"Beauty All Around"

"Beauty All Around" 
©David A. Ziser

Here is one of the images I made just two weeks ago.  We were back at the Cincinnati Club and I was able to capture some really great images.  This is one of my favorites.  During the shoot, I thought I liked another, but after editing the shoot in Lightroom, I kept coming back to this particular image. I love how nearly every single line that our eye sees leads directly to the bride.  There is just no escaping it.  You are drawn completely to her.  Notice too, that her head is at the center part of the image.  No rule of thirds here - just bulls eye composition.  Camera specs; Canon 5D Mark II fitted with Sigma's 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F5.6 @ 1/10 second handheld, ISO 2500. Light is provided by completely natural available light coming in from the right.  Enjoy! -David

Quick Hit Monday: Learn Lighting, Photography, Photoshop, and How To Produce Fine Art Prints - Oh My!

Good Morning Everybody,

I'm kicking off today's post with a great big THANK YOU to all my Facebook friends who sent me birthday wishes last Friday.  Yep, it was a big day for me.  Once the emails started lighting up my Outlook folder, I tried to figure out how the word got out.  Then it hit me - good ol' Facebook.  Anyway, my thanks again to everybody who sent me such nice birthday wishes.

After a great time in San Diego last week, we are ready to "rock and roll" this week.  I’m still putting finishing touches on my Webinar on Outdoor Wedding Photography for Wednesday evening's presentation.  You can  register right here.

If you haven't signed up yet, you only have 2 days left!  We are using a different registration process this time around - if you are having problems with registration, particularly those of you outside the US, please drop Jennifer a note at jennifer@ziser.com and we will work on resolving the registration issues for you.

LaDawn is getting the last of the hotels booked for my Digital WakeUp Call tour kicking off in just three weeks on September 8 with the first leg of the Fall sessions to include Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Kansas City - hope to see you there [link]. 

I've got 3 portrait sessions tomorrow and we are repacking bags and hopping on a plane for Vail on Friday for a wedding shoot next weekend. Whew!

Heck, we better get moving on Quick Hit Monday, here we go...

Lighting, Photography, Photoshop, and Fine Art prints - Oh My!

Lighting Your Way To Success

The first site I want to point you towards is at Lowel.com.  They have put together some very informative and innovative tutorials on studio lighting at their Lighting Resource Center.  I love how they have made their lessons interactive.  Here is the link right here - tons of great info. You move the light, the lesson shows the result - definitely worth the peek.

Fashion Photography Exposed

I'll tell you - one surf led to another a week ago and before I knew it I was looking at this extremely cool Fashion photography site.  I'll tell you, the photography is well done and the insights to the shoots is also a treat to read. 

The site is a labor of love for Melissa Rodwell, an extremely talented photographer from the LA area. Check out her FashionPhotographyBlog right here.  It's not wedding photography but there are some wonderful and insightful ideas - go take a peek.

Photoshop Phorever

OK, I not sure where I found this site but it may have been from one of the "tweets" over at Yanik's Photo School.  Anyway, the site is PhotoshopRoadMap.com. 

This is one of those sites that has lots of tutorials on just about anything Photoshop.  You've got to take the time to give if a good cruise and you can find lots of tips and techniques that fit the bill for us portrait/wedding guys and girls.  It's kind of fun to see all the content on their site.  Here is the link.

Producing Fine Art Prints - The Definitive Guide

Blogging buddy, Brian Auer, has been working on this seven part series for quite a while.  I've been checking back over the last several weeks to see how his series was coming on "Producing the Fine Art Print". 

Well, here is the good news - his series is complete.  What a series he has put together.  He takes you step by step on how to produce the fine art print.  This is no light weight series he has put together.  His series is all beef with no filler. Here is the link right here.

If you have ever considered getting into the fine art side of photography, you've got to check out Brian's series right here.  This post is definitely a keeper for me.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. We've got a million things going on around the studio this week and I've got to get scootin'.  Plan to check in tomorrow for a very cool Technique Tuesday.  While we were in San Diego last week, I put together a few lessons on composition.  I think you'll enjoy them.

See ya' tomorrow everybody,  -David

"An Afternoon In The Park"

"An Afternoon In The Park"
©David A. Ziser

This image was made during one of my Kelby Training video shoots.  In fact the video from this shoot should be going live very soon - stay tuned.  The day was just a very nice day with soft light everywhere.  I still added a slight direction of light with my off-camera flash coming in from the left side.  The time of year was perfect to have the foliage surround the bride so beautifully.  I like the soft touches of red from the tree near the center of the image punctuating the scene.  It's color is a perfect compliment and a repeat of color, to the bride's bouquet.  Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 55mm F4.0 @ 1/250 second, ISO 250.  Enjoy!  -David

Food For Thought Friday: Are You A Good Student Or A Bad Student?

Good Morning Everybody,

Today marks our second to the last vacation day in the wonderful city of San Diego. Yesterday we hit the San Diego Zoo, but the topper of the day was seeing “Cyrano de Bergerac” at the Old Globe Theater at Balboa Park last night.

This has always been a favorite play of mine since I read it back in my early college days. Patrick Page as the lead was unbelievable.  Turns out Mr. Page has been in a number of Broadway productions as well – including Lion King and Sleeping Beauty.  He had the audience transfixed for 3 1/2 hours.  The play ending with a standing ovation – an exciting,fantastic theatrical experience for all.

Hey gang, just a few notes before we get to today’s post.  The Zumbrella special that’s been running for a few weeks ends Sunday at midnight – see the side bar on right. Thanks to everybody for the “Rave” reviews, by the way. Check out the Zumbrella in use at a real wedding in my “Love Lines” tutorial right here.

OK, everybody - time for today’s Food For Thought Friday – here we go. Lots of instructors teach lots of classes and lots of “students” attend lots of classes – myself included. If you have ever attended or plan to attend any workshops or seminars, I think today’s post is for you. ‘Nough said, please read on.

