What’s Up Wednesday: Last Call - FREE Wedding Webcast: Easy As 1-2-3; Fall Workshop Announced

Good Morning Everybody,

Just a quick note about a few things happening today and a new series beginning tomorrow. Here we go…

Last Call - FREE Webcast Tomorrow: Super Bowls and Weddings

Don’t forget we have our FREE Webcast happening tomorrow with Lynn Michelle, one of the busiest photographers in Dallas. I talked with Lynn earlier today and it sounds like she has some great Super Bowl stories to tell – like how she literally ran into President George Bush!  She said it was one of the most insane, exciting times of her life.  I can’t wait to talk with her tomorrow about the entire experience.

That’s only part of the story.  As I said, Lynn is a fantastic and very popular wedding photographer in Dallas – she is booked up for the rest of the year!  I’ve asked her to share a few insights with us about what today’s bride is looking for in her wedding photography and how she keeps those bookings coming. 

This webcast is a special feature for our DPT readers so I’ll hope you’ll join us for tomorrow's show at 2:00 p.m. EST.  You can hit the button above or register right here.

Captured By The Light DVD Set Receiving RAVE Reviews:

Since we released my CBTL DVD set of over 14 hours of training last week, folks have been lovin’ it.  A lot of photographers are opting for our SUPER SPECIAL Easy 1-2-3 Build A Bundle deal.  For only $40 more you get my 13 hour Digital Wake Up Call DVD set and your choice of my autographed CBTL book, a Zumbrella, Love Lightz, or Sun Spotz reflector! Not bad for only $99!

Remember, for everyone ordering the CBTL DVD set, we are throwing in the Tour DVD and the Tour Handbook.  It’s like being there all over again.  I did receive one very interesting comment from someone that purchased the DVD set.   They told me that they’ve watched the DVD over and over each time picking up some new tip and technique, but even after all the viewings they still didn’t win a door prize ;~)  Anyway, check it out right here – you’re going to love it.

Announcing My Fall 2011 Digital Lighting Workshop

This is BIG news gang.  I was holding off doing another week long workshop in the Fall.  But my team has convinced me to do at least one more.  Our Spring workshop has been sold out for month’s and photographers have been calling about when the Fall workshop would be scheduled.

Well, I can now tell ya’ – we have just set the dates so mark your calendars:  October 10-14, 2011 right here in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.  Cost is only $1195 for the week.  That  includes workbook, portfolio development (you keep the photos you take of our models), 50 solid hours of training by myself and my coaches, two meal functions at our home, and much, much more.

You’ll fly into the Greater Cincinnati airport (CVG).  We made arrangements with the 4-Star Homewood Suites hotel and were able to hold room rates to only $94/Single or $129 for a shared 2 bedroom suite (BEST deal).  We love this hotel, the staff is great and everyone loves the “Suites” accommodations.  Bring a friend, and share a 2 bedroom suite with a common living area and kitchen, 2 separate bedrooms and 2 separate bathrooms. What a deal for only $129!  BTW, the hotels offers complimentary breakfast every morning and a light dinner/snack with adult beverages available every night.  That really makes your stay a bargain!

Call the Studio 800.292.2994 or 859.341.5900 to reserve your space. EASY pay is available so don’t wait and miss a spot in my Fall Digital Workshop.

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Hey everybody, that’s it for me today.  I hope to see everybody same time, same place tomorrow of another episode of Business Day Thursday.  You don’t want to miss it.  I’m beginning a brand new series, “What Happens After The Wedding Shoot?”  I’ll give you a tour of our workflow/salesflow exactly as it  happens in my studio.  Be sure to tune in.

See ya’ tomorrow,  David

Quick Hit Monday: Good Color; Wireless Shooting; Watermarking Made Easy; More Mini Z-Rays; And A Giggle Or Two

Good Morning Everybody,
We wrapped a great Digital Master Class again last week. Whew, was it busy for all of us around here. This week we have a lot of projects on the front burner, albums to design, images to fine tune, DVD's to burn, hotels to book...... I'm announcing a new webinar on Wednesday so stay turned - I think you are going to love it.

I'm also hooking up with my models from last week this Wednesday and we are planning to spend the day shooting some brand new content for my Technique Tuesday episodes and a few more projects planned down the road. Stay tuned on these too.

