Digital ProTalk: April 2008

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

"Afternoon Elegance"

"Afternoon Elegance"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image yesterday during my Master Class. Who would have thought you could get such a dramatic image at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center? But that's where this image was created. I love the leading lines and graphic elements of this location which really add to the composition of the image. It was made just with the available light flooding in from the window. I had to tilt the bride's head slightly to her right so that the light would illuminate her eyes. The slight camera tilt also accentuated the final composition. The slower shutter speed raised the key of the background resulting in a really nice bridal portrait. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with my 10-22mm lens at 21mm, F5.6 @ 1/60 second, ISO 500.

Enjoy! -David

A Wonderful Wednesday

Good Morning Everybody,
Hey gang, I'm making it a quick post today. We were out shooting way past the time the class was suppose to finish last night. It was pretty late when we all got back to the hotel and I have to say, I was a bit tuckered. I ended up shooting about 750 images yesterday. Not bad for talking thru most of them. We started about 10 A.M. - only took a lunch break and finally wrapped about 7:30 P.M. Whew! Ahhh! But we got some really beautiful images.

It was mostly a grey, unusually cold Spring day yesterday in Cincy. We sort of hesitated going to our last outdoor location which was Ault Park in Cincinnati. Everyone seemed ready to continue so we decided to make the 15 minute trip anyway. Finally the sun broke thru the grey clouds and made an appearance for the first time all day about 6:00 and I was able to capture some dramatic sunset pics emphasizing the long shadows of the late afternoon. Check out a couple of the images in the last post below.

Let's Not Forget About The Mac Guys and Girls When It Comes To Lightroom Shortcuts

Here is the MAC version right here to the most complete set on Lightroom shortcuts I posted yesterday. Sorry.... I missed adding it yesterday to the post. I hit the computer early this morning and found a note from Victoria Bampton over at Photoshop Servicews.co.uk. She is the author of the first set of shortcuts. She was kind enough to point me to the other link as well.

Check out her site right here. She has some excellent resources listed for all of us digital photographers. Want a peek at the goodies in Lightroom Version 2? Victoria has the entire list right here. Thanks Victoria.

Maybe I Should Be Backing Up More Often.

Too many people are guilty of not backing up their data on a regular basis and it's kind of scary. But wait, the easy solution is just a mouse click away. We were having a discussion in class yesterday about just that topic.

I have to say, I am not a big fan of backup software that backs up in some proprietary file format. For a photog, I think this is a brain dead solution to back up. Here's why. I run a business and if I have a hard drive fail, I need to get to the backup data as soon as possible. I sure as heck don't want to be restoring 500 gigs to yet another drive to eventually get to my files.

For me, it is imperative that I back up my files in "Native" mode. What does that mean? That means what is on my disc gets backed up to another disk exactly as it appears on the original. So if I ever do have a hard drive disaster - like we did 8 months ago when we lost a terabyte drive here at the studio, I simply grabbed the backup drive, put it on the net work and we were ready to go in no time. No restore process at all since everything was sitting on the back up drive ready to go exactly as it appeared before the "crash". We never missed a beat.

So what software do I use? It's by Argentum Backup which costs a whopping $25 per computer - here is the link. It's been an "Editor's Choice" over at PC Magazine.

Chris, our class computer whiz, suggested another solution as well. It's called SyncBackSE by 2BrightSparks - here is the link. Man, I checked it out and it has won a whole slew of awards. I think it's worth checking out. It's only $30 and you can use it on 5 computers. Both solutions back up in "native" mode and both are priced right which makes it a "no-brainer" for photographers who need to get to their backed up data quickly.

P.S. Chris is blogging the class all week, so if you want some more in-depth info with a different perspective on what's going on, check out his blog right here.

Just A Few More Images From Day 2 of My Master Class

We hit the Rivercenter Marriott in Covington, KY for most of the day. Man, it's a great place to shoot!! From there we headed just across the street to the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. A completely different feel and look from the hotel but I love the graphic features this location provided. And finally, late afternoon, we headed to Ault Park and got a pretty cool sunset to work with at the end of the day. Enjoy the pics below. Hey gang, I've got to get scootin' - Lots of stuff to do before class today. See everybody tomorrow. --David

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

"Man of the Moment"

"Man of the Moment"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made during my Master Class shoot yesterday. The beautiful Plum Street Temple served as the background for the fisheye photograph of the groom. The architecture is so unique in this sanctuary, that the Sigma fisheye really gave an interesting perspective to the image. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with Sigma 8mm Fisheye, F5.6 @ 1/30 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday 04.29.08

Good Morning Everybody,
Well, the class is off and running to a great start. We had a super shoot yesterday - and are planning more photography all day today. Although the rain put a little damper on the Welcome Party festivities at our home last night. But no prob - we just moved everyone and the party indoors and had a great time.

Thanks to Chris, one of our class members, and computer whiz kids to boot - no pun intended - he was able to get my cranky new Dell back in operation in time for our image review. It hit a major hic-cup right before everybody arrived thanks Chris.

I picked some good ones and they are on the presses as I type. Two of the images have been featured elsewhere in the posts so here are the other two. I'll get a nice sampling of my favs next week after the class wraps.

A Quick Peak At My Composition or My Secret Handshake To Better Pictures

In today's Technique Tuesday, lets discuss what makes a great image. Sure it's color, impact, subject matter, and so much more, but when it comes right down to it, it's the composition of the image. Basically the term composition means 'putting together', any work of art is arranged or put together using conscious thought. I'm foregoing the video tutorial today because of the time constraints of my Master Class this week - not enough hours in the day - but look for one down the road in the near future. Anyway, let's take a quick peek at how I put my images together.

Its all about where you place the subject in the viewfinder. Let's start with the quickest, easiest way to consider our options. First, cut the viewfinder into four quadrants numbered as shown. Now for the first "secret handshake" for good composition - place the main part of subject in one of the quadrants - check out the next image - looks pretty good doesn't it? Now let's refine it - lose the quadrants and replace it with the more precise tic-tac-toe board. I call the intersections of the lines "Nodal points." To yet improve your image with respect to composition - just be sure your subject falls on one of the four nodal points. I've selected number 1 in this case. Now there you have it - a much better composed image - better that just dead center at least in the case of this image. That's my quick hit compositional bit for today - Pixel perfect!

Most Complete Lightroom Keyboard Shortcut List In The World

Last week I did my first Lightroom video tutorial entitled, "JPEG Showdown, Saving The Pixels" right here. Thanks for all the kind remarks. I also posted Matt Kloskowski's "Best Ten Lightroom Shortcuts" at the bottom of the article "I Love Lightroom, But.." right here.

Anyway, the way it works so often for me is that one thing often leads to another. A few of you posted your favorite shortcuts. I love the tip from Daniel who offered, "To toggle between a Before and After view of the image I love the backslash \ shortcut in the develop module in LR. And to switch on/off the highlight warning use the J shortcut." Thanks Daniel - good tip.

Also, how do you jump from one module to another with Ctl-Alt-1,2,3,4,5 of course. OK, enough of my ramblings - where can you find the best list of Lightroom shortcuts in the whole wide world that includes everything? Glad you asked - here is the link to my favorite Lightroom shortcut listings right here. It's PDF so go get it and print it out for yourselves. Memorize it, post it in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and next to your computer. Before you know it - you'll be the shortcut king/queen.

Suzette Allen Still Making (Template) Waves

Many of my readers may know my friend, Suzette Allen from her posts over at Will Crockett's monthly newsletter and her appearances around the country. She is an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) and knows her stuff.

Anyway, I just got a note from Suzette on her new very versatile template set. Suzette is announcing her coolest Composites and Templates ever!!! Only $100 per set of about a dozen templates, so you are guaranteed to make your money back in only one or two sales!! Every template is completely customizable for color, style, texture, ornamentation...or keep it as is! See all of Suzette's new templates available right here. By the way, you can check out a sampling of her templates and brushes right here - I still love the Cloud brushes.

Hey everybody, it's time to run. Class starts in a few and we have another whole day of shooting at some pretty cool locations. So, I'll see everybody tomorrow. -David

Monday, April 28, 2008

"A Mother's Love"

"A Mother's Love"
© David A. Ziser

This image is from the same session in which I featured the baby in "Tomorrow's Child" - last Wednesday's post. I like the composition of the photograph. The hinting at the mother's visage in the dark shadows with the baby's face pressed against her shoulder. All we really see in this image is a mother's expression of love. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with my 24-105mm lens at 105mm, F11 @ 1/200 second, ISO 200.

Enjoy! -David

Monday Morning - We Are Off And Running

Good Morning Everybody,
What a weekend its been getting the studio and grounds in shape for the class. A large part of it was normal spring cleaning, but removing 4 trees and replanting three more, planting a gazillion flowering plants, and all the mulching is not work for the faint of heart. That's why I didn't do a bit of it ;~) LaDawn did most of the work and directed a few others for some additional chores. But the garden plants in, new mulch is down, touch up painting is completed and thanks to her the place will look great for our Welcome Party tonight. Kudos to LaDawn.

We have 22 students hailing from coast to coast and all of us are all looking forward to a terrific week. I'll try to stay on my regular blog schedule, but look for some bonus reporting from the Master Class, so it should be a good week for our loyal DPT readers.

Forget The Big Screen...

...Put your money in a good monitor and never leave your desktop again. Are you tired of watching all those "low res" Youtube videos, or any low res videos for that matter. The new video technology is amazing. While doing my post on Friday about Joel Sartore, I followed the links over to Vimeo.com and stumbled into their HD videos. If you want to see where the technology is headed, you have to check out Vimeo's HD site right here. Or just watch their demo video below. Be sure to hit the full screen button on the bottom - right, it will blow you away!

Death Valley from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Nobody Follows This Story But All Photographers Should!

US Congress
Originally uploaded by RoloDelCampo

That includes me too. I got this "heads up from one of our DPT readers, Bill Zaspel over at Black Tie Photography - here is Bill's article link. After checking further, I thought I would give our readers the same "heads up." It has to do with the Orphan Works bill now on the floor of Congress. Please read these excerpts from some of the major photography associations in the country.

The Professional Photographers of America warn -
"The Copyright Office has suggested legislation that, in its current form, could have a devastating impact on the professional photographers." Here is the article link right here.
Again, from the PPA -
"In it's present form, the proposed statute creates an orphan works regime that is both unworkable and inaccessible to individual creators." Article link here.

An excerpt from a letter from the general council of the American Society Of Magazine Photographers -
"I am writing this message while on the train to Washington to meet with Congressional staffers on both the Senate and House sides. The subject is the proposed legislation dealing with so-called "Orphan Works." If you write to your congressional representatives only once in your lifetime, I urge you make Orphan Works legislation that "one time" and to take the action outlined below." Article link here.

I could list several other links here too, but these few are our wake-up call for action. This new legislation affects all of us shooting out there as well as all creative types working. You could lose the rights to many of your images if you are not paying attention. Why? - the current Orphan Works bill now back on the floor of Congress. We need to keep an eye on what's happening. Animation Magazine News featured the urgency of the situation for all creatives right here. Give them all a read. Be informed.

