Just How Fast Can You Go?

With High Speed Sync that is. That means syncing way faster than the camera manual says, like 1/2000 second instead of 1/250 second. I've been doing this - at least up 1/500 second - for years with my old Hassey. I hated that I lost that high sync speed with the new digital cameras like my first Fuji S-1.

Thankfully, my second digital camera - Nikon's D1x got me back to 1/500 second native sync speed. I loved it until I jumped ship and went with my early Canon 20D's. Now I'm back to 1/250 second native sync speed - too bad. As a wedding guy, I need to "knock the daylights" out of the shot but the new cameras just weren't doing it for me. I did learn to cheat the strobe - that just means syncing at 1/400 second even though the manual says I can only do it at 1/250 second. Check out my newsletter article on "Cheating the Sync Speed" right here to see how I did it.

But, how do you hit 1/2000 second? It has to do with the electronic shutter built into the camera. The trick is to disable all the TTL stuff on the camera by attaching the flash via a sync cable instead of the hot shoe connection. Now set the shutter speed way high and knock the daylights out of the shot. I saw this topic discussed over at the Strobist several months ago. He was doing it with a Nikon D70 - here is the link for his article right here. Mr. Hobbie just recently posted the definitive article on the subject naming which cameras offer that capability right here. Here is his list of cameras that fit the bill for the high speed sync:

• Nikon D70,


• Nikon D40 (but not the D40x),


• Nikon D50, Nikon D1 (x and x bodies included),


• Sony R1,


• Olympus E-1 and E-3.


• On the Canon side, apparently the 1D's do it as do the


• Canon G7 and


• Canon G9.

High Fives to the Strobist for the great info.

Catch A Good Deal If You Can

Holiday bills still got you down, but you're still looking for good deals on that next lens? I found this bargain hunter's dream post over at CameraPorn (just naked cameras, by the way.) Here is the link to Adorama's list of factory refurbished Canon gear. Looks like lots of good deals available - check them out right here.

Hey, gang, got to go - we are off to shoot videos today. I'll give you the inside "skinny" on today's shoot tomorrow. See you then - have a great one, --David

"The Ocean's Majesty "
© David A. Ziser

I made this image during a weekend off from my 2006 Digital WakeUp Call tour. We were traveling up the west coast - from San Diego to Seattle, Washington - and caught up with friends in Oregon. We took a day trip to the Oregon coast just past Cannon Beach - the views were tremendous! I did a slight "fiddle" in Photoshop to perk up the blacks, but this is very close to exactly what the scene looked like. Camera Specs: Canon 20D fitted with 17-85mm lens at 17mm, F18 @ 1/640 second at ISO 800.

Enjoy! --David

A Little Lazy Friday

Good morning everybody,
A little lazy, but not to lazy - still some good information today. Yesterday I wrapped another segment of Layers TV with RC - it went really well and is filled with good info. The topic was "Shooting With Window Light." Check it out next week after it posts on Wednesday. You can also check out my interview with RC from the trade show floor at Imaging USA right here. You will also get a good idea what a small part of the convention trade show looked like. I'd recommend you mark your calendar now and try to make it next year to Imaging USA in Phoenix. Anyway, how about on with the show....

Didn't Make Enough New Year's Resolutions!

If you made a few resolutions yourself, here are a few more you can add to your list. I encourage you to give this article a read because it is not a "fluff" piece. The fine folks over at PhotoJojo have a good list of 19 New Years resolutions for photographers right here. It follows along the same lines of my article "12 Ways to Improve Your Photography For 2008". In fact many of the ideas are similar but there are many other good resolutions of note here. These are the kinds of things we should all want to do to improve, stay excited, and continue to keep ourselves motivated in this wonderful field whether it be hobby or profession of photography.

Streaking For Fun And Profit

Albert Docks Light
Originally uploaded by petecarr

OK, while doing this one - it's just fine to keep your clothes on. Every now and then I come a cross an article that has nothing to do with wedding or portrait photography, but I like the creative aspect of it. This article from DigitalPhotographySchool right here on "How to Shoot Light Trails" fills the bill.

It's not just another short little "fluff" piece. The author goes into great detail about exposure, timing, whether to shoot RAW, and the like. You get more than just an insight on how to shoot streaking lights, you get the entire fully illustrated technique. The information is very well done - along with a good dose of creative thinking here. For more images in that same "Light Streak" vein, check out this Flickr link right here.

Out With the Old - Dust, That Is

OK, 2007 is behind us and it's time to clean the fingerprints off the lens and the dust off your sensors. (Film shooters, rejoice, you can skip the first half of this article.) But, what is the safest way to proceed? Check out this article over at BeyongMegaPixels right here for a really nice article on the subject. They cover all the bases here so give it a read. Film shooters can join back in now, because here is their article on how to clean lenses right here. Whistle while you work....

