50 Years Later: A Grand Celebration & A Peek Down Memory Lane

Hi Everybody,

Today is a BIG day at DAVID A. ZISER PHOTOGRAPHY.  Yep, turns out we’re having a big party. Were celebrating my Golden Jubilee Anniversary as a wedding photographer. What's a Golden Jubilee?  It’s a whole bunch of years –like 50 of them!  It's true - it was 50 years ago this year that I photographed my first wedding. I was just such a wee child at the time ;~)

Actually I photographed my first wedding at age 15 – it was for a co-worker friend of my father. I still remember that wedding. I remember that it was well exposed, well photographed with decent story telling throughout.  Sorry I don’t have any images to share with you.  I have no clue where the negs might be at this point.  Ahhh, history lost to the ages.

I also remember photographing it with a Yashica A medium format camera - a camera picked up a pawnshop for $25. It shot 120 film, came with a great lens, and took great photographs. Everything was manual of course but I did have an inexpensive light meter, probably one my father used when he was a teenager involved in capturing family and vacation photographs, and it got me through the day.

I really don't remember much about flash photography at the time as I recall the whole wedding was outside so I think I was able to pull it off with just the available light.

Today I’m Joining With Many Of My Managers, Assistants, and Staff Who Have Helped Build My Business Success Over These Many Years

We're trying to keep the celebration kind of personal today so I've  invited only those good folks that have worked here in the studio over the past several years. That includes my very first assistant, Steve Bitter, as well as many other generations  of assistants including ACE #1 assistant, Nickolas Viltrakis who still helps out occasionally.

The invitation list also includes all my staff and studio managers.. We got a pretty good turnout from our RSVPs so it should be a nice celebration. I’m really looking forward to it and re-connecting with many old friends.  I'll plan giving you a recap on Monday hopefully with some photographs to share of the celebration.

Why not take a peek back in time with me in my WayBack Machine and smile at the images from my humble beginnings:

The Violinist: [link] Taken 45 years ago at age 20.

Budding Photographer: [link]

WayBack Machine #2: [link] Images taken in 1978 – the beginning of my studio career, age 30.

Oldie But A Goodie Wedding Image: [link] Image probably around 1980.

WayBack Machine #3: [link]

Engagement Sessions ‘80’s Style: [link]

WayBack Machine #5: [link]

WayBack Machine #6: [link]

Hope you enjoyed the trip down Memory Lane with me.

Everybody have a great weekend and I'll see you soon.

Adios, David

The Coming World Of Photography; A Look To The Future; FREE Lighting Seminar; & New B&H Wedding Web site

Good Morning Everybody,

I have to tell you, the very nice weather around here is really making it hard for me to get motivated ;~)  Heck, I even took off an hour early yesterday to enjoy it.  I've got a few things for you today so let's get right to it. 

I see where my good buddy and fellow blogger, Kerry Garrison, is giving a FREE lighting seminar in Anaheim, CA this Saturday July 2.  Yep, I'm sure I read FREE - you can check it out right here.

Next up - let me tell what our good friends over at B&H are up too - it's pretty cool.  The have just launched a brand new website just for wedding photographers entitled, "The Ultimate Guide To Wedding Photography."  I have to tell you, this is not "fluff" stuff.  The site has lots of solid wedding tips and tricks for aspiring pro and seasoned professional.  Check it out right here.

And speaking of Aspiring Pro's, I ran across this very interesting article a few weeks ago.  Give it a read and then tell me what you think.  Be sure to read this article to the end - you'll be surprises by the "punch line."

The Coming World Of Photography; A Look To The Future

Photography spent its first hundred years slowly developing its mechanics, its lenses, cameras, emulsions, and lights. But digital cameras have speeded progress and will place the digital camera in the forefront of man's technical devices when victory comes.

To determine the new uses, new methods, new viewpoints that will give digital camera work its direction in the digital period, POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY has asked a trusted photographic editor, a war correspondent, documentary photographer; teachers of photography, manufacturers, and a soldier to contribute to this symposium. (I've only selected one person for this story - DAZ.)

Their opinions differ. Yet somehow all seem to feel that the second hundred years will see the digital camera put to use as never before with the aspiring pros often leading the way. THE EDITORS

WILLARD D. MORGAN, Photo Editor [link]

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY can well afford to pause and take stock of its phenomenal growth. Today, as photographers we have high ISO's, fine cameras, marvelous color rendition, highly perfected flash radio triggers and strobes, efficient lighting equipment, fine sophisticated exposure meters, easy and cheap digital printing solutions, excellent lenses, and uniform photographic printing mediums of excellent quality.

There will naturally be changes and improvements as we progress in our digital age, yet basically we will be using familiar materials. What then for the digital photographer?