A Quick One From The Rumor Mill - New Life For XP

We all use computers, most of us are on PC's. Most of us that use PC's don't want to switch to Vista because of all the horror stories we have heard from many who have switched. I love the Apple commercials with Windows Vista vs. Mac. Anyway, the official "end of life" of XP is scheduled for June 30. Rumor has it, over at Engadget right here, that XP's demise may be put off till 2012. That's good news for a lot of us - heck, I just got XP figured out;~)

Hey gang, that it from me for today, I've got a class to teach. See everyone tomorrow. -David

Friday, April 25, 2008

"First Kiss Of The Evening"

"First Kiss Of The Evening"
© David A. Ziser

I think this is a great image of the wedding couple alone in this magnificent ballroom moments before the guests arrive and begin the reception. The light, colors, and composition all combined to make it a favorite for the couple. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F6.3 @ 1/8 second - handheld, ISO 800. And yes, my remote Quantum flash was being held by my assistant behind the couple. Enjoy! -David

Fabulous Inspirational Fridays

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Here we are again with another installment of "Inspirational Friday." Sorry for the late post today - Blogger has been a little "flaky" today. I have tried to remain calm as it has taken quite a while to get all the images uploaded, but we finally made it about 3:30 P.M.

Anyway, off we go. Today is a wedding centric day, so all wedding photos, be sure to check out the links. Also, don't miss the post on Lynn Blodget. He does amazing B&W work of the homeless. His book is truly a peek at the other side of the tracks that makes you stop and think about the misfortunes of so many people in our country. Lynn is on the radio tomorrow. Also, check out Joe Sartore's video, "Fragile Nature," at the end of the posts - very inspiring! Anyway, let's get to it...

Stop the Presses - Be Sure You Tune In Tomorrow

"Finding Grace" photographer, Lynn Blodgett, will be featured in person on Photo Talk Radio tomorrow - here is the link. I think Lynn has a great message with his stirring photography. I blogged his story a few months ago right here on DPT - here is that link. Lynn is also the President / CEO of Affiliated Computer Services, a Fortune 500 company.

Lynn has been called by some, "An Avedon For The Poor," and Finding Grace was named as one of 2007's top ten best photo books by American Photo Magazine. I really think this is a great opportunity to get a peek into a great project and a creative mind. Be sure to tune in, you might find me there, too.

7 Inspirational Wedding Photog Sites

In one of my Internet cruises I came across this sampling of pretty cool wedding photography sites. I'm offering you the list, not just for the photography which is beautiful, but also for creativity behind the site's presentation as well.

Here is the list:

Jesh de Rox's site right here. I really like how Jesh's site draws you through the navigation process. You actually become involved with the site as you peruse the choices. It's very well done.

Jeff Newsome's site right here. Jeff has about the most creative introduction of any photography site I have ever seen. It's fun, it's clever, and it's engaging.

Jessica Claire has a really popular site right here. Jessica's based in Southern California and runs a successful studio there. Jessica has pulled something off that I mentioned in my blog last November - here is that link. It's a great idea and Jessica has done a good job pulling it off. I really like her "Spread Rumors" link on the bottom right of all of her pages, pretty clever. Check it out and you see what I mean.

Bobbie and Mike site right here is full of images with accentuated color - probably the best use of color I have seen in a wedding photographers website. They hail from Central Indiana - hey, that's right here in the great Midwest. Maybe that's why I liked the web soundtrack - kind of made me feel at home.

Jose Villa site right here has beautiful images. I also like the "PR blurbs" that pop up as you are viewing his galleries.

WhiteBox Weddings right here has a nice site here powered by LiveBooks. The images are juiced a bit with added contrast and color, but they all have a great feel of spontaneity and reality. I also like the ability to download a PDF of the images, too. I think giving the viewer an opportunity to their own sample album of your work is a great asset to booking the job.

Chris and Lynn Jakso's site right here features some of the best wedding photography I've seen. Chris and Lynn hail from British Columbia and are a highly awarded team. They even won an Emmy in 2006. I also like their intro with the script coming up as part of the image presentation. Many of their images are simply stunning. Give a peek.

One thing I noticed on each site was a link to their blogs - this is important marketing stuff gang and should be part of everyone's web site. Again, read my article right here on "To Blog or Not To Blog." Do you have any favorite sites to add to the list? Please share your recommendations so all our readers will be informed by posting your comments below. Thanks....

Don't Hold Your Breath Now, Because These Images Will Take Your Breath Away

Unbelievable Black and White photography!! That's all I can say! It's all related to water scenes. The images, their tonalities and composition all add up to some very beautiful photography.

Wayne Levin has been honored by having his work displayed in galleries around the world. He has also garnered a very large number awards and honors over the last 25 years as well. His impressive black and white images speak to that level of accomplishment. Check out Wayne's site right here - visit any number of his web galleries - I promise, you will not be disappointed.

Thanks to The Online Photographer for the heads up on Wayne's site.

Take Five Minutes and Enjoy Joel Sartore's Video - "Fragile Nature"

What a nice guy and what great photography. I watched a National Geographic special featuring Joel's story, earlier this week. You may remember my reference to Joel in my sales post yesterday - here is the link. After yesterday's post, I trucked back over to Joel's site to see what I could find and came across this very inspirational short video. I invite you to view it below. I know you will enjoy it - it's tickles the right parts of the brain and gives a little food for thought for the weekend.

Anyway, on that note gang, I'm out of here - things to do, places to go, pixels to see - have a great weekend, -David

Fragile Nature from Joel Sartore on Vimeo.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

"The Littlest Groomsman"

"The Littlest Groomsman"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made during a recent wedding. The light was particularly dim so I switched to my 50mm F1.4 and kicked the ISO to 1600. The father's hand on the son's shoulder is more than just one more wedding image. It's the story within the story about "fatherhood." The gentle touch of the dad's hand on his son's shoulder affirms the love the father has for the son as he stands there confidently with the rest of the groomsmen. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 50mm F1.4 lens, F 1.4 @ 1/40 second, ISO 1600. Enjoy! -David

[B]Business Day Thursday 4.24.08

Good Morning Everybody,
We are getting closer to my Master Class next week and everything is about ready to go. We are putting the final tweaks on the class workbooks and CD, wrapping the class schedule and printing up a few new samples. LaDawn makes me do this every workshop as we feel it important to keep things fresh you know.

I am thrilled with our first location for our shoot on Monday. We have permission to shoot at Plum Street Temple - one of the most beautiful sanctuary's not only in the United States but thru-out the world. It just also happens to be is the third largest Reformed Jewish temple in the world. It is simply magnificent and should be a kick for the class to visit. But hey, I'll keep you updated on that next week. How about we hit our stride with Business Day Thursday. Here we go.

"Better understated than overstated. Let people be surprised that it was more than you promised and easier than you said." Jim Rohn

10 Ways To Keep Your Clients Coming Back - Building Your Business - Part 4

Everybody spends way to much time looking for new business by putting their marketing focus on new clients. Hey gang, the new business is sitting in your backyard. Turn around and invite the past clients back into your studio. They know you; they love you; they would be happy to come back if they were only asked.

Too many of us fall way short of staying connected with our past clients and consequently are always in super hustle mode shaking new customers out of the trees. As Jim Rohn said, "One customer well taken care of is worth $10,000 worth of business." So how can we keep our clients coming back?

Here are 10 ways to begin.

Personally deliver and present their wedding album or portraits to them. You have a captured audience who loves your work and this is a great way to re-affirm that they are important to you. We even offer to hang our portraits for them when we deliver them.

Every client should be given referral cards. Each card that finds it way back to you signed by that past client rewards that client with a $25 - $50 credit with your studio.

Every wedding album should be delivered with a complimentary family portrait session. It can be used for portraits of their first baby or any other family portrait needs they may have.

Never put an expiration date on a gift certificate. Why would you slam the door on a potential client by saying, "This offer expires 12 months from date of purchase." I call it Brain Dead marketing.

Send anniversary cards to your wedding clients on their first anniversary. Let them know that you are still thinking of them.

Send every past client from the previous year, every current client, and every new client on the books a holiday card with a hand written personal note inside.

Don't forget to say "Thank you" in a personal note to your client's after you deliver your product.

Follow the local news and specialty publications in your area and be sure to send congratulations to your clients who have received any special honors or awards. Just two days ago, we had two of our best clients named as women of the year here in Cincinnati, OH. Flowers and champagne will be on the way to them by the end of the week.

Periodically follow-up with your past clients with special offers just for them. We talked about this in two other posts right here on DigitalProTalk. See the related links below for those stories.

Stay involved with your clients. If they are involved in any kind of charity event, offer them your services to help with their event. They really appreciate your effort and it also puts your name in front of the other volunteers too.

OK, how about one more for good measure - Try at least 5 of these ideas and watch your business take a jump to the bottom line.

Hey gang, if you have any to add to the list, please write them in the Comments section of this article - Thanks! -David

DPT Related story links:
10 Ways To Blow Your Own Horn - Or How To Build A Better Press Kit - Building Your Business - Part 3
15 Ways to Create Vendor Buzz - Part 2 of 4 Building Your Wedding Business Series – Part 1 of 4

Also see DPT earlier articles here :
Customer Service - A New Paradigm
CPR For Resurrecting Your Old Client List

Why To Stay Pro-Actively Involved With Your Client During The Sales Presentation

Earlier this week I had a meeting with one of our wedding clients to review their wedding images. So many wedding photographers just upload their images to the Internet, spin the wheel of misfortune, and hope for a good sales result. They continue doing the same thing over and over and constantly complain about their sales averages not meeting their expectations.

I believe it's really important to be with the client during the selection process, sharing with them what you were seeing in your mind's eye and feeling in your heart as you were covering their wedding. It's only with this client connect that you could ever hope that your delivered album is truly a reflection of your heart, soul, skills, and talents.

Last evening I was watching a National Geographic special on master nature photographer, Joel Sartore. What struck me the most were the words of his editor as he echoed my sentiments exactly. Here is what he said - "If you don't allow the witness to be there with you (the editor) to help you put those pictures into a framework of understanding, when you start making decisions over which ones you are going to use and which one's you are not going to use and in what order, you have lost a tremendous opportunity to elevate the quality of the work."

I couldn't have said it better myself. It is only when your delivered product is a combination of client and photographer effort, energy, and creativity that you are really able to deliver the best of your work to your client and be rewarded for your efforts. End of sales rant #46.

It's Collections Not Categories

Hey gang, sorry for referring to "Collections" in my Lightroom article on Tuesday as "Categories" - I must have been editing too many images that day and was getting a bit blurry eyed when I wrote the article. I've since corrected the post.

Today is studio "catch up day" so I'm out of here till tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll be sharing with you some great wedding sites to inspire with great images and great design. So until then, keep those pixels smilin' -David

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

"Tomorrow's Child"

"Tomorrow's Child"
© David A. Ziser

This image was taken as part of a portrait session on a very young child. I went in close for several images and was intrigued with this crop. What works for me in this image is the gentleness of the eyelashes in the scene. That coupled with the symmetrical presentation of the eyelashes, eyes, nose, cheeks, and mouth, but interrupted by the asymmetrical chin says to me that we are not perfect. Yet the gentleness of the image, I hope involves for the viewer, that our future is hopefully in good hands. Camera specs: Canon 40D with 24-105mm IS lens at 85mm, F11 @ 1/200 second, ISO 200. Enjoy! -David.