What Kind Of Student Are You? Are You A Good Student Or A Bad Student?

Over the number of years that I've been involved in this business, I've attended my fair share of one day, multiple day, and week long seminars and classes.

I have found them extremely beneficial and have always found much I could take home from my experience at these workshops. But, was I a good student at these workshops? The answer honestly, in the beginning, is that I was a terrible student.

Hit the “Read More…” link below for the rest of the story.

I can remember one instance where the instructor had spent all morning discussing a certain lighting technique. He then broke us into smaller groups and we headed off to the smaller studios within the facility to practice what he had patiently been trying to teach us.  I can remember being bored stiff until it was my turn to get behind the camera. I thought I could get in there, nail the "Ziser" shot and be finished.

Here is the point though. It wasn't the instructor's shot I was trying to make. I wanted to do my own thing completely ignoring what the instructor was trying to teach me and the other students in the class. I was putting my own ego in front of my education.

Have any of our DPT readers ever done that - maybe we have all been a bit guilty that kind of behavior a time or two in our careers.  Unfortunately, it makes for being a lousy student - I know from first hand experience.

I even remember one moment when the instructor came in to see how our group was progressing.  He caught me setting up some very strange pose, and asked me why I wasn't recreating what he had so patiently tried to teach.  I tried to explain away why I was doing something different from what he was teaching, but he made it clear to me that I was not learning what I had paid to come here to learn.  At that early age in my life I could really care less what he thought about what I was doing, I was caught up in doing my own thing - more "bad student" complex.

I remember another instance when I was studying with the then world famous wedding photographer, Rocky Gunn. In the early 80s, Rocky Gunn was considered to be the #1 top wedding photographer and top instructor in the country. I was lucky enough to be one of the class members in one of his last courses that he taught. Rocky passed away shortly after that class at the tender young age of 42.

Here's what happened the week, back in 1982, I spent with Rocky. I once again had brought a lot of my “ego” to the week long class. What that means is that I thought I knew it all. I was waiting for Rocky to get to the "meat" of the class.  I wanted to see some of the spectacular poses, I wasn't the least bit happy with what he was showing us so far - too much talking, not enough "showing." I had "tuned out" and was being a lousy student.

I started some rumbling through the class that I didn't think I was getting what I was paying for. So I NOT only had these feelings and was disgruntled, but felt entitled to infect the other members of the class. I was trying to spread my own dissatisfaction and gain some validation from my classmates.

Looking back at that week, I think about the monstrous disservice I must have been doing for other members in the class.  I was a negative force sucking the positive energy out of the class.  Here was one of the top photographers in the country and I was the guy trying to take the wind out of HIS sails - pretty selfish, I must say.  When looking back at that week,  I’m embarrassed and I can't believe I acted that way.

It even got to the point that Rocky announced that he had felt the negative vibes coming from a class member. Man, he nailed me.  He was planning to do a very romantic posing session with a couple during one of the evening sessions of the week. He made this announcement to the entire class that he had been feeling the negative vibes from a student or two in the class and he asked that they not show up. He was talking about ME!

Nevertheless I figured I had paid my money and was entitled to be at the evening session. At the same time I decided I better grow up a bit and take a more positive outlook on the class. Fortunately, my week with one of top wedding photographers in the world took a turn for the better.  I got my act in gear, checked my ego, and the week ended up with a ton of positive results including a lot of learning experiences.

In fact, everyone went out to dinner on Thursday to a local restaurant and I had the honor of sitting across the table from Rocky and we had a very friendly conversation during the rest of the evening. 

Because of my short time with him that evening and new found attitude, I gained a greater respect for the photographer he was and also for the type of teacher he was.  He had shown a lot of patience with someone like me and it paid off.

To this day I will say that Rocky Gunn has always been my favorite wedding photographer under which I have ever studied. Not just because of his patience but because of the outstanding wedding images he was able to create.

Thankfully over the years I've grown up and gotten a bit wiser. Now, whether it's a photography workshop, Photoshop or Lightroom workshop, or any other kind of seminar I might be involved in, I am generally always in the front row, notebook in hand, scribbling a ton of notes.  My ego checked at the door, I’m ready and eager to learn. I wish I had spent more time doing this in my early years of development.  Unfortunately, that might just have been part of the maturing process I needed and maybe we all need to work through.

So what kind of student are you? Do you come to a seminar or class willing to learn?  Is your mind opened to all the new possibilities the instructor is willing to give you? Do you approach the seminar with a totally positive attitude -  that in itself is beneficial for the entire class. If  the instructor says something  you don't necessarily agree with, do you let it slide knowing that maybe he/she has a different perspective than you do? Or do you continue to believe your way is the only way?

The best way to be a good student is to show up fully prepared, not necessarily to take better photographs, but to be fully prepared to learn, to be fully open to new ideas, to be fully prepared for a different perspective on how you might do things. The way to be a good student is to come to a class fully prepared to assimilate every word the instructor has to say and fully prepared to practice the lessons he/she is teaching.

Sure, we're all different, but I've found that most instructors out there are ready and willing to teach the full complement of students in their class. Each of us has to be fully willing to be receptive to the learning process in order to benefit from the teaching experience of our instructors.

I wish I had set my ego at the doorstep long ago before I had stepped into Rocky's class that week a long number of years ago. Without filtering his words, his images, his insights and perspectives, through my ego tinted glasses at the time, I might have gotten a lot more out of the class. I know I got my money's worth.  But as I look back, I think I could have gotten a lot more out of the class with a little less of David Ziser wanting to be David Ziser and a more little more of David Ziser wanting to study Rocky Gunn.

