"Stormy Days Ahead"

"Stormy Days Ahead"
© David A. Ziser

OK, this doesn’t look like a very romantic wedding image.  Add to that the title I’ve selected for this image, it doesn’t even sound like the marriage is going to last.

Call it all poetic license – I just like the very dramatic look to the photograph.  It was our second day shooting in Florida and the sky just wasn’t going to yield a rich blue sky with white puffy clouds.

How did I pull it off?  It was pretty easy.  The first secret is to use a very wide angle lens because it gives you such a wide perspective and really draws the clouds into the scene.  The second secret is determining the exposure for the over all scene and then underexposing the scene a bit to add the drama to the sky.

The exposure on the bride was created with my off camera flash coming in from camera right.  The challenge was this.  Since I was using such a small aperture, I needed to get the strobe close enough to the bride to establish the proper exposure on her face.  In reality, part of my assistant was actually in the photograph along with my strobe and monopod on the right hand side of the image.

Whenever your light source is in the photograph, be sure to place it in a “Photoshop-able” part of the scene.  The light and part of my assistant could be seen in the clouds on the right.  But with a quick application of PS CS5 “content aware fill”, they were easily removed in a matter of seconds leaving me with this dramatic wedding image.

Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with Sigma 8-16mm lens at 8mm, F14 @ 1/320 second, ISO 200.  Enjoy!  -David

"Sunset Smiles"

"Sunset Smiles"
©David A. Ziser

So, what happens when the mother of the high school senior you are photographing comes along for the shoot? The easy answer is to plan on including mom in on a few of the shots, right? Well, that was my Plan A, but mom didn't want her photograph taken because hair and make-up issues.

Time to go to Plan B, don't show the hair and lack of make-up. That was my suggestion during this shoot. We had the dazzling sunset so why not just do a quick silhouette of both mother and daughter?

After a few test shots, and letting mom see the back of the camera, she was thrilled with the results! Needless to say, we did deliver a few "mother/daughter images in the final order. The gorgeous sunset sure didn’t hurt either.

Camera specs: Nikon D1x fitted with Tamron 28-105mm F2.8 lens at 58mm, F 2.8 @ 1/80 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! - David

"Showing My Sunny Disposition"

"Showing My Sunny Disposition"
©David A. Ziser

Here is one of the images I made on Wednesday during my Master Class. We were on the the top of the pavilion at Ault Park about 4 o'clock in the afternoon on a bright sunny day - nasty conditions for wedding photography. There was barely a cloud in the sky, so what do you do to get the shot?  My quick answer is, When ever outdoors, always backlight the subject."  That way she won't be squinting into the sun.  Since her face is in shadows, I can easily bring in my off-camera flash to add the key light to her face. I like to use small F stops and fast shutter speeds to really darken the sky. This adds quite the dramatic look to the image. I love how the clouds seem to lead right to my bride. I also like how the sun gives us a little accent light to the right side of her gown. Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 22mm, F 22 @ 1/200 second, ISO 200. Light coming from camera right - Quantum Trio at full power (80 w.s.) about 6 feet away. Enjoy!  -David

"Man About Town"

"Man About Town"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image as part of a series honoring the most inspiring volunteers in the Arts last year. This image was made in part of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio that is currently under revitalization. I loved the colors and textures of the setting. The great expression and wonderfully casual wardrobe choice of the subject, one of the city's top event designers, complimented the setting perfectly. Lighting was brought in from the side by firing my flash through my 36 inch translucent umbrella and balancing with the daylight shade. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 105mm, F8.0 @ 1/200 second, ISO 100. Enjoy! -David

"Black and White"

David A. Ziser Photography

One of my favorite images - I love the contrasts - white wall, dark wall; white dress, dark tux. The expressions really play into the image as well. The subdued expressions let the viewer just sit back and enjoy the play of densities over the scene. In hindsight, I wonder how I would have liked it if I would have switched the Bride and Groom. But, it's a normal situation - we were out of time. Enjoy.