Ziser Way Back Machine - Part 3

My First "Official" Studio
Last week I shared some images from 1978 - 30 years ago. Let's fast forward a few years into the early 80's. A lot of stuff was going on in my life back then. I had purchased a condo in 1980 from which I could run my business. I chose the condo because for me - image was everything. The condo would make a good first impression to the prospective clients, at least much better than the $150/month apartment I was living and working out of at the time and give me a great tax advantage. I borrowed the down payment money from friends and family, talked the condo development into taking only half the down payment, and signed on the "dotted line." I had no idea how I was going to make the mortgage payment at, get this - 14% interest in the early 80's - and which would commence being due when the condo was completed in about 6 months. I still knew I could make it work out and work out it did. By 1982, I was doing about 60 weddings a year.

Early Training
I never went to school for photography - heck, I already had the Physics and Engineering degrees - but I did chose a different path for my education. In 1980, I started attending every convention, workshop, seminar, and state convention within 150 miles of my "studio." I joking say that I spent as much on these endeavors as one would spend on a 4-year college education. My instructors included Tibor Horvath from Canada; Bill Stockwell - the master of the double exposure; Rocky Gunn - the legendary bridal pictorialist; Monte Zucker - the wedding portrait master, Don Blair - the master of light, Ron Warwick - a great wedding photographer from Knoxville, TN; and Don Feltner - who wrote the book, "How to Make $54,000 in Spare Time Wedding Photography. These were just a few - and I soaked up every word and practiced relentlessly every technique.

Early Sales Training
While picking up as much shooting experience as I could, I was also working on making myself a better business person. I still have a "gazillion" books and tapes on the subject which were truly inspirational to me in starting my business. My first sales book was, "How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling" by Frank Betger - still a recommended classic with solid information. My other favorite source of business and sales tapes was Nightingale Conat, Inc. - about the best place for this training information. Some additional resources included Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and Tom Peters - check them out right here.

Early Studio Set-up
I learned early on that proofs were not the way to sell photography. I remember attending a seminar by Dale McClintock given by our local association around 1980. Dale showed a slide show of wedding images and I was in tears at the end of the show. Within two weeks I had two Kodak Carousel projectors an A/V deck, and a dissolve unit so I could put together presentations like Dale's. From that point on, my clients were thrilled to see their wedding images at Ziser Photography. The slide show set up was one of the most important transitions for my business. Photogs today still try to sell with proofs - definitely the "Fred and Barney" method of selling wedding and portrait photography. With computers and projectors so cheap today, you are making a big mistake by not making the change - heck, I've been at it for 28 years!

Early 1980's Images
Take a peek at the slide presentation which follows - you can hit pause and play at your leisure. You can clearly see the main influences on my photography at that time. I had spent quite a bit of time studying with Monte Zucker. It was my class time with Monte that really honed my basic portrait skills. Here is a link to one of Monte's online articles on posing the classical bridal right here. It was my goal to present the bride with truly elegant portrait images taken on the wedding day. Yes, I did travel with a backdrop, one large light and reflector fill - it worked like a charm. Check out the bride and groom images in the slide show.



Another influence was Bill Stockwell, the father of the double exposure. We always tried to have at least 5 double exposures in the course of the coverage. It was always kind of fun to see what I would come up with at each wedding. These double exposures were created in the camera. Photographers of the day would expose part of the frame with the first exposure, remove the camera back, advance the shutter, and add the second part of the exposure at some later time in the wedding shoot. Yes, that meant that some of the film backs were actually waiting a while for the next exposure.

Look at the double exposure of the bride looking over the ceremony. The first image was made at the bride's home and then I laid the second image next to the first during the ceremony. How did I block the alternate parts of the frame - I learned from Don Feltner to use a black glove - I preferred a black Foot-Joy golf glove as it had the least amount of sheen and gave me a good blend on the two images. The secret was to overlap the two images by about 20% so that the transition was smooth and you didn't get a black line down the center.

As you see in some of the images, I was very much into back lighting back then too. In the really old days, my camera set at 1/2 second and would also be on a tripod. I would count to three and on three my assistant hiding behind the bride and groom would hit the flash button manually to fire the back-light. By the early 80's, I had acquired a radio control unit which made the process much more full proof and easy.

