Quick Hit Monday: Denis Reggie; D-Town; iPads; Self Portraits; Inkjets; & More

Good Morning Everybody,

The car is nearly packed and we are ready to head out on our two week trek to visit friends, celebrate a BIG wedding, teach at Photoshop World, and catch the Flash Bus Tour on the return.  The upside of all this travel is that we get to make it in the new car - that should be cool, assuming we can get everything packed into it. 

First Stop Tonight - Denis Reggie Studios

The first stop today is in Atlanta to visit my good friend, Denis Reggie.  We should land late afternoon early evening.  I'm hoping to convince Denis to do an interview with me that I will post on Tuesday.  Denis is one of the premiere wedding photographers in the world so it should be quite a treat if we pull it off in our short time together.  Stay tuned!

Oh, BTW, I just saw where Denis is hosting his Wedding Conclave at his home again in mid – April and May.  Always a great experience - here's the link right here.

Check Out My Lighting Tip Over at D-Town TV

While in Tampa a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting with fellow blogging buddy, Scott Kelby.  He asked me to lay down a few tips for D-Town TV and I was glad to oblige.  Heck, it was the first time to use their new set. The first episode just aired.  You can check it out right here.

I have to tell you, I have no clue how the D-Town video team gets such unbelievable great streaming video.  The quality of their production and resolution just blow you away.  I think you'll come to the same conclusion once you catch an episode.

Hot Deals on iPad 1, iPad Upgrade & iOS 4.3

I've been getting a few emails from folks asking if Apple has FIXED the problem of importing images into the iPad and iPad 2.  When Apple upgraded the iOS to 4.2 and 4.2.1, they reduced the power output to the attached devices from 100 ma to 10 ma.  That, in effect, neutered the usability of devices like the Delkin flash card reader which used to work just fine especially when uploading images to the iPad when shooting a wedding.

I talked with Terry White about it a few weeks ago and he assured me that Apple DID NOT FIX the issue with it's latest release of the 4.3 iOS.  What's  really annoying about this, is the fact that the issue CAN SIMPLY BE FIXED in the software.  For some reason, Apple DOESN’T want people to use their devices in a manner which they don't deem acceptable.  Maybe if enough folks gripe about it, the Apple militia will change their thinking.  Hey, it the reason I'm mostly a PC guy ;~)

And speaking of iPads, did you see the deals on the surplus iPad 1's ?  How about a 64 gig iPad Wi-Fi and ATT 3G for only $529!!! What a steal of the a deal!  Here is the link right here.

Self Portraits: An Exercise In Creativity

I have to admit, I really enjoy getting my Digital Image Cafe eNewsletter each month. It's published by Todd McMillan and his wife Cathy, two really genuinely nice people who really strive to enhance their Digital Image Cafe experience. 

Their newsletter always contains a nice nugget or two of solid information.  This month they featured an article on self portraits as an exercise to juice your creativity.  It was a nice read.  You can catch it right here.

A Gazillion Tutorials Over At NIK

OMG!!!! I had no idea!!! Something came across my desk the other day talking about all these new tutorials being posted at NIK Software.  I LOVE NIK Software. I think those folks are always on the cutting edge of product development when it comes to Photoshop and Lightroom plug-INS.

Anyway, I headed on over to their site to check it out.  Like I said, OMG - they currently have about 60 full length tutorials right here covering portrait retouching to fine art image enhancement.  Even though they feature the NIK products in their tutorials, the content is still superb.  Oh, BTW. try this secret code "DZISER" - it may still save you 15% if you decide to try any of their new products.  Just thought you'd like to know.

Thinking Of Going Inkjet? Things You Need To Know

Another great company I get to hang out with occasionally are my good buddies at Lexjet down in Sarasota, FL.  In fact, with LaDawn's son' s wedding taking place in Sarasota next weekend and us being in the same town, I'm planning to make the trip over for a visit to see their new facilities.

Anyway, I just received their latest newsletter, and since I'm an inkjet printing junkie, I decided to give it a good read.  One thing led to the other, and before long I was all over their blog checking out the cool, informational articles they've been posting.  Once again, it was treasure-trove of info.

