in a Box." Lot's of retailers offer the "famous" gift certificates that many of us receive over the holidays and then put them in a drawer sometimes to be long forgotten about. But this idea is different.
Here is what we do. We talk with the client about their photographic needs - family portrait, baby portrait parent album from a wedding, whatever, and then introduce them to our "Portrait In A Box" idea. We ask them to put down a deposit for the family portrait, parent's wedding album, or any other product we offer and then create our "Portrait In A Box."
See, here is the deal - delivering a "gift certificate" or "gift card" just doesn't say Merry Christmas like something more substantial at gift giving time. Our "Portrait In A Box" is assembled with a box we get from Bags and Bows [link].
We fill the box with some very nice gold tissue paper and then add a very sophisticated "gift certificate" to the tissued box. Add the clear cover, rub gently and quickly with a cotton cloth - this will cause enough static electricity on the plastic lid to attract the card certificate inside - yes, it does work. Add the bow and you have a beautiful gift presentation that you get to deliver to your client that makes a nice statement about your studio and the classy product you will be delivering in the near future after the holiday rush.
I just did the same thing earlier this week for a client, but in this case, it was a two parent's albums for my bride. Between both of our schedules, we were not able to get together in time for her to select her wedding images for herself or her family.
She really wanted to give family albums to the parents for Christmas though. I suggested a "Family Album In A Box." She loved the idea. I had Jennifer, my studio manager, print up one of my favorite wedding images, add the note that this box represented a beautiful parent's album would be coming after the holidays.
We packaged it up with a beautiful gold bow and I just delivered it to my client last Friday. She was thrilled with what we delivered.
The holidays are a time of the year when, so many times, clients can be disappointed because we can't make some kind of Christmas deadline. That's just the nature of the business. It's always our goal to make ALL those disappointments go away and our "Portrait In A Box" is a perfect idea to do just that.
Think how many other ways you can use this same idea and why not share them with our readers in the comments section below. Remember, 20 our more suggestions from at least 20 DPT readers and I'll award a $50 B&H gift certificate to the idea my staff and I like the best.
Hey everybody, Merry Christmas Eve. Tomorrow, I'll offer my Holiday wishes to all of our DPT readers but then I'm taking the rest of the day off to be with family and friends. I hope you get a chance to do the same.
Merry Christmas Everybody!!! -David
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"Mexican Holiday"
©David A. Ziser
Here is another image from our Cabo trip a few weeks ago. We were simply walking around the town of San Jose and LaDawn and I were having a conversation with my friend Sarah. I spotted the cactus in front of the magenta painted wall but I didn't want to be rude, stop, and take the photograph while Sara was telling here story. I just let the shot go. We made it into town and the girls spotted a shop they wanted to stop at. I invited them to do just that and once they disappeared into the shop, I backtracked our steps about a half a mile to get the shot I knew was waiting for me. Only two striking colors against the white make up this simple composition. For me it how the green contrasts so effectively against the magenta that I enjoy the most. Simple composition and bright colors all combine for a shot that says "Mexican Holiday." camera specs; Canon 7d fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 80mm, F10 @ 1/500 second, ISO 800.
Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Morning Everybody,
I've got to make this a quick post today because we've got lot's going on here at the studio with our album project. Couple that with a large crowd of family showing up later this afternoon and I'd have to say that things are going to be pretty crazy, hectic and fun around here today.
'Nough said - let's get right to today's Photo FAV thing.
Highlight Tone Priority - Perfect Exposure Every Time For The Wedding Shooter
I mentioned last week in my first Photo FAV post that the topics could include cameras, lenses, lighting, gear settings, you name it - it is all fair game for the series.
I covered this over a year ago on my blog but I want to revisit it again today. During my Digital WakeUp Call tour, I was amazed how many people didn't know about Highlight Tone Priority. Here is the link to the earlier DPT Highlight Tone Priority article right here. Give it a read and it will get you up to speed in no time.
This feature alone is what made me switch to the 40D a few years ago and also making it one of my favorite cameras in the Canon lineup up to that time. Nikon has a similar feature called Active D-Lighting. Here is a nice YouTube video right here giving you all the details on setting it up and all the Nikon functionality of the feature.
I'm told Nikon's functionality works a bit differently than Canon's. Check with your Nikon rep as to the details of those differences. You can also find some discussion on Active D-Lighting over at Photo.Net right here. You may want to read the comments too if you are a Nikon shooter.