I mentioned in my last Friday post entitled, "What I Learned...". I received an email or two asking if that means it's going to be a better class than this past class? Hey gang, the last class was a great class so the answer to the question is NO - it's going to be DIFFERENT class.

All our classes continue to receive "RAVE" reviews from nearly everyone that attends. Why is that? I think it's because for as many years as I been conducting my Digital Master Class, it continues to morph to accommodate the current group of attendees.

It's time to change it up again and that's the plan for October. More hands on shooting, more portfolio shooting for students, more individual attention to each attendee, less class time on album design, photoshop and lightroom techniques and lots of additional renovation in the works. Of course, that means modifying and changing the course content to accommodate the added time spent on shooting. No problem, I'm going to give it a try so stay tuned. It will be another "knock your socks" off week of living, learning, and loving photography!

Remember, you can still sign up at the old price of $895 until Friday of this week. Then the price increases to $995 to accommodate several thousand dollars of additional costs. Regardless of the cost increase, this class still is the best value on the planet when you consider a 100 page course workbook included, class CD included, one-on-one time with my staff for all who ask included, and two fun dinner evenings at our home/studio walking you through "Studio Life" at David A. Ziser Photography.

Anyway, give Jennifer a call at 800.292.2994 if you want to be counted in for October.

OK, time to get "cookin'" with another Quick Hit Monday. Here we go.

Good Color; Wireless Shooting; Watermarking Made Easy; More Mini Z-Rays; And A Giggle Or Two
Color Monitor Calibration: If you missed it, my buddy, RC over at Layersmagazine.com had a nice video on the elusive task of making your color look good. He uses the same gear I use - the Spyder 3 Elite - so give it peak right here - definitely worth the trip.

Wireless Shooting On The Cheap: Blogging buddy, Jeff Revel, just picked up his new Eye-Fi Pro card. The is the new card by the company of the same name that that has wireless shooting built right in.. I just picked up the same card myself about two weeks ago. Jeff gives you the low down on how it works. Here is the link to the story right here.

Watermarking In Lightroom: Here is a great article on how to watermark your images using Lightroom and Morgrify right here. Jim Goldstein, is an extremely talented landscape photographer - just check out the rest of his site. He also keeps it coming with solid content for his blog - always worth the trip.

Somebody Stole My Mini Z-Ray: Well not really, but DIYPhotography.net has a fun piece on how to do light painting with the new LED lights on the market. Step by step fun for the entire family. Here is the link right here.

And Now A Giggle Or Two
OK, wedding photographers if you haven't seen the wedding couple dancing down the aisle on YouTube lately, you must not be connected to the web because this video has been causing splitting laughs everywhere - including the national news like in the New York Times. Here is the link to the story and the YouTube video right here.

But wait, there's more. Now check out the "Dancin' Down The Aisles Of Divorce Court" right here. Both are worth a Monday morning giggle.

Hey gang, that's it for me today, I'm heading down the road to Louisville, KY. I'm a board member of KPPA's ( Kentucky's Professional Photographers Association) and we have a meeting putting the final plans on the Fall meeting and next years' state convention. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to mention that I'm doing a day long program for KPPA on August 17, 2009 in Lexington, KY. Here is the link to all the info. Hope to see you there.

Have a good one, everybody. See ya' tomorrow for another Technique Tuesday episode. Adios, -David

Finishing Up Friday: What Did I Learn This Week?

Good Evening Everybody,
Yes, today we wrap up a great week of learning, sharing, capturing some outstanding images,
camaraderie, good food, and good times. Sing along with me.... "Now it's time to say goodbye to all the family. M - I - C...." Sorry, I'm really dating myself with that one. Seriously though, there was a lot to be learned by everybody this week, including me.

Sure, we all get to know each other, joke around, and have a great time, but amidst the great times happening, something else happens too. You learn more that the nuts and bolts of digital photography. The class members bring their own experiences, perspectives, and ideas to the mix. It's that kind of experience that can only make the class richer for everyone, - including myself.

So what did I learn this week - here are a few impressions:
1. I learned that my week-long classes want even more time shooting - I've been slow to hear that message - but in October we have planned nearly two days of shooting scheduled.

2. I've also learned with more "coaching" by me or my staff, the better the class enjoys the experience. In October, I'm planning to have 4 additional, well trained team leaders on board who will work one-on-one with our smaller 4-5 member breakout groups.

