Frenzied Friday: Heading To Imaging USA: and Quick Hit Sony TX9 Video

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I’m in San Antonio as you are reading this today. I wrote this well before it posted because we had a super early wake up call this morning. We are out the door by 6:00 am. heading to San Antonio, TX for the big Imaging USA Convention starting this weekend.  I hope to see a few of our DPT readers there so come on up and say “HI”.

I’ll be peeking in on a few programs and hanging at the trade show for the full three days.  My program is on the last day at 3:00 p.m. so I hope you’ll stick around for that too.

Quick Hit Sony Video

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was taking DPT down to 3 days a week – LaDawn was thrilled.  The fact of the matter is that hasn’t really happened yet.  I just hated to skip a day.  What I have been doing is posting slighter shorter that usual on a few days though.  That’s going to be the case for today too.

I wanted to give you an update on the little Sony TX9 camera I picked up last week.  I am continually amazed by what this little camera can do – from super easy auto stitched panoramas to HD video. 

Only one problem - the video records in .MPS format suitable for video editing.  That makes it hard to use it for much else unless you convert the .MPS file to something that’s easier to work with.  I’ve stumbled upon and downloaded Emisoft’s MTS Converter [link] for $35 and it works quite well converting the files to about any format.

If you only need  MP4 files, a free program, Handbrake [link] will do the job nicely.

Anyway, I thought you might like a peek at where video technology has gotten us so far.  Hit the PLAY button below and enjoy a short video I took at Disney last week. Yes, it was OK to shoot video using only available light during the show. 

Be sure to hit the “Expand Video” icon between HD and Vimeo on the PLAY bar to see the show in all it’s HD glory.  Remember too, that Vimeo downsized the video to 720p down from the original video resolution of 1980x1050 which looks great on our Sony Bravura TV. Anyway, let me know what you think. More info and videos on the Sony TX9 right here.

_____________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  I hope to see you in San Antonio next week.  Safe travels to all those attending the show.

See ya’ in Texas.

Adios, David

"Midnight Blues"

"Midnight Blues"
©David A. Ziser

This is an image I made a few years ago.  I was experimenting with some different lighting effects in this image.  I was using my off camera flash but had gelled it with an CTO “Daylight to Tungsten” filter.  That means I was illuminating the couple with “tungsten” flavored light. 

To get the proper color balance on them, I needed to set the camera’s color balance to “tungsten” to match the color temperature of the illuminating light on them.  But doing that did something very interesting to the back ground – it turned it very, very blue.  Why, because the “tungsten” flavored flash didn’t affect the sky.  It was kind of cool to see the result.

Camera specs: Canon 5D MkII fitted with Sigma 12-24mm super wide angle lens at 15mm, F5.6 @ 1/30 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  David

Business Day Thursday: Is It Time To Lower Your Wedding Prices? 7 Ways To Beat The Low Price Wars

Good Afternoon Everybody,

Are you ready for the kick off convention of the new year? We've been spending all day repacking the bags getting ready to attend Imaging USA starting this weekend in San Antonio, TX. It's not been much of a break since we got back to Cincy yesterday but we are still looking forward to catching up with friends and seeing the great programs and exciting vendors at this year's convention.

I've been keeping things kind of short with all the hustling and bustling - so let's get right to today's post.

Is It Time To Lower Your Prices?  7 Ways To Beat The Low Price Wars

That's a question that should rile up the forces - "What do you mean, lower my prices? The competition is already killing me  with low prices. If I lower them any more, I may as well go out of business because I wouldn't be making any profit at all!"  I know, I know times are more competitive than ever in wedding photography. New photographers keep coming out of the woodwork and the prices are dropping like lead balloons.

Does that sound familiar to anybody? Actually, it should sound familiar to everybody because it is the NEW REALITY in the wedding profession. So what is a person suppose to do? To me there is only one answer - bring even more value to your offerings without lowering your prices. That may be easier to do than you think.

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

Here are a few of my suggestions:

1- Include a disc of the images after a certain album minimum $$$ has been reached. Basically, you get to include a disc of images worth several hundred dollars at no additional charge - that's BIG perceived value, and you continue to still be making your sale.

2- Create picture packages for parents that include several gift prints, frames, canvas wraps, etc. Photographers have for years just sold the 8x10 print. By bundling items together and offering them at a reasonable cost the client can easily see the real savings over the individually priced items, plus you get a bigger sale.

3- When you sell the deluxe album, offer a companion album, maybe a press printed book, at very little increased cost. These are easily produced by many, many companies with Zookbinders and ACI being my favorites.

4- Whether you sell albums or just deliver a disk, including an engagement portrait session could prove to be a nice add-on to your top package. Your cost - only your time. Perceived value, let's say $200. This can then lead to "save the date" items, sign in boards at the wedding, Facebook images, etc.

5- Offer a free image design package. If you've included an album in your packages, the album design would already be included but at least show the value of that service - that value, maybe several hundred dollars.

If you deliver on a disk, the image design service is a great way for you to showcase their images on an iPad or on their computer and Lumapix makes it easier that ever to do just that.

6- Don't forget to offer a DVD of their favorite images, too. Animoto makes it simple, easy, and inexpensive to do just that. Perceived value – again a few hundred dollars.

7- Offer a retouching/image enhancement service at half price. Hardly any photographer offers anything like that to their clients. With a little Photoshop expertise and a few actions, you can make anyone look good in no time. Perceived value - $200.