One thing I like about the Canon HTP functionality is the fact that it works with the RAW files too. Highlight Tone Priority basically adds a lot of latitude to the image when it comes to over-exposure – actually about one stop. This is particularly useful for a wedding photographer shooting brides in white dresses, often very shiny, reflective white dresses, at high noon or the late afternoon bright sun. I love the added protection this feature allowed me in my shooting routine.
In the old digital days before Highlight Tone Priority, we had to be exceedingly careful about not over exposing the bride's gown as she made her exit from the interior of the church into the full sunlight of the church steps.
My technique back then was to have my assistant open his jacket revealing his white dress shirt and then setting my exposure so that his white shirt was not overexposed. That way, when the bride made her appearance on the brightly lit church steps, I was assured that the gown would be perfectly exposed.
But, what a hassle - and I was still nervous that I might inadvertently over expose the gown even with the precautions I was taking. Highlight Tone Priority changed all that.
I can remember the first time I tested it out on the brand new Canon 1D Mark III. My Canon rep, Mary Mannix, was assisting me on a wedding and let be "borrow" the brand new 1D MK III. The bride was to come out the front door of her home, into the shade of a tree in front of the house, and then would move directly into the bright afternoon sun as she approached the waiting limousine.
I had tested the feature in my Digital Master Class just a few days before and was "blown away" by how well it worked. But, this Saturday was the first time I was going to try it on a REAL wedding. What can I say, HTP worked like a charm, and a charm it truly is for the wedding shooter.
We wedding guys and girls work under the most varied lighting conditions of any type of photographer out there. We need to have the confidence in our gear that allows us to produce perfectly exposed images in the myriad lighting conditions in which we find ourselves. Highlight Tone Priority is a GIANT step in that direction for me which is why it's one of my top Photo FAVS.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. We got appetizers to prep, dinner to cook, presents to wrap so I'm out of here. See ya' tomorrow for some good ideas in how to still deliver the goods to your clients right down to the last minutes of the holiday rush. See ya' then, -David
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"Aspen Glen"
©David A. Ziser
This image was made while driving from Vail, Colorado to Aspen in August. The drive is just beautiful as you make your way through the grand peaks of the Rocky Mountains. We were about 20-30 miles outside of Aspen when we found ourselves driving through several groves of Aspen trees. For a Midwestern boy, this was a beautiful "Ansel Adams" moment. We pulled over and spent about an hour just exploring and photographing the surrounds. I was recently reviewing the images from the shoot and came across this image. It turns out it is my favorite from the several hundred images I captured. I love the tonalities, the textures, and rhythm of the scene. Look how the light just "dances" on the bark of the trees. I brought the image into Lightroom, converted the image to B&W using the Grey-scale tab and then toned down the greens and yellows to pop the contrast of the Aspens tree trunks with the surrounding foliage. Camera specs; Canon 50D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 200mm, F5.6 @ 1/125 second, ISO 200.
Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Morning Everybody,
Well, the holidays are upon us and I hope y'all ( and us too)don't get buried in the hustle and bustle. The album project I mentioned in last Friday's "Frantic Friday" post [link] is just about complete. We wrapped the edit on Saturday morning. LaDawn had most of the album design completed on Monday.
Both of us worked together in putting the final tweaks on the design and we spent a good bit of yesterday getting it printed and coated. Today we'll fine tune any pages that need it and reprint them. The next step is to trim and organize the images in proper sequence.
Once that step is complete, we can mount the images in the album. The album, by the way is being shipped later today from Zookbinders. It should arrive first thing tomorrow at which time we will swing into "high gear" and add the images. Anyway, looks like we will be delivering it on time Thursday evening for our client. Whew!!!
Hey, time to get on with another Technique Tuesday. Here we go...
Painting With "God's Light" For Beautiful Portraits
In yesterday's post, "Father And Child" [link], I alluded to my Photoshop technique I used in creating the finished portrait. Today, I thought I would just go through the entire process for you so you can see each step. This tutorial expands on an earlier version of the technique which is why I'm running the update today.
As I mentioned yesterday, the technique allows me to place the light on the subject exactly where I want it. I always loved the art of the Renaissance Masters, for example, Botticelli, El Greco, or Caravaggio who had a phenomenal grasp of light and composition. The religious paintings of the day always used "God's Light" in such a compelling and dramatic manner.