Food for thought--

Hey everybody, that's it from me on the fine sunny day in San Diego.  We head out on the red-eye tomorrow and then back to the real world on Monday.  That's a good thing too.  Can't wait to see my Cincy pixels buddies when we get home.  See ya' next week back in the great Midwest.  -David

“Urban Glow”

"Urban Glow"
©David A. Ziser

I made this image while walking back to our hotel this past Sunday evening. We were returning from a stroll through the Gas Lamp District in downtown San Diego and passed by the garden area next to San Diego’s very large, very cool convention center  – compositionally speaking that is.  It was dusk so I got this nice mix of colors – daylight and tungsten - on this very interesting geometric structure. A slight tweak or two in Lightroom gave me the finished result.  I love the lines echoing through the composition, but I also love the colors too.  The combination of both yielded a fascinating and enjoyable abstract presentation. Camera specs; Canon 50D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 80mm, F10 @ 1/500 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

Are You Going To Your Customers Or Are You Waiting For Them To Come To You?

Good Morning Everybody,

Just Chillin’ Wednesday turned out to be pretty fillin’ Wednesday instead. We were out the door fairly early and headed up to La Jolla for a quick walk around the galleries and the beaches – normal tourist stuff.

We then headed up the road to Torrey Pines State Park for a quick peek.  Then it hit me – we were so close to Del Mar – and the Del Mar race track. The track was built by Bing Crosby, Pat O’Brien, and Jimmy Durante in 1937 – here is the history of the track right here. Hey, Sea Biscuit raced here! I decided to take my little Filly to the afternoon races!

 I have to say, even being a Kentucky boy, I haven’t been to a horse race – I know hard to believe – that’s what the  people said at the Del Mar track too.  But, before you knew it, LaDawn and I were in the swing of things – watching the houses parade around the paddock before the race, checking out the odds, and placing our bets.

I’ll tell you, it turned out to be a great day and a lot cheaper than Las Vegas for a good time.  And, we came home a whopping $15 richer for our efforts!

Anyway, time to get on with today’s Business Day Thursday – here we go…

Are You Going To Your Customers Or Are You Waiting For Them To Come To You?

One of my favorite things to do at DigitalProTalk is to post the Business Day Thursday episodes. In ongoing conversations with my staff, we discuss how we can improve polices and practices  to reach out to our own customers more effectively. Missed opportunities may happen but we need to minimize them.  Golden opportunities should never be missed.

How many golden opportunities do we let pass us by on a weekly basis? I think too many.  Why, because we are not disciplined enough to play like the BIG boys.

Hit the “Read More…” link below for the rest of the story.

Recently I was just taking a break from my regular day-to-day activities at the studio. I had pushed my chair away from the desk I was just relaxing for a minute. It wasn't 90 seconds later until I heard my Outlook alert telling that I had new mail.

When I checked, it was from Tiger Direct - one of the largest computer equipment resellers on the net. Interestingly enough, I always go and check their latest weekly specials. I do the same for Micro Center and Amazon too.

Now many of you might think that this is just nasty spam filtering through my spam filter and why would anybody want to even look at those e-mails. Well, what can I say -  I'm a sucker for a good deal and have them listed as friendly sites. Just recently, for instance, Micro Center was offering a 2 Terabyte Western Digital My Book $179.  "What a deal," I thought and purchased two of them.

Anyway, the whole process got me thinking. How many of us in our own small businesses are regularly reaching out to our clients letting them know about our "weekly" specials. Of course, we have to have weekly specials to begin with and most of us don't because we are so "old school."  

Folks, "old school" doesn't cut it any more.  There should be no problem at all for us to set up our own "weekly specials" - 1/2 price on children's specials; monthly birthday specials, holiday promotional specials, baby specials, you get the idea.

It's even easier to get the word out to your clients if you just work at it.  If we could become as disciplined (automated) as some of these big retailers, I bet we could raise our level of inquiries and business substantially. Imagine this -- we rigorously collect the e-mails of our current clients, their family members, and any regular inquiries that may call the studio.

Then we put those email addresses to work for us by regularly notifying our clients of any weekly, monthly or promotional specials.  This is a "piece of cake" with an easy e-mailed newsletter.  One of the best and least expensive newsletter campaigns can be set up at Marathon Press where they make eMail Marketing easy.  Here is the link right here. 

For only $.015/email you can't afford not to be doing this in your studio.  By the way, here is an earlier article I did on a similar topic entitled, Business Day Thursday: Out Of Sight, Out of Mind, Out of Business! right here.

Even if you only have a handful of clients, this is the time to start.  Your list will build and your business will grow.  Just add the discipline to your weekly routine and you've just added a little more high octane fuel to your business plan.  

Hey everybody, that wraps it for me today.  We've only got a few more days in San Diego and are working on enjoying every minute.  Remember my 30-minute-only-working-on-the-blog promise to LaDawn – so I'm out of here.  See ya' tomorrow.  -David

"The Warm Surrounds Of Love"

"The Warm Surrounds Of Love"
©David A. Ziser

Don't you just love my titles.  My brain gets a little numb now and then, but I still love this image.  For this shot, I simply moved the bride around to the small balcony overlook and framed her within the surrounding elements in the background of the ceiling. Once again, all the lines and framing elements keep your eye locked right on the bride.  Illumination is supplied by my Z-Ray light to avoid casting nasty shadows on the surrounding walls.  Check out more Z-Ray lighting info right here from last week's post.  Camera specs; Canon 5D Mark II fitted with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 24mm, F5.6 at 1/30 second handheld, ISO 2000.  Enjoy!  -David

Just Chillin' Wednesday

Good Morning Everybody,

  Turns out yesterday was “Just Chillin’ Tuesday – After taking our normal morning constitution around most of downtown San Diego, we watched the official announcement of the BMW Oracle Racing Trimaran launch  complete wit h Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle and Harrison Ford, of Millennium Falcon fame.

DAZNote: The Wikipedia reads of both gentleman’s bio’s linked above are quite fascinating. 

