"Standing Tall"

"Standing Tall"
©David A. Ziser

I made this image a few weeks ago at my Digital Master Class.  The bride was feeling faint and had to take a break so I decided to capture a few quick images of the groom.  Most wedding photographers always shoot towards the front of the church, but if you turn around, you just may see something spectacular. Now, I have to admit, if you are shooting at the Basilica of the Assumption Cathedral in Covington, Kentucky, every direction is spectacular;~)  Anyway, I love the view towards the back of this church - the magnificent stained glass window, the pipe organ, the beautiful architecture everywhere made for a great background for this shot. Compositionally, the question I kept raising in my own mind was whether I wanted to crop out the stained glass window or not.  If I left it in the scene, it sure made the groom look small. But, cropping it out substantially reduced the dramatic "feel" of the shot.  Use your hand to cover the stained glass and see what you think. I shot it both ways and decided I preferred the composition with the beautiful window in the final composition.  I also like how the arches at the top close off and frame the top of the scene. The subject was illuminated camera right with my Quantum T5d shooting through my Zumbrella.  You may be surprised when you read the camera specs below and be inclined to say,  "Ziser used THAT lens and at THAT ISO? That's not "L-Glass" and how'd he handle that high ISO?"  My quick answer - I have a beautiful 24x36 inch print of this image and it looks great.  The solution to the high noise is Lightroom 3 Beta 2. All I can say is WOW!  Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 20mm, F5.6 @ 1/40 second (handheld), ISO 1600.  Enjoy!  -David