Looks Like Prudential Insurance Was Here ;~)

Good Morning Everybody,

I thought I’d sneak in a quick post today about our unfortunately short visit to the Rock of Gibraltar. After a weeklong stay in Malaga we had to overnight one night on our way to Villamoura, Portugal. Gibraltar seemed to be the perfect mid-point stop. We've never been to that part of the world and I never in my life expected it to be visiting Gibraltar but now –here we were. It turns out that it was one of the highlights of our travels.

Needless to say the approach to the city is quite impressive when you first see the shadow of the rocket Gibraltar, one of the pillars of Hercules, standing against the misty sky-line. As you get closer the rock grows even larger until at last it presents it's impressive view.

We arrived at our AirB&B around 2:30 p.m. and quickly got settled in. We were on the 12th floor of the apartment building and the views across the city rooftops were impressive and quite telling of this smallish city.

We were only a five minute walk to the Grand Casemates Gates, the main tourist area servicing the Rock of Gibraltar and surrounding areas. As usual, in these heavily tourist sites – the crowds weren’t very bad at all this time of year – we were approached by a taxi driver that wanted to give us "the best tour of our life of the rock.

He came on with a great personality, a great sense of humor, and a promise of a fantastic two hour tour – we were hooked and we're on our way about 10 minutes later. There were many vantage points on the way up to the top of the rock and each one presented a great view of the surrounds.

Gibraltar is one of the key shipping ports in the world. You could easily tell that from all the ships coming and going everywhere in the straights.

The most unusual aspect of the Rock of Gibraltar are all the monkeys at the top. They were everywhere, including all over the top of the jeep once we stopped and got out. The rule is don't feed them and you'll be just fine.

We oblige the rules and we had a great visit at the Top of the Rock.

There were many places to see during our short tour including St. Michael's Cave, a fabulous cave formation within the Rock.  It is well lit and is set up for concerts and events within the stone surrounds – quite impressive!

The Great Siege Tunnels of Gibraltar shown on the left  were hewn out of the solid rock and were pretty amazing to tour as well.  We only had a short stop there and wished we had more time to explore and photograph this fascinating and historic part of Gibraltar.

Of particular interest is the airport runway in Gibraltar. Look at the image below. You can see that the landing strip crosses the main road into the city. Yes, the gates can come down and block traffic on the highway when planes are making their approach. A very interesting solution to this very small city.

We wrapped a very quick tour in this British territory, enjoyed an English brew at one of the local pubs, and had a fabulous dinner at Gatsby's Restaurant. Our day wrapped with a beautiful sunset over the city rooftops that we had just seen a few hours earlier.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. I just wanted to get a quick post up about our stop at Gibraltar because it was definitely a wonderful place to visit. I only wish we had another day or two there. Check in again and I’ll give you the latest update from our visit to Villamoura, Portugal. Home to marinas and golf courses. This is a popular vacation spot for the rich as well as many Europeans. More later.

Adios for now, David

”Santiago Sunset”

”Santiago Sunset”
©David A. Ziser

Here is another image I captured a few days ago while in Santiago, Spain.  As we were settling-in for the evening, I peered out the window and was amazing to see this striking sunset over the rooftops of the city – remember our 6th floor apartment? It was a spectacular scene.

I also loved how I could pick up the sunset’s reflection in the skylight right below me.  I knew the image needed to be a very wide angle shoot to get the result I wanted. I grabbed my super wide Sigma 12-12mm and began shooting away.

Because of the extremely wide tonal range I made a few images using my Canon 5D Mark3’s built in HDR mode.  I love the result. Hope you do too!

Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark III fitted with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F6.3 at 1/250 second, ISO 1600. Camera HDR mode Auto, Art Standard 

Enjoy!  -David

Let The Light Shine In: Don’t Miss The Morning Moments!

Good Morning Everybody,

As I sit here at the computer this morning it strikes me that many people miss many beautiful moments in life.  Myself included sometimes. But as we continue our travels throughout Spain and Portugal - I plan to miss far fewer.