Anyway, I think you get the idea. It comes down to offering what so many other photographers don't offer. That means they can only get the premium services from you and at a very good price.

Prices are getting cheaper and cheaper everyday and the customer is settling for a lot less than they ever did before. It's our constant job to continue to put quality and service in front of the buying publics eyes so that can learn to really see the difference.

___________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today. We been at it all day and still need to pack up a few more things. I'll have a post up late tomorrow so you have a little time to get to today's post.

See ya' tomorrow everybody, David

"Dancing In The Aisles"

"Dancing In The Aisles"
©David A. Ziser

This image has an interesting story about it. I was teaching at Photoshop World a few years ago and this young lady attended several of my sessions. She approached me during the Tech Expo and said that she had already signed up for my Digital Master Class.

I was flattered and continued to listen. She asked if we had booked any models for the class yet and I said that I didn't think so. She proceeded to tell me how much she enjoyed my images and had nothing like I showed from the person who photographed her recent wedding.

She then offered to be my model for the class if only I could get photographs like what I showed in my presentations - this time I was extremely flattered and gladly obliged her offer. The rest is history - she was a beautiful model and I was pleased to get some great images of her from our sessions. This is one of those images.

It was made in the side aisle of the church. I wanted to capture the large painting behind her as part of my composition. Take a close look at this image. I have her positioned so that the pew camera left lead right to her. The pillars to the right also lead the eye directly to our bride. She is positioned near Quadrant #4 within the scene nicely counterbalancing the wall painting which is in Quadrant #2.

She's in an easy, comfortable pose - notice the feminine S-curve in her body. I brought the light in from camera left shooting through my translucent umbrella. I think it all comes together for a very nice portrait of our bride - she loved it too, BTW.

Camera specs; Canon 20D fitted with 17-85mm IS lens at 17mm, F5.6 @ 1/20 second (handheld), ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

PhotoProExpo Really Hot!; Best Blogs 0f 2010; Captured By The Light DVD Set Nearly Ready; Sony TX9; and Good Eats!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

We left sunny Florida this morning and landed in snowy Cincinnati about 1:00p.m. this afternoon. Of course we get home and it's right back to work preparing for the Imaging USA convention in San Antonio, TX. Fortunately, the team has most everything ready to go for us but there are still several late minute items to take care of.

On top of that, we've got our own state convention to prep for too, which is the following weekend. That's going to be a blockbuster too - more below. Whew, we'll need another vacation after all the running these next few weeks ;~). OK, let's get right to today's post. Here we go.

PhotoProExpo Only 9 Days Away!!!

Folks, our PhotoProExpo 2011 is going to be three of the sweetest days of photographic education and inspiration!!! You don't want to miss it. We are expecting our largest crowd ever for this special weekend of sharing, learning, and fun.

Come on down and hear one of the Top 10 wedding photographers in the world, Cliff Mautner. Listen to two of the most successful photographers in the country, Kent and Sarah Smith who run one of the few $1,000,000 studios in the country - 3 years in a row! Learn from one of the best lighting instructors on the planet, Tony Corbell. His is world renowned for his easy presentation style and simple to understand lighting techniques.

That's just 3 of the 10 photographers presenting. Come early and sit in on the print competition Thursday afternoon. Don't miss Friday night’s Boudoir program (all in good taste, of course) and the party on Saturday night. Plus you get a chance to visit the trade show  where you'll find the latest and greatest in software, hardware, frames, backgrounds - oh, did I mention all the good deals too! There will be plenty!

Plan to stay two nights and all three days, the room rate at the Marriott, the best hotel on the river, is only $99! There is no better opportunity happening anywhere in the country for 2011. Don't miss it - Register right here!

Best Photography Blog Posts of 2010

I was in a hurry to get the post up on Monday and forgot and forgot the link to the PDN’s Best Photography Blog Posts for 2010 [link]. Since then the post has been updated with the proper links. Don't want to make the trip back to Mondays post- then you can find that link right here - enjoy!

My New Toy - Sony's New TX9 Cybershot Camera

I packed three camera with me on this trip - Canon 7D, Canon G12, and the Fuji HS10. That's plenty of cameras, right? Well, we were walking through the Millennia Mall in Orland the other day and happened to stop into the Sony store. I was sort of in the market for a small point and shoot - I had been a fan of the Canon ELPH for years.

I found myself looking at the new Sony TX9, a 12.2M jewel complete with 1080p HD video capabilities [link]! I played with the camera these last few days and I have to say that I love it! It's fairly responsive, far more so than the Fuji HS10 I'm always gripping about. It's great in low light and the video is amazing too, in low light.

I took it with us to Disney's Animal Kingdom last Sunday and took some videos of shows we saw. Seeing the results on our flat screen TV in our hotel room was a very positive surprise - they looked great. It not "Blu-Ray" by any means, but it sure looked good.

I don't want this to be a camera review but the features I like the most are the HD video complete with Dolby sound, the super close macro capability - like .4 inches close, decent 12.2M resolution, 4x zoom, and the novel 3D feature.

You can find the TX9 anywhere, but the Sony store offered an additional 20% off so I jumped at it. More to come as things develop.

Captured By The Light DVD Set Almost Ready!

I tell ya', I had a great time presenting my "Captured By The Light 2010" seminar last year. As I've mentioned before, lots of folks were disappointed we couldn't make it to their city with our program. Time was just too tight to make it work.

The good news is that I recorded the two presentations in California with the intent of being able to share all the solid information for  those who couldn't be there. The presentation went wonderfully well and the crowd loved it. Several even commented that the presentation was "AWESOME" - thank you for that.