Stop the Doom and Gloom

Many pros I know are not happy with the way the photographic profession has been heading these days. They have had it with the the soccer moms and dads "stealing" their business. They are sick and tired of the fact that "digital" has cheapened what they can charge for their work because so many people are just giving their work away - photography, that is.

Folks, my answer to these kind of remarks is, Wake Up! If you think this is your competition, where have you been with your photography style and business practices for the last five years? Remember the quote I posted on Monday, "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." So stop the complaining and get running!!

There is a great article over at FreelanceSwitch right here covering three important topics: 1. Know you market; 2. Know your brand. 3. Build your business around your brand. To paraphrase Sam Kinison... If you're in a market that doesn't support the building of your brand... MOVE! I guess that's why Gregory Heisler moved to New York after RIT, Rochester Institute of Technology.

It's time we start thinking like the big boys of business to separate us from the "small fry." (By the way, it's OK to be a "small fry" too - if you want to be, but not me, thank you very much.) You say, hey, I'm not a billion dollar corporation. Well, neither is Sean Cayton who runs Cayton Photography with his wife in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Check out his article over at Black Star Rising right here for his thoughts on the subject. His last paragraph in his article, "Photography has never been so popular or more in demand. And I am glad for it. It allows anyone with determination to do this job and to make money at it." I just checked out Shawn's blog too - lots of insightful posts here. I just added him to my newsreader. Way to go Shawn - good stuff!

Hey gang, I'm getting off my "soap box" and getting on with the day. Have a great weekend. I'm catching up with my daughter to hear her NY City adventures and hear about seeing the ball drop New Years Eve up close and personal. See ya' Monday. --David

"Glorious Warriors"
© David A. Ziser

I created this image just as LaDawn and I left the Louvre and heading across Paris in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. I love the symmetry of the image - it's a straight shot down the Champs-Élysées and lines up three striking features of the city's architecture - the Arc de Triomphe in the far distance, the Obelisk of Luxor and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in the foreground. The sunset was beautiful and is presented just as it was photographed, no enhancement here. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 70-300mm DO IS lens at 140mm, F14 @ 1/1000 second, at ISO 800. Enjoy! --David

Quick Hit Thursday

Good morning everybody,
Well, we are off and running today, first to do a site survey of the locations for next week's Kelby Training shoot and then I'm doing a segment on Layers TV on the topic of how to best use window light - it should be fun. So how about a couple of "quick hits" and then I'm outa' here...

Self Portrait - 66 Faces

Maybe mine was one too many - just kidding. The ever active Brian Auer of Epic Edits fame put together a "Self Portrait" challenge right before the holidays. Here is my earlier link to the story right here and how I produced my self portrait. Anyway, here are the results to the challenge right here - 66 photographers along with many famous bloggers submitted images. Click on their image to visit their sites. It was a fun challenge to participate in.

New Fine Art Photography Initiative

My thanks to Mr. Auer - boy, he stays busy - for selecting my images to be included in his new "Fine Art" blog initiative. I will be one of seven featured on his new site. Quite nice company I will be keeping, too. Check out the fabulous work of the other photogs right here. Hey - another day of great photography to keep you fired up for 2008.

Shhh! Keep It Quiet Here

Hush that noise right now! Cory Barker has a really informative tutorial on reducing noise in an image right here. What I like about his method is his use of "surface blur" technique in one of the image channels. I thought it was quite clever since it does a much better job than the "tried and true" technique of just Gaussian blurring the noisy channel. OK, I know all that just sounded kind of "geeky" to a lot of readers, but check out Corey's "Noise Reducing" tutorial - it has some nice touches.

Another "Cool" Photoshop Tutorial

How to create "Sun Rays" is a very cool tutorial presented over at PhotoCorrect right here. The steps are simple and the result is quite nice. I've got to give it try while I'm in sunny Florida.

A Freebie For the Road

After one last check with my news room before signing off, I came across this interesting piece of software over at FreewareFiles.com. It's called Simplify Media - download it here. It lets you stream all the songs on your computer over the Internet for listening wherever you are. The whole concept sounds intriguing and Simplify Media was chosen as one of the top 10 software downloads by Downloads.com. Looks fun to me.

That's it for today everybody. LaDawn and I have to pack the bags and hit the road - see ya' tomorrow. --David

"Two Little Ladies"
© David A. Ziser
I made this image back in my "film" days, but still clearly remember the shot. It was during an absolutely beautiful wedding about 8-9 years ago. I still remember the style, decor, and feel of the event - it was classic European. I remember the two little flower girls sitting ever so patiently waiting to leave for the church. This image, to me, looks like it is right out of a 1950's Look Magazine story. The composition, setting, spontaneous look of the children all come together to create a classic and timeless image. Camera specs - to the best of my recollection, Hasselblad 500CM fitted with 80mm f/2.8 Planar T*, F2.8 at 1/30 second with Kodak Vericolor 800 film, printed black and white. Enjoy! --David

P.S. For those of us that remember --that's when your camera gear cost $5000 - $10,000 but you got about 20 or more years use out of it ;~) Times are a changin' --David

Wednesday - A Little Bit of This and That

Good morning everybody,
Well, the Imaging USA trade show wrapped yesterday and most everyone was heading for home today, but not LaDawn and I. We are scoping out locations for the Kelby Training videos we are filming next week. We are also planning to head over to Oldsmar, Florida - the galaxy-wide headquarters for NAPP - National Association for Photoshop Professionals. You just might catch me on an upcoming Photoshop User TV or Layers TV episode in the next week or two - I'll keep you posted. That's me with the whole NAPP video crew left to right- Jason, Eric, me, Paul, and RC of Layers TV fame. They were roaming the show filming quick interviews on many of the attendees.