What exactly do I mean by the above remark?  Each of us awake each day to a new sunrise, a new day, a new set of daily adventures, challenges and experiences. But from that first moment we open our eyes we have a choice to make – this is especially true of the traveler.  We can either roll over and go back to sleep.  Or we could climb out of bed and see what the first light of day brings to our eyes.

Maybe it’s the jet lag – who knows – but my inclination on this trip so far is to get out of bed at first light and sometimes before and see what the morning sunrise beholds.  I have to say, we have been rewarded handsomely for the effort.

Let The Light Shine In: Don’t Miss The Morning Moments!

After leaving Salamanca, Spain we headed over to Porto, Portugal – land of great history, beautiful vistas, and fine port wine!  As I said in an earlier post, we are making the rounds on this trip via Airbnb – so far a fantastic way to see the world.  Our accommodations are right in the middle of the action – see the above image.  For the second time in our travels our arrival into Porto has put us right into the middle of the action. This time we are located on the River Douro along the Cais da Ribeira overlooking the Dom Luís I Bridge.  UNESCO declared this location a World Heritage Site.  Our new location is in a vibrant neighborhood filled with locals, tourists, colors, sounds, smells, many boats, lots of seagulls and an energy that is mesmerizing.

The evening of our arrival I just sat on our balcony overlooking the river simply enjoying the wonderfully cool evening and the beautiful view of the Dom Luís I Bridge. I think I sat there for hours – the mosquito bites I found on my arms and legs the next day bore that fact out too ;~)

But it was still that next morning that was so beautiful with it’s first light.  I was awake early, well before sunrise.  But a short while later I could see the rays of the new day.  The camera was in my hand and ready.  I spent the next 45 minutes photographing the colors and grandeur of this new day.  The site was just amazing!

Even after the sun had risen the slight mist in the distance played magically on the bridges down the river in the distance. The town was still sleeping but the city was coming alive in the light of the new day.  Don’t miss the moments – savor every one!  It was an exciting first day in the city of Porto, Portugal.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today. I’ll update our Porto visit with more photos in a day or so.

Have a great rest of the day and I’ll see you soon!

-David

I Have Not Fallen Off The Face Of The Earth, I Promise;~)

I'm afraid most of you think I have fallen off the face of the earth these days but I have to tell you - that certainly is not the case ;~)  We've been visiting and exploring San Jose del Cabo at the end of the Mexican Baja peninsula for the months of May and June working on several projects remotely.  WE head back home next Monday and jump right into a very busy summer.

The sunrises (like the one above) sunsets, beaches and coast-lines are breath-taking and really easy on the eyes.  Don't you just love technology allowing me to work, with a little bit of play, from all over the world!!

I have to admit, after spending time putting the newsletter together yesterday, I discovered that I was missing writing. That promoted me to get something up today.  LaDawn suggests that I just do a Image of the Day post just to keep things moving here at DigitalProTalk.com. – hence today’s pretty cool image.

I just may give that tactic a try over the next few weeks and see if that helps my “writer’s block” subside a bit:~)

As I said above, I just sent out my Digital Newsletter but figured that if you are not on the list you missed some important info I shared with our newsletter readers.

Four BIG things are happening that I need to tell you about today.

They include:

1. An impressive Speed-light Webcast with Michael Mowbray. [link]
2. Vincent LaForet's video workshops - the hottest lecture tour happening right now. [link]
3. PPN's upcoming "Hands On Posing/Shooting" Summer Seminar.[link]
4. And my upcoming Master Class in Barcelona in the Fall (maybe my last one). [link]

It’s a different world out there these days with too many “photographers” thinking they can learn it all on the internet, but if you are like me and want a more rounded and immersive educational experience I sure  hope you’ll check out the posts below describing each of the items above in greater detail and take advantage of these more up close and personal learning opportunities.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  Check back now and then as I continue to fire things up around here and get back into the blogging “groove”.  Lot’s happening in the these next few months and I’ll do me best to keep you posted.

All the Best, David

I’m Still Alive and Well – I Promise!