3. With our rained out Tuesday shoot we stumbled on a new location that offers 5 distinct locations for shooting - inside, window light, compositional backgrounds, outdoors, and urban shooting. I can't wait to put these additional compositional elements into play at the Fall Master Class, October 27-31.

4. I learned that even with my slick PowerPoint presentation, which makes creating outstanding imagry look so easy to do, that it's like learning Photoshop - when you think you've got it, you probably don't. Seeing lots of class images from our shoots pointed out to me other refinements I can bring to my teaching methods and class resources.

5. I learned that the class want to shoot the models and be able to use the images in their portfolio development. We are lining up extra models and securing model releases for the entire class - yes, this fall you will be able to use you images for your portfolio.

6. I learned that with everyone shooting the same lighting gear, thanks to Quantum, the learning curve was ramped up considerably. A BIG THANKS to Quantum for the use of their gear!!

7. I learned a lot about the higher ISO settings on the various camera bodies. Seeing the images from everyone's cameras really brought out a few surprises for me. I was amazed by the lack of noise in some cameras and the heavy noise in cameras which were touted to be low noise wonders. More on this down the road.

8. I like learning how wedding can vary from different parts around the country and around the world. The styles, routines and obstacles each photographer faces can seem overwhelming until experience and practice become the norm.

9. I learned that at the end of the day, there is a lot to be gained just by sitting and visiting with each other. Everyone brings something to the table at my classes. I'm glad we all able to get together and I thank everyone for sharing experiences, interacting with one another and being part of a great week.

These changes are pretty much what my team and I have planned for October. Because of the substantial increase in costs for lots of additional staff, we will be raising the price of the class $100 on August 9, 2009 to cover most of the additional expenses.

So, if you this experience is for you - it's what everybody is asking for - give Jennifer a call next week at 800.292.2994 and you can still reserve your seat at $895 and save $100 till next Friday. After August 7th the price will go to $995. Our Fall Digital Workshop is scheduled for October 26-30, 2009. Hope to see you there.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. LaDawn and I are both looking for a little R&R today, it is our 4 year anniversary, you know. Have a great weekend everyone. See ya' on the flip side. Adios, -David

Quick Hit Monday- Master Class News; Short Wait List For Canon 5D Mk II; How To Use 5D MkII Video Feature; Free Presets and Actions

Good morning everybody,
Well, I hope everyone made it through the first phase of the holidays. Now if we can all make it to the New Year, we will be home free. Things are a little slower at the studio. We always take this time off to catch our breath, regroup, and get ready for a brand new year. Things will be pretty much back to normal at DigitalProTalk too so how about on with the news…

Conversations/Discussions, and Insights- Oh My!
Hey gang, I just wanted to say thank you for the great response to my post Conversations/Discussions, and Insights that I posted last Wednesday. Here is the link again. That’s what I was hoping would happen.


By reading though all the comments from our DPT readers we were presented with a wealth of ideas and perspectives on the subject. Thanks to all who contributed to the post. We will have to do that again soon. I’ll fill you in on what I decide my shooting strategy will be as soon as I continue to fine tune my process.

My Very Popular Digital Master Class – At The Best Price Possible
I’ve mentioned my Digital Master Class [link] occasionally over the last few months. Here's the deal – we are also trying to help with this country’s economic stimulus package too and are holding the cost to $795 for a full week of eating, sleeping, and breathing digital photography, Lightroom and other magic bullet software solutions, business building and more.

After January 1, 2009 the cost will be $895. So give the studio a call at 1-800-292-2994. If we are out, leave a message and Jennifer will reserve your seat at the $795 price. Next week, that price ($795.) will be gone forever.

Tired Of The Long Waiting Lists For Your New Canon 5D Mark II
Wait no more, or at least, don’t wait so long. Someone asked me in a post how I had gotten my Mark II so quick. Everybody else had the super long wait lists so I just gave my buddies at K&R a call.

K&R Photographics is run by my buddies Rob and Wilma Kumler literally just minutes down the road from me about one exit away. They are one of the biggest Hasselblad dealers available dealing with all that high end photo equipment. I got my first Hassey from them many years ago. Anyway, they just became a Canon dealer earlier this year – hence no long waiting lists for the camera. Give a call at 859-341-6986 and see if they can shorten the wait for you too.