Hey, I'm no Renaissance master, but I still like "painting" the light onto the image. It takes a little time to "finesse" the final result, but I think the time spent is well worth it. Anyway, hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. We've got "Christmas at the Ziser's" tomorrow for LaDawn's family so we are putting the last minute "party prep" on the festivities.
I'll plan to see everyone tomorrow for another episode of Photo FAVS Wednesday. See ya' then, -David
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"Father And Child"
©David A. Ziser
Here is another image from my portrait shoot last week. I had posted an image with mom, dad, and baby on Friday [link], but while looking over the shoot found this image I loved too. Generally when it comes to new born baby shoots, it mostly about the mother and baby. Since mom and dad both came by for the shoot, I wanted to get a few images with dad too. This tender image is one of my favorites. Although the lighting is quite straight forward - the subject of a post next week - I do most of the "lighting" technique in Photoshop. I love "painting the light" right where I want it. Metaphorically, I call this technique "God's Light" because I fell as if He was doing the lighting. I believe God would want the light falling mostly on His new creation. I thought the slight touch of "noise" on the image worked in this instance giving me a nice stylized result. Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 20mm, F8.0 @ 1/80 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Afternoon Everybody,
We got our first dusting of snow on the ground this past weekend, always a beautiful site - unless of course you were hit by the giant Nor'easter that hit the east coast I understand you received 24 inches in Philadelphia and lots more up the coast. Hope you guys get dug out soon.
Hey, if you can't get out today, just sit back and enjoy anther episode of Quick Hit Monday. Here we go...
My Interview At New Genesis Productions
A few months ago, I was invited to be on the radio - WMOH, that's 1450 AM on your radio dial. It's a local station, but Tony of New Genesis Productions (and fan of DigitalProTalk.com), who put the whole thing together, and I finally got together two weeks ago.
The interview covered many topics including wedding stats that were quite interesting. Like in our metro area, the wedding budget is $26,000 per wedding -WOW! The wedding photography budget is only $750 though - WHOA!
We discussed photography, photographers, brides, and what brides need to know in finding their photographer. Anyway, if you want to take some time to listen to the interview, you can find it right here. Please note: This is not a streaming file - the MP3 file needs to download in it's entirety first, about 3 minutes on a reasonably fast connection, before it will play. Still, I think you will enjoy the "listen."
Wait, there's more. Tony also did an interview with my buddy, Larry Becker, Executive Director Of The National Association Of Photoshop Professionals. You can find that interview right here. Poke around the New Genesis blog a while, too. Tony's got a good start on a nice photo resource for blog readers out there.
Mark Your Calendars - Three Great Workshops Coming Up!
A Day With Denis Reggie
First, let me tell you about the Denis Reggie seminar coming up January 18, 2010. Denis photographs the "Who's Who" clients around the world. He is also one of the finest wedding photographers I know. If you haven't seen Denis's program you are missing a great instructor who gives a passionate message about what he believes in most - wedding photojournalism. Head over to Denis' site right here for all the info on enjoying a very personal learning experience with a master. Register by the end of the year and save yourself $250.
3 Days With Wedding Legends - Denis Reggie and Joe Buissink
February 22-24 - a three Day seminar with wedding legends, Denis Reggie and Joe Buissink. Hey gang, this is your opportunity to hear 2 on the list of American PHOTO's "10 Best Wedding Photographers in the World." The experience is limited to only 12 attendees and will take place in the intimate surrounds of Denis' personal residence. This could be one great opportunity and one of the best educational experiences of 2010! Here is the link for all the info.
Light, Location, Love Workshop
Fellow blogging buddy and excellent photographer, Kerry Garrison along with Jules Bianchi, are conducting a one day workshop from noon to 9 p.m. on January 26, 2010. Their program is primarily about lighting and they are planning plenty of demos during the program. They are also shaking it up a bit with a "live" model shoot including an entire wedding party. You can get all the info right here.
Good Reading Over The Holiday Break
Syl Arena has just posted a great doubleheader list entitled, "Online Resources For Canon Photographers – Part 1[link]" and "Online Resources For Canon Photographers – Part 2 [link]"
The fist set are all Canon specific sites coming from Canon themselves. The links are an invaluable resource for any Canon shooter. The second is a list of 31 Canon centric links dealing with photography, cameras, gear, and video. I love it when bloggers put together these lists - it's like a road map to all good information.
Be sure to bookmark both links and enjoy your "browse" over these next few days. Thanks a bunch, Syl!!!