Good Morning Everybody,

From the emails and phone calls we've been receiving at the studio over the last few weeks, folks having been wondering whether or not I've fallen off the face of the earth or even worse ;~) Well, let the rumor mill subside - I am indeed still alive and well – and maybe a few travel pounds less light than when we left for Eastern Europe September 8, 2013 ;~) 

I've got lots to fill you in on but let me give you a quick update today and I'll plan to stop by again in the upcoming days to fill in some details and tell you about some cool things happening around  DigitalProTalk.

My last post was several weeks ago [link].  We returned to the States after making the Atlantic crossing from England, visited a few friends in Florida, and then headed home after our two and half months traveling through Europe landing back home November 18, 2013.  During those thousands of miles of travel I made several thousands of photographs – about 29,000 but more on that later.

Home For The Holidays – Not Quite!

We were only home for ten days but were thrown into the Holiday rush getting last minute orders out for clients and just plain getting ready for the quickly approaching holidays. Then the day after Thanksgiving, we headed to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for a three week stay enjoying the warm weather, beautiful sunrises (like the one below) and gorgeous sunsets and a few more thousand photos. Like I mentioned above, more on the photographs later.

We landed back in town 3 days before Christmas and then were immediately caught up in the rush of the holidays - all this while working like crazy on our upcoming convention, PhotoPro Expo 2014.  Needless to say, it's been crazy, busy around here. But, I am still alive and well ;~)

Happy New Year! And Off To Imaging USA Convention

We were actually home for 18 days and then it was off to Imaging USA Convention being held in Phoenix , AZ this year.  My buddy, Ralph Romaguera has been  President of the Professional Photographers of America this past year and we wanted to give him our full support and any help where needed.

We just returned last week from the Imaging USA Convention  where we had a great time visiting friends and making many new ones; exploring the trade show from front-to-back and back-to-front; and having the wonderful opportunity to hang out with the legendary singer and photographer Kenny Rogers and his mentor, acclaimed photographer and Ansel Adams assistant, John Sexton. 

You heard me right – Kenny Rogers was awarded the Honorary Master Of Photography Degree from Professional Photographers of America.  If you didn’t know it before – Kenny is quite an acclaimed photographer in his own right. He has published three books on the subject and is producing a fourth as we speak. I own his first, “Your Friends and Mine.” [link]  It is really well done – very similar in stile of Karsh portraits.

Anyway, since my good friend Ralph is president of PPA this year, he included us in all the special activities, including hanging with Kenny and John….pretty cool.  I have to tell you, both men were true down to earth gentlemen. Their work was exceptional. The experience was a real pleasure.

I have to tell you too – in addition to the good times we were having, I was humbled by the fact that I was to receive a very high honor myself at the Awards Ceremony.  Turns out I received the Helen B. Yancy Award for distinguished service to the industry. Turns out I was only the seventh person ever to receive this award.  It was very exciting as well as quite humbling. Per usual… LaDawn looked fabulous on our way to the Awards Banquet ;~)

But now the partying and good times have come to a screeching halt as we are fully ramped-up in getting PhotoPro Expo 2014 ready for launch February 6th.

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On that note gang, I’m out of here.  Hope you enjoyed the latest update and a few images from our travels.  Tomorrow I want to give you an update on the PhotoPro Expo 2014 Convention and a very cool Print Competition Webcast coming up.  You can get a lot of info about the webcast right here. Just scroll down a bit to see the registration links. This is areal educational experience and one not to be missed.

But for now, I’ve got to scoot and get back to work. LaDawn and I have been working non-stop to make this the biggest show ever and it’s shaping up to be just that.

I promise, you’ll be hearing from me several times these next few weeks so please stay tuned.

All the best,  David

"Day’s End At Land’s End"

"Day’s End At Land’s End"
©David A. Ziser

One thing you have to admit while in Cabo, Mexico is that the sunsets are fabulous just about every evening.  Last evening was no exception. We were visiting new friends up the beach from where we are staying and this was the view of the Sea of Cortez from their back yard property – simply breathtaking!