Canon 5D Mark II Tutorial On How To Use The Video Feature
And speaking of The Canon 5D Mark II, check out this handy tutorial I found over at 1001 Noisy Cameras. This is like a twenty minute lesson but covers a lot of the camera settings to get the most out of this new camera feature – worth a peek - here is the link right here.

Free Lightroom Presets and Actions From Epic Edits:
I got an email from fellow blogging buddy, Brian Auer over at EpicEdits.com. Brian runs a very hot site covering a lot of different and interesting topics ranging from shooting film (must be that San Diego sun – just KIDDING!!!) to setting up a project to create a resource for free presets and Photoshop actions [link].

I opened the email late so I’m just getting the news out, and I’m afraid, a bit late. But, hopefully, the Preset/Action goodie basket is worth a peek. He did a review of a very cool action submitted a week or so ago – check it out right here.

Hey everybody, that's it for me today. But, don't forget to check back tomorrow for Technique Tuesday -- Finding and Seeing the Light. (If the weather holds, that is.) See you then, -- David

Quick Update On My Master Class

Can you believe it, we are only a week away for my last Master Class [link] of the year? We have had a few individuals need to change to the spring session so we still have a few seats open if you can make it. This session promises to be another international session, this time with attendees coming from Nigeria and Belgium! I have to say the international flavor our long distance guests bring to the class is quite a treat for everyone. My humble thanks to all our class attendees and especially our international guests.


What else is happening for this class - more shooting for the attendees, more Lightroom 2 tips and tricks, more door prizes. Next week we are giving away 2 admissions to WPPI for February 2009 (value $600), 1 admission to Photoshop World in March ($600), Expodisc by ExpoImaging ($100), NIK Software ($150), PPA Loan Collection Book ($75), and much more. Hey, if you can find it in your schedule for next week, give the studio a call then hit the road and I'll see you there.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. Real work calls - see ya' tomorrow for Technique Tuesday: "Little Angels Revised." Yep, you asked for it so it's heading your way - how I produced the "Little Angels" image of the day [link ]. See you then, -David

Who Should Attend My Digital Master Class?

I have received several emails from our DigitalProTalk readers with questions about the level of expertise needed to attend my Digital Master Class. Here are some of my responses to those questions.

Do I need to be a professional photographer to attend your class?
No, in fact my staff has been trying to get me to change the name from "David's Digital Master Class" to "David's Digital Workshop" because it more accurately speaks to what we do in the class. The class is about improving your camera's functionality, lighting techniques, Lightroom skills, and business expertise.

I would say that even though we have several attendees that do in fact operate their own studios as a full time professional photographer, each attendee takes from the class what they need and are thrilled with the experience. Students have the opportunity to pick the brains of my staff one-on-one, see my operation first hand, and pick up on the ever changing digital techniques.

We have several class attendees that have a passion for photography and are at the very beginning stages of wanting to get into the business. Their eagerness is concentrated on their love of the camera and where to go from there. So their desires are aimed more at learning how to light, how to apply posing, and the composition segments of the class. The sales and marketing segments help them kick start their business too and get them started off on the right foot.

We even occasionally have photo enthusiasts take the course because they just want a better understanding of how to get the most out of their gear. They still love seeing the software "magic bullets" I talk about too.

That said, there is something for everyone in the class. In NO way is the class dumbed down in anyway. I believe that the way the class is presented, the attendees get a full measure of want they want from the week's experience, at least that's what our class evaluations bear out when the staff and I review them on Friday afternoon.

What should I bring?
Bring your camera and gear, a laptop, and perhaps a tape recorder. With those three items and all the class materials provided, you will have enough information to review for weeks to come.

What's included for the week?
-Let's talk about the food first - Full breakfast every morning at the hotel, Welcome Party at my studio/home on Monday, gourmet dinner at our studio/home on Thursday, and snacks and refreshments throughout the week.
-The class workbook with over 120 pages of class notes that follows my presentation exactly. A class DVD with additional materials we will discuss during the week. A DVD containing all the images I shoot during the week.
-More than $1000 in door prises from our outstanding sponsors - Spyder3's, ExpoDiscs, WPPI registrations, Extreme from LumaPix FotoFusion, gift certificates, and a lot more. That means everybody wins something.
-Probably one of the best things; the camaraderie and collective knowledge and experiences of the entire class all in one place for the week. Most of the classes have stayed in touch via Google groups, emails, at upcoming conventions, etc. after the class wraps.

