"Cover Girl"

"Cover Girl"
©David A. Ziser

I posted several landscapes last week so I thought I better get back to wedding photographs again this week ;~)  This is one of my favorite images from my Master Class a few weeks ago. I was trying out my new really portable radio slaves I picked up about a month ago at CameraDoJo.com  and was having a good time adding even more lights on my wedding portraits. This wedding portrait is one such example.

The main light is coming from camera right, a Canon 580 EXII through my Zumbrella, a believe at about 1/4 power. The accent light, just a little unit I picked up at B&H [link] is directly behind the bride and was positioned there to illuminate her veil. The third unit, a 580 EX at 1/8 power, was being held by one of the class members camera left and slightly behind the bride.  This third flash really adds a nice separation of the subject from the background. It just adds a bit more dimension to the image. Think of this light as a second accent light on the scene.

The wide angle lens really emphasizes the beautiful architecture of the church with the lens’ super wide field of view. When composing for this kind of image, always try to visualize where the lines are leading, then place your subject at that point as I’ve done in this image.  Underexposing the ambient light 1 stop emphasized the subject even more in the finished composition.

CAmera specs:  Canon 7D fitted with 8-16mm Sigma lens at 10mm, F 6.3 @ 1/30 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

Technique Tuesday: “I’ve Seen The Light”

Technique Tuesday: “I’ve Seen The Light”
Hey gang, I’m pretty stoked about this tutorial today. It’s the first one I’ve put together completely with my Canon 5D Mark II. Here is why I’m fired up. The entire tutorial gives the viewer and exact “camera eye” view of the shot. You see what I see in the camera as I look for the light and compose the image.

There were just a few hic-cups during the shoot; noisy kids coming out of the elevator where I was doing the demo, my reference to a triangular shadow on the camera side of the face when I meant triangular patch of light, and the hotel guard coming by on his Segue just as I was doing the wrap up – notice my quick glance to the left as I smile my way to the end of the video.

Here is the back-story on this episode -
In this episode of Technique Tuesday I want to walk you through a short lesson in how to find the direction of light in a natural light situation -- say for example, outdoors. I think this is one of the hardest things for photographers to learn. You would think it would be a given but, I can remember years ago when my instructors were trying to teach me how to do it and, I didn't find it that easy. I'm just covering the tip of the iceberg today but I hope it gives you some insights on how to improve your natural light photography. Anyway, hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show.



This was my first try but I have to say, I love the possibilities – more to come for sure – enjoy!

That’s it for me today – more book writing on my plate and then we head back to Cincy bright and early tomorrow. I’ll see everybody then for another episode of Analysis Of A Wedding – Part 6 – “Shooting the Room.”

See ya’ then. -David

Technique Tuesday: Shooting The Groom; Keeping It Simple, Natural, and Classy

Good Morning Everybody,
Day one turned out to be a pretty easy day down here in the smokies. A light drizzle most of the day still gave a rich, saturated look to the last vestiges of fall color still clinging to some of the trees outside our windows. Because of all the moisture here at 3500 feet, many of the trees have what seems to be a perpetual mossy - a slightly muted green color - look on their trunks. The last time I saw this same moss on the trees was in Scotland about 2 years ago. It really looks cool to see it on so much of the foliage here. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to capture the beauty with a mega-pixel or two this week.

But enough about the weather already. It's Technique Tuesday, so let's get on with the show...

Shooting The Groom; Keeping It Simple, Natural, and Classy
Last week I discussed how I photographed the bride on the wedding day. Well, let's not forget the groom on the wedding day either. I've said so many times in my seminars that we photographers are always concerned about her “bridal” portraits. But nobody ever talks about the “groomal” portraits we need to take.

In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through a series of images I create for the groom on the wedding day. These images are more than just quick snaps of the groom looking straight back into the camera. My goal is to make the groom look comfortable, handsome, and at ease in these shots. Hey, we always make the bride look good – we need to do the same for the groom as well.

I also want to show the groom among his surrounds. So in this tutorial I'll walk you through several images in which I photograph the groom by window light, natural light outdoors, in the sanctuary of the Church, and in many other types of situations. So, sit back and relax, hit the PLAY button below, and enjoy the presentation.