As early as 1980, I was using a two light flash set up. One off camera flash giving my famous direction of light and the on camera flash supplying the appropriate amount of fill light. All lighting of all posed groups and wedding candids were illuminated with the two light set up. Hey, that was 26 years before the Strobist was showing photogs how to pull the same thing off! (But at least more photogs are seeing the benefit of off camera flash thanks to Mr. Hobby.) The second light was a big "differentiators" for me since most photogs, even today, only use one light source.

We always wrapped the coverage with the wedding rings in the bridal bouquet. I would place a "tube of mirrors" - a device call a "spectral highlighter" - with close up lens over my 80mm lens on my Hasselblad and light with the off camera flash to get the image. It was a dramatic close to the wedding coverage.

That's about it for this week. Tune in next week when I show you some of my outdoor engagement sessions. It will be fun, too.

Evolution of Wedding Photography - In The Fifties

Well, prior to 1950, most wedding photography meant the bride and groom and sometimes the wedding party headed over to a photographer's studio for a series of formal bridal portraits. That's how it was done in my mom and dad's day. They were married in 1947.


Candid wedding photography began soon after WWII when the discharged army trained photographers were looking for work and began showing up on church door steps looking for the weekend weddings taking place. In fact more than one photographer may have showed up. It literally became - let the best photographer win -or the best photograph be purchased. More than one photog may show up, shoot the couple and wedding party, track down their names and addresses from the church, and then set out to sell those images after the couple returned from their honeymoon.

That was truly the beginning of on location wedding photography in the late 40's and early 50's. Most cameras were 4x5 Speed graphics and flash bulbs were the lighting equipment of choice. And old friend on mind, Paul Kirst, who started shooting about that time used to tell me stories about how photogs would buy a business suit with over size pockets just so they could carry more flash bulbs in them. But, photog beware, on a dry summer day, the static electricity building up as he ran from one location to the next would sometimes fire off a flash bulb or two. Man, do we digital guys and girls really have it easy these days. Turn in next week to hear about the person who had the first major impact on wedding photography.

Hey gang, that's about it for today. I've got to rest these tired little fingers and get ready for my wedding this weekend. So until tomorrow, Keep Smiling, --David

“Easy Elegance”
© David A. Ziser

I’m posting this image because of the technique that went into it. When working in a church and trying to preserve the detail in the stain glass window along with the detail in shadows of key parts of the image, particularly those on the subject and the background of the scene usually requires quite the balancing act with the shutter speed. Too fast – you capture the detail of the stain glass window and lose the details in the shadows. Too slow and you get the shadow detail, but blow out the detail and color in the window.

I chose a shutter speed just fast enough to hold the detail in the window, and just a bit of detail in the shadows. A faster shutter speed would have made the shadows too dark on my bride, so the 1/15 second was the right choice here. My problem was that the mural behind the bride went way too dark. I used my remotely fired Quantum flash at about ¼ power to raise the light level of the mural to balance the tonalities nicely in the overall composition of the scene. The beautiful “loop lighting” on the bride was created with a second remotely fired strobe positioned appropriately to my right. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 24-105mm lens at 24mm, F 5.6 @ 1/15 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday 03.11.08

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Well, I'm feeling pretty darn good today - pretty much recovered from the long trip home. I mentioned last week that one of the reasons we were in Mexico was to do the photography for Villa Paraiso's web site. That meant finding the right time of day, the best angles, and best vantage points.

We spent several parts of several days getting the images we wanted, but I know we got some "knock-out" stuff. Watch "Evening Blues" below to see how I put the Photoshop finishing touches to a sample image to really make it "sing." Also, check out my first impressions of the two Nikon cameras I was shooting with last week. Lastly, check out David Jay's very enjoyable video featuring his wedding style and images. Here we go gang - on with Technique Tuesday...

"Evening Blues" - A Cool Photoshop Tutorial

Adding the spice to the image that really makes it sing - that's our topic for today. The techniques I'm discussing here are not difficult or complicated. I'm primarily adjusting the tonal values of the scene to show of the resulting image in its best light- so to speak. Let me say for the record that I shot all the images in JPEG mode - still my "workflow" favorite - please no long string of comments or emails here - it's just my choice, but I do give it a mention so you can also see what can be done in the JPEG world too. So let's take a peek at an image or two and see what we can do.