By the way, if you couldn't make it to this great convention, check out IUSA-TV right here - it includes lots of Updates, News, Images and Video from Imaging USA.

And, if you want a healthy dose of outstanding photography today, be sure to check out Inspirational Images and More and Bonus Post - Year in Pictures below. So now on with a bit of news....

Inspirational Images and More

One of the cool things about hitting the convention once a year is being able to catch up with some old friends you don't see too often. That's what happened when I ran into Tim Mathiesen at the ASP Fellowship Luncheon. This is an annual luncheon meeting during Imaging USA where many of the 98 photographers holding the honor of "Fellow" with the American Society of Photographers come together just to catch up with each other and welcome any new "Fellows" into this very esteemed group.


This year we had the honor to welcoming two new "Fellows" into the group. - Doran Wilson was one - check out his thesis and images right here

Image by Doran Wilson

Doran has a amazing set of submission images. The other new member was Dan Thornton who also had an amazing collection of images which you can check out right here.

Image by Dan Thornton

Congratulations to both Doran and Dan!!

Tim and I have the honor of being a part of this wonderful group of people and we got talking during the luncheon. He has been creating some beautiful panoramic images for years and just got his website up and running showcasing his fine art pano images. Check out the images right here at PanoScenes.com

Image by Tim Mathiesen

Hey gang, I would explore the ASP links a bit more. There is an astounding number of fantastic images here to view. I've been a Fellow with ASP since 1988, but now they are putting all the ASP members work online for viewing. It is a wonderful collection of breathtaking images. Some of us "older" members don't have our images listed, but I'm going to make it a goal to get that updated when we get back in town. In the meantime, check out the work of Peggy Vallejo Hall right here.

Image by Peggy Vallejo Hall

I had the honor of judging Peggy's work about 5 years ago and remember being "blown away" by her portrait and wedding images. Please take a minute or two to explore the ASP Fellowship images - just click on a name and take a peek at their images. It is truly an inspirational experience.

Marketing 101, 201, 301, and 401

You just started your business, or you have been at it for a while but it needs a high octane boost of marketing muscle for a good kick start into 2008 - well, my buddies over at Marathon Press have just the solution for you.

Let me first say I have been friends with the good folks at Marathon for many years. That's me with president Bruce Price at their booth in the Imaging USA 2008 trade show. They have been offering photographers all kinds of ways to build, brand, and market their businesses. Check out everything they have to offer right here.

LaDawn and I headed up to their Marketing Conference about a year ago and it was truly an "eye-opener" for a guy who thinks he has a pretty good thing going. We came back with so many notes and ideas, we can't wait to visit with them again. OK, now for the really good news - you no longer have to travel to Norfolk, Nebraska for the conference. Not that Norfolk isn't a good place to visit. Heck, its the birthplace of the Tonight Show host, Johnny Carson. We even managed to drive pass his childhood home last time we were there - pretty cool.

Anyway, back to business - Marathon is putting their conference on the road for 2008. Here is the link to Marathon's Marketing Workshops right here. Check it out - highly recommended.

Never Saw Anything Like This At the Show

Yep, another late night Internet cruise netted this interesting piece of light modifying flash equipment called "LightScoop." It's fairly inexpensive - $49 - attachment that you position around your on-camera flash to direct the light upwards towards the ceiling for a softer light. Here is the product link.


Hey, I think the after looks better too. I just hope the camera's ISO can pull off the diminished output you will get with the redirected photons. What's interesting to me is the fact everyone wants to soften the light coming out of these on-cameras flashes. Isn't it about time the manufactures just "cut to the chase" and build that right into the camera - maybe a rotating pop up flash of some kind. Anyway just a thought. If you've followed this blog you know I still prefer directional lighting.

Very Different Wedding Cake Pics

OK, I found this story on a midnight cruise on the net last night - it may have been over at Digg.com. I can't remember. Anyway, I offer today as one of the "most different" wedding cakes I have ever heard about or seen. It seems Chidi Ogbuta of Allen, Texas, wanted a wedding cake that looked just like her. It seems she had a longtime fantasy of having a doll modeled after her and her wedding cake filled the bill. It took about a week to complete the baker's masterpiece. Here is the link to story and 4 more cake images right here.