After the long morning walk, sitting in the sun for two hours, a wonderful lunch at the Prada restaurant in Balboa Park (along with an adult beverage or two) and a quick trip to see the wonderful Ansel Adams display at the Museum of Photographic Arts, we were wiped out. We headed back to the hotel and took the rest of the day off – Whew!

Today, though, we are fired up again and heading out to enjoy our San Diego aventures.

Digital Resource Center Updates:

Don't forget, my "Let My Light Shine On" webinar goes live next Wednesday at 8P.M. EDT. I know that makes it kind of late for many of our international listeners.

But remember, this time around, the $29 registration cost includes a FREE download for all those registered.  That means if you register and can't be with us live for the webinar, you still will be able to hear and see all the good info when the  time is convenient to your schedule. I’ll have the download available within 24 hours of the broadcast.

Pricing after Wednesday's broadcast will be $39 at the Digital Resource Center.  So save yourself $10 and register before next Wednesday. Here is the registration link right here.

Also, the Zumbrella Special ends this weekend too so don’t miss the super deal on my new “shoot thru” Zumbrella and 2 1/2 hours of training that goes with it.  Here is the link to the Zumbrella Special right here . By the way, you can see my Zumbrella in action in my “Love Lines” tutorial right here.

Hey gang, I almost forgot.  I talked with the good folks at Kelby Training a day or so ago asking about when my next training video might go live.  They tell me in just about two weeks or even less.  This video was taped  in Cincy.  I'll let you know when you can tune in.

On we go with Just Chillin' Wednesday

Yep, that's what I'm up to today.  I was just chillin' a bit earlier and found these little tidbits I thought you might enjoy.

Deke's Top 40 Photoshop Features List

America likes it's lists, and another Photoshop guru, Deke McClelland, will be publishing his Top 40 favorite Photoshop features. Deke plans to share one of his favorite techniques every Tuesday on the lynda.com blog. You should find his first five available right now.  Here is the Deke link right here.

Mark Hamburg Returns To Adobe!

I'll tell you, from the scoop I pick up from my blogging buddies and others in the industry, Mark Hamburg was one of the main heartbeats getting Lightroom up and running.  In fact, he is the first one listed in the Lightroom credits. It was quite a surprise when Mark decided to give his life's adventures a different direction  by heading over to Microsoft about a year ago.  Anyway, he's back.  That should give Lightroom even more "sizzle" in upcoming releases.  You can read the entire story over at the ever popular and informative blog by John Nack right here.

Makes Me Want To Wait For  For A Rainy Day

Alright, I was digging deep for this one, but every now and then I make the length journey though all my Google Reader bookmarks and come up with a gem or two.  I think this post fits the bill.  Here it is - How To Make Realistic Dew right here. 

OK, OK, I know this isn't a technique you will use every day, but the processes demonstrated might give you some ideas that might be helpful in your other projects.  Hey, learning is learning, and learning is good.

The A-Z Photoshop Plug-in List

One of my favorite, favorite sites to visit on occasion is Smashing Magazine . Wow, do they have good tips, techniques and information available on their site.  Here is their latest list of 40 Free Photoshop plug-ins.  Not all of them are winners, but there are a few gems in the list, and heck, they're free.  Have fun with the browse right here.

And Last But Not Least - Photo Twitterers

Just when you thought you had a few minutes of free time to yourself - something pops up to rob you of those few precious moments of just doing nothing.  This is that kind of "something". Yes, you too can follow over 100 Tweeters and jam pack every corner of brain with more photo input that anyone ever thought possible. 

All joking aside, there are good Tweets to be found in the post by our blogging buddies at Photoprenuer.com right here.  Hey, while you are there check out they're book too.

Hey gang, that's a wrap for today.  We are heading up to La Jolla today to see what’s up.  See ya' tomorrow for another business building episode of Business Day Thursday.  See ya' then.  -David

"Bathed In The Light"

"Bathed In The Light"
©David A. Ziser

Here is another image from last week’s photo assignment. It was captured using completely natural light flooding in from the window.  I adjusted the exposure to wash out much of the exterior elements so that the viewer's eye would be focused totally on the bride.  Your eye can't leave the composition easily because of all the framing elements of the window surrounding the bride. I especially love the high key, airiness look of the image too.  Yes, a little Lightroom  extras added to this one.  Camera specs; Canon 5D Mark II fitted with 24-70mm lens at 24mm, F5.6 @ 1/60 second, ISO 800. 

Enjoy!  -David

Technique Tuesday: 24 Images, 24 Stories

Good Morning Everybody,

Yesterday was a pretty lazy day for LaDawn and I in San Diego.  We just toured around the city and had a nice visit and an excellent lunch at the famous Hotel Del Coronado .

Today is when we get a little excitement around here.  It seems BMW Oracle racing team is announcing the launch of their brand new Trimaran - about the biggest racing yacht in the world – we are looking at it right outside our Hilton hotel window. 

This thing is gigantic – the catamaran is 90 feet long!  BMW Oracle Racing's trimaran is capable of sailing 2 to 2 1/2 times the speed of the wind. It’s mast is as high as a 16-story building and the mainsail is twice the size of a Boeing 747's wing.

The boat's three hulls would cover the diamond on a major league baseball field, and are just shorter than an NBA court. Check out this image by Billy Black, one of the top photogs of these kind of ships.  By the way, you can check out more of Billy Black’s images right  here.

The Alinghi Catamaran, BMW Oracle’s arch-rivals, represent the pinnacle of contemporary multi hull design. Both are gearing up for the World cup races.  The drama builds.

At the Hotel Del Coronado yesterday while having lunch, I spotted something on the horizon that looked like it was a lighthouse. The only thing  was – it was moving.  I took a quick shot of it with my 18-200mm IS lens them zoomed the image.  There it was – the BMW logo. The huge mast dominated the horizon. 