Another Hoppin' Wednesday

Good Afternoon Everybody,
We have had marathon sessions these last few days. One of my wedding clients came by on Monday to make final selections for her wedding albums. We sat for about 4 hours but heck, we were reviewing 7000 images. We had a great visit and she is thrilled with her selections. I can't wait to get started on the design. Yesterday, I gave my first presentation with Lightroom as my point of sale program. Read below about my +/- experience. Some more interesting information here today, so read on.

I Love Lightroom But...

Editing is easy, prepping the presentation is easy, the slide show works great, images look wonderful on my 9 foot screen, I love the virtual copies, I love that Lightroom works with PSD files transparently. I love, love, love so many things about Lightroom, but the finger gymnastics to keep it all going while sitting with clients was quite a balancing act not to mention a minor inconvenience.

All in all it was a positive experience but here are a few things I wish Lightroom could do in a point of sale situation. I need to explain that I use Lightroom a bit differently than most. I set up a different Catalogue for each client. This is much more manageable for a wedding/portrait studio generating 100,000 to 150,000 images a year. Having said that, here is a quick 7 wishes for Lightroom;

I would like to be able to grab the image in a neutral zone and drag and drop a full screen image directly into my Collections as I move through the images with my client. Touch it anywhere and it zooms the image.

I wish I could set up standard (default) sets of Collections that I activate with each client for their presentation instead of having to retype the Categories again for each new client.

Why can't I still put the images in the parent Collections into a new user order. The minute you create a subcategory, the parent freezes it's order. The minute I delete the "child" the functionality returns.

Delete a custom crop from the aspect ratio list if I "goof it up."

I wish that when adding music to a slide show, the folder select would persist to each Catalogue till I changed it.

I wish looping the music was an option.

I wish the music would fade at the end of showing the images selected for the slide show.

By the way, here is the list of most of Lightroom's keyboard shortcuts right here.
Matt Kloskowski has a quick video on his favorite shortcuts right here. It's worth watching.

So, Should You Do A Bridal Show?

OK. It's not you typical Wednesday post, but I'm throwing it on the table for it's scintillating implications. Read this photographer's Bridal Show experiences right here and see if it's right for your business model.

I, personally have participated in a few bridal shows over the years, but the show qualified the clients as part of its promotional posture, so we were seeing only the clients we wanted to book. The message here is vendor beware - depending on your target market and advertising budget.

Jamie Hack - a brand new photographer has a few thoughts and insights on the subject right here. The comments to his post are great advice for anyone contemplating the move to weddings. Feel free to share a few of your bridal show experiences in the comments section below.

High Five To The Top Five

Kudos to all the blogs listed on Scott Kelby's "Top Five List." It's a great read right here. DigitalProTalk was listed in the top five blogs to read everyday. Here are the other four;

Five blogs I read every day:
John Nack on Adobe (link)
Terry White’s Tech Blog (link)
David Hobby’s “The Strobist” (link)
Moose News Blog (link)
DigitalProTalk (link)

High Fives to Scott, a master blogger himself, and everyone else in the his very cool collection.

Hey gang that's it for today - we are pretty well booked solid for the day. I'll come up for air long enough to hit [B]Business Day Thursday tomorrow . See you then, --David.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

"Red Carpet Ride"

"Red Carpet Ride"
© David A. Ziser

Another image from my 14 minute photo-walk on Sunday and one of my favorites. I love the graphic components of this image - the rich red colors receding away from me with the top of the image accented with small touches of yellow. It's just a nice image just to gaze upon, and into, for an enjoyable viewing experience. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with my 70-200mm IS lens with 1.4x tele-extender set to 85mm, F16 @ 1/85 second hand held, ISO 800 with minimal tweaks in Photoshop. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday 04.23.08

Good Morning Everybody,
Well, we are off and running on another Technique Tuesday today. It's kind of a geeky and tekkie (not trekkie ) day today. So, sharpen up those ole' brain cells and read on...

Size Does Matter - Here's the Proof

Sure RAW is king of the hill when it comes to recovering blown out highlights. We've known that for years, but nobody even wanted to consider the lowly Jpeg's capabilities for highlight recovery - until now, right here on DigitalProTalk, so here we go.

But first to get a little background on dynamic range and CMOS sensors, I'd like you to read Xinqiao Liu's PHD dissertation on, "CMOS IMAGE SENSORS DYNAMIC RANGE AND SNR ENHANCEMENT VIA STATISTICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING" right here . It's only 139 pages long.

OK, just kidding, but you need to know that all the chips in all the cameras out there have differing amounts of dynamic range inherent in their design. This is another way of saying that some cameras do better than others in capturing the highlights without blowing them out. Why is that - it's about the size of the photo receptor - our friend the pixel. A bigger photo receptor, means more light (photons) can enter the photo site during the exposure, and the greater number of photons relative to the inherent noise associated with the CMOS sensor means a higher Signal to Noise ratio - read, higher dynamic range.

You can read a fascinating article on the subject and a lot more on Canon's site right here. Sony's echoes the same claim here for larger pixels. Nikon has a easy to understand article on the dynamic range right here. Armed with this new knowledge, let's see just how far we can push the pixels around in today's video tutorial entitled, "JPEG Showdown - Saving the Pixels" in the next post.

JPEG Showdown - Saving the Pixels!

Alright gang, what is the best way to save those pixels - let me tell you. I'm an adamant JPEG shooter as you know, so this challenge pops up for me on 3 or 4 images out of 3000+ images I shoot at a wedding ;~) All kidding aside, it's not much of a problem at all with my Canon 40D set to "highlight tone priority" enabled these days. (See earlier DPT article on Highlight Tone Priority - Image Salvation right here.)

If you are a JPEG shooter, you know those super bright pixels sometimes rear their ugly head. In today's Technique Tuesday I want to discuss what has become my favorite highlight recovery strategy when this happens. I use Lightroom's magic for my fix. I'll show you all the settings I use in Lightroom's DEVELOP module to get the best results. The "whip cream on top" - I'll show you how easy it is to save those settings as a Preset for future problem images. Hit play below to see what I'm up to. Enjoy! -David

I'm In Recovery Today

So many times in Photoshop, we just click away on some of the Photoshop tools and hope for a reasonable result even without a thorough understanding of the tool in question. I do it, we all do it - so little time, so much to learn. One tool most of us feel we know well enough is the Highlight/Recovery tool in Photoshop, but how well do we know it.

I found this really good article on the subject right here. It's by Andrew Rodney - Photoshop guru and NAPP Hall of Fame inductee - over at The Digital Dog.net.

Want more, check out this Highlight/Shadow recovery technique over at DigitalGrin right here. The author even used the fabled LAB mode to make final tweaks to the image. OK, one more for the road. You walk out of the shadows of your life into some better illuminated detail - then check out this last and final article on shadow recovery right here.

OK, it wasn't the last - OutbackPhoto had a contest on Highlight/Shadow recovery right here. Check it out - you get 8 solutions for the challenge. I've posted the BEFORE here and followed up with my favorite AFTER - give a peek below.

Before

After

Looking For Something Different In Your Flash Photography?

Then add a little tungsten to make it sing. I love this shot of this trumpet player and I really like the photographer's creativity in how it was pulled off. He used a really slow shutter speed - like 1 second - to blur the highlight reflections combined with electronic flash to freeze the action. Great result - you can read Michael Ray's great article on just how it was done, along with diagrams and F-Stops and Shutter speeds, right here. Give it a read - I'm trying it on my next job. Way Cool Factor - 5 (out of 5)

On that note gang, I'm out of here for today - Have a good one, -David

Monday, April 21, 2008

"Luscious Beauty"

"Luscious Beauty"
© David A. Ziser

While driving home from yesterday, we passed this beautiful field of tulips. Even though there was a slight rain coming down, I still grabbed the camera with my macro lens and headed for the flowers. Fourteen minutes later and a five minute tweak in Photoshop gave me the finished result - I love it. Spring can be so beautiful! Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 100mm macro lens, F16 @1/160 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

Monday's Upon Us And I'm Ready

Good Morning Everybody,
Well, we had a slightly rainy weekend, but that didn't stop me from getting the shot above - plus a few more. LaDawn and I were heading to the Cincinnati Zoo for a little Photo-Walk when the rain started and we decided to go with plan B instead and headed home. Oh well, maybe next weekend. Anyway, preparations are gearing up around here with my sold out Master Class next week.

LaDawn spent the weekend putting together our 150 page class workbook, student CD's, and goodie bags for everyone and we are nearly ready to go. The week is shaping up as another good week here at DigitalProTalk with most of the stories almost set. Be sure to check out tomorrow's Technique Tuesday - "JPEG Showdown With Overexposure - How Far Can You Go?" It's shaping up as a pretty cool post. Anyway for today, on with the news...

My Bridal Image Featured In NAPP's Latest Ads and New Brochure

I have to say, I am so honored to have one of my favorite wedding images featured in the National Association of Photoshop Professionals new brochure and ad campaign. You may have seen the image in the latest Photoshop User Magazine and the Professional Photographers of America monthly journal.

If you have seen it published, here is the rest of the story. This beautiful image I made of one of my favorite brides was created in about 5 minutes right before the ceremony was due to begin. Parents and wedding party scrambling about talking, laughing, making their requests for photos, rushing with last minute details......all the normal wedding day hustle bustle. Camera specs; Canon 20D, fitted with a 70-200mm lens at 70mm, F3.5 @ 1/30 second - hand held, ISO 800. Light was supplied, as always, from my off camera Quantum flash, no umbrella this time, coming in from the right and the ambient light supplied the fill illumination.

Just Updated My Irfanview

Hey gang, if you are not using Irfanview as your default image viewer, you are missing the boat - it is, hands down, the best tool available. Another incredible feature; it's practically free - just make a small donation. Anyway, why do I bring it up? Because I was just updating the student disk we use for the class which contains some of my favorite shareware and freeware.

I checked for the latest Irfanview update and found I was a few versions behind, so I grabbed the latest version - Version 4.10. Man, I couldn't believe the added features and folks, it's already jammed packed with features. New stuff like easy browsing of RAW images - click on one and up it pops on the screen. Just hit the space bar to view all of the images in your folder.

It also now supports three image viewers - I only use one, Photoshop - just hit Shift-E and up pops the image in Photoshop - way cool for a quick adjust. How about Shift-H and you get an image Histogram. Way too much stuff to list here - check out Irfanview's main page right here for all the info, updates, and downloads - don't forget to gram the plug-ins too. Now for some bad news for a few of our readers ...Irfanview is PC only.

Hey, if any of our MAC readers got a suggestion for an Irfanview look-a-like let me know.

I Don't Want To Start Any Rumors, But...