The challenge for sunset photographs is getting the exposure just right so that you preserve the color and richness of the sunset and still maintain details in the shadows.  Leaving the camera on “P” for program just will not do it. I choose to set the camera to “M” manual, then adjusted the aperture and shutter speed to capture just the result I wanted.

I should probably mention that I used the camera’s viewfinder as my exposure guide.  That seemed to work just fine because the image on the camera looked the same when I imported the image into Lightroom.  I love how the cameras give you decent feedback on your exposures when using their built in viewfinder.

Composition was easy for this image.  I positioned the sun in the bottom right quadrant of the viewfinder.  That opened up the rest of the frame for the beautiful cloud formation filling the sky.  A tweak of the “vibrancy” slider and a slight saturation push for the blue tones gave me the color values I wanted.  I added clarity to the water with the gradient tool to get my final result.

Camera specs:  Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Digital Camera zoomed to 40mm (35mm equiv) at F8.0 @ 1/200 second, ISO 200.  Enjoy!  -David

 

An Amateur Camera For Pro Use??? Never, Well Maybe

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I have to admit, that while we're in Cabo San Lucas Mexico, I'm having a great time with my new, early Christmas present, a Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Digital Camera.

The cool thing about this special, little camera is the fact that it will zoom from 24 mm all the way out to 1200 mm – 35mm equivalent – without changing lenses! If you let that zoom range sink in, just for a second, you understand why it is such a fun camera to use. While in Cabo, I've been photographing everything from sunrises to sunsets, landscapes, cactus flowers and plants, macros of baby sea turtles, goggley eyed crabs, wildlife photos, and even taking close-up photographs of the moon.

It's the unbelievable zoom range of this camera that makes it so much fun to use. It produces a 12 mega-pixel RAW file which I can import into the latest Lightroom 4's beta release. Lightroom gives me plenty of control in enhancing the camera's images. The 12 mega-pixel file size is the same as my size as my beloved Canon 40D camera of just a few years ago. So I suspect I'll be able to print an acceptable 24x36 inch print from these files just as I routinely produced and delivered from my 40D.

The camera is also responsive enough for me to capture most of the photographs that I want to take. The time it takes to write the file to the card is a little slower than I would like, meaning that I rarely do any burst shooting and that can be a real hindrance for any wedding photographer.  Don' t  get me wrong, I'm not suggesting you trade in your Canon 5D Mark III of Nikon D800.

This camera is small, convenient, light weight and what I REALLY love about this camera is the zoom range.  It is that fantastic zoom range that offers not just an amateur photographer some added shooting versatility but the professional photographers as well. I know some of you reading this must think I'm "nuts" about now, but hang in there with me.  I ran a few tests about a week ago just to see what kind of real image quality I could produce out of the camera.  I was really surprised with my first tests!

I have several sample images that I quickly printed 11x14 prior to us leaving for Cabo. I plan to share with you these images in a follow-up post this week. So, be sure to tune in, I think you'll be surprised with the results I was able to obtain!

Hey, for $450 US dollars, this camera is one sweet little gem that I am thoroughly enjoying using while on vacation. Galileo would have loved it ;~)

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Hey gang, that's it for me today. Everybody have a great rest of the day in whatever part of the world you're in and I'll plan to see you again later this week.

Adios, David

"Amalfi Sunset"

"Amalfi Sunset"
©David A. Ziser

Here, once again, is one of those “picture postcard” moments that one sees along  the Amalfi Coast.  We had just taken the bus from Amalfi back to our hotel in Positano.  The bus only makes one stop on the out skirts of Positano and it’s about a 10 minute walk to the center of the town.  The bus driver emphasized that he was only making one stop - but it was the best stop. 

We landed right at sunset and I couldn’t help shooting for most of the downhill walk back into town.  The sunset views were stupendous! This is just one of many I captured on the short walk back to town – all were amazing!  It still amazes me too how these buildings were carved, as it were, into the hard rock cliffs of the coastline.  There are no easy roads for easy access to all these locations, mostly a very small central parking area or very, very limited parking along the few streets or NO parking area and you walk and climb many, many, many stairs. And, let me tell you, that it was hundreds of years ago when many of these buildings were built so car transportation was not even a consideration.

