Honor and Remember

Memorial Day remembers and honors lives - 1,200,000 lives of those whom have fallen protecting out country for all of us. Memorial Day honors Courage, Strength, and Bravery. Let's also honor those who are serving today.

I'll see everyone tomorrow. -David

"Deep Blue Sea"

"Deep Blue Sea"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made while walking through a hotel which featured a giant aquarium in part of it's public area. I just grabbed the shot using a high ISO to stop the swimming motion of the fish. I thought nothing more of it till I started playing with it in Photoshop. I increased saturation, contrast, and used Nik's Viveza to tweak the colors locally. A simplistic image that I get to enjoy through the shape of the various swimming fish and steel blue color of the scene. Camera specs; Canon 20D fitted with 17-85mm lens at 24mm, F5.6 @ 1/80, ISO 1600. Enjoy! -David

An Inspiring Inspirational Friday

Hi Everybody,
We had a great visit with our buds, Kent and Sarah Smith. Every time we visit, I am continually more and more impressed with their studio and it's successful operation. It is beautifully appointed, sleek in it's business function, and stunning in the photography presented. If you ever get a chance to catch one of their programs, it is a "must see."

Anyway, we head back to Cincy today and a little more R&R back on the ranch. So how about we get on with Inspirational Friday today. Lots of good stuff...

Some Of The Most Beautiful Wedding Photography I Have Ever Seen

So I get a call last Friday from Kevin King. Kevin, as many of you know, is the inventor of the extremely popular Radio Popper that David Hobby over at the Strobist has been raving about. I had called Kevin earlier in the week about the possibility of test driving the Radio Poppers as I have been using off-camera flash for almost 30 years. In the old days, we used radio control units by DynaLite, Lindahl, and then finally switching to the Quantum units in the mid eighties. I continue to use the Quantum units today in every photo session or event.

Kevin's Radio Poppers now make it possible to use the new fancy-dancy small flash units from Nikon and Canon remotely while maintaining the full functionality of the flash. You can check them out here.
Anyway, in our very pleasant phone conversation, Kevin mentioned that he was also a wedding photographer working in Phoenix - that is how the Radio Popper idea was born. He suggested I check out his site - which I did. OK folks - hit "pause" on what ever you were about to do after your visit here and go instead to Kevin's photography site right here and soak up some of the most beautiful images you have ever seen. Each of his galleries have images that are more stunning than the next - definitely worth the visit. Don't stop there - also check out his blog right here for even more great images.

But wait, there's more. You know what Kevin likes to do in his spare time when he is not inventing or shooting?? Kevin likes chasing storms. You know, like big storms with lots of lighting and thunder. He was telling me about how several other storm chasers are set up with portable weather stations so everybody knows where the storms are likely to hit. He grabs his camera and hits the road and many times gets the striking images he was looking to create. Check out Kevin's methods for taking lightning pics right here - pretty darn fascinating.

Oh, he did promise to send me a couple of units to test, so I'll keep you posted as soon as I get a chance to check them out. I can hardly wait!!

Forgotten Memories, An Evocative Look At The Past

Jim Talkington, fellow Cincy blogger at ProPhotoLife, introduces his images with the following description, "We all preserve mental snapshots of fleeting moments in our lives, moments of discovery and realization. These quick instances may be impossible to explain or share but they serve to help us remember who we were and who we have become since."

Jim's beautiful images have a wonderful stylized quality to them that seems to invite you to explore them even more. Enter his gallery right here and explore the images presented. As you view them, let them take you back to your own memories of days mostly forgotten. It's a nice visual journey to reflect upon this weekend.

Hold Your Breath And Take A Peek

...At the beautiful peaks of Yosemite right here. Check out the astonishing photography of Charlie Morey available at DigitalPhotographyTv. His collection consists of some of the most stunning landscape photography I have seen. It is truly breathtaking. Each image is accompanied by a short description which adds to the enjoyment of the imagery.

10 Interesting Facts About Ansel

Thomas Hawk, Robert Scoble, Marc Silber, Rocky Barbanica recently spent two days with Michael Adams, Ansel Adams' son. They were interviewing him in conjunction with a project they were all working on. Fellow blogger Thomas Hawk, who runs a terrific blog over at Thomas Hawk's Digital Connection, distilled down the 10 most interesting facts about Ansel based on the those conversations. Here is the link to his post. It is a fascinating peek into the man many of us deeply admire as remembered by his own son. This is a nice read for any Ansel Adam's fan.

Thanks to the ImagingInsider for the heads up on the article.