Bonus Post - Year in Pictures

I usually don't blog the "Big Gun" bloggers out there because most everyone hits there sites anyway. I'm making an exception today. Rob Galbraith has a wonderful post on the "Year in Pictures" His links are culled from many places all over the net - about 15 galleries in all - and are really worth taking a look. So head over to Rob's place right here and check them out.

Hey, gang, that's about it for today. LaDawn and I are taking the rest of the day off and just enjoying some Florida sunshine. We will plan on seeing you tomorrow. Have a great one -- David

"Bridal Elegance"
© David A. Ziser

I love the composition of this image - the bride framed in the arch and the curve of the arch repeated by the second architecture element of the crown molding of the stairway help drive viewer's attention right back to the bride. Her position in the bottom left quadrant of the image also adds balance to the composition all of which combines for a striking presentation in this bridal portrait. The pleasing "loop light" on the bride's face was supplied by my off camera flash. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 12-24mm lens at 17mm; F5.6 @1/5 second handheld, ISO 1600. Enjoy! --David

Technique Tuesday - All Day Tuesday

Good morning everyone,
Yes, it's true - this is Technique Tuesday - really happening on Tuesday. Even though we're checking out the great Imaging USA trade show in Tampa, hangin' with our buds, partying till all hours of the morning - I'm still determined to pull-off this Technique Tuesday:~) We are having a great time catching up with friends and finding some really cool new and exciting items at the show. See below a few of our favorites, but first, on with "Invitation to Love"...

Technique Tuesday - Invitation to Love

Yep, that's the real title - got you hooked now, don't I? Well, here is the real story - right before we left for Tampa, LaDawn reminds me that we have to get a wedding invitation mounted in one of our client's albums. The problem was that it was one of those 3-D invites - you know, one with the big satin bow - way to thick to mount in the album. When we have that situation, I photograph the invite bring it into Photoshop, and create an invitation page. Check out the video below to see exactly how I did it the day before we headed for Tampa. --Enjoy!

A Little Trade Show News and Good Deals To Boot

Listen, I know photographers` are cheap - myself included although I prefer the term frugal - it sounds a bit more sophisticated. That being said, although I watched the demo of a bookbinding device at one of the booths, I wasn't ready to part with the $18,000 they wanted for the machine.

I was much more intrigued how Neil Enterprises - here is their link - was able to sell me a really nice 8x8 album with padded cover and moire lining and cover photo for only - get this - $15.00! What a great opportunity to feature those wonderful images of some of your favorite wedding vendors back home without breaking the bank. Just give them the books with your name included on several of the pages. It's an easy advertising dollar well spent. We picked up a quick 6 for just that purpose.

Most Beautiful and Creative Fine Art Presentation

What gorgeous work Barbara Ellison was showing at the Canon booth. Barbara does more that just create beautiful images. She produces breathtaking works of art.

What's really unusual about her art are the really unusual materials she seeks out on which to print her images. That would include a very beautiful hand made paper from Nepal, of a sheet of gold anodized aluminum. She uses a Canon 5000 inkjet printer for teh printing. Her results were stunning - you just had to see them up close to really appreciate there beauty. Barbara actually gives classes on the process.

Check out Barbara's website right here. Be sure to check out her galleries, especially the "In My Garden" series to get a glimpse at what I'm talking about. Two thumbs way up for Barbara!

And In the Most Interesting Software Department

Everyone needs to check out NIK software's new Color Efex Pro 3 which they introduced here at Imaging USA. They have incorporated the revolutionary U-Point technology into their already terrific filter set. With the U-Point technology, you can selectively add filter effects to various parts of the image without touching other parts of the image. Check out the "before" and "after" to get just a brief glimpse at what I'm talking about. Look how much improved the sky is in this photo. I know you are thinking, "that's easy in Photoshop." True--but it's really easy with NIK's Color Efex Pro3 plug-ins for Photoshop. Check out all the NIK products right here, then head over to their "Download and User Guide page" right here and watch the demos and then give them a try for yourself. Way cool stuff!!

Hey gang, that's it for today - the show's a'waitin' -- Have a great one, see ya' tomorrow. --David

"Evening's Kiss"
© David A. Ziser

This image was taken at the wedding this past weekend. I always like to place the bride and groom in the "surrounds" of the reception space, particularly when the ballroom is as beautiful as this one was. This is always one of our "Signature" images for our clients and they love it. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 11mm, F5.6 @1/10 second handheld, ISO 800. Enjoy! --David

Monday In Tampa

Good Morning Everybody,
WOW! What a weekend, we had a big wedding this past Saturday - St. Xavier church was beautiful still decorated for the holidays. The reception was held at the Netherland Hilton's Hall of Mirrors - my favorite reception site. It was transformed into a winter wonderland and looked gorgeous. We even spotted Nolan Ryan on the dance floor.