I love the play of the colors throughout this image. Look how the colors of the sunset compliment the colors of the homes, hotels, shops and restaurants against the mountainside creating a nice visual balance to the scene. The timing, thanks to our bus driver kicking us out at the best stop made for this fantastic photographic opportunity.

Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark III fitted with Tamron 28-300mm VC lens at 33mm, F3.5* at 1/320 second, ISO 250.  Enjoy!  -David

*Camera on “P” mode during exposure.

"Prettiest Day Of The Year!"

"Prettiest Day Of The Year!"
©David A. Ziser

OK, this isn’t strictly a wedding photograph but it was made on the day of the wedding at the couples chosen venue last Saturday.  So, I guess it is a wedding photograph, right ;~)  I mentioned to my couple on Saturday, that they had about the best day of the year on which to be married. The temperature was ideal, the location was perfect, and the sky - all day and evening long, was astoundingly beautiful.

I made this image right after I photographed the bride and groom with this sunset as a backdrop.  Nature’s beauty persisted well into the evening and I just had to get a few more images.  Besides the wedding and reception were outdoors and everyone had the opportunity to enjoy not only the wedding celebration but also Mother Nature’s beauty. This is just an example of the kind of photographs I capture on the wedding day that will serve as perfect backgrounds for the album we’ll eventually design for the couple.

In addition to that, this is simply a beautiful sunset landscape image and can be truly enjoyed on it’s own merit.  I choose a super wide angle lens to capture the full effect of the clouds spreading across the sky and lake.  A tweak or two in Lightroom 4 brought out all the detail and color of this fabulous scene. When all is said and done, what can I say,  I really like it.

Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark III fitted with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F7.1 @ 1/400 second, ISO 800.  Enjoy!  -David

Technique Tuesday On Wednesday: Magical Sunsets or How The CS6 Content Aware Tool Is Now My New Best Friend!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I couldn’t believe it – I was out cruising on one of my daily walks yesterday and saw that our local library was hosting a program on Advanced Photoshop that evening. Advanced Photoshop at the public library, and it was FREE – what a deal.  LaDawn and I headed out last night to check it out. Well, it turns out it was Photoshop Elements 10 – it seems the marquis sign didn’t have enough room for the word Elements. 

No problem, we sat through the hour presentation and I was quite impressed with the power of Photoshop Elements 10.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that we all switch to PSE10 but hey, if I wanted to get my feet wet with an image editing program, I would definitely jump into PSE10 for starters – it’s a pretty amazing piece of software containing most of CS6 features we photographers use regularly.  It was an eye-opening evening.

Magical Sunsets or How The CS6 Content Aware Tool Is Now My New Best Friend!

It seems every time I get back from a wedding, I just can’t wait to load up my images into Lightroom and check them out.  That was the case this past weekend, too.  Once I’m in Lightroom I just gotta play.  I found an image I really liked from my Saturday shoot and got a wild idea on how I might improve on the original image. 

I quickly sent the image over to Photoshop CS6 and proceeded to try my idea.  It worked like a charm.  I was able to create an even more dramatic image with the help of CS6’s Content Aware Fill Tool.  I was really surprised at how I obtained my final result so easily and quickly.  Why not hit the PLAY button below and see what I’m talking about – way cool!!!

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  Just a quick note – we now have seven photographers registered for my Sunset Photo Walk in Rome, Italy.  Want to join me? Here is the link to register.

On that note gang, I’m out of here. 

Have a great rest of the day and I’ll see you soon,

David

"An Evening Kissed By The Sun"

"An Evening Kissed By The Sun"
©David A. Ziser

I captured this image at Saturday's wedding. This was the first time I photographed in this location, Lake Lindsay, in Hamilton, Ohio.  I see now why the bride and groom selected this fabulous location.  One of Carla's priorities was that I do my best to capture a great sunset for the both of them on their wedding day. With a little luck and Mother Nature’s help, the sun cooperated completely!