Anyway, Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle and Harrison Ford of Indiana Jones fame are announcing the launch of the new BMW Oracle racing yacht this morning at 11:00 AM.  They’re expecting about 4000 people to show up. Heck, LaDawn and I may join in the crowd.

I asked them if they needed a photographer yesterday when we walked by – they said I had to talk to Larry (Ellison). I asked if he was around, but was told, Not this morning. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

OK, everybody time to get on with today’s very interesting Technique Tuesday.  Here we go.

24 Images, 24 Stories

Hey gang, I'm putting a different spin on my Technique Tuesday today. But don't worry,  I think you are going to thoroughly enjoy it.  About a month ago, I did an interview with Dave Warner  at LensFlare35.  If you missed it, you can check it out right here.

Here is the really cool part.  Dave had me send him more than 2 dozen of my images for me to critique.  Here is what happened.  He got them posted and then I went through each image giving the back story and exposure information on each one of them.

I'll tell you, when you watch the video, it becomes a 30 minute class on lighting and composition.  I invite you to take a peek right here.  Enjoy!

While you guys and girls are watching the show, LaDawn and I are heading out to explore a bit more of our San Diego  surrounds.  I'll plan to see everybody tomorrow for Just Chillin' Wednesday.  See ya' then,  -David

30,000 Feet And Beyond

"30,000 Feet And Beyond"
©David A. Ziser

I captured this image just as we were descending for our landing into San Diego in the early evening on Saturday.  I have to say, I love viewing the mountains and mist out of a plane window.  I’m always fascinated by how the mountains gently recede into the distance and then completely from view. Camera specs; Canon 50D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 130mm, F8 @ 1/3200 second, ISO 800.  Enjoy!  -David

p.s. Before I’m called on the carpet for my camera settings, I let the “exposure” chips fall where they lie as it was not even a consideration in the fleeting moments I had to make the shot.  -David

Quick Hit Monday: News At Nik, Nikon, and Some Super Cool Canon 5D Video Stuff

Relaxing in San Diego - to blog or not to blog - that is the question.  OK, just kidding - but I promised LaDawn that  I would spend only 30 minutes a day blogging.  We  arrived safe and sound on Saturday evening. Switched hotels on Sunday – that’s another story.  Finally got settled in, grabbed an "adult" beverage and enjoyed the sun setting over the ocean.  Ahh, life is good.

I gave my buddies a call at NIK Software last week and we are planning a trip to their world headquarters sometime this week.  I'll tell you, they make the best and most useful plug-ins going for both Photoshop and Light room. I can't wait to see behind the scenes. This sounds like a story down the road to me. I'll keep you posted.

Hey gang, I've got a couple of goodies for you on today's Quick Hit Monday so let's get right to it.

Quick Hit Monday: News At Nik, Nikon, and Some Super Cool Canon 5D Video Stuff

News At Nik -

OK, I know I just mentioned NIK Software, but I just received their news letter right before we headed out last week and I thought I would share it with you - lots of goodies in this one. Here is the link. 

First of all check out all the FREE webinar archive [link] NIK has available. This is the first time I've seen it - pretty cool stuff.  Even LaDawn, who is not a Photoshop fan, found the NIK tutorials easy and very informative. Also, don't miss some great deals NIK has on their software products - free software, great deals, and more - definitely the sale of the summer at NIK [link].

Nice photo they used to lead off the newsletter too;~)

News At Nikon

OK, hold on to your hats - you won't believe this one.  I got the lead from my ace #1 assistant and all around nice guy, Nicholas V.  Here is the deal - read the press release on Nikon's new CoolPix S1000pj camera right here.  Yep, you are reading it right - it's got a built in projector built right into the camera!    I'm blown away - What's next in this wonderful, great, digital world of ours?

Oh, by the way, did you see the other features too - New Skin Softening, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix™, Face-Priority AF, and I love this one - Smile Timer, Blink Proof and Blink Warning.  I can't wait to get these features on my Canon 5D Mark II!

Super Cool Canon 5D Mark II Video Stuff

OK gang, I'm wrapping with this one today. Prepare to hold onto your seat after you hit the PLAY button below! I always like scanning the Imaging Insider for new things - always a fun browse -  and this time I stumbled onto this great link to tons of Canon 5D Mark II videos over at Cinema5D.com [link]. WOW - almost 800 of them and in hi-def! Just click on "Shot on 5D" and enjoy. Folks, these are not your ordinary home movie videos.  These babies will knock-your-socks-off so go check them out.  I'm wrapping with one of my favs - enjoy!

UBERLIFE - trailer from Jovan Todorovic on Vimeo.</p>

Hey gang, on that rambunctious note, I'm out of here to enjoy a bit more of this great city.  See everybody tomorrow for a really cool Technique Tuesday.  See ya' then, -David

"A Walk In The Park"

"A Walk In The Park"
©David A. Ziser

This is an image I almost skipped by as I was browsing through the set.  But I kept coming back to it.  What was it that had caught my eye?  Then I noticed it.  Look how the long sidewalk directly behind the couple cuts right through them leading your eye directly to them.  Now notice how the steps leading down from the Pavilion in the distance lead your eye right back to the couple.  Light is powered in from the left from my radio controlled off-camera flash at full power. It's all the leading lines, the rich colors, and the easy,natural feel and setting that make me like this image.  Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 14mm, F11 @ 1/250 second, ISO 200. 

Enjoy!  -David

You Light Up My Life Friday: Controlling The Contrast Of The Scene

Good Morning Everybody,

Whew! One more day and we are on our way to San Diego for a week.  I'll tell you, LaDawn and I are both looking forward to the break.  I've still have several projects to complete, a family portrait this evening, but that should make it “clear sailing” for next week.

A few things happening around here - I got an email from a blogger who runs a fairly large photo blog.  No names yet please.  He asked me to be a contributor to a new wedding blog he is in the process of putting together - can't tell you that name either yet.  OK, now I've got you guessing, you will have to wait till we get back from San Diego for the rest of the story - all good, so stay tuned.