My First Real Peek At Nikon Noise Up Close And Personal

The way things are going with the Canon vs. Nikon, et. al. noise wars, I figure we will all be shooting at about 500,000 ISO in another year or 2. All kidding aside, the reduced noise we are seeing in the new cameras is truly phenomenal. I remember back in the '70's, I loved experimenting with how far I could "push" Kodak Tri-X in Diafine developer. Diafine claimed 2400 ISO, but my results were always way to "grainy" - that's "noisy" these days.

To make a comparison between the "noise" of today's cameras and the push-processed "film grain" of yesteryear, check out this link I found over at Flickr in the Diafine pool. It shows the "grain-noise" levels of Tri-X precessed at 2000 - 6400 ISO in six increments.

My observations - there "ain't" none. The new digital cameras blow film out of the water in the noise/grain department. We had arrived at Maeva resort on Saturday night and the first thing I did was grab the Nikon D3 and crank up it up to ISO 3200.

Nikon D3 at ISO 3200:

The images looked greater on the viewfinder and absolutely wonderful on my laptop as I viewed them on the plane coming home. I took a few more at ISO 6400 and found those very usable as well. Okay, okay, I know Nikon says you can take it up to ISO 25,600, so I did. Things were a bit dicey here. That is not to say that the images were not usable, they just looked like my old Diafine images of the 70's - grainy, but now I'm at 25,600 ISO, more than 10 times the best Diafine speed I got out of Tri-X!

Nikon D3 at ISO 6400:

I've been following the Nikon noise claims since the camera was introduced. If you missed it, here is my most recent article on the subject right here. Rob Galbraith published some hockey pictures he made last year (which, unfortunately, I have not been able to find) at the 25,600 ISO and on the surface they looked fine - all very high tonal values, hardly no shadows to speak of - it was impressive.

Nikon D3 at ISO 25,600:

When it comes to noise, they say "the proof is in the pudding." I'm talking chocolate pudding here - you know, low light values where noise can't hide. Check out the three images in the article, the first at 3200 ISO, the second at 6400 ISO, and the third at 25.600 ISO. Click on the image itself, and you will get a larger view for a closer inspection. I'm going to run the Nikon's through their noise paces this weekend at my wedding and I'll get back to you with the low down next week.

Carefree Wedding Photography and Video

Hey gang, I'm going out on a David Jay note today. I mentioned last week that David and I had a chance to get together and just visit at the PPO convention - I like his approach to life and I like his photography. Check out his video right here - it's a mix of wedding video coverage with David's stills, which gives some good insight in how to shoot an outside summer wedding in your "neck of the woods." It's full of fun, action, spontaneity, color, scene setters, nice b&w images, and sunsets - worth the 5 minute watch.

That's it for today everybody - as usual, things are a hoppin' and I have to get back to my real job. See ya' tomorrow for another trip on the Ziser "Way back Machine" --David

"Dancing In The Streets"

"Dancing In The Streets"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image after our flight was delayed and the airlines put all 135 travelers up in Club Maeva, a favorite for the locals visiting Manzanillo over the weekend. The place was packed with energy, excitement, colors, aromas, people, food, and music. We were in the middle of a Mexican Festival!! The large plaza/outside area was set up to look like a Mexican town square. It was great to be in the middle of their party Saturday night. I found it to be the perfect time for me to try out those high ISO settings on the Nikon 3D I was testing - more on that in tomorrow's post. The energy of the crowd was everywhere and I think it shows in this image. The street band was rockin' and so was the crowd. I thing this image captured it perfectly. Camera specs; Nikon D3 fitted with 4-24mm lens at 14mm, F3.2 @ 1/40 second, ISO 3200. Enjoy! -David

Where In The World Is David Ziser Monday?

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening Everybody,

Revised Monday Greeting:
Well, we finally made it back from Mexico - 36 hours! Ahhh the joys of flying, but that's another story. I have to admit, LaDawn and I were looking forward to seeing some of the white, fluffy snowflakes. Yes, we actually do like the snow and it was the first big snowfall for the season for us in Cincy. Getting home Sunday morning after 20 hours, with connections, of travel seemed harsh enough, but Fate had even grander plans for us.