Not only did we have a perfect sunset but, we also had beautiful cloud structure in the sky that really added to the very dramatic feel of this image. The secret to creating an image like this is to be sure that you have the exposure of the sunset perfectly exposed. The best way to do this is with the camera in manual mode. That way I can adjust the shutter speed to give me the exact sky density I want for my photograph.

DAZNOTE: The “live view” feature of the new DSLR cameras also give you decent visual feedback for your best exposure to create that perfect sunset for your clients. Don't overlook using it when setting up for a beautiful sunset composition.

I was using my brand-new Canon 600 TX – RT speedlights for this photograph. In the heat of the shoot I was challenged to get the backlighting exactly the way I wanted. With the speedlights in ETTL mode I wasn't quite getting the bright backlight that I prefer. Quickly switching the speedlights to manual mode gave me the full blast of light I wanted for this particular image.

We got a great set of images for Carla and Harry and I can’t wait for them to see the rest of the images!

Camera specs:  Canon 5D Mark III fitted with Sigma 12–24mm wide-angle lens at 12mm, F7.1 @1/400th second (HSFS), ISO 800.  Enjoy! – David

"Beach Walk"

"Beach Walk"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image after a photo shoot with a client. We were just heading back to the car and the last evening glow was just starting to leave the scene. I made this as one of the last exposures of our visit to the beach.

I love the line the rail gives to the composition leading right to the sea. The textures of the weathered walkway against the enhanced evening colors complete the image. As you view the image, it seems to draw you into the tranquility of the scene where you just want to rest a while and enjoy the last of the evening light.

Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 22mm, F5.6 @ 1/50 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! -David

"Blazing Glory"

"Blazing Glory"
©David A. Ziser

For today’s Image of the Day post, I want to re-visit one of my favorite sunset images.  The image was made about a year ago on a visit to Florida.  Here is the back story:  What can I say, the sunset was amazing. Part of our journeys on that trip included a stop at the Beach House Restaurant. LaDawn's son, Joshua, was getting married in Sarasota, Florida last March and we are co-hosting the rehearsal dinner there. Anyway, Shawn, the sales manager, one of the best I've ever worked with, BTW, was showing LaDawn the venue as I was poking around on the beach checking out a very anemic sunset, or so I thought. I clicked off a shot or two and thought I had an image good enough for today's post.

We wrapped up our meeting with Shawn, enjoyed a serving of conch fritters, a Florida west coast favorite, and headed for the car planning to head back to Orlando. I backed the car into the street and we pulled past the restaurant. What we saw next was absolutely amazing - the most blazing sunset either of us had seen in years.

I steered the car quickly onto the side of the road, asked LaDawn to park it, and ran across the street to see if I could grab some shots of this unbelievable sunset. I was shooting with Canon's brand new G12 and thought it would give me some good images.

Then it hit me, was I shooting in RAW or JPEG??!! I haven't had the camera long so I was unfamiliar with the menu structure. I saw I was shooting in JPEG and wanted to get to RAW as quickly as possible while the sun was still blazing. After fumbling through the settings for a few minutes, I found the RAW setting and quickly switched. The gorgeous sunset had subsided a bit but I kept shooting. BTW, this is one of the first JPEG images I made.

I knew I had something in the camera and couldn't wait to see them. This image is my favorite from the series. This post today illustrates how great images are sometimes made - unplanned, spontaneous, and in the heat of the moment. What would have happened if I had not been aware of my surroundings, stopped the car, and made an effort to capture this image and instead just looked at the sky, shrugged, and driven on? I would have missed one of nature's most glorious display of beauty.

I'm glad I leaped from the car, in the middle of traffic, and got the shot. We both just watched in amazement for the next several minutes as this cinematic wonder continued. It was a great end to a wonderful day!