That AWESOME presentation is on the way to the "presses" as we speak and should be ready for shipping in about 14 days. If you missed it the first time around, don't miss it this time. Also, the program was so jam-packed with information, if you did attend, then this is your chance to add it to your reference library. You can pre-order your copy right here.

Here's what's included so far:

1. 4 DVD set of my fast paced 5-hour presentation.

2. 1 Bonus DVD with 9 hours of tutorials from Kelby Training, NIK Software, Westcott, DigitalProTalk, and many more.

3. 1 Tour Handbook that every attendee received that attended the original program.

4. And your chance to win one of the many door prizes valued at over $5,000 that we will be awarding to many of the lucky purchasers of my DVD.

BUY NOW! [link] to be eligible for over $5,000 in door prizes!!!

One For The Road - Good Eats

One thing LaDawn and I enjoy about traveling is good food - who doesn't, right? Anyway, here at DPT I occasionally list restaurants in which we have had exceptional dinning experiences. That is not to say they are the most expensive either because they are not.

While staying in Orlando we discovered two that were wonderful. The first is Seasons 52, a perennial favorite every time we hit Orlando - good prices, delicious presentation, great service.

The second is Crave up near the Millennia Mall link. We encountered Crave quite by accident for lunch one day last week. The sushi looked outstanding. We headed back a second time and enjoyed an equally wonderful dining experience. I know this sounds a little "Yelp" like, but what can I say, we like to eat ;~)

____________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  We got some planning to do for PhotoProExpo so we’re out the door in 5.  See ya’ tomorrow for another scintillating Business Day Thursday: “Is It Time To Lower Your Prices”.

See ya’ then,  David

"Relaxing Between Takes"

"Relaxing Between Takes"
©David A. Ziser

This image is from one of the location shoots I’ve been discussing over the last three weeks.  The image happens to be of my good friend Jim Fauz who volunteers for the Northern Kentucky Symphony as the videographer recording all their events.  Jim has also been one of my coaches at our Digital Master Classes [link].

I took this image of Jim in the main auditorium of the Northern Kentucky University theater where the performances are held.  I loved how the seats curved around in the auditorium creating a nice background for the image.

When positioning your subject within the frame of the composition, we have the choice of positioning the subject at the vanishing point, in front of he vanishing point, or opposite the vanishing point.  Jim’s position in this image is the latter - opposite the vanishing point. 

Notice how the seats seem to “vanish” outside the image frame to the right of the image – that’s the vanishing point.  Jim is opposite that point.  This positioning really helps draw the viewer’s eye to the subject making the subject almost project from the scene.

Lighting was accomplished by simply shooting through my umbrella coming in from camera left and turning Jim’s head slightly in the direction of the light.  Notice the nice loop lighting pattern on his face.  The rest was easy – just balance the flash exposure with the ambient light of the surrounds, ask for an easy expression and I’ve got the shot I wanted.

Camera specs:  Nikon D1x fitted with 18-35mm lens at 22mm, F5.6 @ 1/8 second (on tripod), ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

Technique Tuesday: Environmental Portraits – Part 3

Good Afternoon Everybody,

We’ve had a fantastic time hanging with my son and daughter these last few days.  That’s left little time to get things organized for the DPT blog this week.  But no problem, I’ve still got a cool Technique Tuesday heading your way today and it’s one of my favorites.  I hope you enjoy it.  Here we go.

Environmental Portraits – Part 3

For the last few Technique Tuesday episodes I‘ve been featuring images from several location shoots trying to show how easy it is to quickly compose and light your subject with only a limited amount of time to capture the shot. 

Today’s post is a complete walk through of one of those sessions.  In a matter of less that 30 minutes, you’ll see me move through 5 locations with my subject and create many unique and different portrait images.

The point of today’s tutorial is show how you can compose creatively, light quickly, and capture some great results that will please you and your clients.  Why not hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show.

Related Video Links:

Environmental Portraits – Part 2 [link]

Environmental Portraits – Part 1 [link]

________________________________________________________

Hey everybody, that’s it for me today.  We head back home tomorrow after a great stay here in Orlando. But, we’re only home for a day and then we’re off to San Antonio, TX for the Imaging USA conference.  That doesn’t give us much time time to change out the suitcases, but that’s life ;~)

See ya’ soon, David

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
©David A. Ziser

Today’s image was taken with the camera I want to love but just don’t.  We visited the “mouse” over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom yesterday and took the Safari trip – very cool by the way.  I thought the Fuji HS10 would be the perfect choice for the wild adventure and I left the Canon back at the hotel.  Kick me please about 10 times – what a mistake!

Any golfers out there ever want to throw your clubs into the lake – that’s EXACTLY how I felt about the Fuji’ s performance yesterday.  I had a wonderful opportunity to capture some great wildlife photographs, BUT the Fuji, total lack of any kind of responsiveness negated that opportunity about 90% of the time. ‘Nough said on the camera.

This is one of the few photos that I felt looked good for today’s post.  Yes, you do get a good view of the animals on the safari adventure.  I just wish I would have grabbed the right camera for the job.  Anyway, as we rolled along, the animals were quite active yesterday evening, including the lions. 

The female lion was just resting on a rock as the sun was setting in the  distance. But then she started to move around.  I felt like this image captured the feeling of what one might see on a real African safari, LaDawn’s dream vacation.  Hope you enjoy it.