Let me quickly point you towards some of my favorites:

1. How To Import Custom Canon iPF Inkjet Printer Profiles right here.
2. How To Get A Free iPad right here.
3. How Much Paper Is Left On A Roll right here.
4. 35 Instructional Videos On YouTube Videos right here.

Some really solid information! We’ve been printing on inkjets for 8 years and Lexjet has always been my go-to resource for printers, ink, supplies, and advice. Check them out. _______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today.  Things are hoppin' around here and we need to be hitting the road very shortly – that is if we can fit everything in the car.  Anyway, how about I check in with you tomorrow with a Technique Tuesday or an interview with Denis Reggie.

With 7 hours on the road today, I should be able to get something posted tomorrow although no promises on posting times.  Check back tomorrow and let's see what pops.

Have a great rest of the day.  If you see us on the road, give us a wave - we're the couple in the fancy car that looks like it packed up Beverly Hillbilly’s style ;~)

See everybody tomorrow,  David

Quick Hit Monday: WPPI; Power Of Passion; I Have A Famous Daughter; and More!

Good Morning Everybody,

I can’t believe it – sunshine!! Yep, sunshine and moderately warm temperatures finally hit the Mid-West.. It was really good news to hear the weather man report that we have more on the way this week.  Hope the weather is nice in your part of the world.

Hey gang, we’ve got a busy week shaping up so let’s get right to Quick Hit Monday.  Here we go…

Heading To WPPI This Thursday

That’s right, LaDawn and I jump on a jet and head to Las Vegas this coming Thursday.  We’re getting in early for a couple of reasons. One reason is to see Jerry Ghionis and Sandy Puc’s kick off program at the Hampton Inn Tropicana on Saturday [link].  I’ve heard about their new seminar series and wanted to see it first hand – it should be a kick.  If you’re planning to attend, come on up and say HI.

We’ll hang for few days before the WPPI convention kicks off on Sunday.  Look for me at the Westcott booth and the Manfroto booth doing a few lighting demos.  This is always a great show and we’re looking forward to being with the other 15,000 photographers hanging in Vegas next week – see you there!

Animoto Makes My Daughter Elizabeth Famous!

Well, almost famous. I don’t know if you have taken the opportunity to try Animoto yet – I’ve been using it for years – but the new “rendering engine”, now 10x faster, is producing videos that look great!  You will love the higher resolution videos – sumptuous!  All the latest info right here.

Anyway, Animoto got a little press from the big guns at CNET [link] and my daughter Elizabeth is pictured in the feature. Elizabeth has been working with Animoto for several months, you may have met her at the Imaging USA show in San Antonio, TX this past January.  Anyway, very cool for a dad.

Captured By The Light Continues To Get RAVE Reviews

I just received a note about my book “Captured By The Light” from Rob Acocella at DigiMortalPhoto [link]. 

The opening paragraph quickly caught my eye,  “David Ziser's Captured By The Light,which is easily one of the best, most comprehensive books on wedding photography I've ever read”.

Rob is a first time wedding photographer and found the book extremely helpful for his upcoming shoot.  THANKS Rob for the great shout out!  -David

One Touch Color Correction - Tutorials

One of my long standing favorite color correcting plug in has been Pictocolor’s I-Correct Portrait.  One click of the mouse and the color looks great.  Another feature I’ve always loved about the app is the fact that it let’s me also click on a skin tone – once again, one click and my portrait images are really looking good.

I just got their Valentine’s email – always good deals, BTW – and I picked up something I’ve never previously tried – setting up my own custom colors for one click color correction for types of skin, etc.  Very fast, very cool.  Check it out right here.

Fab Westcott Shootout At WPPI

The first time I saw the Westcott shootout was at last years Photoshop World.  Boy, was it over the top with four beautiful models, fabulous sets, and tons of lights ready to go.  I was blown away by the setup.

Well, the good news is that I hear Westcott is planning the same thing for WPPI next week – I can’t wait. Here’s the link to all the details right here. I’ll be hanging around lending a helping hand so why don’t you come on by?  See ya’ there.