Camera specs: Canon G12 with 6.1-30.5mm lens at 6.1mm (28mm – 35mm format equivalent), F2.8 @ 1/30 second, Program mode adjusted to -2/3's stop, ISO 80. Enjoy! -David

"Tranquility Base"

"Tranquility Base"
©David A. Ziser 

This was the view the other night from our 11th floor balcony.  The rain moved in during the later part of the afternoon but by around 8:15 pm the storm clouds were clearing leaving the scene you see above. It’s not a spectacular sunset but still it imbued with a certain tranquil feeling throughout.

What I like about this image is the fact the you see the promise of the clearing storm with the evening colors just starting to break through the heavy cloud cover. I also like how the light just kisses the edge of the beach.  But still remaining on the beach was a slight fogginess that added a certain amount of peaceful feeling to the evening scene.

The simple color pallet, oranges and subtle blues, also helps carry out the overall feeling of this image. I know I’m going to miss this view after we leave tomorrow.

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 40mm, F10 @ 1/640 second, ISO 1600.  Enjoy!  -David

"Beach Walk"

"Beach Walk"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image after a recent photo shoot with a client. We were just heading back to the car and the last evening glow was just starting to leave the scene. I made this as one of the last exposures of our visit to the beach.

I love the line the rail gives to the composition leading right to the sea. The textures of the weathered walkway against the enhanced evening colors complete the image.

As you view the image, it seems to draw you into the tranquility of the scene where you just want to rest a while and enjoy the peace of the last evening light.

Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 22mm, F5.6 @ 1/50 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! -David

"Good Morning Sunshine"

"Good Morning Sunshine"
©David A. Ziser

Everyday since we arrived in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico almost two weeks ago, I have photographed the sunrise from our second floor balcony.  The morning sun presents itself from about between 6:00 – 6:30 a.m.  Every morning is different.  Some morning are more spectacular than others, but all are a beautiful beginning on a joyous day in this part of the world.

This is today’s morning sunrise.  I spent about 30 minutes shooting several variations of the landscape as the sun slowing welcomed itself into the day.  I think this image is my favorite.  I’m a big fan of the rich, vibrant colors many of these sunrises exhibit.  This one was no exception.

As I’m framing up the photograph, I strive to pick up other elements like the palm frawns in the scene that I think contribute to the overall composition. 

If your sunrise was not so nice, let me offer our sunrise as a suitable replacement to the start of your day ;~)

Camera specs:  Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 32mm, F4.0 @ 1/50 second, ISO 100.  Enjoy!  -David

"Bonsai Sunset"

"Bonsai Sunset"
©David A. Ziser

As I was getting ready this morning, I was trying to think what I could leave you with for the weekend.  I remember I had posted this image over a year ago and remembered just how cool it was so I thought I’d bring it back for an encore presentation.  What’s cool about this image is it’s back story.

Last year, LaDawn and I visited the Cincinnati Conservatory where they were featuring their annual Butterfly Show.  On the way into the exhibit, we had to pass through the Bonsai Tree exhibit.  I have always been fascinated with Bonsai trees and remain inspired by how the gardener achieves these wonderful, natural works of art.  I had to take a few shots of these dwarf trees just for the fun of it. End of part 1 of the story. 

Part 2 of the back-story begins with me testing my Canon iPF 8100 inkjet printer that weekend over a year ago.  I wanted to see how it would print some of my fine art images on canvas.  This image of a Manzanillo, Mexico sunset was conveniently at hand so I printed off a copy. 

Later in the day, it was back to Lightroom to review the shots from the Butterfly Show and up popped the images of the bonsai trees.  That's when it hit me - wouldn't be cool to collage the small bonsai tree with the glorious Manzanillo sunset. 

Time to fire up CS5 and make it happen.  The colors, visual balance, and textures of the image - I love the finished presentation.  Notice even how the sun seems to be glinting off the trunk of the tree.  Sounds like a possible Technique Tuesday to me.  And that is how you too can spend a super-geek filled weekend with your new Adobe software toys;~).