Camera specs: Fuji HS10 fitted with 24-720mm lens at 300mm (35mm format equivalent), F8.0 @ 1/2900 second, ISO 100.  Enjoy!  -David

Quick Hit Monday: Emory U Offers Wedding Classes; More Lightroom Resources; and Top Photo Blog Posts of 2010

Good Morning Everybody,

Hey, today’s post is going to be rather short, but still informative, because I had little time at the computer over the weekend.  My daughter, Elizabeth, arrived Saturday in Orland and we’ve been hanging with her the last few days.  Today we head out and pick up my son, Aaron in Ormond Beach and plan to visit with him today. We are leaving shortly so let’s get right to it.

Emory University Offers Classes On Wedding Photography!

Just when you thought their was enough competition in the market, along comes Emory University in Atlanta raising the stakes even more.  My buddy, Denis Reggie sent me the info.  Want to sign up for classes – here is the link right here.

Lightroom Tuesday – Cool Lightroom Resources

I got this head’s up from a tweet from Victoria Brampton, the Lightroom Queen.  Lots of good Lightroom resources every Tuesday from Heninger Photographik right here.

Top Photo Blog Posts Of The Year

Here’s a nice link that will get you inspired for for 2011.  It’s PDN’s listing of their choices for the Top 10 Blog photo posts from last year. PDN asked the editors of the photo blogs from four major newspapers which of their 2010 posts were the most popular. Here are the results.  I love these year end wrap ups – lots of cool images.  Go get inspired [link]!

_______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today. I’m calling it “family” day today and cutting things a little short.  Plan to stop by tomorrow for a great Technique Tuesday.

Our last two episodes discussed how to photograph people on location.  Tomorrow I’ll walk you through a complete shoot of one of those location portraits.  I think you will be amazing at the amount of variety that you can pull off in such a short time.

Time for me to hit the road – see ya’ tomorrow

Adios, David

"A Blaze Of Glory"

"Blazing Glory"
©David A. Ziser

What can I say, the sunset was amazing. Part of our journeys yesterday included a stop at the Beach House Restaurant. LaDawn's son, Joshua, is getting married in Sarasota, Florida in March and we are co-hosting the rehearsal dinner there. Anyway, Shawn, the sales manager, one of the best I've ever worked with, BTW, was showing LaDawn the venue as I was poking around on the beach checking out a very anemic sunset, or so I thought. I clicked off a shot or two and thought I had an image good enough for today's post.

We wrapped up our meeting with Shawn, enjoyed a serving of conch fritters, a Florida west coast favorite, and headed for the car planning to head back to Orlando. I backed the car into the street and we pulled past the restaurant. What we saw next was absolutely amazing - the most blazing sunset either of us had seen in years.

I steered the car quickly onto the side of the road, asked LaDawn to park it, and ran across the street to see if I could grab some shots of this unbelievable sunset. I was shooting with Canon's brand new G12 and thought it would give me some good images.

Then it hit me, was I shooting in RAW or JPEG??!! I haven't had the camera long so I was unfamiliar with the menu structure. I saw I was shooting in JPEG and wanted to get to RAW as quickly as possible while the sun was still blazing. After fumbling through the settings for a few minutes, I found the RAW setting and quickly switched. The gorgeous sunset had subsided a bit but I kept shooting. BTW, this is one of the first JPEG images I made.

I knew I had something in the camera and couldn't wait to see them. This image is my favorite from the series. This post today illustrates how great images are sometimes made - unplanned, spontaneous, and in the heat of the moment. What would have happened if I had not been aware of my surroundings, stopped the car, and made an effort to capture this image and instead just looked at the sky, shrugged, and driven on? I would have missed one of nature's most glorious display of beauty.

I'm glad I leaped from the car, in the middle of traffic, and got the shot. We both just watched in amazement for the next several minutes as this cinematic wonder continued. It was a great end to a wonderful day!

Camera specs: Canon G12 with 6.1-30.5mm lens at 6.1mm (28mm – 35mm format equivalent), F2.8 @ 1/30 second, Program mode adjusted to -2/3's stop, ISO 80. Enjoy! -David

Friday Wrap Up: Great New Book Ideas; Inkjet Issues Solved; Help Wanted; and Agave Update

Good Morning Everybody,

We put quite a few miles on the rental car yesterday traveling from Orlando over to Oldsmar near Tampa and then down to Sarasota and back - only about 275 miles. Here are the quick highlights of yesterday's trip.

Visit To Kelby Media World Headquarters

That was our first stop yesterday. It was fun to catch up with many of the Kelby Media crew. Kathy gave us a tour of the new facilities and they are phenomenal, especially the video department. They now have six sets in which they shoot everything from D-Town [link] to Photoshop User TV [link] and everything in-between.

We had a nice lunch with Scott and Dave and discussed new book plans. Both of them had some great ideas. Not to let the "cat out of the bag" or anything but the thrust of the new book is going to be lighting. Lighting brides and groom, couples, just about anybody anytime, anyplace, with any camera or lens. What do you think? I'm stoked! I'll provide more details as things develop.

We also discussed a few ideas for an upcoming series of Kelby Training videos. I thinks the first video will be on photographing, posing, lighting for an engagement couple. We're kicking around a few other ideas too. Again, I'll keep you posted.

Heading To LexJet - Inkjet Issues Solved!

Our next stop was to Sarasota where I wanted to catch up with my buds at LexJet. I'll tell ya' they are the nicest people. Tom and Kelly, my rep who I finally got to meet for the first time in person, gave us a tour of all the new products and some great ideas in how we could use them in my fine art endeavors.