Quick "Captured By The Light" Book Update!
I just talked with the good folks over at Peachpit this past Friday. As you know, my book "Captured By The Light" landed there last Thursday and is almost on the presses. Peachpit's final edit is nearly complete and is due on the presses right after Christmas.
I can't believe it - things are getting very close. Forget what you've seen on Amazon or Barnes and Noble's sites. The release will be much sooner than their sites have posted. Peachpit promised me an update this week so I'll continue to keep you posted. From those who have seen the book so far, the "reviews" have been wonderful - I'm stoked!!
Hey gang, I've got to get moving. The day is getting away from me and we still have a few more projects to get out the door this week. I'll plan to see everyone tomorrow for Technique Tuesday. See ya' then, -David
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"Precious Moments"
©David A. Ziser
I made this image yesterday evening. The baby was only two months old and this was his first official portrait. Photographing babies at this age is always a process. The baby can be smiling, crying, fussing and a lot more. We got a great series of images from the shoot. This image is one of my favorites. The soft expressions on mom and dad's faces speak to the fragile young babe they hold in their arms. I like the direct look on the baby's face too. I thought the composition came together well. I took the image into Lightroom to control the densities of the image. My intent was to focus the viewer's attention on the baby by increasing the tonal values on the baby's face and decreasing the values on mom and dad's faces. I actually discussed this Lightroom technique months ago here at DPT in my Technique Tuesday episode entitled, "Painting With Lightroom 2." Here is the link. Anyway, the client's loved the finished results, I can't wait for them to see the rest of the images from the shoot. Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at90mm, F8.0 @1/80 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Late Afternoon Everybody,
You know, some days you get the lion an some days the lion gets you. Today was the latter. My well laid plans to do a post on fine art photography, canvas wrapping, and certificates of authenticity has completely gone out the window for today.
Here what's going on. Yesterday things were just "peachy" here at the studio. Nearly everything was delivered to our clients, we had wished our "Merry Christmas's" to the team - yesterday was the last day for most of the staff till after the holidays - and I was ready to settle in on getting my article ready for the upcoming Photoshop World.
Well, then the dam "busted" loose. I got a call yesterday afternoon from one of our best clients. Here was the request - if they supply us the images, can we design, print, and have an album custom bound with a custom silver title plate on the cover by next Thursday evening, NEXT Thursday – less than 7 days from now!
The unedited images were still on the client's computer - we wouldn't receive them till 7:00 p.m. The finished album will contain about 150/200 images from the unedited 1600 images. Hey, don't you love a challenge? Of course, I said yes! Needless to say LaDawn was ready to shoot me.
We did get the images last evening and planned to edit the images this morning so we could get the project underway. Then another call this morning at about 11 a.m. from my client….could she assist in the edit? She could get here about 2 p.m. I again said yes and said I would see her around 2 p.m.
By 4 p.m. we had completed a very rough first edit. Over the weekend, I need to tweak the images in Lightroom and Photoshop. LaDawn needs to design the album and all the images need to be printed by Monday.
The album company needs to ship the custom album by next Tuesday so we have it by Wednesday. We will permanently mount all the images on Thursday and deliver the album later that afternoon. Hey, nothing to it, right? NOT, it's taking a lot of split second timing over the next 5 days from LaDawn and myself, and a couple very dedicated vendors, Zookbinders for one, to pull it off. But we will and their 3 week vacation album will look great.
You know, it's these kind of projects that are kind of fun to see if you can pull it off, knowing of course that you have to, you will, and the client will know who to call for the next impossible project. Hey, it's all part of the Holiday rush ;~)
And speaking of the Holiday rush, I'm putting on the breaks right now, and pouring myself an adult beverage. Everybody have a great weekend and I'll see you on, hopefully a much slower moving Monday. As I wonder off I ponder, “.....uhmmm, what am I going to decorate the tree with this year - the white pixels or the multi-color pixels;~) “
Have a great weekend everybody, -David
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"Red Lining"
©David A. Ziser
I'm tossing another image up from our visit to Cabo again. This image is of a red fence. Again, during one of our "photowalks" we passed this bright red fence. It was not in the best part of town which is why its "redness" stood out so vividly to me. I wanted to only "isolate" on the "red" so I chose a camera position that barely overlapped each of the fence uprights with each other . That enabled me to capture the solid red color with none of the surrounds showing through. I also like seeing the texture of the fence paint throughout the image. The sunlight highlighted not just the textures of the paint but the fence uprights as well enhancing the repeating elements of the fence's structure. I "juiced" the color a bit in Lightroom and took the image into Photoshop in order to straighten the lines with the crop tool using the "perspective" feature. Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 200mm, F16 @ 1/160 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Afternoon Everybody,
Wow! I can't believe the week is about over already. We've got things pretty much under control here at the studio THANKS to my great team that makes me look good. Also, I hoped everyone enjoyed yesterday's post - whew, it just kept getting longer and longer. I'll try to keep the future posting to a more readable length.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I completed another "GoToMeeting" appointment with one of my out of town clients Tuesday evening. Things went great and the client loved it.