New Canon 5D Mark II in August - yep, that's what I'm reading. Check out the extensive post over at 1001 Noisy Cameras right here. They have a bunch of links to lots of sources.

The best one I read though was over at the On-Line Photographer. This post is apparently an official leak directly from Canon. Here is a quick blurb, "The real news is that the full 31-MP is reserved for a "big print" mode, usable only up to ISO 800; the real meat is a half-rez 15.5-MP mode in which the camera gives it highest image quality and best high-ISO performance. In this mode, the camera is said to better the sharpness and resolution of cameras that have no anti-aliasing filters (think Leica M8). The 4D will be 19% lighter and approximately 30% smaller than the current 5D. Although the eventual cost will be $2,995."

You can read the entire story right here. Looks pretty cool to me, but I am concerned about the post date - but, I'm not trying to start any rumors or anything ;~)

Quick News Notes

Real quick gang, then I'm out of here. DPReview just posted their full review of the Nikon D3 (which I still have in my hot little hands.) Here is the link. If you are a high ISO speed freak like me, you may just want to jump to the discussion about the usable ISOs up to 12,600 right here. And so we don't leave out the Canon fans, check out the full review of the Canon 1Ds MarkIII over at LetsGoDigital right here.

That's it for today everybody - clients arriving in minutes so I've got to get going. See everybody tomorrow, David

Friday, April 18, 2008

"Surreal Desert"

"Surreal Desert"
© David A. Ziser

For me, this was an exercise in design and color. I loved the original arabesque lines and the deep desert like colors. After a little image manipulation in Photoshop, I had the result I wanted. Camera specs; Canon 30D fitted with 17-85mm lens at 47mm, F5.6 @ 1/6 second - hand held, ISO 1250. Enjoy! -David

Friday News and More

Good Morning Everybody,
The sun is shining and the breezes are warm:~) What a day it's shaping up to be. I have a client meeting later on this afternoon, a little housekeeping to do around the studio and one more free weekend before we really start to get busy with the spring wedding season.

On a different note, I had a meeting with my Lacie representative earlier this week and will be getting to try out some of their very cool products. I'm not letting the "cat of the bag" here, but one product in particular looks very, very exciting. So stay tuned. Lacie makes some of the best monitors, large hard drives, and NAS storage devices available.

Next week is a busy week too as it is the last week before my Spring Digital Master Class and the prep for that week of instruction is pretty intensive. We had such a wonderful response to our Spring class - six people on the waiting list - that we decided to add a Summer session as well. It already about 1/3 full so if you are interested don't procrastinate just read the blurb below about the class or go right to DavidZiser.com for all the info. It promises to be an intense informational week as well as a great time for all.

You know, I have been calling Friday "Inspiration Friday" for several weeks now. I've tried to feature some fabulous photography sites with stunning images, and I think you would agree that we found some real pearls out there. But being inspired is more than just photography. Being inspired hits us at all levels - personally, professionally, photographically, and creatively just to name a few. I'm posting some things today that I hope will inspire you in other directions too. Enjoy!

Read Any Good Books Lately - How About Some Frank Bettger and Dale Carnegie Readings

If you want to build a successful business, you have to work on more than your just photography. You have to work on yourself too. You have to fine tune your people skills, sales skills, self motivation skills, self discipline skills, problem solving skills, and patience skills.

If you want to be successful, you have to learn how to act the part. Many have said it - "To be successful, just do what successful people do." I'd like to add to that, "Successful people hang out with successful people." And the easiest way to do that is reading good books or listening to tapes and CD's from successful people.

The first sales book I ever read was "How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling" by Frank Bettger. The book was written in 1947, has been translated into 11 languages and it has a perfect 5 out of 5 star rating from Amazon's 78 reviewers! The information is as current now as it was then and it's only $11.20 thru Amazon - here is the link.

Wait, there's more!! Dale Carnegie's books, especially "How to Win Friends and Influence People" was also a great resource for me in those early years. You can pick that up at Amazon too right here. Amazingly it's available for only $11.20. Check out the related links below to review the highlights of four of the Carnegie books.

Related Links
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dorothy Carnegie
Don't Grow Old - Grow Up! by Dorothy Carnegie

Get Blown Away With Some Gorgeous Portrait and Wedding Photography

Rick and Deborah Ferro run one of the most successful studios in Jacksonville, Florida. Check out their studio site right here - it will knock you socks off. Now for some really good news, they are coming to a city near you - or at least pretty close to you with their "Making Money With Portrait Art" 21 city seminar tour which kicks off in Chicago on May 5. Here is the tour link. Good stuff here gang. I'm going to try to catch one of their stops myself. Maybe I'll see you there.

Please Place One Hand, Palm Up, Under Jaw Before Viewing

OK gang, one more for the road on this "Inspirational Friday." Check out the images featured over at Fotoviva. This is actually a site where you can buy the artwork. It showcases some outstanding images and is worth the visit just for the viewing of so many inspiring images. One of my favorites was the Seascape Gallery right here. Browse the other galleries too - tons of inspiration available.

Shameless Self Promotion - My Digital Master Class

New summer dates just announced - July 7-11, 2008.
Classes held near David's studio in metro Cincinnati, OH area.

Here is the blurb;
If you want to improve your flash technique, your photography expertise, your Photoshop and Lightroom skills, and build a more profitable business then David's class is for you. Nobody puts more down to earth, practical, usable ideas into a week long course. He's been running a very successful studio for over 20 years. By incorporating David's class information; you will quickly see improved results in your lighting, imagery, and bottom line. Your cost - only $795. Call 800.292.2994 to register - class size limited to only 25 participants. Additional info and suggested schedule at DavidZiser.com. Plan to fly into the greater Cincinnati, OH airport - CVG. Hope to see you there!

Hey gang, that's it for this week. Keep the shutters clicking, and remember, pixels are our friends! Have a great weekend, -David

Thursday, April 17, 2008

"A Beautiful Bride"

"A Beautiful Bride"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made a part of the series of wedding day bridal portraits taken shortly before we left for the ceremony. I wanted the bride's beauty captured in the natural surrounds of the beautiful room. I also adjusted the exposure to push the outdoor foliage into a pastel key complimenting the rest of the interior scene. My close proximity to the bride in the composition clearly made her the point of interest. The close focus point on my subject also softened the surrounds which very effectively put the rest of the scene in a subordinate yet still beautiful supporting role within the overall composition. Camera specs; Canon 20D fitted with 17-85mm IS lens set at 38mm, F6.3 @ 1/125 second, ISO 400. Key lighting on the subject's face was the result of my 36 inch shoot through umbrella off-camera flash directing the light from my right creating the perfect loop lighting on my bride. Enjoy! -David

[B]Business Day Thursday

Good Afternoon Everybody,
We are off and running with some terrific posts today. Thursday's topics are always about business building and I think the first article on developing your press kit is key. Give it a read below. Don't miss the piece on differentiating your business, too - good stuff. Also, I've posted some great advice actually about 75 pieces of advice on brochure design. Don't miss it below. I also found a good article with seven ideas to building a better business.

Also, only one suggestion was posted as a result of last week's post entitled "15 Ways to Create Vendor Buzz". I hope we get several more - readers helping readers, you know. So please post your best ideas in the comment section on that article. I'll keep you posted. Anyway, lets get right to it for today.

10 Ways To Blow Your Own Horn - Or How To Build A Better Press Kit - Building Your Business - Part 3

So what do you do to promote your business? Most people use brochures, business cards, newsletters and the like. These are all good ideas, but you know, most everybody and their mother are doing the same thing. My entire business focus has been about differentiating myself from the competition. If 95% of my competition are going to use brochures, I'm going to find an alternative. My alternative for over 20 years has been our Information Packet.

That's the term our clients know it by - internally, it's our press kit. It is our "best foot forward" on every front. It details our philosophy of business, list past successes, list high profile events we have photographed, and includes a few samples of our work. What are the key ingredients in producing a strong press kit for promoting your business - here they are:

A smart looking cover. We purchase ours from NEBS, New England Business Services. They run about $2.75 each including custom imprinting, shipping and handling. We feel these folders give a very professional look to materials included.
A letter of introduction to the potential client. This letter emphasizes our commitment to producing exciting photography for our clients, an archival museum quality finished product, and unbelievable customer service. It is a strong statement about what we stand for professionally in our business. It could be your Mission Statement.
A list of high profile events in which we were involved - For example; Mr. Ziser recently photographed the nuptials of Dr. and Mrs. Colin Hertzberg. Dr. Hertzberg in the president of Cincinnati Medicine, the premiere health facility in the city.

No high profile events yet, then do a little coat-tail riding on the reputation of high profile vendors that were involved. The bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Smith may not be high profile clients in the community, but they sure did have a great wedding. Your press kit may read; Mr. Ziser recently was invited to photograph the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. The beautiful affair was held at Peter and Chains Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati with the reception taking place at the historic Netherland Hilton hotel. By including these very high profile locations in your press kit, you are showing your potential clients that you hang with the big boys in town.
Include a list of awards and honors. Depending on where you are in your profession, these could include something as simple as; Mr. Ziser's photography was recently recognized and ribboned at the 2008 Cincinnati Art Fare. OK, it might have been a third place finish, but the work was still recognized with distinction. Hey, and third place is at the top of the heap, not the bottom. As you continue growing in your profession, the awards, honors, and recognitions will follow and should aways be included in your press kit.
No fancy locations and no awards and honors yet. Then solicit letters of recommendation from past clients regardless of how small or large the job was. The whole point here is to instill in your potential client a sense of trust, professionalism, and competence. And, if your past clients loved ya' they are happy to help spread the word. You might offer a complimentary 8x10 to them in exchange for their permission to you to use their comments.
Include a few examples of your work. We include approximately 3 or 4 4x6 prints in our press kit. They are laid out to look like mini posters with the studio name, address, web address, and phone number. These are similar to an over sized business card only the emphasis is on the image.
We also include a playable CD of our favorite images.
Include a cover letter to your prospective client thanking them for their inquiry and express how you are looking forward to visiting with them on their upcoming event.
Make it look important when it arrives. I have a friend who sends all his press kits out next day FedEx to the prospective client's place of business. When it arrives, the whole office knows it, and when Mary receives the package she looks important too.

That's about it. Remember, it has to make a great first impression. As you start putting your Information Packet / PR Kit together, always think "first class" presentation all the way. And the most important thing you need to keep in mind about your press kit is to keep it constantly updated with your latest achievements, honors, awards, images, etc. Now you have one of your strongest, most powerful sales pieces in your marketing arsenal and it blows your competition away.

Related Links
15 Ways to Create Vendor Buzz - Part 2 of 4
Building Your Wedding Business Series – Part 1 of 4

OK, OK So You Still Want A Brochure

But don't know where to start. Well, ladies and gents, do I have the mother of all links for you today on designing your own brochure for your business. Hit the link right here for "Brochure Designing Tips" and your cup will runneth over with, count them - 75 articles on the subject. Read the titles, pick and choose, and get designing.

Need a little inspiration along the way. Then hit this link right here for the "Best Brochure Designs and Examples." You now have no excuse for not having a knock out looking brochure. Enjoy!