For those of you doing any printing on canvas, Kelly recommended their new Sunset Select Matte Canvas at only $.90 sq.ft. That's like half the cost of their other canvases and it's more durable and has a much brighter base than regular canvas media.

Another highlight of the visit was meeting Adam, LexJet's resident inkjet printing guru. I've mentioned here at DPT that we put in Canon's iPF 8100 printer about a year ago and we LOVE it. It's fast and puts out beautiful prints. Our problem was all the profiles we downloaded from Lexjet just didn't work with QImage, the software we use to drive the Canon printer. We always figured out a work-a-round and managed to still get great output on a variety of mediums.

I raised the question with Adam and he tells me that the profiles on-line only work when printing from Photoshop. Bummer, that's not good for us since we queue up several sheets to print at one time.

But, Adam had the easy solution. Just print out some test images from sample TIFFs he would email me and send them to him. Using LexJet's gazillion dollar profile making hardware and software he would gladly make custom profiles for me. In fact LexJet offers the service to any of their customers at NO charge. Don't you love great customer service? That's why I love those guys - if it's Inkjet, call LexJet!! [link].

Update On Blue Agave

Hey everybody, thanks for the nice remarks on the Blue Agave post yesterday. Just to clarify two points that were raised. I use Imagekind.com to host several of my fine art images. Here is the link. They do a good job, you name your own prices and the cost is only $99/yr.

The other question that came up was as to the sharpness of the 12-24mm lens. I think my 12-24mm lens is plenty sharp. I had read years ago before I purchased it that some folks, not many, had a problem with the sharpness of the early production models. They simply exchanged them.

My experience with Sigma lens has always been quite positive. I think they make the best super wide angle lenses you can get. In fact, they make the THE widest angle lenses you can get. You've seen that in the variety of images I've posted that were taken with the 12-24mm and their brand new 8-16mm for APS sized sensor cameras like the Canon 7D. What can I say, I’m a BIG fan.

Still Looking For Help For Imaging USA

Earlier this week, I posted that I was presenting to a large audience in about 10 days at Imaging USA and put out a call for help setting up for the program. LaDawn got a few responses but could still use another hand or two. If you plan to be at Imaging USA and can help, yes-goodies included, contact LaDawn at laDawn@Ziser.com and she can give you the times and details.

One For The Road – Good Training, Great Price

I just got a note from my good friends at Friday Photo School.  I did a program for them a few months ago that went great.  Well, they have bundled my program with two more from Rick Ferro and Bill Innes.

Here is the lowdown:

• Preparing Yourself for Excellent Wedding and Portrait Images with William Innes

• Top Ten Posing Tips with Rick Ferro

• Lighting, Lenses, and Locations: Exciting Bridal Portraits with David Ziser

$43 for 4.5 hours of “live training” – what a deal!

Here is the link right here.

______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today. The sun has finally come out after four days in Orlando and I think LaDawn and I are going to soak up a few rays.

How about I see you next week, same time, same station. Have a great weekend and I'll see you then.

Adios, David

"Blue Agave"

"Blue Agave"
©David A. Ziser

Boy…. do I wish it was truly a Blue Agave cactus.  I made this image a few years ago while visiting Sedona, AZ.  We had taken one of the Pink Jeep tours into the mountains and at one of the stops I grabbed this quick photo of the agave plant.

This image has quite a history.  I have had it featured at Imagekind for a few years now.  About two years ago we got a call for an Ad agency about using it as wall décor in a pub.  The deal went through and now this image is displayed at some pub over in England – trouble is I don’t know what pub.  Maybe some of our Great Britain DPT readers have seen it ;~)

A few months ago we received a call from another ad agency that had seen the image.  They wanted to use it for a new Tequila that was going to hit the market this year and wanted complete rights to the image. OK, are you ready for the rest of the story – We asked their budget, them hem-hawed a bit said it was rather small but they could go $10,000 for the image.  You heard it right $10 GRAND!!!

I was blown away.  They said there was just one issue – it wasn’t a Blue Agave cactus so they would have to retouch in the real thing.  Did I care? Heck no!  Just send the cash! We went back and forth for about two weeks just trying to stay in touch.  The rest of the story, alas, they found a different image with a real Blue Agave cactus.  So near, yet so far – it was fun while it lasted ;~)

This image is still one of my favorite black and white images.  The Sigma wide angle really makes the composition work significantly dramatizing the cactus in the foreground.  I tweaked the tonal range in Photoshop and removed a few tourists on the hillside to get the final result.  Who ever thought a vacation image could be so valuable….. well, almost.

Camera specs: Canon 5D fitted with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F8.0 @ 1/100 second, ISO 400. Enjoy!  -David

Business Day Thursday: How Do You Treat The Customer That Got Away?”

Good Morning Everybody,

We’ve got a fairly busy day today.  We are heading over to Kelby World Headquarters later this morning to catch up with Scott, Matt, and Dave about some upcoming plans for some new Kelby Training videos and a few other projects in the works too. I LOVE this group and what they bring to the photographic community.
It’s an honor to be involved in such a small part.

After that meeting were planning to catch up with a friend of mine, Russ McLaughlin, a great family portrait photographer who is touring around Florida photographing families at country clubs throughout the state. We plan to catch up with Russ for an early dinner around Sarasota and also hope we get a chance to stop in and visit our friends at Lexjet while we’re there.