Really, it was just like we were in the same room together, just that we couldn’t see each other. The phone connect was perfect though - we SOUNDED like we were in the same room together. That's why the meeting went so well. It was a real wedding presentation to my clients where I could easily add my perspective to the image selection process.
The bottom line is this - they added 78 additional images to the original 100 image coverage. The added images really told a complete story and I can't wait to see the finished album designed for them. Don't you love technology:~)
Today I've got planned a short and sweet post (because yesterday's went so long). I need to have completed and ready for print my new lighting program that I’m presenting at Photoshop World in March off to NAPP Headquarters by Friday so let's get right to it.
Business Down, Try A Different Approach
My buddy, Skip Cohen, who started Skip's Summer School this past summer and runs a great marketing blog MEI500.com [link] ask me and several others to comment on business 4th quarter last year versus 4th quarter this year. He just ran the two part post on Tuesday and Wednesday. My answer appeared in the Wednesday post.
The results of his survey were quite intriguing so be sure to check out the Tuesday post [link] and Wednesday post [link]. As a bonus check out the photographer’s websites, too. It is always good to see what the other guys/girls are doing.
The point that came through for me from so many contributors to the article was clear. Here is my quick distillation of the most salient points of the discussion:
"... I will say that we worked twice as hard to achieve that goal and proactively approached sales and marketing to get there." Charles Maring
"... It’s not by accident though. We’ve been using creative marketing techniques to bring in kids and families." Joe Dallas
".... Couple that with an additional push towards extreme ‘black belt’ style customer service and it’s keeping us hopping." Kay Eskridge
"... I still believe there’s no substitute for busting your ass. I’m working harder than ever to stay working hard." Cliff Mautner
“... Too many photographers wait for the phone to ring instead of making the phone ring.” David Ziser
I think you get the idea.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. I'll plan to see everybody tomorrow for Fine Art Friday - Something New For Your Studio.
Adios, David
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"Shadow Play"
©David A. Ziser
Here is another image from the Cabo trip last week. The image is of a simple garage gate. The high afternoon sun cast the shadow of the pointed top part of the gate on the the yellow wall in the distance, hence the fact that the shadow is "out of focus" on the back wall. I also positioned the camera so that the last left and right vertical shadow elements would eventually be hidden by the fence elements in the foreground. I also positioned the curved shadow element - the top part of the fence - so that it would fall in the bottom third of the composition. In essence, the shot was designed pretty much from start to finish - it was not just a grab shot. Color, of course, was enhanced in Lightroom for the finished result. Camera specs Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 200mm, F10 @ 1/800, ISO 200. Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Afternoon Everybody,
WOW! Only 9 more days till Christmas. So are you ready for the holidays ? Heck, if you celebrate Hanukkah, you are in the mist of the celebration. Kwanzaa - you've got 10 days to go. Boy, it sure gets confusing, especially if you are a photographer with a cross cultural client list. You've got to know all the holidays to be sure you make all the deadlines. Just part of the fun, right.
Hey gang, last week I was planning to start a new series entitled, "My Favorite Things." It sort of had a holiday ring to it, but then I figured we were going to be through the holidays by the end of next week and my "clever" title would not be so "clever." Anyway, change of plans – I’m moving the series to Wednesdays right in the middle of the week.
Here is the deal. Each Wednesday I'm planning to share with you some of my favorite "photography" things. That could include lens, cameras, F-stops, camera settings, flash settings, gear, books - just about anything. If you've got some ideas too, I'd like to hear from you in the "Comments" section below.
I think it will be kind of fun over these next several weeks with me discussing what works best for me with my gear, my shooting, and my business and why. The "Things" will be listed in no order of priority so that means that my first post today does NOT mean that my 18-200mm IS lens is my TOP favorite thing - it's just one of many. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the series - here we go with the first episode.