Just a quick reminder, The Zumbrella Special that I've got running on the blog - 1 Zumbrella (the best shoot thru umbrella on the planet;~) together with last month's 97 minute Location, Lighting, Lenses, and Composition webinar presentation and my Shooting at the Speed of Light DVD has been extended until we return from San Diego. The entire bundle - Zumbrella and 2 1/2 hours of training is priced at only $59.95 ($123 value), at least for one more week.  Here is the link to all the info.

The new "Let My Light Shine On" webinar is quickly filling. We are covering lots of outdoor lighting techniques so it will be a great presentation packed with a ton of information. And, hey worldwide listeners, you even get a free download of the webinar too so you can listen to it any time you want.  Here is the link to register.

Hey gang, I've got a winner of a post today so how about we get on with Light Up My Life Friday.  Here we go.

Light Up My Life Friday: Controlling The Contrast Of The Scene

My little Z-Ray light, just a Brinkmann high intensity flashlight [link], is one of my favorite lighting sources to "play" with.  I love the small cone of light it throws on the subject giving me that "George Hurrell" look to my wedding portraits.  Here is a link to about 21,000 "George Hurrell" images right here - kind of a nice browse.  It gives you an idea as to what I mean by George's lighting look.

Anyway, the Brinkmann cost me about $29 on-line but others have told me they have picked one up for $19 at Wal-Mart - what a deal.  I think any bright flashlight would work, I just like the Brinkmann.

Figure 1.

Here is the deal though.  Some people have commented that they tend to over expose the highlights with the Brinkmann.  That means that they are getting too much contrast in the scene when shooting with the Brinkmann light. That got me thinking - what's happening?.  How can we control the contrast of the scene when using continuous light sources, or any light sources for that matter when making our shots? Well, it’s a pretty simple fix.

Hit the "Read More..." link below for the rest of the story.

Remember, the Brinkmann is a continuous output light source.  The Inverse Square Law  tells us that the the brightness of the light on the subject is inversely related to the distance that the light source is to the subject. 

OK, what am I talking about ?  At ten feet away, the Brinkmann will give me an exposure of F4 at 1/6 second at ISO 800.  Check out the first image in Figure 1 - those were the settings for image above.  Notice how dark the shadows are in the shot.  That's because the ambient light was not bright enough to fill the shadows much.  No problem, in my opinion – I find it still to be an exciting shot.

Now look at the image below - Figure 2 – which I posted two days ago entitled, "Cityscape". It was taken at F5.6 @ 1/8 at ISO 1600.  It too has little detail in the shadows - again not much light to fill the shadows  because of the late night shoot.  In both of these images, my assistant was holding my Z-Ray about 10 feet from the subject.

Figure 2.

Now let's take a look at the last image. It's exposure was made at F5.6 @1/10 second at ISO 800. My Z-Ray was only about 5-6 feet away from the subject, hence the substantially increased exposure on this shot. 

In fact if you do the calculations - F5.6 allows half the light to the sensor as F4.0.  That coupled the fact that the shutter speed was 1/10 second in this third image instead of 1/6 second, as shown in the first image, means that the third image was made with my Z-Ray 4x brighter than it was when making the first image. Why? Because it was closer.

That follows the Inverse Square Law exactly - halving the distance of the light source to the subject increases the brightness of the light 4x.  Or said another way, doubling the distance of the light source to the subject reduces the light brightness to 1/4 its original brightness.

In our third image - Figure 3 - though, notice the shadows have some detail in them.  The reason for this is because the ambient light at the hotel where the image were created was quite a bit brighter than the ambient light in the late night outdoor shoots.

Figure 3.

So you ask, "Can the contrast - the brightness of the highlights to the shadows - be reduced any more? Can I get even more detail into the shadow areas of the shot?"  The answer can be made in two ways.  The first would be to increase the amount of ambient light in the scene.  That may not be an easy solution in a hotel if all the lights are at full brightness already.

So what is the next possibility? Folks, this next sentence will change your lives;~).  Here we go.

Back up the Z-Ray to 10 feet away!  What happens? Well, now with the Z-Ray light intensity reduced on the subject by - how much? Remember the Inverse Square Law - the intensity of the light would be decreased to 1/4 it's original intensity.  That would necessitate an increase in exposure to say F4.0 at 1/5 second to get the proper exposure on the bride - better grab the tripod.  Check out Figure 4 below.

Figure 4.

Since the ambient light doesn't change at all, the increased exposure would do two things:

1. Bring a lot more detail into the shadow areas of the scene.

2. Reduce the contrast of the portrait because the shadow areas are much brighter now and closer to the brightness of the highlights.  Check out the Figure 4 to see an example of this effect.

Z-Note:  I used Lightroom to give me the image you see in the forth example.  I'm not cheating,  I'm "dramatizing" the effect of the exposure change.  Still you get the idea.

So the bottom line is this.  If you are over-exposing the highlights and getting a way too contrasty look in your images when using your Z-Ray (or any other light source for that matter), simply increase it's distance to the subject (or reduce it's output). 

If you want a more dramatic result - read that as a more contrasty image, then move your light source closer to the subject.  The ambient light will remain the same, but the highlights will now need a faster exposure so as to not be over-exposed but the shadows will now go much darker thus increasing the contrast of the scene. 

The bottom line is this - just use the working distance along with your exposure adjustments to control the contrast of the image when using any continuous light source to illuminate the subject.

Hey gang, I hope that gave you a pretty good idea on how you can control the contrast of the scene with a continuous light source or any light source for that matter.  Remember, it's always about the ratio of the main light source with the ambient that controls your contrast in these situations.  Hope this explanation has helped.