One Last Quick Note On Note cards

Lexjet has always been my “go to” vendors for all things inkjet  and we are into our inkjet printing quite heavy around my studio. 

Anyway, they put out a newsletter each month which is filled with terrific ideas on how to get the best out of your inkjet printing.  More and more folks are jumping on the inkjet printing wagon so you really need to check out what’s happening over at Lexjet.

Here is an interesting and informative article [link] on how my buddy, Clay Blackmore, produced some stunning All Occasion greeting in his studio with some of Lexjet’s newest paper products.

It’s a good read.

__________________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today. I’m putting the finishing touches on my Guest Blog post “ Wedding Photography – The State Of The Union –Part 2” for Scott Kelby and sending it over this afternoon.

Part 1 was published two weeks ago right here.  Part 2 is even more in-depth with lot’s of solutions to the current upheaval in the field of wedding photography.  Look for it on Wednesday.

Have a wonderful hugs and kisses day and I’ll see you tomorrow for another Technique Tuesday.

Adios Everybody,  David

Friday Wrap Up: Great New Book Ideas; Inkjet Issues Solved; Help Wanted; and Agave Update

Good Morning Everybody,

We put quite a few miles on the rental car yesterday traveling from Orlando over to Oldsmar near Tampa and then down to Sarasota and back - only about 275 miles. Here are the quick highlights of yesterday's trip.

Visit To Kelby Media World Headquarters

That was our first stop yesterday. It was fun to catch up with many of the Kelby Media crew. Kathy gave us a tour of the new facilities and they are phenomenal, especially the video department. They now have six sets in which they shoot everything from D-Town [link] to Photoshop User TV [link] and everything in-between.

We had a nice lunch with Scott and Dave and discussed new book plans. Both of them had some great ideas. Not to let the "cat out of the bag" or anything but the thrust of the new book is going to be lighting. Lighting brides and groom, couples, just about anybody anytime, anyplace, with any camera or lens. What do you think? I'm stoked! I'll provide more details as things develop.

We also discussed a few ideas for an upcoming series of Kelby Training videos. I thinks the first video will be on photographing, posing, lighting for an engagement couple. We're kicking around a few other ideas too. Again, I'll keep you posted.

Heading To LexJet - Inkjet Issues Solved!

Our next stop was to Sarasota where I wanted to catch up with my buds at LexJet. I'll tell ya' they are the nicest people. Tom and Kelly, my rep who I finally got to meet for the first time in person, gave us a tour of all the new products and some great ideas in how we could use them in my fine art endeavors.

For those of you doing any printing on canvas, Kelly recommended their new Sunset Select Matte Canvas at only $.90 sq.ft. That's like half the cost of their other canvases and it's more durable and has a much brighter base than regular canvas media.

Another highlight of the visit was meeting Adam, LexJet's resident inkjet printing guru. I've mentioned here at DPT that we put in Canon's iPF 8100 printer about a year ago and we LOVE it. It's fast and puts out beautiful prints. Our problem was all the profiles we downloaded from Lexjet just didn't work with QImage, the software we use to drive the Canon printer. We always figured out a work-a-round and managed to still get great output on a variety of mediums.

I raised the question with Adam and he tells me that the profiles on-line only work when printing from Photoshop. Bummer, that's not good for us since we queue up several sheets to print at one time.

But, Adam had the easy solution. Just print out some test images from sample TIFFs he would email me and send them to him. Using LexJet's gazillion dollar profile making hardware and software he would gladly make custom profiles for me. In fact LexJet offers the service to any of their customers at NO charge. Don't you love great customer service? That's why I love those guys - if it's Inkjet, call LexJet!! [link].

Update On Blue Agave

Hey everybody, thanks for the nice remarks on the Blue Agave post yesterday. Just to clarify two points that were raised. I use Imagekind.com to host several of my fine art images. Here is the link. They do a good job, you name your own prices and the cost is only $99/yr.