My Canon 18-200mm IS Lens
Yep, this lens has turned out to be one of my BIG Photo FAVS. It is about the best "walking around" lens you could take with you on a vacation. Heck, it's been my main lens for the last three weeks of our travels through Hawaii and Cabo, Mexico. If I'm carrying only one camera and lens, this is the lens that's on the camera.
For me, it's the long focal length range that I enjoy the most with this lens. Sure, I've got a 70-200mm IS lens, a wonderful piece of glass, but for just walking around, it's way too heavy. The 18-200mm IS lens, as Little Red Riding Hood might say, "...it’s just right - WIDE enough and LONG enough--- all-in-one lens."
I know what you're thinking, but David, is it sharp enough for you're everyday shooting?
Hey gang, for the answer to this question and lots more scintillating discussion on why this lens is one my “Photo FAVS,” hit the Read More… link below.
The quick answer is "THAT IS WHAT IT'S SHARP ENOUGH FOR" - please excuse the dangling principle everyday shooting.
It's like, how big are we going to make the picture anyway? For most shooters, they never even get around to printing their images. Those that do never print them much larger than an 8x10. Me, I've printed a number of images up to 24x36 inches and they look fine at normal viewing distances. Heck, they look pretty darn good fairly close up, too.
OK, you're going to say that's a "gotcha." You're think, "So, Ziser, if you look at them up close, you're saying they're not as sharp as they could be - right.?" Yes, I would agree that the lens is not as sharp as a Canon L-Series lens like the 70-200mm IS lens. But, is it sharp enough for photowalks, wedding candids, and just shooting around? I say, unequivocally YES - it's now my only choice for those situations.
"Hold on one second! You're saying you are using it for wedding candids too?" You know, I knew you were going to ask. You know, for wedding reception dance floor candids, it's my favorite. I like grabbing a quick wide angle shot and then being able to zoom in close to grandma across the dance floor and grab a quick shot of her "rockin' and rollin'. It's the most versatile lens Canon makes for that kind of reception coverage.
DAZNOTE: Hey gang, remember, I shooting with my three light reception light set up for these shots. That's why this lens works so good in these situations. But, you know, that's my style of shooting - dimensional lighting even on my candids. The 18-200mm IS lens and the lighting gives me the opportunity to get a great set of exciting, well lit candids for my clients.
MISINFORMATION, MISINFORMATION!!!! So many people make their buying decision based on what they read in the lens tests posted all over the Internet. You know, not everything you read is TRUE. I know, you're AGHAST at what I just said - "What do you mean that not all facts are "Gospel" if I read them on line?"
Here is a quick "case in point." Read DPReview's test of the 18-200mm lens - here is the link. Look at the specs over at B&H right here too. What's the closest focusing distance listed - 1.5 feet - WRONG!!! Folks, that's only with the lens at the wide angle setting. At the 200mm setting, guess what, YOU'VE GOT SOME GREAT MACRO ACTION HAPPENING! Focus distance at the 200mm setting is MUCH closer.
Check out these two images I just shot. The first is at the 18mm setting. 
At 1.5 feet I can read the ruler to 16 inches. From everything I could find on line that would imply that this shot represents the closest distance that one could shoot with this lens.
WRONG! Now look at the next shot at 200mm - lot's closer isn't it? I was about 5 inches away from the ruler for this image. 
What's that say about this lens - UHHH, maybe decent enough for some quick close ups at the wedding - absolutely. I stumbled on this feature of the lens when just shooting around one day. I'm a macro "nut" and generally use my 100mm MACRO lens for the close ups. I was BLOWN AWAY by how close the 18-200mm lens could get at the 200mm setting.
Wait, there's more. Lots of folks are into FAST glass, too. Hey, I got to shoot with Canon's 200mm F2 lens last week in Cabo – very, very cool. I liked what my buddy, Kent Smith, said about a few of his shots, "Heck, the background was so out of focus, you can't tell where you are." We both smiled. We are on the beach and you couldn't tell. Don't get me wrong. That lens is a great lens and one of the "sharpest tacks" in Canon line up. At a retail price of $5,000 it should be. The shallow depth of field Kent eluded to is fun to play with too.
Anyway, I'm mostly a wedding shooter. Sure fast glass, but the 4 stops of image stabilization on the 18-200mm still let's me get the shots I need at a wedding. Let's put it in perspective. Even at the smallest aperture at which this lens shoots - F5.6 - I can still get away with 1/20 second in most available light church shooting situations.