After about 3 hours sleep LaDawn and I were up and on our way to the airport. We headed to Tampa for the Imaging USA photographer's convention. This is a real "biggy" photog convention - about 7000 expected to show up. I'll be reporting from sunny Tampa for the next week. So how about - on with the news....

Congrats! Are In Order!

Congrats to our buddies over at 1001 NoisyCameras for being named as the 8th highest ranked Consumer Electronics blog for 2007. I don't know how those guys keep up with all that news. Every time I check their site right here, there is always something new "cooking" with them. Be sure to check them out - I promise, you will enjoy the visit.

Also, congrats! to our buddy Brian Auer. He started blogging about a year ago and has "hit it out of the park" with his highly successful EpicEdits blog right here - over 800,000 pageviews and over 500,000 visitors in 2007. Why is this link so important - because it links to "tons" of information with his "Year in Review" listing - literally a table of contents for the last 12 months of his blog. If you are hungry for a lot of cool photo info, then dive right in. Here is the EpicEdits link again right here.

High five to both super bloggers. They kind of remind me of a quote I saw - "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

The Most Interesting Vendor At Imaging USA

So for walking the trade show for about 60 minutes who really jumped out at us? It was the mural concept shown by the folks over at Metal Mural. Their web site is still under construction, but let me give you the "lo-down". You upload an image to them through their site and they print it on 12"x12" aluminum sheets. If the finished mural is to be 36"x36", it will a 3x3 configuration suspended from a classy metal display rod.

The image presentation was quite eye-catching and contemporary and I think would be a striking way to display fine art, portraits, wedding images, etc. and just the ticket for that modern/contempory client. Check back with them at http://www.metalmural.com/ in a week or two to get the whole story.

Rocket Speed Album Design

I have been promoting the LumaPix FotoFusion software for wedding album design since I first met the owners of the company about 4 years ago at the WPPI convention. We use it exclusively at our studio for all of our page design work and any multi-image project. Well, they were showing version 4.1 at the trade show yesterday and I have to say-it looks phenomenal!


We have been holding off upgrading to version 4 still staying with version 3 - hey, we were used to it and like they say, "if it's not broken, don't fix it." Well, maybe now is the time to upgrade. Check out LumaPix:FotoFusion right here and watch their demos. It is an amazing piece of software, simple, intuitive, fast and really helps stimulate those creative juices. You are limited only by your own creativity. I'm flattered too, that they use many of my wedding images in their demos - thanks guys.


We have been including LumaPix:FotoFusion as one component of the Digital Resource Kit for the last four years. You can check out what's included in my Digital Resource Kit right here and watch some more FotoFusion demos. Happy Designing!!

A Quickie For the Road

I received an email from my buddy Nicholas telling me about the wonderful photography of Dave Hill and how it looked like it was processed with the Lucas Arts Photoshop filters which run about $169. Nicholas is always looking for a bargain and found this link right here at Enigma Studios to a tutorial that accomplishes what he says is a very similar effect. The FREE plug-in comes from Photo-Plugins right here. Hey, check it out and see what you think.

That's it for today gang. I'll give you more updates and additional coverage on the Imaging USA convention tomorrow. See you then. --David

"A Fabulous Day"
© David A. Ziser

This "oldie but goodie" image was created as a catalogue cover for a large wedding album company a number of years ago. The wanted me to create an image that captured the couple's exuberant feelings of their spring wedding. Off we went to Toronto in April - still a little "nippy" that time of year, especially in Toronto. The challenge was to fine a setting and background that had the faintest resemblance of spring. The side walkway of the church filled the bill for me. Fortunately the sun was shining brightly that morning which added to the warmth of the image. But to over come the brightness of the sun and put detail in the couples' faces, two things needed to happen. First I positioned the couple so that they were back lit by the sun. This rimmed them out nicely with the sunlight and put their faces in complete shadow. This let me direct my off camera flash into the couple creating the necessary highlight/shadow ratio to create the proper lighting on their faces. I used a high shutter speed to cut down the affects of the ambient light and show the effective lighting from my off camera flash. We captured just what the client wanted. This image was used as the catalogue cover image for the next several years. Camera specs (to my best recollection); Hasselblad camera fitted with 50mm Distagon lens, F5.6 @ 1/500 second, Kodak 400 ISO Vericolor film. Enjoy! --David

Slow Moving Friday

Good Afternoon Everybody,
I'm doing a late post today because of my very late post yesterday. We are getting ready for yet another big wedding tomorrow and need to get some orders up to Zookbinders, our wedding album bookbinder, before we head to Tampa for the Professional Photographers of America national convention. It is always fun and exciting to visit with many of our "photo buddies" at the show. I really love looking at the latest, greatest equipment, new arising star companies and viewing the prints on display.

After that, we have a short 3 day break and are heading to Daytona Beach to catch up with my globe trotting daughter. Then it's back to Oldsmar - near Tampa - to shoot 2 videos for NAPP, so stay posted to DigitalProTalk next week and I'll keep you posted on convention news and anything else that looks interesting.