We got to the airport early as our friends were leaving on an afternoon flight and our flight was early that evening - about 5:45p.m. At about 7:30 p.m., the U.S. Air pilot came in and made the announcement that the flight was cancelled - get this - because of a flat tire and they had no spare available at this airport. The spare would be delivered in 3-4 hours and we would be spending the night in Manzanillo courtesy of U.S. Air. We were now at that time - unknown to all the U.S. Air passengers, including us - thrown into the deep, dark abyss of the U.S. Air "re-routing system."

I'll just make it short here - after 36 hours in airports, hotels, flying, driving, and landing - we returned home at 3 a.m. this mourning a bit "wiped out" - hence the late post. Anyway, we are thankful for our safe albeit long travels and glad to be back home for a few days. By the time we woke up this morning, most of the white stuff had started melting. We are in the mid 40's F right now.

We are here for the week with a wedding this weekend and then off to WPPI on Sunday. – more on that later in the week. Also, I’m wrapping up my images for Kelby Training so look for those to be online real soon. I’ll keep you posted on that timeline too.

I’m keeping this an easy post for today because of travels and blizzards, but still some good information

.
Original Greeting - Please disregard
We kept checking the weather from Manzanillo. Blizzard warnings were everywhere. We called back to friends and family. It was all the same – 8 inches on snow on the ground Saturday and 8” more on the way that day while we were en-route home. Wow! I’m thinking, “I can’t wait to get back home and make some snow angels with LaDawn in the back yard!

Just Add A Little Garlic, Garlic Light That Is

That’s what my good buddy, Don Blair, used to call it - garlic light -just a little bit of light to spice up the image. Every time I give a seminar or workshop, I’m always asked about the little strobe I place behind the bride’s gown during the presentation. It’s fired optically with my off camera Quantum flash which is creating the “key” light or direction of light on the subject. That little light accents the back of the veil just the right amount to add a little spice to the final photograph.

OK, this is important. I’m giving you the “low-down” on this little strobe. I get it from B&H. That little light is pretty cheap – about $25, and works pretty darn well. The one I use even has an adjustable hinge on it so I can angle it up pointing it directly on the back of the bride’s gown or lower if I have her in a seated position.

Here is how I do it. Position it about 12 feet behind the bride (or bride and groom) and make a test image. On the rare occasion, that it is too bright – say because of the bride's thin veil – I simply throw on a layer diffusion such as a clean handkerchief over it. I guess I could use a dirty handkerchief, but that might “gross” out the bride so opt for the first suggestion. Give it about 6 seconds to recharge and shoot away again. It’s a nice look, and I think adds just that little extra garlic to the shot.

Here are three links to 3 models available at B&H.
Smith Victor PG250S Wireless Mini Slave – my favorite right here – about $23.50.
Smith Victor PG160S Wireless Mini Slave – a little less powerful right here, and only $16.50.
SP Systems Mini Slave Strobe – another version the first one right here – only $24.50

Check them out as specs may tend to change – it’s a handy dandy little gadget to add to your camera bag.

Get It In Writing Or Pay The Price

And that price could be $4000 – that’s exactly what happened to a friend of mine a few years ago. Even though he had a verbal agreement with the client to display the print and was going to give them the image after the display had run it’s course the husband saw an opportunity in the sate law that allowed for compensation up to $4000 if a photographic image was displayed without written permission. My friend paid the $4000.

Hey gang, I think it was a “rip” too, but it is a true story. How can you avoid the same kind of disaster? A good place to start is with a model release signed by your client when you plan to use their image in any public display. That includes sample prints at a mall, print ads, brochures etc. About the best article I've found on the subject is over at Digital Photography School right here. They have several links to sample model releases too - a good read. Here is a link right here for a custom model release that you can modify as to your particular situation. Here is another link right available for model releases you can buy in pads of 50. Be safe not sorry.

Image Is Everything – Even In Business Cards

Looking for some cool and creative ideas for making a good first impression with your potential clients, then check out these business card designs. Hey, not all of them may be your “cup of tea” but at least they give you some “food for thought” for crafting your own cards if you don’t yet have one or are just looking to update the ones you have.

Here are three links from our friends over at AllGraphicDesign – just click on the links for the Coolest Business Cards Part 1, Coolest Business Cards Part 2, and Coolest Business Cards Part 3. Enjoy the browse – there are some good ideas for you here.