DAZNOTE: What makes these low light higher shutter speeds even more possible today is the advent of these wonderful new high ISO cameras that have come to market and continue to become more available. Think about Canon or Nikon's new offerings with 6 figure ISOs - who would have guessed - even a year ago.
So gang, why is Canon's 18-200mm IS lens one of my favorite things?
Wide focal length range - love it for everyday and wedding candid shooting.
Almost MACRO capability - closer than you think and plenty close for most shooting.
4 stops image stabilization - let's me pass on the expensive fast glass for most of my shooting situations, especially when coupled with the higher ISO cameras.
You know, it's not always about the highly rated specs that lead me to selecting a favorite optic. Many times it just how it FITS my shooting situations and what the final output will be that make the lens work for me.
That's the case to the Canon 18-200mm IS lens. For all around shooting, for candids that are going to no larger than an 8x10 in a wedding album, this lens is a perfect fit for how I like to shoot. It let's me get a RANGE of images in the quickest manner possible when photographing a wedding.
Hey everybody, that's it for me today. I got a little carried away with this post, but I hope you found it informative and helpful. How about I plan to see everyone again tomorrow for another Business Day Thursday episode.
See ya' then, -David
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"House Tops"
©David A. Ziser
This is one of the images in today's Technique Tuesday episode below. For me, the attraction to this subject matter were the three dimensional rectangular and triangular shapes of this building. The final crop isolated on those shapes and forms very effectively. Also, notice how the entire image is a fun play of three simple colors. The primary white against the dark blue is eye catching in its own right, but the little triangle of red is really where the eye stops - the "captured" reed has no place to go and becomes the main focal point of the image. Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 200mm, F3.5 @ 1/8000 second (I missed resetting the aperture here. I was too wrapped up in the shot. Luckily the working distance kept everything in sharp focus.) ISO 200.
Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Afternoon Everybody,
Before we kick things off with today's Technique Tuesday episode, I want to clarify a few things from yesterday's post. Of course, everyone wants to know which brand is best when it comes to blank DVD and CD media. I mentioned that I’ve used Taiyo Yuden for the last several years based on advice I got from our supplier, CD Dimensions.
The discs we purchase are rated for 100 years according to our tech rep. As mentioned yesterday, Taiyo Yuden and JVC have created a marketing partnership that will now sell the Taiyo Yuden brand under the JVC name [link].
Want to know which blank we purchase - here is the link showing the Taiyo Yuden/JVC blank DVDs over at CD Dimensions. CD Dimensions shows they are out of stock at this time, but that should only be temporary until the company's complete the brand transition and sell out of their current supply of Taiyo Yuden stock, which you can easily find right here.
Not on a budget and want the best, most long lived DVD and CD media available? Here is the link to the MAM-A Gold DVDs at $2.35 ea.
What about other brands out there? Here is a listing of brands from the best to not so good over at DigitalFAQ.com right here. Hey gang, that should give you a good place to start. As for me, I'm sticking with my trusted Taiyo Yuden brand, not JVC Professional.
And now on with Technique Tuesday.
Cabo Colors - Before and After
Last week I did a post entitled, "Cabo Colors Wednesday." The images were posted from our "photo walks" taken right in the neighborhood where we stayed. The subject matter of my images were from very simple surrounds.
In today's tutorial, I thought I'd walk you through my Lightroom process of creating excitingly colorful final images from rather mundane subject matter like a home, car port, and veranda. For me, it's all about color and Lightroom sure makes it easy for us to manipulate and enhance those colors. So today, let's take a walk through my Technicolor world of Cabo abstracts. Hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show.
Hey everybody, that's it for me today. The day almost got away from me and I've got to get back to my real job. Have a good one and I'll see everybody tomorrow.
See ya' then, -David
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"Invitation To Love"
©David A. Ziser
OK, spare me the comments on this image title ;~) It's the first thing that popped into my mind when I came across it this weekend while have a "GoToMeeting" conference with one of my clients in North Carolina. I had forgotten about the image, but upon seeing it again Saturday, I remember taking it and kind of like it. It's just a little different way of including the invitation in your wedding coverage. I positioned the invitation in the foreground of the shot by handholding it while trying not to photograph my fingers. I brought the image into Lightroom to highlight the invitation just slightly to make it stand out from the surrounds. Camera specs; Canon 5D Mark II fitted with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F5.6 @ 1/40 second, ISO 3200. Enjoy! -David
Read More...Good Morning Everybody,
How many Days till Christmas - Yikes!!! Hey, it's all good though. This year LaDawn and I are trying to slow things down a bit and make a conscientious effort to enjoy family, friends, and the holidays more this Christmas season. Sometimes old habits are hard to break, but we're going to give it our best shot. Hope you can enjoy them a bit, too.