It's Always about "The Difference Making The Difference."

Hey gang, that's been my battle cry for over twenty years. Here is a nice piece right here on defining your niche that echoes my sentiments exactly. Check out these related links for additional information on this subject. All a good read if building your business is important to you.

Related Links:
Niche Marketing - How to Find and Master a Niche Market
Marketing Strategy - Sell To Your Target Market

Quick Hit Business Building Tips - Secrets Revealed

I stumbled upon these two well written articles on building your photography business over at Digital Photography Secrets Revealed. The information was not pie in the sky information. The articles include simple, practical, workable tips that would be of benefit for anyone wanting to build a better business. Here are the links to 7 Steps to Building A Successful Photography Business: How to Finance Your Habit – Part 1 and Part 2

Hey everybody, got to run, so I'll see ya' tomorrow. Have a great one. Signing off for today, -David

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

"Petticoat Junction"

"Petticoat Junction"
© David A. Ziser

This image is from my very first digital wedding shot December 30, 2000. And I must say, I was scared to death to make the switch. It was really about me over-coming my own self made obstacles. The results.... all the images looked great and the client loved them. This is one of my favorites. We had a little snow the day before. I love how the white snow accents the white chiffon under the bridesmaids dresses as the scurry up the church steps to get out of the cold. Camera specs; Fuji S-1 fitted with Nikon 18-35mm at 18mm, F 4.0 @ 1/70, ISO 400.

Enjoy! -David

Wednesday News and Tips

Good Late Afternoon Everyone,
So did everybody wind up going through their supply of Visine while watching all those video links I posted yesterday? I thought there was really a lot of good information and resources going on with many of them.

Well, hey, we have one more today with our Technique Tuesday on Wednesday. This week it is on low light level wedding reception coverage. So check it out below. Also, check out the story about all the Photoshop effects - very interesting. This will get your thinking cap a tinglin' There's more good stuff too, so on with a DPT Wonderful Wednesday...

Flavored Lighting - Ziser Style

I hear the comments from many photogs at the shows and conventions I attend each year that wedding coverages are looking pretty much the same. I've covered a lot of different ways to spice up the coverage - just search DPT for "lighting techniques" and watch all the stories pop.

Today, lets talk about a different flavored lighting for your weddings. It's time we explore low light shooting at the wedding reception. I'll discuss technique, lens selection, F-stops and shutter speeds, recommended ISO's, and how to handle noisy images. Hit the play button below for the tutorial. Enjoy!

Hollywood, Here I Come

I'm your new special effects wizard! Not really but after looking at these following links you might be sending out your applications;~) Check out this link right here to 100 Photoshop effects - there are some really creative ideas available to browse and think about. Hey, if you happen to be into the horror, blood, and gore effects, check out 70 horror effects right here. I know what some of you may be thinking.... Why do I need to know that stuff?" It's about technique, technique, technique. For me, it's a fascinating trip down Creativity Lane, anyway, worth a peek.

So What's The Best Color To Use Here?

Ever have trouble working out color schemes for your web site, design pieces, or maybe even your living room decorating project? Check out this nifty little site right here. It's called ColorSchemer and with a click of a mouse, it will show you all the related colors to work with the main color of your choice - kind of a cool little color resource. Here is the link to their blog.

Seminars In Your Area - If It Happens To Be Knoxville

I received a note from Steve Chastain, one of our DPT readers, telling me about a wonderful workshop that will be happening in Knoxville Tennessee on June 16th and 17th. He has arranged for Rob Hayman from Australia to come to Knoxville and present a two day hands on workshop on Rob's style of shooting. The cost for the two day presentation is $450.00

Here is a quick topic hit list:
-Improve your portraiture and create masterful images.
-Your increased sales will pay for the seminar in one job.
-Lighting, natural lighting indoor and outdoor you can adapt anywhere.
-Composition

-And more.

You can check out Rob's work right here . He has beautiful photography to browse. Anyone interested in the workshop can sign up right here.

Hey gang, time for me to hit the road. I've got a few thousand wedding images to edit, so it's off to Lightroom I go. See ya' tomorrow. --David

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

"Rock's Of Eden"

"Rock's Of Eden"
© David A. Ziser

This is a highly manipulated image. It was taken with a fisheye lens pointing directly into the sun. I wanted to preserve some detail in the sky, but lost a lot in the rocks. I recovered a lot of detail back into the rocks, de-noised the image, and popped a highlight here and there. Anyway, it's always about the finished result that counts. I love the tonal range of the image as well. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with Sigma 12mm Fisheye, F13 @ 1/3200 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! --David

It's Technique Tuesday - Well Almost

Good Late Afternoon Everyone,
It's been a really busy morning and afternoon today at the studio. That coupled with a Photoshop problem while working on my image, "Rocks of Eden," - just now resolved - meant I didn't get started on the blog until quite late this afternoon. Anyway, let's see what we can get up at this point in time. So here we go...

P.S. I'll post my regular Technique Tuesday segment tomorrow. -David

TV Will Rot Your Brain

But not this TV - it's the new Adobe TV channel right here on your computer with 53, and counting, shows you can watch. Check out Adobe TV right here - it's like way cool. Why? Well there are some great tutorials by Julieanne Kost and George Jardine, just to name a few.

This is where the "coolness" factor kicks in - you can watch the videos in "full screen" mode and they look really good. Streaming does not seem to be an issue. I'm on a DSL line and the quality holds up really well at my 1680x1050 screen resolution even viewing in "full screen" mode.

All the episodes are well produced with great production value. Give them a peek - it's like a treasure trove of training DVD's for free. Hey, if you are a blogger, you can even embed the videos on your own sight as I've done here. Really great information - gang! So much to learn and so little time.....

The Complete Picture With Julieanne Kost - Adobe TV

Take a Quick peek at Julieanne's Adobe TV show - about 30 minutes long. Blogger unfortunately cuts off some of the video, so just click anywhere on the video to see it on Adobe TV where you can quickly pop it to full screen view.

And Speaking Of TV You Missed

How about over 9 hours of photography presentations from MAC world. Here is the MAC World video link. These are the complete presentations from Chris Orwig, Derrick Story, Ben Chen, Lesa and Shawn King.

Topics covered include Five Shooting Techniques To make Your Pictures Look Great; The Art and Craft Of Digital Photography, How To Capture Killer Sports Images, and a full day for the beginning digital photographer. Thanks to Bruce Vigneault, one of our DigitalProTalk readers for the heads up link.

Wait, There Is More But Not For Your Eyes

It's right here for your ears - the Top 10 photography podcasts over at Photo-Mentor right here. The podcasts come to you from American Photo, Pop Photo, Nikonians, just to name a few. So.... clean out the ear wax and give a listen!

Hey gang, that's it for today. I'll post my regular Technique Tuesday segment tomorrow - just ran out of time today. See ya' tomorrow for Technique Tuesday as it's to be continued. -- David

Monday, April 14, 2008

"Party On"

"Party On"
© David A. Ziser

One of the very cool things "digital" allows us to do is shoot in about 1/6400 the amount of light than we could in the "film" days. That is thanks to high ISO's and large apertures. This image was made during the reception of a wedding. The large aperture and high ISO allowed me to capture the action of the fast moving party in available light. I think this is a good example of a different flavored image than what we normally see is typical wedding coverages. Camera specs; Fuji S2 fitted with 50mm F1.4 lens, F1.4 @ 1/80 second, ISO 1600. Enjoy! -David

Quick Monday Musings,

Hope everybody had a great weekend - yes, my camera did arrive safe and sound this past Friday. On my "do-list" today is to track down the Delta employee who turned it in and give them a great big Thank You.

We are still digging out from having the studio production area painted. I hope we can find everything by Wednesday or Thursday ;~) Anyway, the sun is shining and Spring is in the air - so on with another jammed packed week of info, links, fun, tutorials, and photography here at Digital ProTalk!! Soon with the show...

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."—Thomas Edison

More Photo Info Than You Can Stand - All In One Place

So many sites, so little time - that's how I felt after cruising our buddy's site over at 1001 Noisy Cameras. It's always worth a visit over there because they always have some new information going on. So this morning while making my visit, I found the link to all, but not really all as Digital ProTalk was conspicuously absent - of the top photography blogs on the planet. Here is the link.

Yes, it has most of our favs, but there are some new digital faces worth checking out. Hey, and speaking of some cool sites to check out - take a peak over at Zoom-In.com right here. What I like about the site is the diversity of their content and news. It ranges from Tutorials, Videos, Music, and a lot more. Head on over and give Zoom-In a peak on your coffee break today - it's worth the look.

I Don't Look Like That - Really, Do I?

Here are the top ten self portraits over at Wired.com right here - maybe it should be called weird stuff at Wired - just kidding. I'm posting this because I think this self-portrait exercise is a nice exercise in creativity.

I participated in submitting my self over at EpicEdits last year and it was kind of fun. Here are 66 faces from that contest right here. I'm near the bottom of the grid. It's actually more fun to see what the others participants came up with. These images at Wired.com make my point. Two seconds of fresh ideas - give a look.

Want to see some really cool self portraits from some famous faces including well known artists, photographers, and from a whole list of self-expressionists (is that really a word) - about 422,000 - right here - very fascinating. Hey, I even found a blog dedicated solely to self portraits right here. Sorry, this post got away from me a bit, but it was still a cool little trip.

So Where In The World Is Scott Kelby?

Dubai Metropolis
Originally uploaded by twocentsworth

At the Photoshop World Speaker Party in Orlando about 10 days ago, Scott told me he was heading to Dubai for a Photoshop conference. I always thought Dubai looked liked such a great place to visit.

Jeff Revell of PhotoWalkPro fame also accompanied Scott and Scott's brother Jeff on the journey. Jeff has some great shots from one of his Photo Walks right here. You can get the whole story form Scott's blog right here.

Geeks Only Allowed To Read This Post!

Shutter speeds to 1/10,000 sec, flash speeds to 1/60,000 second - from your Canon PowerShot camera! Here are the images to prove it right here. OK, I spent a little mind bending time over at the CHDK-Wiki over the weekend. I originally found the link over at Photography Bay last week and was drawn to the site by it's "geek appeal".

Here is what they are up to over at CHDK-Wiki - it's a entire site dedicated to hacking, over-clocking, or just plain having fun with the Canon PowerShot cameras by re-programming the camera's firmware. Here is the good news - they never touch the camera's on-board firmware, it loads from the flash card when you boot up the camera - so no voiding of the warranty at all.

It's amazing to see the off-the-wall functionality this group has developed with for the Canon Powershot. Yep, the high shutter speeds and super high flash speeds are all true - and this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you have a bit of geek blood running through your veins check out the CHDK-Wiki site right here - I'm calling B&H today to pick up my new toy.