Hey gang, that's it for today. We got bags to pack, planes to catch, and places to go.  See ya' next week in beautiful San Diego! You know, I hear the pixels are even happier in San Diego because of that famed great weather they have along the beaches - can't wait.  Adios everybody, -David

"The Morning's Warm Glow"

"The Morning's Warm Glow"
©David A. Ziser

This image was made during our Scott Kelby Photo Walk I hosted last month in Cincinnati.  We were out  early in the morning  just as the morning light was starting to reach out and touch the day.  I love how I caught the soft light coming through the rails casting it's soft warmth on the railing.  Notice too how we still see the cool tones of the night's goodbye still wrapping the steps. I'm not sure how the light got such a soft vignette as seen here, but it sure looks sweet.  Camera specs: Canon 50D fitted with 18-200 mm lens at 160mm, F5.6 @ 1/1000 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

It’s Winner's Day Thursday - And The Winner Is...

Good Afternoon Everybody,

We had a great shoot yesterday. The weather even cooperated and the rain held off while we where outside - clean living I suppose;~)  Hey, let's get right to today's post.

I have to admit, this one almost fell through the cracks around here at Digital ProTalk.  I announced a contest weeks (months) ago (May 28, 2009) in my post entitled, "Business Day Thursday: Booking Weddings, How About Booking 5 Bonuses To Seal The Deal?"  Only problem was - I forgot to announce the winner.

Well folks today is the day.  We had lots of great suggestions - not quite 20, but who's counting?  I've summarized them here after the jump. Hit the "Read More..." link below for all the great suggestions and the winner.  Good ideas, thanks for sharing.

Here we go...

Eric Cameron suggested -

If you book with me now we will throw in a free DVD with video snippets and stills taken from our camera that can shoot both HD Video and High Resolution Stills.

Randy Gresham -

Suggested giving them a digital picture frame loaded with some of their images as incentive to book now not crazy expensive , but probably appreciated

MDKauffmann said -

Many album companies (specifically Tuscany) are printing "guest books". Cost runs under $50. Full images on one side of the page, same image ghosted on the other side for people to sign.  "If you book today, I'll throw in a guest book with the images from your engagement."

Amancay said -

PhotoBook-esque set-up at the reception... with or without immediate print options!

Photobby suggested lots of things -

I like to throw in one or two of these as surprise thank yous when I deliver the prints after the event...
An album (clear sleeve 3 ring) with selected 4x6 watermarked prints
"On-line sharing" CD of small (400x300) images for social networking sites
Engagement session is a easy adder
Discount of printed invites or thank you notes with an image from the engagement/wedding.
Small quick-time sideshow set to "their song" for i-pod, i-phone etc. (my website enables me to offer this as a free download)
Most of these are low capital - cost is mostly my time.  Items that don't work for everyone, but can be custom tailored to each client. Non-digital folks like the print album. Full bore, no paper, live-on-the-network clients love the i-pod video slide show.

Pol suggested -

How about a complimentary bridal shower / kitchen tea shoot? It is often something the bride likes to look back on, but seldom has any decent photos of.

Another item that they might like for a bonus is a Christmas tree decoration with their photo on the ornament. Something like that can become an heirloom.

SDesigns said...

Couples may not be into large prints so much anymore, but grandparents still love to have a framed picture of their grand kids. An 8x10 or 5x7 with an inexpensive frame still looks very nice and creates an opportunity for B and G to include their favorite relatives or friends.
Jim suggested -

With the booking of a top-tier session, think about throwing in either:
A) A trash-the-dress shoot for the truly adventurous bride (these images are hard to get since the not too many brides want to kill their $??k dress. But talk about cool images for your portfolio...)
B) A post-wedding shoot of the bride in a few "exotic" locations around town. The dress lives on and you get more print sales (if you're not on a shoot-and-burn business model).
Dan said...

I know that when my wife & I were first married the first thing she wanted to do in our new home was to put up portraits in the hall of all our family members (both sides). For booking the top package why not offer the engagement shoot & a family portrait of each side of the family.

You might also shoot portraits of family members that don't have siblings, grandmas, grandpas & the like. You might have to pitch the idea a bit; but I think most brides once they gave it some thought would think it's a great idea.

Ivan Makarov suggested -

A pack of business cards with their favorite image on it or/and a PDF sideshow. I always over deliver - give them something at the end which they didn't expect. That leaves a good memory.

Here's Looking at You! Photography suggested -

A Signature or Sign In board. No one does signatures anymore! I have found this popular with high school senior parties and weddings. A smaller print in a larger frame with double mat. Say 8 x 10 of their best engagement photo (a good way to get this business) in a 16 x 20 frame and get signatures at the reception on the mat of the family and friends. It's something nostalgic and it does not get thrown away. Maybe tucked away over time, but never thrown out with the bathwater, so to speak!!

Caitlin said -

I really love doing Press products with my lab--throwing in some nice custom designed Thank You cards, Save The Date cards, or even Holiday cards (if the wedding is close enough)is great, and different. A lot of my brides don't think about doing those with their images, and really love this idea--also another fun way to get my portraits, designs, and logo out there!

Carole said -

I'm offering a variety of choices at different price levels, so each client can pick something if they book quickly enough. At the same time, this lets them see some of the other things that I offer, without me having to point them out myself. : )

Kevin Halliburton suggested -

Throw in a guest photo booth at the reception where you can put one of your back-up bodies to work for free, letting all of the guests shoot wacky candids of themselves as a gift to the bride and groom. Add a small erasable white board that guests can use to scribble a message to the couple as part of the photo. It would give the guests something to do while you wrap up the formals and the couple will end up with a very personal and fun photo registry of smiles and warm wishes from their friends.
Added bonus for you - Give the couple a free small print of the shots but also set up a slide show of the photo booth creations at the reception and give guest the opportunity to purchase low cost prints of their own shots as mementos.