Anyway, I hope that gives you a pretty good idea what the week is about. You can get all the info at DavidZiser.com or just give the studio a call at 800.292.2994 and visit with LaDawn, Jennifer, or Sharon all of whom would be happy to answer your questions.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. Enjoy the podcast and let me know what you think. I'll see everybody tomorrow for Business Day Thursday. See you then, David

Shameless Self Promotion - My Fall Digital Master Class

Fall dates - September 15-19, 2008. Classes held near David's studio in metro Cincinnati, OH area. Only 10 Seats left!!!

Here is the blurb;
"If you want to improve your flash technique, your photography expertise, your Photoshop and Lightroom skills, and build a more profitable business then David's class is for you. Nobody puts more down to earth, practical, usable ideas into a week long course. He's been running a very successful studio for over 20 years. By incorporating David's class information; you will quickly see improved results in your lighting, imagery, and bottom line."

Here is how we are shaking it up for the Fall session.

-Monday: NEW! Class discussion of over 40 On/Off-camera flash techniques, Dramatic Composition, and Lighting including all the finer points - a "brain-fry" for the first day! Welcome Party in the evening.

-Tuesday: NEW! On location shoots all day. Part of the day we will break into 4 smaller groups for shooting on your own with models.

-Wednesday: NEW! We will review and critique all the class images. In the afternoon, we get started on Lightroom 2.0 - what's new - and workflow (processing the 3000 image shoot.)
NEW! Sunset/Night shoot - weather permitting.

-Thursday: NEW! Discussion of "Magic Bullet" software that will change your digital lives. I'll also covers about 50 ways to add to your bottom line. Gourmet Dinner at the Ziser's in the evening.

-Friday: We wrap up at noon - don't try to sneak out early, we're all pretty darn busy until quittin' time.

We have a few more ideas in the works - I'll keep you posted. Here is the link to the Summer Master Class wrap up - Summer Digital Master Class Recap and Student Images

Your cost - only $795. Call 800.292.2994 to register - class size limited to only 25 participants. Additional info and suggested schedule at DavidZiser.com. Plan to fly into the greater Cincinnati, OH airport - CVG. Hope to see you there!

Good Morning Monday: Digital Master Class Recap and Student Images

What a great week last week - I spent a small bit of time over the weekend sorting through the more than 3,700 images that were taken by the class, my assistant, and myself and have selected a few of my favs to share with you today. First of all thanks to Lance Burns for coming by on Saturday. His little Epson P5000 was the class repository for all the student images and he was kind enough to let me download them and pick my favs for review. That's Lance in front of one of our historic church's in downtown Cincinnati in the first image.

The class was really picking up on how cool the lighting looks with the off-camera flash. I especially like this second image of Darcy with the long shadows and the evening glow in the background. One of my big favs from all the collections is this image of Carlos on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River with Cincinnati in the background. I think it's a great portrait.

Now on to my very favorite images of the week. It seems that during one of the class's midnight outings, they happened upon one of the local residents in downtown Cincinnati, paid the gentleman an appropriate modeling fee, and got these two outstanding images. I tweaked them a bit in Lightroom, but I think these are two very strong images of this gentleman made even more striking with the time of night, direction of lighting, and expression. Way to go gang!!

You know, it was great for me to see the class take the initiative to just go out and shoot on their own and see just what they could come up with. Their sharing and collaboration made it a richer experience for everyone involved. For our Fall Digital Master Class, I'm planning to change it up with a bit more shooting opportunities with a possible evening session thrown in too. I'll keep you posted as to how the new format evolves. Hey, if you are interested in joining us in September, give LaDawn, Jennifer, or Sharon a call for more info and to reserve your space. We are 1/3 booked already and the Fall session books quickly. Hope to see you there.

Enjoy the Animoto show below which recaps the great time we had last week. My heartfelt thanks to the entire class for making it a truly terrific week.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

What else can I say - Thank You for the support we get from my Vendor Buddies and the nearly $2000 in door prizes we gave away last week. WOW it sure adds to the excitement and is a real kick for the class. I said it during the class, and I'll say it again - I love recommending these products and services from the vendors that support the class. These are the same vendors that I use in my own business and have helped me become successful in this profession over the years. My relationship with many of them spans several years. I am always happy to recommend and promote the best of the best.