Hey everybody, that's about it for today. I hope my blog posting today went long enough for my team to get the production area back in shape ;~) See everybody tomorrow for Technique Tuesday. Adios, David

Friday, April 11, 2008

"Entrance To Springtime "

"Entrance To Springtime "
© David A. Ziser

I love the brilliant colors in this image and the almost "at attention" posture of the tulips. This is nature's bold and vibrant statement as the warming breezes of Spring move us towards a new season. Camera specs; Canon 20D fitted with 70-200mm IS lens at 153mm, F 5.0 @ 1/200 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! -David

Another Fabulous Friday

Good Morning Everybody,
And yes, I do mean fabulous. Why, well let me tell you about something really dumb I did last Sunday on the way back from Orlando. LaDawn and I had just grabbed a snack at the Orlando airport. I'm always traveling with a computer bag, my camera gear bag, and my Canon 40d over my shoulder. Just in case that perfect image awaits my capturing!!

After our snack, I hit the washroom to to freshen up, boarded the plane, and headed for home. At about 30,000 feet, I realized I had left the camera in the wash room! Needless to say, I was a little bummed for the rest of the trip home.

Any now the good news, I called Orlando Airport Lost and Found, and you guessed it - my camera was just turned in by a very conscientious Delta Airlines employee. The camera arrives today. Kind of helps you keep your faith in the wonderful people in this crazy world of ours. So, on that note, how about sitting back, relax a bit with some great photography on this Inspiration Friday...

Truly Inspirational Wedding Photography

Leanne
Originally uploaded by wimma76

I was cruising the net recently and have to tell you about this wonderful collection of wedding photographs available for viewing at Flickr. It's called the "Inspirational Wedding Photography" group - here is the link - and currently has a collection of 371 images.

Most of them are truly knock out images. Hey, when you get some spare time over the weekend, just sit back and watch the slide show of the images right here. Beautiful...very cool stuff!

Creativity At the Fork In the Road

What a cool idea - this kind of stuff really gets the creative juices flowing. One of my Fine Art Photoblog buddies, Niel Creek, ran a contest a few weeks ago entitled "Iron Chef Fork."

The idea was to photograph a regular, real fork in about any context you could dream up. The contest is closed, but the entries are worth a look because of the imagination and creativity involved - here is the main link. Be sure to check out the rest of the article links available at the end of the article too.

So How Often Do You Go To the Art Museum

This is about one of the most relaxing things LaDawn and I do. Well, let me tell you about one of the coolest art museums on the net and it's available at National Geographic. It is an utterly fascinating virtual exhibit entitled, "Through The Eyes Of The Condor" and includes Robert B. Hass' beautiful aerial photography of Latin America.

Here is the kicker, as you view each image, you click on the audio button and listen to the photographer's commentary on that image. It's just like the new MP3 tours offered by many museums these days. It's a great way to enjoy the imagery and added insights from the photographer - give it a peek right here. A special thanks to Rob Galbraith for the heads up on this link.

One More Giant Helping Of Beautiful Photography For the Road

Get ready to catch your breath as you gaze upon the images of Patrick Di Fruscia. It is an amazing collection of images and you won't believe where Patrick goes to get some of his vantage points. Hint: being a rock climber helps!

Check out the rest of his gorgeous Landscape and Nature galleries right here. Here is the main entrance to his site. Thanks to ADIDAP for this great find.

Hey gang, that's about it for the week. We have the weekend off so we are planning a little R&R. I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll see you next Monday - Keep your pixels smilin' --David

Thursday, April 10, 2008

"The Grand Entrance"

"The Grand Entrance"
© David A. Ziser

I created this image just as the bride and groom were making their grand entrance into the ballroom. The off camera flash adds the added "punch" to this exciting candid moment. The exuberance shown on the faces of the guests and on the couple capture the moment perfectly. Camera specs; Canon 30D fitted with 17-85mm lens at 17mm, F5.6 @1/40 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! -David

[B]Business Day Thursday

Good Afternoon Everybody,
I think I have really good information for you today. Check out the 15 ways to create vendor buzz for your business. Also, I've got an interesting story on how to look at your fiances that I hope you find interesting. Also, check out some good deals on camera gear in the last article. So off we go...

15 Ways To Create "Vendor Referral Buzz" for Your Business

Two subjects in this post everybody. The first is 15 great marketing ideas and the second is a challenge. Please be sure to read through to the end of the post and "Enter to win!" Last week I listed 11 ways to build your portfolio - here is that link. So you can be sure to show your prospective client the fruits of your talents. Armed with a great set of images and ready to book them, how do you start to fill that pipeline and get them coming through the door?

1. Get to know the people doing business with the people you want to do business with. That means identifying your target market. For most of us, that means the brides and grooms planning a nice wedding at one of the local churches and having their reception at one of the popular venues in the area. I'm looking at the regular middle of the road wedding. Introduce yourself to all the vendors in the wedding business in your area including bridal salons, tux shops, fabric shops, invitation shops, jewelers, reception venues, caterers, bakers, and florists. See how you can help them be more successful.

2. Be sure in your first meeting with them to identify how you differ from the competition - rehearse your presentation so that that first meeting in productive and meaningful. We are not just going in to say "hi". It's a marketing presentation and you are the product you are trying to sell.

3. Determine what you can do for them - at no or very little cost - and brainstorm the possibilities. Be sure you have several of your own ideas before starting that conversation.

4. Offer to leave some studio info and promise to follow up occasionally.

5. If you have shared an event with your vendor buddy, create a "Vendor Book" that features his/her product and services in your photography. We do this for all of our vendors we work with here in the Cincy area.

6. Offer to design, frame, and hang a wall collage featuring their product and service in their shop. Everybody loves free images to help promote their business.

7. Make up little 4x6 product service cards for their business featuring your photography.

8. Haven't shared an event with them yet, offer to create the images for them of their product and service. Yes, you organize the shoot to create the images for the free promo items you are giving them. Hey, it kills two birds with one stone. You get the practice and sample images and they get some great promotional pieces.

9. Who's your printer for all these images? For 4x6's and 8x10's use a lab like MPIX - they do a great job and the price is right. Here is their link. Still too pricey for you, then how about Sam's or Costco's - it doesn't get any cheaper than that. Just be sure your images look great. Your name and company are also represented very small on the piece. If using Sam's or Costco you may want be sure to have them printed without any auto color settings turned on their printers.

10. Continue to nurture that relationship and keep their images fresh. We try to replace promo pieces 2 to 3 times a year. If you can pull it off, you will be doing more than 99% of the photographers in your area to promote your photography business.

11. Get your studio blog going and feature your vendor buddies on your site. Add your own testimonial about their products and services with links to their web site. Be sure to make your vendor buddies aware of your pro-active advertising for them.

12. Ask for a reciprocal link swap.

13. Let them know when you recommend their services to your prospective clients so they can be heads up when they get the phone call. They will tend to re-affirm your services as well during their interview with the prospective client.

14. As you develop these relationships with your vendor buddies, discuss how you might cross market and promote each other.

15. Call them up occasionally and ask for referrals. Offer them the list of your recent potential client contacts too.

Hey gang, theses ideas are just a few to get you going. If any of our readers have marketing/business building suggestions you would like to share with our readers, just post them in the "Comments" section below.

Depending on the response, meaning if we get a lot of responses, I'll send one of our sample promo items to the person I feel offers the best suggestion. I hope we get a lot of activity here for the benefit of all our readers. So, go for it gang, we can all help each other.

It's Always About Your Attitude - Thinking Outside the Financial Box

Keep your eye on your success and success will follow. Cut out the chafe of your "stinkin' thinkin'", as Zig Ziglar used to say, and start paving the way to some good fortune. One thing I started doing years ago was to stop watching the TV news broadcasts. These programs are just too full of negativity. Why isn't there ever any good news to report?

Scott Kelby did a piece on the same topic a few months ago. Here is the link to his article. He hit the nail on the head. Turns out Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers, did exactly the same thing - he refused to read the newspapers of the time because of all the negative news.

So how can this way of thinking affect our finances? Check out this article over at nonstarvingartists.com right here. It's a different way to think about your success. Give it a read, things might start looking quite rosy for you.

Looking For Some Good Deals - Here They Are!

Hey, it's Thursday, let's go shopping. Every now and then, I see a story about Adorama getting the refurbished Canon gear in and I run the story here. Well, I'm assuming many people didn't realize B&H has a slew of good deals available. How do I know, because one of my buddies over at B&H saw my Adorama post and sent me and email about their great deals.

I had to check them out - and he's right, there are some really good values available in their used camera department - here is the B&H link. All items have a condition listed, but many are labeled "email for condition." OK gang, I'm going to give you the secret handshake here. Whenever an item in the used department says "email for condition" it is an automatic response that the gear is refurbished by the manufacturer and comes with a 90 day warranty. The same is true for Nikon gear as well.

How good are the deals?? How about a Canon 30D body for $709 - pretty good price. One of my favs was the Canon 20D with one of my favorite lenses, the 17-85mm IS for only $849 - the lens itself sells for $490. So if you're looking to update your camera bag I'd sure check these deals out.

Well gang, I'm calling it a wrap today - got to get back to my real job again. See everybody tomorrow. --David

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

"Icy Blue Breckenridge"

"Icy Blue Breckenridge"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made early one chilly Spring evening in Brenkenridge, Colorado. The colors were void of any warmth and the view almost made you shiver to be there. I love the tonalities of the scene. I enhanced the colors a bit in Photoshop to add to the icy cold feeling of the location. Camera specs; Canon 30D fitted with 17-85mm IS lens at 56mm, F20 @ 1/800 second, ISO 640. Enjoy! -David

Wednesday WayBack - One More Time

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Here we are on Wayback Wednesday and I was planning for this to be the last post on the subject. I hope everyone enjoy the peak back into my photographic time machine. It was kind of fun for me too to take a peak back at some of the old negs and reminisce a bit about the imagery. The bottom line is this - I was honing my skills by attending every seminar and workshop that looked interesting. Taking bits and pieces from each instructor and adapting them to my studio.

I did it then and continue to do it now. It is a very efficient way to continue to grow. I encourage each and every reader to do the same. Don't ever be a "I know it all," instead be a "I want to know it all." The difference in perspective will keep you moving in the right direction both professionally and photographically. Anyway, on with the program...

Ziser WayBack #6 - Getting It Together

By the mid to late 80's - about 10 years after I started my business, I thought I was finally getting my act together when it came to lighting and composition. Monte Zucker's style was a big part of what was popular with my clients and I was fine tuning my portrait skills as well. Peruse the images in this week's post. I think the first three images are really nice portraits all done with only one light. The second high key image is the only exception. I blasted a light into the background to push it white for a very nice effect.

I was also starting to see the leading lines in the compositions. Look at the rest of the images. The bride by the stain glass window - notice how the implied direction of the stain glass leads right to her face. Also notice the couple at the bottom of the stairs - all lines point right to them. Notice too the couple by the wrought iron railing - see how the s-curve runs through the entire scene. I'll have to cover some of these rules of composition in future posts.

Also, about this time of my career, I found myself booking some of the bigger weddings in the city. The studio was doing pretty darn good. We continued to grow throughout the 90's constantly trying to offer our clients the best in photography and service. The business continued to grow as did the size of the jobs we were booking. Our clients loved the images I was providing and the style we were doing.