Elizabeth Ashley Riddle said -

I do not include print credits in my packages, so I offer a gift certificate towards the purchase of prints or an album if they book within the week. I also offer three copies of a custom twelve month photo calendar of their best images if they book during the initial consultation. These calendars are great because they aren't super expensive and clients just go crazy over them.  Also, I always create an Animoto video of their photo sessions and send it to them as a surprise after the wedding with a hand-written thank you note. I include the disk and thank you note in a 5x7 tri-fold pocket folio, and I always include a 5x7 from their wedding for free. I wrap all of this up with a polka dot ribbon and deliver it in a custom bag. This always leaves my customers very happy.

Ty Mattheu suggested -

Why not offer to cover the cost and labor of creating and submitting newspaper wedding announcement for up to three newspapers. Not too much money, but an item off their checklist.

Ty added - In my experience, its hard to avoid this, but its worth mentioning. I think its important to ask first for the business WITHOUT the incentive to sign today. My close should reflect on the value of my product -- "now that we've fleshed out your idea of the perfect wedding, let's get started today on setting aside some dates..." not immediately go to the freebies "you like my work, and I'd like to work with you. If we get started today, I'll throw in the engagement session." I think that going to the giveaway too quickly reflects poorly on the value proposition you worked so hard to establish in the presentation. Just a thought.

Tim said...

I offer a complimentary engagement session if booked within a week of the initial meeting.  I offer all of the e-session images for use for table settings, gifts (coasters, cards, etc.), invites, etc.  Engagement sessions are great because it helps me get comfortable with the couple as well as gives them some time to get comfortable in front of the camera.

Frank Wilson said...

I would like to think I booked three weddings this week, based on the reactions from my clients, when I introduced the gift registry to them. I use my gift cards in my bridal gift registry. When I book, or try to book the client, I ask them to include me on their gift registry and to let their guest know that. When a guest registers with me, there is a $50 minimum, I will send my client a confirmation that $50 has been applied to their account from Mr. or Mrs. John Doe. Mr. or Mrs. John Doe would get a $50 gift card from Frank Wilson Photography for a portrait session or maybe images from the wedding. It's a win-win situation. Mr. or Mrs. John Doe gets credited for a gift to the bride and groom and in turn, they get a gift also. The bride and groom has $50 less to pay on their account or apply it to a package upgrade. How about that for a $3.00 piece of plastic. Better than getting a toaster or some ugly sheets. 
Hey gang, some great ideas here - worth giving a try for your upcoming bookings.

And the winner is.... drum roll please....  ???

All the way from Australia, its Pol from White Forge Photos with her suggestion about photography the bridal shower or wedding tea for the client.  I like the idea because all you would need to schedule would be about and hour so much time required.

The peripheral benefit of this shot is the fact that you get to meet and greet the bride's best friends and family - probably another wedding somewhere in the crowd and you get to them first.  Congrats! Pol.  Drop me a email at david@ ziser.com and I'll get your $50 B&H gift card in the mail.

My thanks to all those who took the time to participate by leaving your suggestions for the benefit of our readers.  I received lots of good ideas that should benefit anyone and everyone in their businesses. Just take one or two of these ideas and adapt them to your own business plan.

Hey folks, that's it for me again today.  I'm still going a mile a minute trying to get some posts in the bank for next week.  I promised LaDawn no more that 30 minutes a day blogging on our vacation next week so it’s back to the keyboard.  Adios,  -David

"Cityscape"

"Cityscape" 
©David A. Ziser

How about one more image from last week's class.  This was one of the final images I captured at our evening shoot.  I used my trusty Z-Ray high powered flashlight to illuminate the couple.  The high ISO and very low shutter speed brought up the detail in the city below.  This is one of my signature images we make at every wedding when shooting at Drees Pavilion, one of our most popular wedding reception venues in town. Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark II fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 93mm, F5.6 @ 1/8 second handheld, ISO 1600.  Enjoy!  -David

"Let My Light Shine On; Creating The Outdoor Bridal Portrait" – A New Webinar Announced

Here Yea, Hear Yea, "Let My Light Shine On - Creating the Outdoor Bridal Image" to be broadcast on August 19, 2009 at 8:00 P.M. EDT.  [link to register] That's right, you guys and girls wanted a later broadcast so this time around I'm giving it a try.

These webinars have been so popular, I thought we could sneak one more in before we hit the road for my Digital WakeUp Call tour.  

Here are a few comments from the last webinar:

"I have gained more practical knowledge from you in the past two months than from any other source in the past two years." -Brian B.

"I am SO appreciative of his incredibly detailed and affordable seminars and workshops." -Nathan R.

"Your amazing photographs gave me ideas for my own pictures."  -Aga Z. from Poland

Thanks everybody.  OK, time to gear up for the next one coming up in two weeks!  Here is the low down:

"Let My Light Shine On - Outdoor Wedding Photography"

Take your outdoor photography to the next level!  Not shooting weddings, no problem - everything I'll discuss will work for any of your outdoor photographic assignments.
Here are the 5 main points I'll discuss:
1. Lighting Using Off-Camera Flash.
2. Exposure Made Easy.
3. Adding Dramatic Lighting Effects.
4. Changing Up The Background.
5. Making Your Subjects Look Beautiful!

Many of you also want the opportunity to listen to a rebroadcast of the show.  This time I'm doing better than that, the registration price includes a complimentary download of the program. Now you'll be able to listen to it whenever you want! I'll plan to notify all registrants within 24 hours of the show to give download instructions. Pretty cool, eh?  Here is the link to register for the program.

Because it worked so well last time, I'll have Damien standing by again to answer questions as they arise and also forward questions to me as needed. 

You can also REGISTER directly right here.
Please note: Time is 8:00P.M. EDT (Daylight Savings) or 3:00 A.M. GMT
I will also be giving away $200 worth of Door Prizes before we wrap the program. 

Hope to "see" you there.