Sounds like really putting a lot of miles on the car today but, LaDawn and I like driving so will make the best of it and enjoy the sites along the way.

Since we've got to get moving pretty soon, why don’t we just get right on with today's post.

How Do You Treat the Customer That Got Away?

I don't know if I've mentioned it here at DigitalProTalk in the last couple of days but one of the reasons that we’re down in Orlando is because of the fact that we had to burn through a few timeshare points or lose them forever to the Hilton Corporation. We get a chance to catch up with my kids too so its all a good thing.

The Best Trained Sales People On The Planet

One thing the Hilton Company does is always invite its owners to a special presentation featuring their new properties and receive input from the owners as to what they can do better.  I find these presentations very fascinating. As a student of sales, I think these are great sales lessons and I enjoy all the time I spend hearing the latest, greatest pitches.  Most people may think I'm crazy for saying that, but these are some of the best trained sales people in the world, they know their job, they have a thorough understanding of their product, and it is just a joy to watch them work.

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

Appointment Time

It was Monday at 11:15 AM when we had our prearranged appointment. We met with Rick who was a nice enough guy and certainly made a thorough presentation to us. He also took our suggestions as to what we thought Hilton could do to improve their customers’ experience. As expected. I found him attentive and knowledgeable about his product.

Of course, during the process Rick had to tell us about the latest, greatest deals that Hilton was offering. I have to say, I've never missed one of these sales meetings, and every one of the offers that they made to us over the years is indeed a compelling offer. Much to my financial advisor’s discomfort, sometimes even a not-to-be-missed, steal-of-a-deal”.

I always like to watch the style of the presenter. They are always very personable, always wanting to talk about your needs and your interests, and always very patient, always taking however much time it takes to hopefully reach a sale.

Was That A Temperature Change In The Room I Just Felt?

What was interesting to me is how Rick reacted when we mentioned that we weren’t interested in adding to our portfolio at this time in spite of the the great deal he was offering. It seems that at the moment we said “no” the temperature in the room went from warm and cozy to quite chilly. LaDawn and I both noticed it.

That's why I raise the question as to how you treat your customers when they say “no” to you. It seems to me in my many experiences of sitting through the timeshare spiel, that most of the presenters just don't get the big picture. And that big picture is how you treat the customer that doesn't buy from you. When the customer says “no” the message he is sending is that he is just not buying from you right now but, could still be a good customer down the road.

I remember one of our past timeshare experiences we were so impressed with the presenter that we ended up calling her back a year later to make an additional purchase without any presentation of all. That's because she left us such a good impression the first time we met her and how professionally she worked with us.

Rick did give me his card and said just to call anytime but, I felt that he was not the person I would be calling in the future. Why, because of the chilly change in the wind when we said no.

Always Keep Your Sales Door Open Wide!

When your customer says “no” to you don’t take it as a negative result.  I feel that we need to leave that door open as wide as we can all the time. There's always a possibility that the customer will come back to you because of how they were treated the first time around whether they bought something or not.

I remember years ago when I had a client come by and interview me to photograph her daughter's wedding. She wanted a second appointment so that her out of town daughter could see the images too. The interesting fact from that experience was that the bride never booked me to photograph her wedding.  Nevertheless, we parted company on very good terms with me leaving the “sales door” wide open for any future business opportunities.

Curiously enough, it was about three months later when I received a call from the bride’s mother who said to me that they wanted some additional portraits of the bride and her husband. I gladly obliged, we set an appointment, photographed the couple in the middle of the week. The final sale amounted to over $3000!

That's why it's important that you never get upset if a client says “no” the first time around. That is not to say that we shouldn't pursue our best sales strategies and be diligent to closing the sale. But if we have done our best in our sales presentation – and, the client still says “no”, just keep smiling and let them know that your door is always open anytime that they want to give you a call back in the future.

It’s About Accentuating The Positive

I still think of my Hilton experiences, which for the most part are always very positive, but unfortunately, I know that I will never be re-contacting Rick for any additional portfolio purchases.

The bottom line is this:

1. Make your best and most enthusiastic presentation to your potential client.

2. Handle all the client objections honestly and to the best of your ability.

3. Be a constant student of sales so that you can continue to enhance the sales experience with your clients.

4.  Never, I repeat never, leave your potential client with any kind of negative feelings if they should decide not the book with you.

5.  Always follow up your appointment with your clients with a short handwritten note thanking them for taking the time out of their schedule to come and visit you. And, let them know that your door is always open should they ever feel they need your services in the future.

How many people would return if you took that approach every time you DIDN’T book the sale?  Regardless of what that percentage is, it still much greater than would ever be had you left the client with a chilly impression.
_____________________________________________________
Hey gang, that's it for me today. We’ve got about a 90 minute drive ahead of us over to Oldsmar, Florida to meet with the big guy at Kelby Media. How about I plan to see everybody again at digital pro-talk real soon.

Adios, David

"Evening Electra"

"Evening Electra"
©David A. Ziser

I enjoy shooting cityscapes.  Hitting a big city and just looking up presents such cool looking designs. By selectively cropping the image and with a little enhancement in Lightroom, you can come up with some cool abstract designs.

That was the case in todays image.  This photograph was captured on a visit to New York City about 6 months ago. We were strolling up Lexington Avenue about 8:00 p.m. and the city lights were just beginning to turn on.  I really liked the lines in the scene – the interplay of the horizontals, verticals, and diagonals.  That’s really all my eye saw in this image.