My thanks to:

WPPI - an association I have been part of since I started my business 30 years ago. This convention is a must. Thanks for the 2 WPPI registrations for the 2009 convention.

LumaPix:FotoFusion - The absolute fastest and best album and project design software on the planet earth

Zookbinders - makers of the best wedding albums on the planet.

Delkin - They continue to develop products that make our lives easier in our digital world.

NIK Software - Their newly introduced Viveza software along with all their other products are revolutionizing our work flow.

Canon Cameras - And especially Mary Mannix, our Canon rep who always let's be borrow the lens, radio transmitters, and what ever else I need for the week to enrich the shooting experience.

Marathon Press - Their marketing seminars and supporting products are second to none.

Datacolor - Makes of Spyder3 Pro, my monitor calibration tool of choice - accurate, fast, and easy to use.

Triple Scoop Music - No one does it better than Triple Scoop when it comes to reasonably priced royalty free music - look for the Ziser collection soon.

NAPP - Where else would you go to learn Photoshop, Lightroom, or anything Adobe. Another must attend convention! Their new Kelby Training division is the go to place for "all you can eat" Photoshop, Lightroom, Photography, and more.

Lexjet - My only source for all things ink jet - a great company with great advice and support.

B&H - Some of the best prices anywhere for anything photographic - a special thanks to Steve Schwartz from B&H for dropping by this week too.

Tallyn's Professional - I've know Scott for over 20 years and Scott knows his stuff. He has about the best prices on data recovery and offers a full line of products and services to the professional photographer.

ExpoImaging - Eric knocked digital white balance on it's ear with his introduction of the Expo-disc. It's now the standard easy way to get to perfect color.

Neil Enterprises - Still my favorite choice for self-stick albums, CD and DVD covers and other promotional products that let me promote the heck out of my business.

Neschen Americas - Their coating machine for ink jet prints is the de-facto standard. Nobody has a better, easier solution.

Alan Galleries - Their image boxes and frames are some of the best values anywhere.

Jainco Tech - Making it easier than ever to get to your digital images just right for viewing and printing.

And finally a great big THANK YOU to LaDawn, Jennifer, and Sharon who spend untold hours planning and in preparation to pull it all together so that the Master Class week is a wonderful experience for everyone who attends.

Thanks again Everybody, David

Fabulous Friday - Wrapping a Great Week

Good Morning everybody,
Well, today wraps up another great week with a terrific class. Last night everybody headed over to our home for some mighty fine fare, relaxed, and just had a good time. I have to say, every class has a different personality - all good of course - but this class had about the most energy I have ever seen. Maybe it was that Tuesday session where I had the class break out into 4 smaller groups of 5 to shoot around the beautiful church trying all the photographic techniques they had learned in the first two days of class.

Anyway, that seemed to be the kick start for a lot of class members to really take the initiative to get the most out of the week. That night several members of the class headed out to dinner with cameras and flash gear and didn't wrap shooting till about mid-night. They did the same thing Wednesday night, and again last night as well.

I have to say, it was cool to see not just some great images, but their enthusiasm and bonding friendships developing as well. They promised me a copy of the images and I hope to feature some of the best next week. What can I say? This Summer Master Class has been a real kick!! We wrap the class today at 12. Next week I'll post a week's recap and several of the images created during the week. I think you will get a kick out of viewing them as the wheels of creativity continued to roll along thru-out the week.

My Digital Master Class Kicks Off Today

Good Morning Everybody,
Today we kick off my summer Master Class and literally have people attending from around the world with one of our attendees coming all the way from New Zealand. I've been to New Zealand myself lecturing many times and love the country. They say New Zealand has all the geography of the USA all wrapped up into a country the size of Colorado. It is truly an amazing place to visit. We also have a few attendees from Colorado as well as Virginia, California, Georgia, Utah, Tennessee, Alberta Canada, Missouri just to name a few of the locations.This week, we are going to show everyone some good old Kentucky hospitality and educate the class as to why Kentucky is truly the center of the universe ;~)

This week's postings will be class centric and informative. Check this out, Kevin King, the genius inventor of the very hot selling and now famous "Radio Poppers" sent me a few to use during the class. I'll give you the scoop later this week and pop a few images up, too. Tamron also sent me their fairly new, get this, Tamron 28-300mm VC (vibration compensation) lens to play with. I've seen this lens at various trade shows this year and it's image stabilization capabilities really intrigue me. I'll keep you posted on that one too. Eric, over at ExpoImaging sent me his new Ray Flash ring-light flash attachment to use during the class also. Lots of new toys to play with thru out the week. Stay tune for further updates.