In this new millennium we are starting to photograph the weddings of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah kids I photographed in the 80's and starting to photograph the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs of my wedding clients I photographed in those mid 80's. In fact, this year, I will photograph the fourth bride whose mom and dad's wedding I photographed. What can I say about that - only one thing. I'm an old guy!!

It is truly an honor to get the second and third call from clients who have been supportive and loyal to you over all these years. It also speaks to the tremendous support I have had from my employees thru-out these years. They too undoubtedly deserve much of the praise and adoration's for the success I've seen in my company. Thanks to all who continue to make this such a wonderful journey!!

History of Wedding Photography - A Giant Influence In The Profession - Rocky Gunn

Rocky Gunn, shown here (about 1980) in the middle with Monte Zucker and Bill Stockwell Sr., was born Roderick Wong Gunn in 1940. He was the next major influence over the entire wedding profession in those late 70's and early 80's. He had the talent to pull off a "Monte" portrait and understood light implicitly. Part of this knowledge may have been the result of Rocky's brief experience in the movies. That's right, Rocky played in The Return of Charlie Chan in the late 70's. Rocky was the photographer that popularized outdoor wedding photography. He was from the Redondo Beach area where there was not a lack of great outdoor locations and beautiful weather most of the year.

Rocky's reputation was spreading internationally as he was giving seminars around the world. I had the chance to study for one week in 1980 - I was blown away by his imagery. It was always a combination of dramatic setting with an easy pose of the bride and groom. Everybody was trying to emulate Rocky's style - myself included.

On thing I learned from Rocky was that beautiful wedding photographs did not have to be taken on the wedding day. In many cases, Rocky would schedule to meet with the bride and groom a day of two later. They would head to one his drop dead gorgeous locations and shoot away. We instituted the same policy in my own studio in those early 80's. The only difference instead of a day or two after the wedding we photographed the couple a week or two later. That way, we could guarantee beautiful outdoor wedding images even in the Midwest.

Since Rocky was traveling the world giving programs, he had put together quite the international portfolio of wedding images. He was featured in Life magazine in June 1982 - the first wedding photographer of non celebrity types to be featured. Rocky passed suddenly of a heart attack at the very young age of 43 at the peak of his career. I aways thought Rocky did it all - portraits, dramatic outdoor imagery, great lighting, easy posing - and ran a very successful studio as well.

The photographer today who most emulates Rocky's style is one of his early students - my friend, Hanson Fong. Check out his galleries right here and you will see the Rocky influence. Hanson has some really beautiful images.

I've spent hours searching the Internet for info on Rocky, but there is so little to be found. Somewhere in my archives, I have several of Rocky's images. When I come across them, I'll do a followup to this post.

That's it for today, everybody. I'll see everyone tomorrow for another Business Day Thursday. See you then, -David

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

"Rockin' On"

"Rockin' On"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image late into the reception evening. The band was hot, the crowd was fired up, and the bride was lovin' the music. The band had just started playing her favorite song and she was one with the music. The low angle, lighting decor, wide angle lens, and motion of the bride made for a very cool action candid. I was very nearly on the floor for the shot. The camera was my Canon 5D fitted with Sigma's 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F5.0 gave me plenty of depth of field at that focal length, 1/40 second, ISO 1600. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday 04.08.08

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Are you ready for another Technique Tuesday? I will be explaining my flash technique today. So many people ask for clarification on my "Image a day posts, especially if it is lit with flash. Well, check out the tutorial below - Shoot the Flash, But Don't Kill the Photographer - it shows exactly what I'm up to. Also, check out Mark Johnson's very cool Photoshop tutorial from Radiant Vista. I wrap up today's post with with a nice story from the PPA about one of the new kids on the block - Geoff White. All good information so off we go...

Shoot The Flash But Don't Kill The Photographer

It's easy, it's easy, it's really easy - adding a nice soft directional light to the scene or the subject. In many of my daily image posts, I'm often asked how I am getting the light on the subject. Well, this lighting tutorial solves the riddle once and for all.

In this tutorial I discuss my easy to use umbrella shoot through flash technique. I'll show the exact flash/umbrella set up and why this gives me the best results. I'll also show what the assistant needs to see from his position and what the camera sees. Enjoy!

Ultimate Photoshop Sharpening

One of my favorite sites with tons of info is Radiant Vista. While strolling through their virtual bookshelves yesterday, I came across this very good tutorial on sharpening right here. It is nicely paced, easy to follow, and good information to know.

Mark Johnson goes through two very thorough descriptions in how he sharpens his images. One is the High Band Pass sharpening - but he throws a nice twist on the process. Also, stay tuned for his Elegant sharpening method, too. It's his favorite and works well. You will have to give it a minute or two to download, but hey, now you will have it on your computer for easy reference. Enjoy.

Hey gang, if you want some more great information on sharpening, then check out Thom Hogan's well written and very informative article on the subject right here - again good stuff.

Getting Started In Wedding Photography

I thought this was a nice article for all my readers out there considering opening a photography business. Professional Photographers of America featured Geoff White, a fairly new kid on the block in this easy to read article. He made the jump from computer engineer to photographer and is turning out some good stuff. Give the article a read right here. Also check out his image galleries right here - good ideas for any wedding photog.

Hey gang, that's it for today. Don't forget to check in tomorrow for the last installment of the Ziser Wayback Machine and another installment of the History of Wedding Photography featuring one of my mentors - Rocky Gunn. See you then. Have a good one, --David

Monday, April 07, 2008

"Christmas Memories"

"Christmas Memories"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image shortly after the Christmas holidays at a wedding I photographed the first of the year. The poinsettias were absolutely gorgeous. The cyan tonality of the church itself offered a perfect contrast to the bright red of the poinsettias. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 10 mm, F 3.5 @ 1/30 second, ISO 1600. Enjoy! -David

Back To Normal Monday

Good Morning Everyone,
It's been a busy 3 weeks with all the travel to Manzanillo, WPPI and Photoshop World, so it feels good to be home for a while and get caught up on a few things around the studio. The travels are great, the conventions were inspirational, all the info is great - but I have to say, "There is no place like home."

Although the studio is not super busy this week and I have the week end off we still have a few projects in the works. It's nice to have a little breathing room this week in which to get them completed.

One of our projects is to review the computer backup strategies for our 6 computer studio network. A friend of mind in Columbus who runs a very successful family portrait and senior studio just had a visit from an IT consultant who quoted him $14,000 for a new server and tape back-up system. No offense here, but it's not "brain surgery" and I think that's a bit high for a business the size of our studios. Anyway, Kent and I are comparing notes so I'll keep you posted as to how things come together the next few weeks.

I'm also looking forward to the blog getting back on schedule, so let's get right to it.

Death by Blogging

Yes, it can be quite hazardous to your health - at least as it relates to an article I read in the New York Times this past Sunday morning. I know this is not necessary related to photography, but as I write these words, I feel I could "go" any minute ;~) The article mentioned a tech blogger who just died two weeks ago, a second that passed in December, and a third that survived a heart attack that same month. It goes on to state that bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing articles for a news and informational blog. “I haven’t died yet,” said Michael Arrington, the founder and co-editor of TechCrunch, but he has complained of putting on 30 pounds. Hey, this is all pretty scary stuff.

All blogging aside, I think it speaks to many of us living way to busy lives and forgetting to smell the roses along the way. I have to say, in the early days of my business, I played golf at least once a week, sometimes twice and loved it!! I haven't played in four years. Sure the thrill of the chase of running your business is a kick, but the reality is that to enjoy it we need to make some balance. Balance is just one of the ingredients needed in our business for success now and then.

I have a friend well known in the profession, who takes a week long vacation to a remote part of the world just to review, rethink, and recharge. The break re-energizes him and he continues to build a really successful business. My accountant, who has always been my business mentor, holds off premise retreats for her entire staff at least once a year. This day of planning and brain storming, is a breeding ground for new ideas, products, and services which she uses to revitalize her business and keep it fully charged and enriched both for her company and her clients.

So maybe, on this early spring day, this article can be the early wake up call we all need to re-visit the possibility of examining our business practices and goals and see if we we can entertain the notion that it is not just another day, but a new day ripe with positive energy, wonderful surprises, and endless possibilities. Man, I sure don't want to "go" blogging.

By the way, you can read the whole NYT article right here.

The Time Machine Camera

You think you missed the shot, well not really, that is of course if you were using Casio's new Exilim EX-F1 camera which should be going on sale sometime next week. Here is the low down on how it works. Let's say you are waiting for the whales to break the surface while on that whale watching cruise to Alaska. With your favorite digital SLR, you wait on deck, camera ready. An innocent remark by your deck mate diverts your attention for the brief second that the humpback makes a picture perfect leap into the air and you miss the shot.

No problem with Casio's new camera. As you hold down the shutter release half way down , the camera is reeling off, get this 60 frames a second at 6 meg grabs! and holds them in a buffer for a short period deleting the older ones on the fly. When you press the shutter fully but still not soon enough for the perfect image, no problem, just review the buffered images for the shot you missed - there it is - perfect.

The camera has some other interesting specs, too, like 1200 FPS video mode for incredibly smooth, extremely slow motion, similar to something in an Imax nature movie. Hey, this camera may not be for everybody, but it does open up a completely different set of possibilities for outside the box thinkers. The new Casio Exilim EX-F1 is way outside the box.

Related Article Links:
New York Times article
Edgadget article

Great Sports Shots Of the Week - But A few Weeks Ago

I loved this when I first saw it a few weeks ago, but my travels got in the way of posting it. Anyway, here it is today - some of the best sports photos recently run in the Washington Post right here. You have to get past the short commercial intro first, but the images are worth taking a look at. Enjoy!

Hey gang, that's it for today, I'm going to check out what's been going on around the studio these last few weeks. See ya' tomorrow for Technique Tuesday. Au Revoir, David

Friday, April 04, 2008

"The Look Of Love"

"The Look Of Love"
© David A. Ziser

Here is another image I made during this week's wedding class. We had just stepped outside and I wanted to capture the color of the sky and the clouds. That demanded a small F-stop and fast shutter speed. That meant I had to place my flash as close to the subject as possible. The close proximity of the flash and the high shutter speed created a beautifully vignetted lighting pattern on the bride and groom nearly spotlighting them in front of the church. I love the effect. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 10mm, F 10 @ 1/400 second, ISO 200.

Enjoy! -David

Finally Friday - Photoshop World Wraps

Good afternoon everybody,
A very exciting and successful Photoshop World wrapped today and I think everyone, although exhausted, had a great time. I finished my last Marketing 101 presentation at 7 p.m. last night and have to say LaDawn and I were pretty wiped out. We never made it to Midnight Madness - which is always a hoot - but rumor has it - it was a good time had by all.

I took a last stroll through the Tech Expo - I couldn't believe it - in addition to all the PSW training going on non-stop, there were 4 additional theaters` within the Tech Expo going full tilt for the entire length of the trade show. To say it simply - there was an amazing amount of education going on - morning, noon and night, for the last four days down here in Orlando.