The other question that came up was as to the sharpness of the 12-24mm lens. I think my 12-24mm lens is plenty sharp. I had read years ago before I purchased it that some folks, not many, had a problem with the sharpness of the early production models. They simply exchanged them.

My experience with Sigma lens has always been quite positive. I think they make the best super wide angle lenses you can get. In fact, they make the THE widest angle lenses you can get. You've seen that in the variety of images I've posted that were taken with the 12-24mm and their brand new 8-16mm for APS sized sensor cameras like the Canon 7D. What can I say, I’m a BIG fan.

Still Looking For Help For Imaging USA

Earlier this week, I posted that I was presenting to a large audience in about 10 days at Imaging USA and put out a call for help setting up for the program. LaDawn got a few responses but could still use another hand or two. If you plan to be at Imaging USA and can help, yes-goodies included, contact LaDawn at laDawn@Ziser.com and she can give you the times and details.

One For The Road – Good Training, Great Price

I just got a note from my good friends at Friday Photo School.  I did a program for them a few months ago that went great.  Well, they have bundled my program with two more from Rick Ferro and Bill Innes.

Here is the lowdown:

• Preparing Yourself for Excellent Wedding and Portrait Images with William Innes

• Top Ten Posing Tips with Rick Ferro

• Lighting, Lenses, and Locations: Exciting Bridal Portraits with David Ziser

$43 for 4.5 hours of “live training” – what a deal!

Here is the link right here.

______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today. The sun has finally come out after four days in Orlando and I think LaDawn and I are going to soak up a few rays.

How about I see you next week, same time, same station. Have a great weekend and I'll see you then.

Adios, David

Quick Hit Monday: Make Your Lighting Exciting, Jumping Kids Pics, Sticky Paper, LR3 Tours, and More

Good Morning Everybody,

We had a great visit in Boston. For our three days in town our pedometer told us we walked about 20 miles around the city. We stayed in Back Bay which meant it was about a 3 mile or about a 1 hour walk to Cambridge and Harvard, the North End, whale watching - just about anywhere we wanted to go. Seeing Boston on foot was a great way to experience and enjoy the city.

The most interesting story we heard while in Boston was the one about the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. The disaster occurred at the Purity Distilling Company facility on January 15, 1919, an unusually warm day. It seems one of their storage tanks burst and sent, get this, 2,700,000 gallon 5 foot high molasses tsunami rushing through the North End at 35mph! What a sticky mess - here is the link if you want to read the entire story.

The coolest thing we did while visiting the city was to take a whale watching trip. Me, I'm sometimes a skeptic and figured that they call it a whale watching excursion is because you do more watching for the whales than actually seeing the whales.

All I can say is that traveling 40+ mph for 90 minutes in a giant catamaran - way cool all by itself - and then seeing, not just one, but six whales was a great unexpected experience! Yep, we got some great shots!

We made the scenic drive up to Bar Harbor on Sunday and are planning a nice stay in this part of the world till the end of the week. I'll probably have an image or two for you this week.

Ok, enough of our travels, let's get on with a short and sweet Quick Hit Monday. Here we go.

Make Your Lighting Exciting - I’m At Peachpit’s Photo Club Next Tuesday!

Hey gang, first off, let me give you a quick “heads up” about my webcast at Peachpit's Photo Club next Tuesday [link]. Most of you will love the time 8-9 EDT. That means it's conveniently scheduled in the evening after work so you can tune in.

My topic: "Making Your Lighting Exciting".  I’ll discuss and illustrate some of the fastest and easiest ways to make your lighting exciting with both your on-camera and off-camera flash.  We'll only be hang out for 60 minutes but I talk really fast so I’ll get a lot covered – I promise.  It should be fun. You can get all the Info right here.

Peachpit has several past programs archived so peek around the the Photo Club site and see what else interests you too. I'll see you there next week.

Jumping Kids – Nice Idea

OK, first of all, this is not a normal Quick Hit I would throw at you on a Monday morning. But what struck me about it when I saw it was the shear creativity of the concept. I found it at The Pioneer women.com blog right here. It's about photographing kids jumping - yes, kids jumping. Maybe a different way to say it is "kids being kids.".