Hey gang, there's lots more too, so I'll just keep you posted as the week progresses. It's going to be a kick.

Update On Summer Master Class

WOW! We are over $1000 in door prizes for the Summer Master Class coming up July 7-11, 2008. In fact, we have a little something for everybody. I've been told that we only have 3 seats left, so if you are at all interested, please give Jennifer or LaDawn a call at 800.292.2994 to register or to just get some additional info on this class or the Fall Master Class scheduled September 15-19. Remember the second person from the same family/studio saves $100. Also, if have have been to my class before, you can attend again and save $100. You can also get all the info right here. Hope to see you in class.

One last reminder, I'm doing my Marathon Press Webinar this evening at 8:00 p. m. Here is the link again for all the info. It promises to be at least 45 minutes of great info and 15 minutes of questions and answers.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. See everyone tomorrow for Business Day Thursday. What's the topic - Well, as requested, "If you were just starting out, how would you build your client base." See everyone tomorrow. -David

My July Master Class Almost Full!

Because of a waiting list for the Spring Master Class we decided to add a summer session on my pretty darn popular Digital Master Class. We still have a few seats left for anybody that wants to spend a great week of eating, sleeping and breathing digital photography.

The Summer session is truly going to be an international event. We have a photographer from New Zealand who just signed up for the class. We have also have had inquires from as far away as India and South Africa - pretty cool.

For this session, I am also trying something a little different with the class. We will break into smaller groups with everybody getting a chance to shoot. Then we will review the portfolios of each group and see what we've learned and how these can even further be improved - it should be fun. Anyway, you can find all the info on the my July 7-11 Summer Master Class right here.

Want A Fun Inside Peek At My Master Class Last Week?

What a terrific time I had last week. We had a great group of attendees in the class. Sarah was the perfect model and we got a really nice set of images. Take a quick peek at the week, just hit the Play button for a short Animoto show below. It's fun to watch (especially with the Latin soundtrack.) By the way, if you want to check out the images one at a time, I just posted them over at Flickr right here. Thanks to everyone for the very kind comments in the Comments section of the post right here.

Because of our "Sell Out" situation with the Spring session, we added a Summer session. It's already 50% booked so if you want to be part of a great week of learning and sleeping, eating, and breathing digital photography, check your dates July 7-11, 2008 and "Come on down!" Here's the link for all the info. We are already planning a few surprises for the Summer session so stay tuned for details.

A Fabulous Friday

Good Morning Everybody,
Well, here we are on the last day of my Spring Master Class and we have had a great week with a terrific group of attendees! Everyone had an excellent time at dinner last night and just relaxed. Today we finish up and wrap about noon and everybody heads back home. What's cool about about these classes is the sharing that goes on among the entire class and with myself as the teacher. The wonderful thing about teaching is that I get to learn quite a bit from the class attendees as well. Next week I'll post several images for the week and maybe we"ll see some of our readers at the Summer session in July - here is the link for that info. So a special thank you to this week's students- from left to right starting with the back row - Tammy, Tom, Jeff, Chuck, Steve, Jim, Chris, Trent, Carlos, Alice, Peter, Warren, Greg, Martha, front row -Rick, Sarah, Terri (finally blogged), Kurby, yours truly and LaDawn, Ray, Claudia, Bobbie, and Tod. A WONDERFUL and very talented group of individuals. Thanks again everybody!

Technique Tuesday 04.29.08

Good Morning Everybody,
Well, the class is off and running to a great start. We had a super shoot yesterday - and are planning more photography all day today. Although the rain put a little damper on the Welcome Party festivities at our home last night. But no prob - we just moved everyone and the party indoors and had a great time.

Thanks to Chris, one of our class members, and computer whiz kids to boot - no pun intended - he was able to get my cranky new Dell back in operation in time for our image review. It hit a major hic-cup right before everybody arrived thanks Chris.

I picked some good ones and they are on the presses as I type. Two of the images have been featured elsewhere in the posts so here are the other two. I'll get a nice sampling of my favs next week after the class wraps.