Anyway, on with Quick Hit Monday. I've got a few things to tell you about so let's get right to it.
Let's Help Scott's Kids
For all loyal readers of Scott Kelby's blog, you know that over the past several months he has been involved in a fundraising effort for the "Spring of Hope Kenya" orphanage. They are finally up and running. Here is the latest info on Scott's wonderful effort right here.
Well, guess what - we all can help too. I received an email from Scott last week mentioning his new line of fashion T-shirts, and coffee mugs for off-camera flash shooters.
Is Scott's new fashion line more impressive than Versace, Gucci or Armani? As one popular Alaskan ex-governor was heard to say, “You Betcha'" Why, because 100% percent of the profits benefit "Spring Of Hope" orphanage.
Here is the link to Scott's T-shirt fashion outlet and story right here. For only a couple of bucks what better way to say you care about your lighting and Scott's kids in Kenya and just in time for holiday gift-giving. I'm ordering mine today.
Are Your CD and DVD Data Fading Faster That You Think? 
This past Saturday I did a guest appearance on a local radio show. More on that later. Anyway, the subject of the "Shoot and Burn" wedding photographers came up, as it always does, and I got thinking about how long those CDs/DVDs will last.
At my studio, we deliver an archival museum quality photo album to our clients. It will last over two hundred years if properly cared for. How long will the CDs/DVDs last that are currently being delivered to bride's and grooms? My quick guess is not too long.
Here's why. Most photogs are not looking to the latest, greatest longest lived CDs/DVDs when archiving the images for delivery to their clients. Some are of course, but many are not.
Over the weekend I received an email from one of my vendors mentioning that Taiyo Yuden, one of the top CD/DVD producers of quality recording disc media had joined forces with JVC. Taiyo Yuden is the brand of discs we use exclusively here at my studio. We purchase their discs with the guaranteed 100 year life.
I did a little research and this is what I found out over at DigitalFAQ.com. "Japanese media makers have been hit hard by the economy in recent years. TY discs were once re-branded under Panasonic, Sony, Fuji, JVC, Verbatim and several other brands. But those companies cut costs by going with cheaper (and as you know, inferior) discs from the likes of Ritek and CMC, out of Taiwan. --- (Verbatim excluded, of course, they just don't use TY discs anymore -- their MCC discs are generally superior anyhow!)”
Here is the link to their CD/DVD longevity discussion right here.
Uhmmm, kind of scary isn't it? For years, back in the film days, we were all concerned about how long a photographic print would last. In the late 60’s, just a little over 40 years ago, it wasn't much longer than 30 years of longevity - not very long.
In the late 60's, as more and more photographers were transitioning to color, lots of photo labs were offering brand new color processing services - only one problem with some of the cheaper labs offering cheap prices. They were cutting out the "image stabilization" step from the color process to save some bucks. That's the final step in the process that gave the new color prints at least some kind of limited longevity. Without that step, the prints were destined to fade even more quickly.
One of my photographic mentors observed, "We are going to have a entire generation of lost imagery because of so many photogs "going for the cheap" for their color processing. Doesn't sound like things have changed much over the years.
Are we in the "same boat" today? Folks, that's the problem we have with cheap CDs and DVDs - the data is fading FAST - like in 3-5 years and certainly under 10 years! Check out this article over at Auphanonline.com right here. Here is a quick excerpt from their post.
"Most people buy recordable media based solely on price thinking that all recordable media are the same and most packaging do not include shelf life as a selling point. Thus, the consumer has no idea that their precious data on the disc will degrade within 5 years.”
So gang, do you know how long your CDs and DVDs will last that you are delivering to your clients? Maybe a lot less time than you think! Are we in for another lost generation of wedding imagery? Let's hope not!
Hey gang, that's it for me today. LaDawn and I are putting the final touches on our Christmas trees and getting the house decorations up today - that last warmish day this week before the colder weather sets in tonight.
I'll plan to see everybody for another episode of Technique Tuesday tomorrow.
See ya' then. -David
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