Hey gang, I’ve got to go – it was the ocean last week, it’s the snow angels this week. Have a great Monday, and if you are reading this in the blizzard stricken Midwest, I hope you get dug out by mid May :~) See ya’ --David

"Afterglow"
© David A. Ziser

The sunsets are beautiful in Manzanillo, Mexico. From our veranda, we see one every night. Too many people think the show is over after the sun dips below the horizon. As a "sunset" watcher for many years, I know the rest of the show can be just as spectacular and sometimes much more subtle as we see in this image. It was taken well past the official sunset, but the afterglow played beautifully on the hills and surrounding areas of the image. Camera specs; Nikon D300 fitted with 18-200mm lens at 170mm, F14 @ 1/800 second, ISO 500. Enjoy! --David

Welcome to Fabulous Inspiration Friday

Good Morning Everybody,
This whole week has been fabulous and a true blessing for LaDawn and I. A little R&R, a little photography, some great adventures, great friends, and unfortunately it's all ending way to soon. We grab a flight home late Saturday afternoon and get back in town mid-morning Sunday. After we get through the images, I'll do a short post just to give you some flavor of this beautiful, beautiful location.

But, for today, I think you will enjoy the theme - Infrared photography. I have been a fan of this style of photography for many years. Back in the film days, for some of our wedding images we used to shoot a very high speed Konica infra-red film. At least the high film speed let us get away making images sans tripod in spite of the heavy level of filtration. Scroll down to about the last part of this very good article on infra-red photography right here for discussion on the Konica film.

Anyway, there is some really great information and resources in the post today, so on with the show...

More Information On Infra-Red Than One Brain Can Hold

You have got to check out Luminous Landscape for their in depth article on the subject right here - solid info and some great images.

But if you really want a good infra-red photography "brain fry," check out Digital Photography For What It's Worth site right here. They have over 43 articles on every single aspect of infra-red photography. It is infra-red "geekdom" galore. The site is extremely rich in it's content and worth a bookmark if the subject interests you.

So Who Else Is Interested In The Fine Art Of Infra-Red Photography?

Maybe more than you think. I came across this in an article that announced the formation of The League of Creative Infrared Photographers which was officially formed just two months ago in January 2008. It was established to promote the joy, excitement, and creativity of infrared photography from in-camera capture to enhancing images in the digital darkroom.

Check out their members right here and then check out some of the members' galleries. These include some beautiful images. You can find some more very cool digital infra-red images in their digital gallery right here. Happy cruising - very inspirational.

Pretty Cool So Far, How About A Few More

Beauty, Diversity, Creativity - that's what Andy Finney is showing over at Invisible Light right here. This is a wonderful site showing some gorgeous infra-red photography taken from countries around the world. Take an easy cruise through Mr. Finney's work - put it on your "must-visit" list.

Wait, there is more. Please check out the galleries and images over at PBase.com right here. These images will truly "blow you away!" Then maybe over the weekend, you can check out about 13,700 more infra-red images at Flickr right here.

Alright Already - How Do I Get Into The Game?

Glad you asked - here are two links to companies that offer the service, and no, it doesn't "break the bank." Life Pixel is probably the one most mentioned - here is their link right here. I know some photogs who have used their services and have been quite happy. The other service that has come up on occasion is MaxMax right here.

Now if you are a part time brain surgeon and want do do it yourself, Life Pixel shows you how to do it right here. And another source for the do it yourselfer is Kleptography right here.

Hey gang, enjoy the links today. LaDawn and I, we have one more day in Mexico, and we are going to soak up every last minute. See you back in good ol' KY on Monday. Have a great weekend, everybody. --David

"Designs of Mexico"
© David A. Ziser

This image was taken this morning while strolling around the local neighborhood of La Punta. I have to admit, I am a "sucker" for palm frawns. The overlapping lines, shapes, and textures really intrigued me. It's an interesting shot with lots of "design lines." Camera specs; Nikon D300 fitted with 18-200mm lens at 90mm, F9 @ 1/320 second, ISO 1600. Enjoy! --David

Thoroughly Business Day Thursday

Good Morning Everybody,
We are really enjoying ourselves down here in Manzanillo. The people are great, the food wonderful, and the scenery breathtaking. I'm still finding a bit of time to fit in the blog posts, so relax and give a peek to today's posts. I think you will enjoy the read.