The sky was just passing from dusk to dark so I was able to catch just a bit of the evening glow in the sky too.  I think that’s what gives the image that “electric” glow.  A little density/color manipulation in Lightroom didn’t hurt either.  A trip to Photoshop to crop with “Perspective” on allowed me to make the sides of the build perfectly parallel with the sides of the frame.  Hey it was all in good fun.

Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 140mm F5.6 @ 1/60 second, ISO 3200.  Enjoy!  -David

Wednesday: Looking For A Little Help At Imaging USA and Free Webcast Coming Your Way Tomorrow

Good Morning Everybody,

Since I’ve begun my new book this week, I’m keeping things short today but I did want to mention two quick things. 

FREE Photoshop Webinar Tomorrow!

First of all, let me tell you about Media Wright’s new Photoshop Webinar coming your way tomorrow at 2 p.m. – I think that’s Central time too so double check.

My buddy, John Wright, is conducting the webinar which is limited to only 25 people.  If you are interested, here is the registration link and all the info right here.

Looking For A Little Help At Imaging USA

Many of you know that I’m doing one of the big all convention programs coming up at Imaging USA held in San Antonio, TX in just a few weeks.  Here is the link for all the info. 

Anyway, if you were attending the convention, LaDawn could use a little help with the set up and tear down of the room for my program.  If you would like to help, contact her at ladawn@ziser.com and she can give you details.And yes, there will be goodies for the volunteers – I hope you can give her a hand.

______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  Tomorrow, I’ll be back with my regular Business Day Thursday feature, “How Do You Treat Your No Sale Customers?”

Hope to see you then, –David

"Easy Elegance"

"Easy Elegance"
©David A. Ziser

I made this image a few years ago but still enjoy it.  It’s a fairly straight forward bridal portrait – classic pose, easy expression, nice location.  It’s the kind of image most brides would enjoy having in their collection.  I’ve never met a bride (or groom) who didn't want a flattering photograph of themselves.

What makes this image work?  I think three things.  First, the setting is quite interesting and beautiful with the curves throughout the scene from the staircase, railings, and wall borders.  Second, the harmonious colors, from the soft gold tones of the wall décor to the dark golden complexion of our bride work to bring a pleasing overall feel and cohesiveness to the image.  Thirdly, the nice loop lighting on the bride's face – it easily separates her from the background adding depth and dimension to the image.

Lighting was simple – my Quantum flash about 8 feet away at 1/16 power fired through my Zumbrella from camera right. I also used a slower shutter speed to pick up the ambient light in the setting.  It’s the ambient light that has added the overall “golden glow”.

Camera specs: Canon 5D  Mark II fitted with with Sigma 12-24mm lens at 12mm, F5.6 @ 1/13 second, ISO 2500. Enjoy!  -David

Technique Tuesday: Environmental Portraits – Part 2

Good Morning Everybody,

I just wanted to mention that I’m working on a few DPT blog updates for you over these next few days.  Currently I’m showing the Top 10 posts for 2009 in the header above.  Watch for that to change over the next few days to reflect the Top 10 posts for 2010.  I think it will be a nice review of the year for all our DPT readers.

Also, I’ll be reviewing the Skribit widget suggestions from our readers.  I read every one of them and archive the ones I think speak to what we are doing at DPT.  That’s the quick update so let’s get on with today’s post.

Environmental Portraits – Part 2

Last week I walked you through 3 images and discussed what I was seeing in my mind’s eye as I composed those three images.  It was an exercise in “seeing”.  I think this is so important in good portrait photography, especially on-location portrait photography.

This week I’d like to do the same with three more images in three more locations.  Remember, these images were all made in the span of only about 20 minutes for each session.  Shooting that quickly means that you’ve got to get the shot organized quickly both for you and your clients.  Hit the PLAY button below and enjoy Environmental Portraits – Part 2

_______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today. Next week I’m going to select one of the sessions and walk you through the entire shoot.  I think you’ll find it interesting how we were able to create several great portraits in such a short amount of time.

Time for me to get back to work.  I’ll see ya’ soon, David

"It’s Quite Ducky Around Here"

"It’s Quite Ducky Around Here"
©David A. Ziser

I took this image yesterday while on a walk around the lake on the resort grounds where we are staying.  The weather has been especially nice since we arrived – it was a chilly 25 degrees back in Cincy.

I saw the groups of ducks in the water and with the sky and clouds reflected in the water, I felt the image had almost a “Monet” quality about it with the subtle tones and textures throughout especially in the foreground.

I also like how the wide angle lens created a kind of “motion” in the clouds running diagonally through the scene meeting the ducks in the top right hand area of the image.  The monochromatic blues add to the simple composition of this relaxed, pleasing image.

Camera specs: Fuji HS10 (yes, I’m still trying to love this camera) with 24-720mm IS lens at 72mm (35mm equivalent), F8.0 @ 1/60 second, ISO 100. Enjoy!  -David

Quick Hit Monday: Cheating the Sync Again; Winter Wonderland; Getting RAW Right; Landscape Photography; Classes Not To Be Missed; Video DSLR Training; and More!

Good Morning Everybody,

I hope every one had a chance to enjoy the New Year weekend. We landed in Orlando, FL mid-day Friday and welcomed the new year rather quietly, dinner with friends, - we are so boring on New Year's Eve.

We've settled in warm, sunny Florida and are looking forward to a relaxing stay combining work with a little play. One item on our agenda this week is a trip to Kelby Media for some 2011 planning for Kelby Training videos. This year I feel the schedule is loosened up a bit to make that happen and I'm really looking forward to it.