Also, thanks to everyone who came up and said HI- we had a great time. If you want a good look at everything going on down here this week, check out Jennifer Bontempi's official PSW daily blog right here - the pics are a hoot and it is a great overview of all the happenings that have been going on here these last 4 days. Read on for more news on some of the items that most intrigued me at the show.

Book Book, And More Books, - Oh My!

There is absolutely no excuse for not getting the training you need on just about any subject available these days. I thought one of the coolest entries into on-line resources was the solution being shown over at Peachpit Press. You have to check out their Safari Books Online service right there.

Here is the deal, Safari Books Online is combining the content of 1000's of books from Peachpit, New Riders, Adobe Press, O'Reilly, and Lynda's published library and making them available online at very nominal price. Can you image - all that content right at your fingertips. Normally the cost is $42.99 a month, but thanks to the good folks at Peachpit, you can still get their special introductory price of only $39.99/month or $439.99/year for about another week.

To take advantage of the convention special head over to Peachpit right here. To get the deal, you will need to give this special code - ZKQDDFH - this is a special for all digitalprotalk.com readers, so go check it out. Resources unlimited!!

Safest Data In the World

The Drobo folks were at the show showing their latest networked attached storage appliance for the Drobo. The Drobo device has been all over the net and is being hailed as about the safest way to protect your data. I personally know three friends in business who have had their RAID's fail - I know there not suppose to fail, but somebody forgot to tell the RAIDS.

Drobo's built in technology sidesteps the RAID problem and promises data reliability that's the best available right now. Up until recently, you could only plug your Drobo into your local computer, but now they have a totally transparent solution for those of us who need the NAS functionality. Check out everything Drobo is doing right here. I'm placing my order for one next week.

I Don't Believe He Wrote Another Book Already

It's true, Scott Kelby has just released his latest book on Lightroom 2.0 which was just released this week! Man, I just heard about it and Scott's already got a book out on it. I got a chance to sit in on Adobe's Lightroom 2.0 announcement and the new feature set looks pretty cool. Scott's been beta testing it for months so he really does have the inside track on it. Here is the link to his book. Also, check out the FREE Kelby Training videos on Lightroom 2.0 too. Here is the Kelby Training Lightroom 2.0 link.

Hey gang, that's it for this week. We get back in town on Sunday and will be back on a regular blog schedule. Have a great one, and I'll see you next week. --David

Thursday, April 03, 2008

"Afternoon In White"

"Afternoon In White"
© David A. Ziser

Here is another image I took during my Tuesday Master Class. This is a long shot down the Orlando Convention Center. I used long lens and wider aperture to throw the background out of focus isolating right on the bride. The slower shutter spread pushed the tonalities into a higher key adding to the impact of the shot. The direction of light was created with my off camera Quantum. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 70-200mm lens at 180mm, F5.6 at 1/125 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! -David

Not Quite Business Day Thursday

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Things are still really hopping around here, so I am shifting gears so there is no compromise to the regular Thursday posts. Besides, I think it makes more sense to give you a peak into the Photoshop World convention since that's where I'm hangin' all week. Look for Business Day Thursday to make it's return next week.

Quick Thursday Photoshop World Hits

Well, the Big Electric Cat - the NAPP house band played to a full house Wednesday evening and they brought down the house as well. Scott was on keyboards with his wife Kalebra doing lead vocals and Felix Nelson pumped a good bass. The guitar player - Tony 'Guava" Llanes and Scot Stahley, the drummer were phenomenal too. Scott and his wife have been musicians for years and it's quite a treat to see their band perform. This is the third time they've thrilled the attendees at PSW. A great time was had by all. I took about 600 images of them playing and will try to get a sampling up a little later - time permitting.

After a few hours sleep, I was up and on my way to present my brand new lighting program at 8:15 a.m. this morning. We had a good crowd and everyone was enthusiastic about the presentation. Thanks to all that attended. Just to catch my breath, I sat in on Moose Peterson's program. Moose, in addition to being a very nice guy, presented the crowd with inspiring images and wrapped his presentation with his work flow solutions showing how he achieves his amazingly beautiful finished images.

Scott was next with his CS3 Down and Dirty Tricks program which always amazes the audience, yours truly included. How does he think of all that stuff?? I have to say, the cool thing about Photoshop World is the fact, that even though you might not be able to follow along at instructor speed, everything - that includes all the notes are given to each attendee in the form of the telephone book size PSW Workbook . What a resource for all those attendees.

I just finished my second presentation again to very positive response - thanks again for all those who came back and those that attended for the first time. I have one more presentation this evening at 6 p.m. and then it's a wrap for the day.

Before I sign off, let me point you to DigitalPhotoandArt.com. This site offers exclusively fine art prints from Jim Divitale, Burt Monroy, Scot Kelby, and Ben Willmore. Check out their site right here - some very nice images.

Hey gang, I've got to get scootin' again - the trade show is calling. Tomorrow, I'll plan to have a short recap of any new products at the show. I'm out of here - see everybody tomorrow. --David

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

"Elegance In Orlando"

"Elegance In Orlando"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image yesterday as part of my Photoshop World PreCon class. A small F-Stop and fast shutter speed combined with a low ISO really darkened the sky. I "popped" the bride out of the background with my off camera Quantum light. Just a clean-up needed on some of those trees and I think it will turn out pretty cool. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 20mm, F 16 @ 1/400 second, ISO 200. Enjoy! -David

Non Way Back Machine Wednesday

Good late afternoon Everybody,
Time is pretty tight here at Photoshop World with the Keynote kicking off at 9:00 a.m. this morning, then programming, then trade show, then even more events and many more responsibilities happening. It's always busy, but it is always a great show. It's now about 5 p. m. and still no break in site. I'm making this a very quick hit Wednesday to day.

I'll hold the Way Back Machine and wedding history till we get back in town next week. I didn't want to compromise those posts with all the Photoshop World going on - it is truly non stop here - and we don't wrap till much later tonight.

Reporting From The Tech Expo Floor

Scott and the boys came out strong this morning with a great "Star Trek" skit that had us rolling in the aisles. Matt Kloskowski as Beta and R.C Conception as Worf were the show stealer's. A great time was had by all. I'll check to see if the opening will be anywhere on the web and let you know - it was a riot!!

The hot news , if you haven't heard yet was the introduction of the new Lightroom 2.0 public beta. If you want to give it a try, here is the link.

Also, our good buddies at NAPP have just announced their new Lightroom learning center for all NAPP members. And, did you know that in addition to the Photoshop help desk, NAPP members now also have a Lightroom Help desk - very cool.

Adobe also announced their new Adobe Express - yes, you upload your images to Adobe Express where you can retouch them, change them, and archive them, or just have fun with them. Here is the Adobe Express link - it looks kind of interesting and easy for the mass non-professionals.

Last note - we had a great class at my PreCon yesterday. Here is my whole class right here. We had a great group of photos joining us. After things settle down, I feature a few of the images with you.

Hey gang, they are filming Photoshop User TV live from the trade show floor. And yes, I am blogging from the trade show floor. The crowd is going crazy - lots of cheering - great fun - so I'm out of here till tomorrow. Who knows when the post will go up - I've got three presentations tomorrow and the first is at 8:15 a.m. In any event I'll check in. See ya' tomorrow. --David

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

"Room In the Round"

"Room In the Round"
© David A. Ziser

I love shooting the Sigma 8mm fisheye for these kind of room shots. This particular space has lots of curves in it, which lends to this kind of photographic treatment. Camera specs; Nikon D1x fitted with Sigma 8mm fisheye, F5.6 @ 1/15 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday 04.01.08

Good Morning Everyone,
Whew! I am just now recovering from Russel Brown's 3D class yesterday. Too much input, too much input - but the final result was pretty cool. Let me give you the quick version. Take an images, break it into at least depth layers, add a depth map to some of the layers, crop with hidden data, and save. Now open in the Power Illusion software, create the track parallax channels, set your depth on each channel, adjust any depth maps, preview the 3D image with your 3D glasses, and if it looks good, you are ready to go to the presses. Any brain burn yet.

The software breaks the images into 40 lines per inch. When aligned to the matching lenticular screen gives a final 3D image. The cool part was not seeing the 3D print, but hanging in there with Deke McClelland, Bert Monroy, John Caponigro, Jeff Schewe, et. al. The class was a veritable Who's Who of Photoshop fame. Russel gave everyone the attention they needed to get through it all, but it was a real brain fry. All in all, it was a great class. Anyway, on with the show.

Technique Tuesday - Painting With Light

In my early film days of wedding photography, when photographing the banquet room, one never just took a time exposure of the room. Contrasts were always too severe and we didn't have Photoshop to save the day. Also, if you were going to give available light a try, you needed to use tungsten balanced film to get the proper color balance.

The way I handled the situation back in those days, was to paint the room with light. Here is how we did it. Place the camera on tripod and set the F stop at about F16. I would fire up my 200 W.S. flash, give my assistant the cue to release the shutter with the cable release, holding the shutter open as I moved throughout the room flashing the strobe at different areas of the scene. The main thing to keep in mind was to be sure that the flash head never points back into the lens, and move quickly so that the entire room can be covered in about 30 seconds.

Also, try not to silhouette yourself against any bright surfaces like table linens - that was mainly accomplished by keeping the strobe pointed at about 135 degrees away from the axis of the camera lens. The finished result looked like if was illuminated with about 8 separate strobes and looked great. I haven't tried this with digital until just a few weeks ago. Take a look at the first image - it's a straight available light image for the room. It looks OK, but not great. Now look at the second shot. It was the result of about a 20 second exposure at F16 made with about 4-5 flashes of my flash. Look how I was able to spot light different areas of the scene focusing the attention to the cake table since I gave it the most light. You can get some great results in really dark surrounds. Check out an article over at the Strobist right here for some more discussion on the subject. It's a cool technique that has sort of fallen out of favor these last several years, and probably is still used by some of the commercial guys out there. Give it a try - it's a great way to get light on the scene right where you want it.

From A House On the Side Of the Road To a Cool Fantasy Scene

Want to see one of the coolest before and afters ever, check out the Mysterious Lighting Photoshop tutorial right here. It's easy to follow, kind of fun, and really looks good.

Killing the Chroma Noise

There are a lot on noise reducing software solutions out there these days - Noise Ninja, Noiseware, NIK Define 2.0 - and they do a really good job. But, if you want to see some of the Photoshop science behind the secret curtain, check out this great article by Andrew Masur over at Luminance-Landscape right here on how to remove chroma noise. It's a nice read and outlines some good Photoshop technique to boot.

16 Lighting Setups For Fun And Profit

The easiest way to get from A -Z when it comes to lighting - There was a great article over at Fotopunto right here showing 16 lighting diagrams and the resulting image from each lighting set up. Take time to study each set up to appreciate how the light source(s) affect the final result. The diagrams are extremely well done and the final images look great. Take a peak - it's a good way to ramp upon your lighting skills.

Hey, everybody, that's about it for today. I've got a Photoshop World PreCon to teach in a few hours so I've got to get scootin'. I'll see everybody tomorrow for the Ziser Way Back Machine 6 - the Late Eighties and a bit more on wedding photography history. See everybody tomorrow! -David

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