Oh, by the way, several of you have been commenting on the Nikon images. I'm just test driving them right now, thanks to Nikon. I'll give you my opinion once I've complied my thoughts and impressions which should be in the next few weeks.

Also, thank you everyone who commented on the "Ziser Way Back Machine" post yesterday. Glad you enjoyed it - next Wednesday's images should look a bit different as we move forward about 4 years.

Anyway, how about we get on with Thoroughly Business Thursday...

The Most Powerful Word In The World - ASK!

Luckily I learned this early in my career - the power of asking. I remember hearing the advice, "You can have anything in the world you want, you just have to ask for it." I have to say, whether that is true in every case remains yet to be seen, it's still great advice. Freelanceswitch has a nice article entitled, "25 Things You Must Learn To Ask For" right here. Here are my top five from the list - check out the other 20, it's a good read.

1. Ask for a down payment.
2. Ask for recommendations.
3. Ask for referrals.
4. Ask for testimonials.
5. Ask for suggestions.

No Man Is An Island When It Comes To Business And Neither Should You

Want to know how to buddy up with some of your fellow business owners to help expand their business and yours? There is a great article over at Photoprenuer right here on how to do just that. There are a lot of good ideas here for any new, budding, or small business wanting to spread the word about your business or special promotions with the help of some of your friends.

One More "Have You..."

Have you thanked an employee for carrying around a great attitude … today? This advice can really help bring about a great attitude among all your staff at your business. It puts you on the lookout for good stuff happening at your studio - and that generally helps your attitude too.

Noticing it and complimenting a staff member about it is energizing and uplifting for the entire staff. Never let the opportunity slip by. Complimenting your employee on a good attitude is a great way to facilitate a smooth running business supported by a trusted and loyal staff.

Hey gang, that's it for today. I hope to have some images posted from our shoot down here in Mexico. I'll see if time allows. In any event, I'll see you tomorrow for "Inspiration Friday." I think I've got some cool information lined up. See you then, Adios Amigos, --David

"Manzanillo Morning"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image while we were cruising the Manzanillo beach yesterday morning on our ATVs. It was a quick "grab shot" as the guide and the group were anxious to move on. I did "goose" the saturation a bit to bring bring up the color of the sand and sky and really like how it brought up the perceived reflectivity of the water in the foreground. Camera specs; Nikon D300 fitted with 18-200mm lens at 18mm, F13 @1/1600, ISO 400. Enjoy! --David

Way Back Machine Wednesday

Good Morning Everyone,
It’s pretty lazy down here and we are having a blast soaking it all in – and thinking of all of you too ;~) I know many of you think I jumped ship on Canon with all the images this week listing the Nikon D300. Read the Monday post - Manzanillo and Nikon right here for the rest of the story.

I have a fairly long post today and several accompanying images – I hope you enjoy it. Drop me a note in the comment section to let me know if you like this or not – or am I wasting our time – yours and mind. I was originally thinking 12 posts, but think I can cover it in eight or less – what do you think?

Ziser’s Way Back Machine – Installment 2

Last week I shared some of my very earliest photographs with you. This week, it’s strictly wedding images. I jumped into the business full time, after working briefly as an engineer. My friends were starting to get married and I was the one getting the calls to shoot their weddings.

By mid 1978 I had to make the decision of what I wanted to do with my life. My engineering responsibilities were wrapping up and it seemed to be the perfect time to make “wedding photography” my full time profession. Heck, I photographed my first wedding in 1961 at age 15. I worked my way through college shooting high school sports teams and weddings.

October of 1978 was the year I made the change. Here are some images from that year. I thought they looked pretty good back then. I had just joined my local photographers association – Tri-State Professional Photographers, alas, no longer around – and started attending the seminars, workshops, and conventions that year too.

Here is where I was at that time. I had just acquired my two Mamiya 645 medium format cameras and my Metz 45 CT1 flash units. This setup was pretty darn good back in those days. I hadn’t purchased my first Hasselblad yet and most photogs were pretty happy with the Mamiyas and they were about half the cost of the Hasseys at the time. So I felt like I was ready to get started.

How did I learn wedding photography back in my early beginnings? I copied everybody in town. One of my favorite guys to copy was Ron Carroll. His work was considered the best in town. I had actually worked with Ron 10 years earlier when we both worked for the same B&W processing lab. In fact, I just said “Hi” to him this weekend at the Mid-East Regional Convention. We have remained friends all these years.