Hey everybody, that's it for me today. Check back tomorrow for another edition of the Analysis of A Wedding Shoot - Part 4. Have a good rest of the day, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Adios, -David

"Beauty By The River"

"Beauty By The River"
© David A. Ziser

This image is more about composition and lighting than anything else. First, composition - notice how I've placed her head in the top left quadrant of the scene. Also notice how the curve of the river's flow leads right to her. Also notice how the direction of light, coming from my off-camera flash, is coming from the same direction as the river. No fancy poses, just pretty light, and nice placement in the composition. I do wish the foliage would have been in better shape though - still, I like the image. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 24-105 IS lens at 58mm, F5.6 @ 1/250 second, ISO 200. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday: Photon Ricochet - Just Because The Flash Is On Camera Doesn't Mean The Photons Need To Coming From That Direction

Good Morning Everybody,
I hope everybody liked the post yesterday. I got a call from my buddy, Kent Smith, who delivered the Canon 5d Mark II to our Canon rep on Sunday, only to convince her to let him borrow it later in the day for some video testing. I just got a call from Kent telling me how fired up he was about the video option - his first tests were fantastic he told me and he can't wait till his arrive.

He has this great idea of shooting the video snippets, tying them into the regular still images and making it available to his senior clients for their I-Pods & I-Phones, etc. He tells me his model was so "fired up" after he showed her some of the short footage and can't wait to get her I-Pod loaded up with the video. All good stuff, you know. As soon as I see his result, I'll give you an update.

Now On To Photon Ricochet
I have been demonstrating this technique for years since I first saw it utilized by my buddy Denis Reggie at my wedding 3 years ago. What happens if we take our on-camera flash, turn it 90 degrees, and bounce it off the wall? I've been bouncing my off-camera flash off the wall for years getting great results. Now with the much faster lenses, the higher ISO's being built into the cameras, and the ability to use apertures much wider than in the old medium format camera days, this technique can create much better lighting on the scene than Uncle Harry's on-camera "blast flash" technique. Hit the PLAY button below and learn how to play Photon Ricochet. Enjoy! -David



A Few Quick Points Of Clarification:
Last week I discussed how to use Hi-Speed Flash Sync on Technique Tuesday. It seems it's the HOT tropic these days. I just got wind that there is another great piece on the same subject over at Pixsylated.com. Here is the link. That's to our buddy, Scott Kelby, over at Photoshop Insider for the heads up. Anyway, in last week's tutorial, "Rocket Speed Flash Sync" [link] two questions came up that I thought I would help clarify here whick I think are also answered over at Pixsylated.com, but anyway, here goes.

#1. If the flash were just "staying on" during the exposure, then the faster shutter speed would darken both the sky and the model.

That is exactly correct. The sky gets darker since it can now be controlled and darkened with a higher shutter speed. The shadows on the subject will also get darker too since they represent ambient light which is being reduced by the higher shutter speed.

#2. The gap between the curtains is just getting smaller but it still takes 1/250 for it to travel from top to bottom? Does this mean that the time from when the first light hits the sensor until the last light leaves the sensor is always the camera's highest NATIVE sync speed - 1/250 in this case?

The short and sweet answer is YES. But remember this, if the camera is set to 1/250 second, the actual flash duration could be MUCH shorter. It's only when "High Speed Flash" is used that the flash duration must be extended for the total time it takes the shutter to traverse the sensor - hence, the major power hit to the strobe when using this technique. It's still all Harry Potter magic the way this stuff works these day!

Hey gang, that's it for me today. Check back tomorrow for our scintillating podcast, "Should We Shoot The "Shoot and Burn" Wedding Photographer". No nasty emails yet please - give the podcast a good listen first. You may be surprised with what you hear. See ya' tomorrow. -David

"Sculpted By The Light"

"Sculpted By The Light"
© David A. Ziser

Every now and then I'm presented with a situation where the subject, the background, and the lighting come together to produce an outstanding portrait. That's how I feel about this image. Call me old fashioned, but I love this portrait study of the bride. Notice I used the term "portrait study." That means we get to explore the line, shape, and form of the subject sculpted by the beautiful window light. We get to study the composition of the scene - the straight lines of the mantle contrasting with the curved lines of the arched mirror and the chair to the bride's right. We also get to enjoy how the bride's shape and form compliment as resonate with the surrounds. Notice how the texture of her gown seems to repeat itself in the scroll work of the mantle. The image is just a pleasure to view. It's an image full of inner voices that let the viewer study, appreciate, and enjoy the composition presented. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 32mm, F 4.0 @ 1/50 second, ISO 640. Enjoy! -David

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.