Big Buck$$$ in Fine Art Prints

Yesterday, I gave you a peek at some of my fine art images and suggested maybe there was a monetary reward at the end of this endeavor. Well, while cruising the net, I happened on Paul Petticelli site with I featured a few weeks ago here on DigitalProTalk - here is that link again. One thing that caught my eye was his "Invitation" to purchase his fine art prints over on a site named ImageKind - here is their link.

ImageKind offers the printing, framing, and other display options for your images. Well, the wheels got turning and I checked them out. Turns out there are some good possibilities available. Check out this article over at MagicalPlacesFineArt entitled, "Successfully Selling Your Work on Imagekind" right here. This is the first of two articles. Here is the link to his second article right here. It turns out there are several such sites and EmptyEasle did a comparison on many of the art sites right here. Another good article on selling your fine art photography can also be found in this article entitled, "7 Tips to Increase Art Sales on Imagekind and Other Art Selling Websites" right here.

What continues to intrigue me are all the opportunities out there to leverage our talent, passion, and creativity. These articles are all a "good read" if you are interested in taking the next step. I am certainly looking at the possibilities at my end. Good Luck with it if you decide to give it a go.

So What Did You Get For Your Birthday?

I know, you are dying to know what Angelina Jolie got hubby Brad for his birthday - it wasn't even covered on "Entertainment Tonight!" Wait, keep reading it's about photography. She got him this very expensive - around $5000 - limited edition Littman 4x5 Single camera.

You can catch the entire story right here at PopPhoto. The camera seems like quite a nice piece of photo gear for the 4x5 film shooters out there. If you want to pick up a Littman for yourself, head right over to their site right here. The Littman "Celeb" gallery right here does feature some interesting images too - worth a peek.

Have You Checked Out After Capture Magazine Yet?

I was honored to be featured in the latest issue of After Capture magazine this month. The latest issue just hit the mailbox a few days ago. You can read the article entitled, "David Ziser's Special Finishing Touches" right here. It talks a bit about our work-flow and gives a few insights as to how we get things done at our studio. I think you will enjoy it. After Capture has been published for just about a year now so check out their archives right here. It's a great source for a wealth of information.

And In the Totally Not Related To Photography Department

From the "Giggle" Department" - Yes, it's that time of year for good intentions, resolutions, and a look to the future. That's why this time of year, I always check out Despair.com. They have the sayings that don't keep you going like, "It's always darkest just before it goes pitch black." More sayings that make you think twice about trying for example, "Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up." Or one of my favorites, "No matter how great and destructive your problems may seem now, remember, you've probably only seen the tip of them."

Despair.com is like the complete opposite of the Successories brand of motivational sayings and products, but are a great "giggle" - yes, sometimes we do recognize ourselves in some of their sayings, and hopefully that gives a reason to change. Hey, one more New Years resolution. Anyway, for a good Friday "giggle" give Despair.com's sayings a read right here.

Hey, gang, that's it for the week. LaDawn and I are off to Tampa next week. I'll get the posts up as time permits and hope to bring to you some good convention reports on all the latest and greatest in our photography world. Have a great weekend - see ya' Monday. --David

"The Man of the Day"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made at the beautiful St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica, one of my favorite places to photograph in northern Kentucky. I wanted to feature the groom and have this wonderful location featured behind him. The groom was positioned near the back of the church which allowed me to bring in all the detail and architecture, including the pipe organ into view for a great on-location portrait. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 32mm, F5.6 @ 1/20 second hand held, ISO 500. The direction of light was supplied with my Quantum T5d shooting through a 36" umbrella. Enjoy! --David.

Late Blog Thursday

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Sorry for the late post...... Technical issues getting the video completed caused the delay today, but I've included lots of great information leading off with my "Technique Tuesday" feature. Be sure to check out the links set following the video tutorial which includes additional portrait info. Take a look at the "Most Overpaid Jobs" too - it may fire you up. It did me!!And then check out the "Get Outside the Zone" article too - it revisits a suggestion from yesterday's post with a nice series of images and some food for thought. Enjoy...

It's Technique Tuesday This Thursday - Classical Portraiture

Boy, the holidays sure have moved things around, but we should be back on schedule next week. That said, what are we talking about today? How about classical portraiture. If it was good enough for the classical painters we have been admiring for tens and hundreds of years, it should still be pertinent information for photographers today.


Today, I want to start a short series on what to look for in a classic portrait. This and an excerpt from my Digital WakeUp Call Tour DVD expanded a bit. By the way, you can get more information on the entire 4 1/2 hour 2 DVD Digital WakeUp Call set right here. Classical portraiture is an important starting point in becoming a good "people photographer." By knowing the classical basics, we can consistently do our best at creating the most flattering images for our clients. So hit the play button below and off we go...

More Classical Portrait Photography Resources

Want some more reading on "Classical Portraiture?" Then check out these articles too.