Ron’s wedding work is still some of the nicest work in the Cincinnati area. I was a quick study as the copying paid off and that along with my past few weddings experience had made me an adequate shooter in the Cincy area. I shot about 20 or so weddings that year.

This wedding here represents one of my favorites from 1978. I still see the bride occasionally today. By the way, these images were copied with my Canon 40D fitted with a 100m macro lens, brought into Photoshop, inversed to get the positive image, and then color corrected as well as possible. The orange make of the film made the color correction a bit tricky, but I think the final result serves our purpose for review.

Let’s do a quick review:
The first image is a simple “window light” image. I was so proud of it. Heck, at least I had a shadow next to a highlight. The next few images were from the ceremony – yep, double exposures were popular at the time because of the lecturing and teachings of Bill Stockwell, who transformed wedding photography back in the 60’s and 70’s with his “Misty Madcaps,” “Buttercups,” and double exposures. As silly as it looks now - folks, this stuff was hot back then.

The next few images show some of those “Misties” - you know, images with blurry edges. I remember the bride loved them too – there were 2-3 8x10’s ordered off each image. Notice how I posed the wedding party. The photog I mentioned earlier posed his groups that way too. I thought it was different from what other photographers were doing so picked up on it too.

Next, check out the reception images. I hadn't learned about 2 light systems and “direction of light.” For these images I was still just using one on-camera flash. Unfortunately, lighting wise, it looks a lot like what we still see in about 90% of wedding photography today.

I think that covers it for today. Next week I’ll jump ahead to about 1982. By that time I had switched to Hasselblads, been to several seminars, conventions and week long classes. The work takes a on a moderately improved look. I’ll also discuss some of the other influences of that time period too. So be sure to check back in with the “Ziser Wedding Way Back Machine” next week.

What Were Brides Wearing Through The Ages?

Here is a great site showing the wedding styles over the past 100 years. It’s fascinating to see how the styles have changed and evolved through the years. Check out the link right here.

The History Of Wedding Photography Through the Last 100 Years

Next week, I'll include an assortment of some of the early influences and a few of the original wedding photographer pioneers of our profession as we know it today.

Hey gang, That’s about it for today – I hear the sunshine and sand calling me from afar. See you tomorrow for "Business Day Thursday". Adios, --David

"The Sleeping Lady Of Manzanillo"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image Sunday, the first day we arrived in Manzanillo, Mexico. For our first sunset down here, nature hit it out of the park. The view is of "The Sleeping Lady", a rock formation that the Mexicans believe looks like a lady lying in the sea. It is kind of easy to see the similarity - beautiful, nevertheless. Camera specs; Nikon 300D fitted with 18-200mm lens at 48mm, F11 @ 1/800 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! --David

It's Technique Tuesday - All Day!

Good Morning Everybody,
We begin our third day down here in unbelievable Manzanillo, Mexico. I have to tell you, it's kind of hard to be thinking of "Technique Tuesday" today with all the magnificent beauty that surrounds me here. But, for you dear readers, I will make the sacrifice ;~) So, how about - on with the show....

Porcelain Skin - Technique Tuesday 03.04.08

I saw this tutorial over at Stock.Xchng, printed it out, and tried to duplicate the result. It took me a few tries until I finally got it. Some of the steps are not super intuitive which is why I thought I would do a video of it.

I really like the effect and see some applications for that really theatrical retouched effect. The folks over at Imagenomic have a great Photoshop plug-in that does what looks like the same thing. We actually use it at my studio and it does a great job, but if you want to save some dollars this tutorial will do the trick. Give it a peek and see what you think.

Fill 'er Up With Some Fill Light

On the photography side of Technique Tuesday, check out this great article on fill light over at Lighting Essentials. This is information every wedding/portrait photographer should know. Here is the lighting link right here.

A Photoshop Giggle

If you don’t want to learn anything about Photoshop, check out this link to “You Suck At Photoshop.” These tutorials over at the Laughing Squid by Donnie Hoyle have been making the rounds across the net and have been getting HUGH traffic. They are kind of funny and a really cute giggle. If you have a few minutes, take a break and check them out. They are a complete waste of time but still entertaining to the Photoshop geek in a lot of us.