For the commercial photographer I can only see a period of intense production to fulfill somewhat stylized photographic demands. Here and there a creative worker may override static work to produce a variation in style.

The aspiring pro will ride through the digital years with a free spirit of adventure. Every new camera, lens, and piece of camera equipment will be eagerly seized upon and used. These digital aspiring pros will form many new camera clubs, eagerly buy all the new photographic books, read 100's of blogs, and become the initial participants in a great proving ground of new equipment and methods which may later become standards for the professional as well.

I feel that the great changes in digital photography will come from the creative aspiring pro, who is not bound by commercial conventions. To be specific, this creative aspiring pro photographer will learn to give a fuller interpretation to the people and places about him. Changes will come from within the photographer himself. I would like to see the discussions of the future center around the interpretation of the photographic idea and not on endless techniques which will be fairly easy to acquire anyway. In this way we will enter a new century of photography which will be challenging and exciting.

Article text reprinted from the February 1944 issue of POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY magazine.

 

"1944 you say! Digital wasn't even around then!"  You're right, but 1944 was another time of tremendous rebirth in photography - the post war years. 

I para-phased the article referenced above and changed out ever so few of the original words - like "postwar" for "digital" and "amateur" for "aspiring pro".

 

What rings true is this: 

When you have an explosion of enthusiasm in our profession, it is the amateurs and aspiring pros who jump on the bandwagon first.  That's clearly what happened in our current digital revolution and also helps explain the new digital photography landscape we see before us.

--Food For Thought!

 

BTW, you can read the original text by hitting the "Read more..." link below.

__________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today. I've got to get working on a few items for our upcoming PhotoPro Summer School next week.  Have a great rest of the day.  I'll hope to see you tomorrow for a very fascinating Business Day Thursday.

See ya' then,  David

The Coming World Of Photography

Photography spent its first hundred years slowly developing its mechanics, its lenses, cameras, emulsions, and lights. But war speeded progress will place the camera in the forefront of man's technical devices when victory comes. To determine the new uses, new methods, new viewpoints that will give camera work its direction in the postwar period, POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY has asked a trusted photographic editor, a war correspondent, documentary photographer; teachers of photography, manufacturers, and a soldier to contribute to this symposium. Their opinions differ. Yet somehow all seem to feel that the second hundred years will see the camera put to use as never before with the amateur often leading the way. THE EDITORS

---

WILLARD D. MORGAN, Photo Editor

PHOTOGRAPHY can well afford to pause and take stock of its phenomenal growth. Today, as photographers we have fast films, fine cameras, marvelous color film, highly perfected synchronizers and flashbulbs, efficient lighting equipment, fine photoelectric exposure meters, standard reliable processing solutions, excellent lenses, and uniform photographic paper of good quality. There will naturally be changes and improvements after the war, yet basically we will be using familiar materials. What then for the postwar photographer?

For the commercial photographer I can only see a period of intense production to fulfill somewhat stylized photographic demands. Here and there a creative worker may override static work to produce a variation in style.

The amateur will ride through the postwar years with a free spirit of adventure. Every new film, developer, and piece of camera equipment will be eagerly seized upon and used. These postwar amateurs will form many new camera clubs, eagerly buy all the new photographic books, and become the initial participants in a great proving ground of new equipment and methods which may later become standards for the professional as well.

I feel that the great changes in postwar photography will come from the creative amateur, who is not bound by commercial conventions. To be specific, this creative amateur photographer will learn to give a fuller interpretation to the people and places about him. Changes will come from within the photographer himself. I would like to see the discussions of the future center around the interpretation of the photographic idea and not on endless techniques which will be fairly easy to acquire anyway. In this way we will enter a new century of photography which will be challenging and exciting.

Quick Hit Monday: Baseball Blues; Furries Everywhere; Wedding Photography Tips; Inspiration; & Photoshop Freebies

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I’m writing this as we are driving back to Kentucky after a wonderful weekend. We've been on a 730 mile round road trip since Friday and it's been a lot of fun.  Hotel rooms were at a premium in Pittsburgh this past weekend with the Boston Red Socks in town playing the Pirates. 

Ball Game Blues In Pittsburgh

I think our hotel was Red Socks headquarters with fans everywhere shouting and cheering for their team. At are hotel you could see it was – to paraphrase - Casey At The Bat… “There was no joy in Mudville — as the mighty Red Socks had lost by 2 runs both Friday and Saturday night. 

The good news for the Socks fans and for those who stuck around was their Sunday win over the Pirates.  I have to tell you, it was fun visiting and chatting with the Socks fans the two days we were at the hotel - they ARE enthusiastic fans.  I sure wish we had a little of that in Cincinnati for our mostly winning Reds.

The Furries Were In Town Too – Yikes!!!