• A nice article by Steve Bedell over at Shutterbug right here.


• Classical Portraiture vs Stiff Portraits - a good article by Stan Cox II right here at EZine Articles.


• A great article by Jeff Kent over at the Professional Photographers of America archives featuring the beautiful work of Don and son, Drake Busath - very good friends of mine. Check out their beautiful portrait gallery right here.


• Shelten Muller over at Photo.Blorge has some really good common sense posing tips right here and a nice set of additional links following his article.


• One more hot article here thanks to WebPhotoSchool.

The Most Over Paid Jobs - #10 Is...

So which job is listed at the #10 spot on the "Most Overpaid" job list over at MarketWatch.com? Drum roll please, Wedding photographers???!!! Man, and we were off to such a good start yesterday.
Here is the text from that part of the list:

"10) Wedding photographers - Photographers earn a national average of $1,900 for a wedding, though many charge $2,500 to $5,000 for a one-day shoot, client meeting and processing time that runs up to 20 hours or more, and the cost of materials. The overpaid ones are the many who admit they only do weddings for the income, while quietly complaining about the hassle of dealing with hysterical brides and drunken reception guests. They mope through the job with the attitude: "I'm just doing this for the money until Time or National Geographic calls." Much of their work is mediocre as a result. How often have you really been wowed flipping the pages of a wedding album handed you by recent newlyweds? Photographers who long for the day they can say "I don't do weddings" should leave the work to the dedicated ones who do."

OK, OK you say I'm insulted! But, you know what, I agree with them. I know what you are thinking - Ziser must be crazy to say that! So is everybody pretty fired up right now reading this "hogwash?" I hope so, but MarketWatch.com are "spot on" with their assessment - read it again. They state that the "overpaid" ones are the complainers and see wedding photography as a hassle in dealing with bridal parties, brides, and reception guests. They are only in it for the money. And you know what, if that's the case, then they are overpaid.

Folks, one of the most crystalline thoughts I've had in this profession was the result of a remark a student of mine made several years ago during a week-long wedding class I was teaching to 75 photographers from around the world. This question was raised by a class member, "Why were weddings such big events for people of his faith?" (He came from Israel to participate in my class.) His answer is as clear to me today as it was ten years ago - he said, "In the over 5000 year history of people of my faith, we endured by living from one joyous event to the next!"

That's when it became clear to me that the role of wedding photographers was more than just about shooting a weekend wedding. It was truly about capturing the most joyous events in peoples lives. Every photographer working in this profession MUST see and feel that "joyous event" as we look through our viewfinders. Only then will they be able to capture all the heartfelt images our clients deserve. It is a honor for us to be asked to participate - with our skills and talents - in such an important part of our clients' lives. I don't think MarketWatch.com had all of us in mind but maybe it's time for the others to get another job - or a better attitude.

Get Outside the Zone

Point #6 Yesterday I discussed getting outside your (safe) zone when shooting. Stretch your mind and photograph or design something different than your bread and butter images you need to produce everyday. Today I'd like to share with you some of my favorite images in which I was doing just that exact concept. I've developed a love for shooting anything with design aspects to it. These are some the Fine Art images I've been posting these last several months. I believe getting out of your "Safe Zone" way of thinking has some other interesting benefits too - some of which are monetary! More on that tomorrow. Anyway enjoy the images.

I'm also posting them to the DigitalProTalk Flickr group. The key will be worded as "Fine Art". Feel free to add your own images also. I think our readers will enjoy the inspiration of these images. Anyway gang, I've got to get scootin' - enjoy the rest of the day and I'll see you tomorrow. --David.

"Design Lines"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made while visiting the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. a few years ago. I loved the building's contemporary design, both outside and inside. This is an image of the building's interior ceiling. I am kind of a "design line" aficionado - hence the title. The curved flowing lines and the black to white contrasts all combined to give me a sense of endless motion in the finished image. Camera specs; Canon 30D fitted with 17-85mm lens at 17mm, F4.0 @ 1/60 second at ISO 1600. Enjoy! --David

Wednesday - 2nd Day of the New Year

Good Morning Everybody,
Well, we had a uneventful New Year's Eve. I did stay up and watch the ball drop. I mentioned my daughter, Elizabeth was in that crowd of 1 million people - turns out she and her friend got passes to the "Good Morning America" building and she was rubbing shoulders with Ryan Seacrest, Dick Clark, and Kerry Underwood. She continued to be on her New Years Eve high when she called the next day - ahhh... to be that young again.

OK, 2007 in behind us and we just started 2008 - so what's the game plan? (Isn't that a great way to get around saying, "So, what's your New Year's resolution?"). Hey, I'll go first. I planning to write my first photography book this year. I was approached by Wiley Press last year - nothing nailed down yet, but I'm working on the concepts as we speak. We are also starting production of 5 new, mostly photography, videos for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) You may have caught part of that story earlier right here. We start filming in 2 weeks.