I loved the idea of it photographically. Although a lot of the images shown seemed to be just fun images of the kids, I really think there is something here that a portrait photographer could incorporate into their shooting routine. With the proper lighting and background, I think some great spontaneous images could be made of kids.

It's a completely different way to portray children than moms and dads would expect from a photographer. Maybe I'm wrong but I still love the idea and think the concept could add freshness and a sense of spontaneity to your result.

Looking For Some Lightroom 3 Training?

I just received a note that Kerry Garrison at CameraDoJo.com and Jason Anderson of Canon Blogger.com are about to show the world how to get the most out of Lightroom 3. That's right, Kerry and Jason’s 6 city Lightroom 3 tour kicks off in Anaheim, CA August 1, 2010 and may be coming to a city near you.

I’ll tell you, the price is right at only $79 (early bird registration) for an entire day AND you get a bunch of goodies when you walk through the door!

Kerry did a massive Lightroom 3 post the day Lightroom 3 was introduced - he knows his stuff. Kerry takes a very practical, easy to understand approach to Lightroom 3 so if you want to get up to speed in no time with Adobe's latest release of Lightroom 3, check out Kerry's LR3 tour right here.

Oh, while you’re over there, check out his other goodies too.  I like the post, “CS5 Content Aware – Just How Good Is It?”  Uhmmm, a good read.

http://museofuse.com/ self adhesive paper

Make My Pictures Sticky

If you don't do you own inkjet printing, this may not interest you, but if you do, I think you'll find it pretty cool. Museo Papers has just introduced self adhesive inkjet paper called Museo Foto Fuse [link]. That's right, print on one side. Then, peel the back off and stick on an surface of your choice.

I think this has great possibilities for table top quick displays, product mock ups, quick wedding/portrait albums, and more. Now you can throw the spray can away!

http://www.utah3d.net/panoramas_4/junction-butte.html Wilf

Be Inspired With These Panoramas

I happen to be a fan of the panorama images and I love to find websites dedicated to panoramas. You've got to check out this site right here – Utah#d.net has some of the best panorama presentations I've ever seen. Go ahead, head on over and just play in any of their interactive panorama images. Pretty much visual fun.

Fast and Easy Digital Design – Part 2 and Webcast Specials Expire Tomorrow At Midnight

You can still catch my 2 1/2 hour long FAEDD – Pt 2 and still get a deal on all our Webcast specials till Tuesday midnight.  Here is the link to view the webcast and grab a good deal right here.

___________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it from me from around the water cooler this morning.  We had a magnificent sunrise this morning in Bar Harbor, ME, albeit around 4:30 a.m. but through my it’s-too-early-to-focus-eyes it still was really beautiful.

This week DPT will be coming at you from beautiful Bar Harbor, ME.  We are taking it pretty easy this week so who knows when the posts will hit, but I promise, I’ll get them up there for you. I even have a Technique Tuesday scheduled for tomorrow so plan to stop back.

Oh, no, got to go – I hear LaDawn calling.  Adventures awaits ;~)

See everybody tomorrow,  David

Lot's To See Saturday

The rest of Saturday we spent the day walking the trade show of the Mid-East States Regional Exhibition. This is a nice show because it pulls photographer participation from the four states of Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Michigan. Here are the quick hits from the show. If you are into printing your own banners and exhibition materials Intelicoat was showing some of these new Intelicoat-Magiclee materials - the back light vinyl was absolutely gorgeous from the front but absolutely stunning when back lit. I'm going to test it in the near future - I'll keep you posted.

Tamron was showing their new - get this - 28-300mm image stabilized lens. I put it on my camera, racked it out to 300mm, and man, you could see it lock right in without any "jiggle" at all. Can't say I've seen image stabilization that impressive as this. Tamron is saying FOUR F-Stops which ups the ante in that department, if you ask me. I'll try to get my hands on one and give you the low down.

For the bargain hunters out there, Dury's had their Scandisk 1 gig cards on clearance again for only $29 for two - quite the deal. Here is the Dury's link for more info.