Hey gang, is that the call of the soft waves of the Pacific I hear – it must be so I must answer the call. See ya’ tomorrow. --David

"North, South, East, and West At 30,000 Feet"
© David A. Ziser

The original of this image was made while enroute to Houston yesterday morning at sunrise. I loved the soft colors hitting the wing of the plane against the gentle blue of the background. After two flips in Photoshop, I got the final image. Camera specs; Nikon D300 fitted with 18-200mm lens at 56mm, F4.8 @ 1/100 second, ISO 1600. Enjoy! --David

Marvelous, Marvelous Monday

Good Morning Everyone,
What a weekend - we finally got out of the door on Friday, and after a little traffic heading north we hit Dayton, Ohio - not quite the center of the universe, but still a nice Midwestern city. I actually went to college - the University of Dayton - just a few years ago. That's where I received my Engineering degree which has been so helpful in the brave new digital world of ours.

Anyway, we landed just in time to catch up with my buddy, David Jay. We had a wonderful meal, great conversation, and some laughs. We headed back to the Marriott for a early evening as David had an 8:00 A.M. program. If you have never heard DJ speak, make it a top priority if he ever comes to a city near your. His presentation was super informative, inspirational, thought provoking, and packed with good marketing info. What a joy it was to be in the audience - I think everyone felt the same way.

You can get more info on David over at his web site right here. Also check out his forum - it's not a bunch of "crank" postings - nearly all are from really nice people - worth the visit. David was heading over to Germany for a program on Sunday - he is one busy guy and great wedding photographer.

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.

Manzanillo and Nikon

Well, here we are in beautiful Manzanillo, Mexico for the week – boy, is it gorgeous here. We arrived mid-day Sunday and are just spending the week just hanging out – well, mostly. We are actually down here to photograph Villa Paraiso for their web site. Check out where we are staying right here - unbelievable! Hey, it’s a dirty job, but somebody has got to do it. I’ll pop a few images up this week.

Wait, there’s more cool stuff happening too. Nikon has been kind enough to let me try some of their gear out for the next month. Right before we left for the convention on Friday, I was tearing into the boxes on a new D3, D300, 80-200mm VR lens, 15-35mm lens and 2 SB800’s the day before so I could get up to speed with them before the trip. A 24-70mm is still on the way to me.

Those of you who have been following the blog know that two of my favorite features of the new Canon and Nikon cameras are first; Highlight Tone Priority on the Canon side and Active D- Lighting on the Nikon side, and second; the high ISO’s the new cameras are capable of letting us capture. I'm really looking forward to give Nikon’s 25,600 ISO a try.

I have to say, I shot a high school play Thursday evening with the D3 at 3200 ISO and took a quick peek Friday – I was amazed – NO noise! I'm going to run the cameras through their paces this week while I have some time. I’ll keep you posted – should be pretty cool.

Need To Check Out A Convention Or Show Near You?

So would you like to know when there is a photography convention, trade show, or exhibition in your neck of the woods? Here is a great link over at Shutterbug right here with pretty thorough lists of events coming up around the USA.

Also, over at Rangefinder right here, there is a thorough listing of seminars and workshops along with several PPA, Professional Photographers of America, related events. If you have any similar links that speak to the international segment of our readership, just post right here in the comment section of the blog.

More Cool 3-D Photography

I got an email last week from my Internet buddy, Neil Creek. I blogged him a few weeks back about his 3-D photography experiments. Here is the DigitalProTalk story right here. Well, Neil has some more info on what's he been up to lately in his 3-D world. He has a great article right here explaining in great detail how to view his 3-D images.

He even used a picture of me to illustrate the article - now I'm world famous. It's worth a peek if you like this kind of stuff, and I have to say - I do.

More On Camera Resolution

Jeremy over at What's Gotta Stay has a great article on camera resolutions and nice remarks on my article, “How Many Pixels to Make a Face.” It was an in depth article I posted two weeks ago showing in the real world where a camera’s resolution needs to be for the portrait wedding photographer, particularly when we are dealing with very small head sizes when photographing large wedding party and family groups. You can give it a read again right here.

Give Jeremy's article a read too right here.

Hey gang, on that note, I’m out of here – I hear a Margarita calling my name ;~)
Adios, David