Also, this is the week I begin my new book - working title "What Makes An Image Beautiful?". I plan to have it expand on what "Captured By The Light" started. I'm working on the outline today and hope to get a few thousand words laid down this week. I'm really looking forward to the new project.

Since things are starting easy with me this week, why don’t we get right to Quick Hit Monday. Here we go...

My Cheatin' Sync Revisited Over At adobe TV

My "Google Alert" popped this story last week. I did an episode for Photoshop User TV a few years ago featuring what many consider a very innovative way to use off-camera flash [link]. The basis of the tutorial is how to sync your flash at a shutter speed faster than the native sync of the camera. Anyway, it just popped up over at Adobe TV. Even though I reference the Canon 40D camera in the tutorial, the technique works with just about any DSLR.

I show how to sync the flash at say 1/400 second instead of the native camera speed of 1/250 second. Anyway, it a great tutorial and if you missed it, you can find it right here. Just a quick note - Adobe TV has tons of great information available, so spend a little time to check out the other goodies they have. Here is the main Adobe TV link.

Winter Wonderland Fun

OK, all you snow birds - want to have some fun with your winter snow photos? I found this fun tutorial [link] on how to do just that. I think the result is kind of cool too. Steve Rosen's tutorial walks you through each step resulting in a nifty result. Heck, it just might be your favorite image for next year's Christmas card ;~)

http://stevenrosenphotography.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-make-snowflake-from-your-photos.html

Getting It Right With RAW - Exposure That Is

There are so many theories about getting the right exposure when shooting RAW. I, for one have my method which works beautifully for me that I outlined in last year's Captured By The Light Tour.

Some folks think that the envelope can be pushed a bit more or better said - the histogram can be pushed a bit more to the right in order to reduce noise in the shadows. That's the thrust of the article. The premise is that the whites should land at 255 on the histogram which is OK when shooting RAW. Just be sure there's not much more detail above that number.

I prefer shooting my "diffuse whites" so they land at 235 on the X axis of the histogram. Anyway, the article is a good read with lots of well documented info [link]. BTW - plenty of other good info over there too.

Check out this link over at digitalPhotoPro.com which has an in-depth article on the subject right here. Give it a read.

Amber Waves Of Grain and From Sea To Shining Sea

You've got to check out the latest publication at Craft and Vision [link].

Michael Frye’s images are just stunning and for only $5.00, it's a great inspirational resource for any photographer. What can I say… just beautiful scenics.

On that same note, Jim Goldstein, at JMG Galleries has just announced his 2011 series of workshops [link]. Jim's work is outstanding and I think attending one of his workshops would be a treat. He keeps his class size to only 4-6 people so you get an especially hands on learning experience. One of these days, I hope to take a class from Jim myself. Here is the link for all the info.

Time To Go Back To School

Hey gang, I thought I'd take a minute to tell you about some great educational experiences coming your way in 2011. I'm involved in all three which is why I want to point your attention towards them.

Photo Pro Expo: Friday through Sunday, January 21-23

This is the deal of the century - 10 great speakers, 3 full days - only $149. That's less than $50/day! This fantastic opportunity [link] is happening in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area in less than three weeks! And, they just extended the early bird deadline for signing up!

You'll get a chance to hear one of America's top wedding photographers, Cliff Mautner. You can catch Cliff at Kelby Training link. Why not catch him in person at the Pro Photo Expo. Also appearing will be premier lighting guru, Tony Corbell, along with Skip Cohen, past president of Hasselblad USA and WPPI. The list goes on and on.

Room rates at the beautiful Marriott hotel are only $99/night. Why not take the weekend off and come on down for a great learning opportunity and some fantastic fun. I will definitely see you there!

Texas School: May 1-5, Dallas, Texas

Texas School is the largest and best attended schools of it's kind in the country [link]. I had the wonderful experience of teaching there years ago and have been asked to return for the 2011 rooster of classes.

Hey, I'd like you to stop by and take my class but there are several others to chose from too. The all-inclusive rate of only $895.00 for 5 days of learning just can't be beat! Here is the link for all the Texas School class info. Hope to see you there.

http://www.texasschool.org/index.html

Learn How To Shoot Video With Your New DSLR Camera

Yep, I'm telling you true. A lot of us have the latest DSLR cameras and have no idea how to even get started with using the video capabilities of the cameras. Our good buddies at Vimeo just may have the solution for you [link]. They've just opened up their Video School with the kick off video featuring one of the best of the best in the DSLR video field, Mr. Phillip Bloom.

Vimeo has several videos in the can ready to view right now. This whole "video thing" has been a big stumbling block for lots of photographers. Vimeo's video school should help you iron out the wrinkles of the entire process. Here is the link to the Vimeo Video School right here.

One For The Road – Better Than Tiffany’s

My daughter Elizabeth, my fashion junky, sent me this link.  Jewelry much better than Tiffany’s right here.  Who says there is no life after death with film cameras?  Yes, it seems South Australia Craig Arnold, has found a clever way to recycle old cameras and lenses – he makes jewelry out of them.  Next time you buy a new camera, why not pick up a piece of jewelry for your spouse too ;~)

________________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  Today is my first day in writing my new book and I’m stoked.  I’ll keep you updated with reports from time to time and maybe even an image or two.

And, don’t forget to check back tomorrow for a brand new Technique Tuesday: Environmental Portraits – Part 2.  See ya’ tomorrow.

Adios, David