"A Perfect Evening"

"A Perfect Evening"
© David A. Ziser

Here is an image I made during the rehearsal dinner I photographed a few weeks ago in Phoenix, AZ.  The setting was simply perfect for the party – the warm breezes and gorgeous location made it a great experience for the guests and the photographer – me;~) 

The goal of this image was to capture that wonderful feeling of the evening.  I waited till the sun had completely set before taking the photograph. Photographing in those post twilight moments lets me capture the vibrant blue colors you see in the sky.  For me, it was the strong blue tonalities against the warm tonalities of the decor and fire in the foreground that makes the image come alive.

It was also important for me to photograph the full height of the trees you see in this image.  A closer crop or tighter framing would have compromised the image significantly.  My super wide Sigma lens did the trick.  The super wide view also grabs a lot more of the sky showing its gradation into deep blue at the top of the frame. That’s another reason I like these super wide optics.

The last challenge was the exposure.  It was pretty late into the evening and there was not a lot of light left to make the exposure.  That meant setting the camera to a much higher ISO than I usually shoot.  I wasn’t too worried though.  I knew Lightroom would save the day for me and it did. The image is a perfect scene setter for this perfect Spring Rehearsal Dinner evening.

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with super wide Sigma 8-16mm lens at 8mm, F4.5 @ 1/13 second, ISO 3200.  Enjoy!  -David