And lastly, because we had such a positive response from our attendees and sponsors to our "Digital WakeUp Call" tour in 2006 - we are in the planning stages of a 40 city lecture tour which we plan to kick off in the second part of 2008 - working title: "Digital WakeUp Call - A New Dawn!" So lot's going on as usual. Now are you ready to put on your New Years resolution cap as well, read on for a few suggestions below.

12 Ways to Really Improve Your Photography for 2008

1. Read your camera's manual from cover to cover - and study it. So many photographers have only "an inkling" of the full functionality of their camera's capabilities.
2. Do the same for your Flash manual - read it cover to cover, and then again a few more times. Today's flash units are crammed full of features that can bring magic to your images - if we would just read the manual.
3. Experiment and play with the new found features you have just discovered in the two manuals. You may not use all the features, but I promise you will find some real gems that you will be glad you discovered.
4. Plan to read at least one good book on the subject in 2008. Shutterbug Magazine recently published their list of best photography books for 2007. Here is the best book link right here. Select one of them for starters.
5. Start a "Brain Trust" among your fellow friends and shooters. This is just a small group of like minded people who love photography, and here is the important word - motivated - on improving their photography skills. Plan to get together with your "Brain Trust" occasionally for discussions on photography, camera technique, lighting, etc. Pick a subject the challenge and inspire each other to become better photographers for 2008.
Footnote: Three of my photo friends, Kent, Mark, Don and myself did this over 25 years ago. Each of us own and operate four of the leading studios in our market areas and still continue to motivate, challenge, share and inspire each other today.
6. Plan to shoot outside your zone a few times this year. For instance, if you are a "people photographer", create a project for yourself that that does not include people. Here in Cincinnati, Ohio, we have some wonderful old architecture I see in the old buildings around downtown. I always thought it would be cool to take photographs of those building from the 2nd story up, thus revealing the true older character of the building without it's current facade. You know what, let's plan on this as a "2008 challenge" once we get through the winter months.
7. Start a blog to post and discuss your favorite images. Yes, everyone has something to offer. But more importantly, this discipline of putting your thoughts into words gives you a better insight into your own thought processes - hence more creative juices flowing. Keep it simple in the beginning. Blogger is about the easiest way to get started.
8. And speaking of blogs, use a news reader like Google Reader to aggregate your favorite sites and visit them regularly for informative content. I currently scan about 80 sites - not everyday, of course, but when I find a good one, I add it to my reader. It's nice to go back and read some of those little gems now and then.
9. Head over to Flickr, Picasa, and any number of sites out there and search for your favorite photographic subject. I just did a quick search on wedding photography over at Flickr and I'm looking at some great images right here.
10. Stay inspired! Remember, a sleepy mind is an uncreative mind, staying inspired is the mental jogging our brain needs to stay fit. Lifehacker gives you ten solid methods for staying inspired right here - a must read.
11. Enter print competitions. I did this with my "Brain Trust" buddies I talked about earlier. We all entered the Professional Photographers of America annual state, regional and national competitions. It was great fun to compete with each other and it became a wonderful way to add "rocket fuel" to our image improvement as photographers. See the story below for more information on photography competitions.
12. And, finally, read DigitalProTalk everyday for the latest, greatest cool news, lighting, camera, Photoshop, and a "giggle" now and then. ;~)

More Ways to Stay Photographically Motivated

Now, let's revisit #11 above. I recently received a note from Andrew Belyavskiy who runs a blog aptly named PhotoCompete.com that keeps tract of most, if not all of the photo competitions taking place around the country and on the Internet.

Enter those competitions that interest you and they will help keep you skills sharp, your creative mind alert, and may give you some "bragging rights" and maybe some $$$ if you win. As of today, PhotoCompete is showing 54 active competitions with 19 to expire soon. Check out PhotoCompete right here.

Let's Get Started - Wedding Photography Tips You Can Use for 2008

I'm even going to give you a head start on improving your photography for 2008. Here are four links with "tons" of info, for aspiring to professional wedding photographers.

1. Over at Gavin Photography - lots of good info for the aspiring professional.


2. Christopher Maxwell has some good stuff too - aspiring and professional - right here.


3. And from one of the Wedding Masters the late Monte Zucker - a great article on lighting right here.


4. And for a little "Wedding Photography" inspiration, check out PDN's "Top Knots of 2007" right here - a great selection of images that will surely get your "brain juices" flowing.

And Now Lets Work Our Success Garden for 2008

How many "Success Tips" can we all use for 2008. How about 100 or so. One of my favorite authors and guru on the subject is Tom Peters. I've been reading his books and listening to his tapes for many, many years. Check out his list of 100 (or so) tips for success right here. Bookmark this link and read a few everyday.

Hey, gang, that's about it for me today. The phones are "a-ringing" and I've got to get back to my real job. Have a fantastic start on 2008, and I'll see you tomorrow for "Technique Tuesday/Thursday" - tomorrow's topic - Portraits. See you then. --David.