”What A Magnificent Evening”

”What A Magnificent Evening”
©David A. Ziser

I seldom post “scene setters” – images that capture the setting and nuances of the wedding day, but this one has always been one of my favorites.  The ballroom was simply magnificent – from the floral arrangements to the “starry night” lighting on the ceiling.

I only have a few moments to take these images before the guests enter for the festivities and I needed to work quickly and efficiently.  My shooting strategy is to get all the wide angle images first, including any super wide fisheye images like this example. 

After I’ve covered the room from several angles in “wide angle mode”, I’ll switch to detail shots – close up of place settings, menu cards, flowers, etc.  The goal is to show not only the beautiful setting, but the details within that setting. 

These images generally become at least a two page and most often a four page spread in the wedding album.  And don’t forget your vendor buddies - these are great images to offer the wedding venue, florist, bridal consultant, and lighting tech as well.

Camera specs: Nikon D1x fitted with 8mm Nikkor Fisheye, F4.0 @ 1/6 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

"Looking Up"

"Looking Up"
©David A. Ziser

When we photograph weddings, we can find ourselves in any type of location – outside in a park, in a simple church, or a magnificent cathedral. That was the case I found myself in a few days ago.  The wedding was to take place at the Verdin Bell Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio.  One very interesting thing to note about the museum was that it was previously St. Paul’s Catholic Church for 131 previous years before it became a museum [link].

The interior was absolutely beautiful.  I have a habit of always looking up in any church I visit. Maybe it goes back to my fascination with Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel [link], but I always like viewing the ceiling in old churches – many are magnificent works of art and simply quite beautiful.  Just look at the rich vibrant colors, the arabesque converging lines, and the architecture – magnificent!  And, that by the way, is why we need to photograph them.

Not many people take the time to look up so if you do and photograph what you see, you capture, many times, the exciting lost beauty of some awesome venues.

Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark II fitted with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F5.6 @ 1/50 second, ISO 6400. Enjoy!  -David

"Party Time"

"Party Time"
©David A. Ziser

Here is an image from Saturday's party.  The theme was Will's Chocolate Factory and the decor really made that statement.  At these kind of events, I really like to show off the decor and the lighting.  I take lots of overall shots and several close up detail photographs of the room.  This obviously is one of the overall shots. The colors tell the story of the party that evening.  It was wild, wonderful, and tons-of-fun.  Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark II fitted with Sigma 12-22mm lens at 12mm, F4.5 @ 1/13 second, ISO 3200.  Enjoy!  -David

"How High Thou Art"

"How High Thou Art"
©David A. Ziser

This image was taken in one of the most beautiful and historic sanctuary's in Cincinnati, Ohio - Plum Street Temple. During a wedding or Bar Mitzvah service, I always like to let my eyes roam the architecture for interesting vantage points and angles for a shot.  This time I decided just to look straight up.  The soaring pipes of the organ leads ones eyes to the beautiful ceiling above.  I placed the antique lighting fixture against the pipes to brake them up just a bit.  The resulting image makes for an impressive view of the temple.  Camera specs: Canon 40D fitted with Canon 10-22mm super wide angle lens, F3.5 @ 1/25 second (handheld), ISO 800. Enjoy!  -David