The other event that had the city booked up was the Furries Convention taking place in downtown Pittsburgh [link]. OK, it's officially called the AnthroCon Convention [link], but it still comes down to over 4,500 folks hitting town dressed up as animals - think amusement park mascots - wandering he streets of Pittsburgh and surrounds. 

It's quite the site and Pittsburgh has been the host city for 6 six years in a row for this national convention. You know – I guess it’s what makes the world go ‘round.

Visiting With Old An Old Friend

Although the original intent was to visit a good friend who had moved to Pittsburgh a number of years ago and be part of her 50th birthday celebration, when I realized my good buddy Terry Deglau was only another hour away, we gave Terry a call to see if we could stop by and visit.  He gladly obliged and we had a great time reminiscing over a long and enjoyable lunch on Saturday.

Terry is from a family who ran a studio for over 75 years in the Pittsburgh area.  He told us it was his grandfather that started the business.  Terry left the family business to go to work for Eastman Kodak Company and was with them for 20 years.  During that time Terry was very supportive for many years of my early growing photographic and teaching career.  Since his leaving Kodak, we have always tried to stay in touch.

Because of the experience in his family's 75 year old photography business and his many years at Eastman Kodak, he has become a wealth of photographic information.  I encouraged Terry to start a blog many months ago which he did. Here is the link to his blog – A Creative Mind Is A Moving Target again right here.  He contributes to it on a weekly basis with stories and experiences that you simply won't read anywhere else.

I like to think that Terry, as he continues to write his blog, will become one of our indispensable photographic historians.  I sure hope so.  We all get so wrapped up in the "here and now" we easily lose sight of those whose shoulders the rest of us stand on for our continued success.  THANKS Terry for all your doing - "live long and prosper," and continue blogging as I look forward to your posts. And, good to see you again.  Until the next time Terry, All our best,  David.

Hey gang, I've got the rest of the posts devised into sections for your easy reference.  Lots of good information today, so please take time to enjoy the reads.

Wedding Photography Links You Need to Read

Every week I try to present a few good links helpful to our wedding photographers reading this blog.  This week I found a slew of them that are full of information and advice that is practical, informative, and important to your successful business building.  Every one is a great read.

1. 10 Common Compositions In Wedding Photography – Great! [link]
2. Wedding Photography Tips : How To Photograph People [link]
3. 5 Fastest Ways To Fail At Wedding Photography – Must Read [link]
4. What I Learned from Jasmine Star – Always good advice [link]

Inspirational Photography and Design

Quick Hit Monday has become my favorite day for offering you links to posts that offer photographic, technical, and compositional inspiration to help you get your week started off on the right foot.  Sometimes the links are a bit eclectic but they are the kinds of things that tickle my fancy and I hope you enjoy them too.  Here is this week's list - Enjoy!

1. 140 Great HDR Images [link]
2. 40 Random High Quality Photo Worth Seeing [link]
3. Fascination Digital Works Of Art [link]
4. iPhone Photography – pretty cool images [link]

Photography News, Tips, and Techniques

It's been quite a week with me finding lots of great instructional content for your reading pleasure….Enjoy.

Some News You Can Use

1. Doug Box’s Flash Photography: On- and Off- Camera Techniques for Digital Photographers [link]
2. Digital photography trumping film for good? [link]
3. A "Baker's Dozen" of Studio Lighting Tips Added to My Flagship iPad App: 24/7 Photo Buffet [link]

 A Few Photo Tips

1. Understanding the Factors that Affect Depth of Field [link]
2. Tips To Reduce Noise In Your Images [link]

Photoshop Tutorials, Techniques, and Freebies

Once again gang, here is this weeks list of links to my favorite tutorials, techniques, and freebies.  Over the last several weeks there have been quite a few links that I've posted at DPT.  I'm trying to figure how to categorize all these links for future reference - stay tuned.  In the mean time, enjoy this week's offerings.

Tutorials & Techniques

1. Photo Restoration – very good [link]
2. High-Pass Filter vs. Unsharp Mask Sharpening [link]

The Photoshop Freebies

1. 51 High Quality Texture Packs [link]
2. 25 Free Brushes and Patterns [link]
3. 60 Fresh High Quality PSD Files and Templates [link]

_____________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We've got a lighter week than usual around here, I think I said that last Monday as well, and we are really looking forward to a stress free work week.  How about I see everyone back here tomorrow for another Technique Tuesday. 

See ya' tomorrow,  David

And While Speaking of Photographic History

The complete photographic history of photography can be found right here at National Geographic. Hey, if you are in the business, this is worth a peek. It's a fascinating look at some of photograph's firsts - like first photo of a person - 1839, first bird's eye view - 1858, first color photo - 1861, first action photo - 1878. And wait, there's more - National Geographic is also making about gazillion of their great images available as "wallpaper" for your computer for free! (Thanks to Photojojo for that tip.)