Shameless Self Promotion - My Digital Master Class

New summer dates just announced - July 7-11, 2008.
Classes held near David's studio in metro Cincinnati, OH area.

Here is the blurb;
If you want to improve your flash technique, your photography expertise, your Photoshop and Lightroom skills, and build a more profitable business then David's class is for you. Nobody puts more down to earth, practical, usable ideas into a week long course. He's been running a very successful studio for over 20 years. By incorporating David's class information; you will quickly see improved results in your lighting, imagery, and bottom line. Your cost - only $795. Call 800.292.2994 to register - class size limited to only 25 participants. Additional info and suggested schedule at DavidZiser.com. Plan to fly into the greater Cincinnati, OH airport - CVG. Hope to see you there!

Hey gang, that's it for this week. Keep the shutters clicking, and remember, pixels are our friends! Have a great weekend, -David

And Speaking of School, How About Heading Back To Photography School - Part 1

One of he best ways to grow your business and deliver a better product - in this case, I'm talking about the product of Wedding Photography. We all want to be able to make better images - right? When we see a great image, it inspires us, we want to be able to create the same kind of image. How can we do that? Here is a great way to “kick start” you brain juices – how about going back to school – for free!

It’s easy, just head over to Google and Flickr and do a search on “Wedding pictures”. Here are the number of matches that popped for Google – over 19,000,000 and for Flickr - over 200,000. Hey folks, that’s a lot of inspiration and many great ideas here. Sites like Flickr even let you group your favorites so you can easily revisit them for future reference. Find someone whose work you really admire and check out their photo-stream - lots of little gems there. As you add to you favorites, you are continually creating a “go-to” source of ideas for your own weddings.

When I did my Google search, the first few pages had some great images on them - so save the images that "speak to you" for future reference. It’s easy; just do a quick “right mouse click" grab - rename the image to your "Image reference" folder that's always handy for later review. I remember, years ago, that as a student of the craft, I would purchase legendary Monte Zucker's proof set, study it thoroughly, and try to get a few of images to look anything like his. Slowly but surely the concepts and ideas start to take hold. When mixed with your own creative juices, you start to develop your own creative style - that's a cool feeling.

But remember, these are just for your personal review and cannot be used in any promotional way. The point is this, as you “Go Back to School”, save your favorite photographers site links, and your favorite images from your image searches into your very own reference library of any number of categories. For example; Wedding Portraits, Wedding Photos, Reception Photos, Details, Bridal Portraits, Fun Candids, etc. It's a great way to ramp up your skills and the learning possibilities are endless.

We can also go to seminars, and workshops - there are a several seminars coming around the states this year. Be sure to check out my good friend, Ed Pierce's series entitled, "Captivated By The Light" right here. Ed always puts on a good program. I'll keep you posted as I hear of more such seminars - if you know of any, please let me know too.

And wait, there's more, my Digital Master Class - info right here - held in the greater Cincinnati area is nearly full for the April 28 - May 2, 2008 session. We have about 6 six seats left, so if you are interested, give Jennifer a call at 800.292.2994 to reserve your seat.

A Thoroughly Thoughtful Thursday

Good Morning Everybody,
I have to say, this Cabo visit really has all of us in slow motion. I'm taking a constant "ribbing" from my friends and wife, LaDawn - their mantra - more margaritas, less blogging! All kidding aside here is what is on for today: Part 2 of my "Creativity Series"; some creative insights from master digital artist, John Caponigro; an invite to Matt McGraw's site; and some Christmas goodies, so on with the program...

P.S. Anyone interested in signing up for our Spring Digital Master Class at the 2007 prices should call Jennifer at 800.292.2994 right away. You can get all the info on my Master Class right here.

A Quick Fifty Master Class Pic Hits

So what really happened last week? LaDawn and I were talking over the weekend, and she asked, "Aren't you going to post a recap of last week's class?" She continued, "The class members were excited and loved the class, you took almost 1000 images at some of the nicest places in town, we gave away $1200 worth of prizes, we had great guest speakers, and we had 2 wonderful parties." I thought, why not, so here we go with one more "Quick Hit Pics" show.


By the way, my next Master Class is scheduled for the Spring. Here are the dates - April 28 through May 2, 2008. Give the studio a call if you would like to reserve a seat. The link for all the info is right here at DavidZiser.com. Hope to see you there - on with the show - remember hit the play button twice.