Camera specs: Sunset; Nikon D300 (I was testing the camera at the time) fitted with 18-200 IS lens at 48mm, F 11 @ 1/800 second, ISO 800.  Bonsai tree; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 70mm, F 7.1 @ 1/250 second, ISO 1000. Enjoy!  David

"Sunrise – Texas Style"

"Sunrise – Texas Style"
©David A. Ziser

We were up bright and early yesterday morning so we could be at the instructor breakfast by 7:00 a.m.  That meant a pretty early wake up call.  As we were getting ready, LaDawn called out to me that it was looking like it might be a really beautiful sunrise. 

I wiped the sleep from my eyes, grabbed the camera and recorded the sun as it made it’s early morning appearance.  The vantage point from the 15th floor of the hotel sure helped the composition.

The challenge was to keep the sun itself from “blowing out” completely but still maintain detail in the clouds.  As luck would have it, as the sun rose, it did so, not to an open sky, but rose instead into low hanging cloud cover.  The cloud cover blocked just the right amount of the sun’s bright rays for the exposure to capture it’s brilliance and still fill the sky with radiant color – Texas style.

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm Lens at 190mm, F8.0 @ 1/1000 second (camera on manual), ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

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Hey gang, that’s going to it for today.  It’s been a long week and LaDawn and I are looking to take the rest of the day off after our class wraps around noon today. We had a great time at Texas School and sure have some wonderful memories. I’ll post a more complete week wrap up on Monday for you.

We make the trip home tomorrow and are looking forward to a few weeks at the same address ;~)  How about I plan to see everybody bright and early on Monday hailing from the great state of Kentucky.

Have a great weekend everybody.  Keep your pixels smilin’ and I’ll see you then.

-David

"Point Of Interest"

"Point Of Interest"
©David A. Ziser

This is an image I made while on our cross country trip last November.  Yes, it is a “drive by shooting” image.  The sun was setting as we were passing through Phoenix.  We had just passed through our third snow storm and finally the clouds started to lift – perfectly timed with the setting sun. 

The geography was beautiful and the colors that evening made the setting even more beautiful. We were about to pass this somewhat flattened, pointed shaped mountain.  The sun, which was dead center in the camera frame, was not going to move in my composition because it was 93,000,000 miles away.  The mountain, on the other hand, was moving quickly to the right of the scene as we sped down the road.

If I could catch it center frame pointing at the setting sun, I thought I had a chance at a very unusual composition. As the mountain neared the the center of the frame I readied for the shot.  I only managed to get two shots off – this was the first of the two and also the best. Timing was everything.

That’s why “drive by shootings” are so much fun to try to capture.  You better know what you want in the frame, time yourself (and camera) for the moment, and hope you get the image you want.  It sure keeps you on your compositional toes ;~)

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 70mm,  F9.0 @ 1/320 second, ISO 800.  Enjoy!  -David

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
©David A. Ziser

Today’s image was taken with the camera I want to love but just don’t.  We visited the “mouse” over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom yesterday and took the Safari trip – very cool by the way.  I thought the Fuji HS10 would be the perfect choice for the wild adventure and I left the Canon back at the hotel.  Kick me please about 10 times – what a mistake!

Any golfers out there ever want to throw your clubs into the lake – that’s EXACTLY how I felt about the Fuji’ s performance yesterday.  I had a wonderful opportunity to capture some great wildlife photographs, BUT the Fuji, total lack of any kind of responsiveness negated that opportunity about 90% of the time. ‘Nough said on the camera.

This is one of the few photos that I felt looked good for today’s post.  Yes, you do get a good view of the animals on the safari adventure.  I just wish I would have grabbed the right camera for the job.  Anyway, as we rolled along, the animals were quite active yesterday evening, including the lions. 

The female lion was just resting on a rock as the sun was setting in the  distance. But then she started to move around.  I felt like this image captured the feeling of what one might see on a real African safari, LaDawn’s dream vacation.  Hope you enjoy it.

Camera specs: Fuji HS10 fitted with 24-720mm lens at 300mm (35mm format equivalent), F8.0 @ 1/2900 second, ISO 100.  Enjoy!  -David