Well gang, we are getting ready to head back to Cincy and enjoy the long weekend. Have a great one, and I'll see you next week. -David

"Paradise Views"

"Paradise Views"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made on a trip to the Bahamas. The vibrant blue skies and bright Caribbean colors contrast wonderfully throughout the country. This was one of those instances. The rich terracotta color of the hotel against that deep rich sky blue together with the repeat of the shapes made for an interesting and exciting composition. Camera specs; Canon 20D fitted with 17-85mm lens at 72mm, F20 @ 1/800 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

[B]Business Day Thursday 05.22.08

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Well, we made it safe and sound to Columbus yesterday just in time to catch the start of my buddy, Ed Pierce's "Captivated by the Light" tour. Wow! Ed had over 300 attendees in the packed room - it was a great program, pack full of great images and solid info. So Hear ye, Hear ye - the last stop for Ed's tour is tonight in Pittsburgh. If you are in the neighborhood, check it out - worth every penny.

On that same note, I had a nice visit with Ed right before the start of the show. Our conversation resulted into a special surprise for all our DigitalProTalk readers - check back with me next week and I'll fill you in. LaDawn and I are kind of relaxing today and the next few days in Columbus. I'm going to keep it short and sweet today. So, off we go...

It's All In How You Say It - Seven Ways To Say It Best

Polished and professional or clunky and crude?? Vocabulary is so important in how we communicate to our clients. That's the topic on this [B]Business Day Thursday. The right choice of words and phrasing not only reflect on us as professionals but also reflects on how our product is presented to our prospective clients. A good lesson can be learned from reading the menus in fine dining restaurants.

Here is an example: "Fall and winter are reflected in ripe vegetables and mellow spices, summer and spring feature delicate flavors bursting with freshness."
or from Chez Panisse
Green asparagus salad with pancetta and Parmesan tuile. Fava been, spring onion, and black trumpet tartlet. Grilled Wolfe Ranch quail with artichoke and black olive salsa, roasted potatoes with green garlic, and fresh garden salad. Coconut milk rice pudding with a rich mango accent.

My mouth is watering just typing the words - You get the idea. The same needs to be true in any business. Let me give you a few examples on how we might change the phrasing in some common business interchanges to add a sense of smoothness, softness, and inviting tone to the phraseology.

1. It was good talking with you on the phone yesterday. vs "I really enjoyed our phone visit yesterday. Let's visit by phone tomorrow."
Talking becomes visit and a visit is much more inviting term to hear.
2. Let's make an appointment for you to pick out your pictures. vs. "Let's plan on getting together to "fine tune" the selection." Fine tune has a lesser sense of finality to it and implies the studio's assistance in the process.
3. We retouch all of are pictures. vs. "Each image is enhanced for its best presentation in your home." Retouching is a photographer's terminology and makes little sense to the client. Use the words they can relate too.
4. Can I make an appointment for you so we can talk about your wedding? vs. "When can we get together and visit about your wedding plans?" It just sounds a bit smoother.
5. I'm calling because I heard you had some problems with some pictures we delivered. vs. Hello Mrs. Smith, I wanted to visit with you because I understand there may be some issues with your order." I first heard the term issues when I called Microsoft on a tech support question. I had a problem, but they softened it to an issue. I loved the term and have been using it ever since.
6. Our pictures last a long time. vs. "We deliver an archival, museum quality photography." Archival, museum quality says it all.
7. The wall portrait will cost $1000. vs. "The investment for something beautiful for your home will be around $1000." Wall portrait is passe' these days and investment implies long term worth.

Anyway, you get the idea?? Take a peek at the common verbal interchanges that take place in your business everyday. Analyze them for message, polish, effectiveness. Enhance the terminology for the best and most professional communications effect. This can be a subtle yet important differentiators for your business.

It's Time To Get Engaged

.....To the client that is. Engaging the client is quickly becoming one of the lost arts in costumer service these days. Ever walk through a store and wait forever to be asked for help. So many times the service assistants are chatting away among themselves - it seems to have become the customer's responsibility to do the engaging. To my mind this is sort or "bas ackwords" when it comes to true customer service. My friend Kent Smith, has an enunciator in his studio's drive way that alerts the staff that a client is on the way to the front door of the studio. It's their que to get moving, open the door, and welcome the client into the studio. What a polished way to run a business.

Jeff Gitomer publishes an e-newsletter every week. I give is a read every time it arrives in my inbox. He was discussing the very same topic this week listing over 10 elements (no , rules) to enlist the engagement of potential customers. You can give Jeff's newsletter a read right here. Heck, you can even sign up for it yourself - it's always a good read - just do it.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. LaDawn and I are having lunch with friends in just a bit so I've got to scoot. See everybody tomorrow for Inspiration Friday. It's shaping up to be a good one so I'll see you then. Have a great day where ever you are. -David

"Joy In The Morning"

"Joy In The Morning"
© David A. Ziser

I made this image a few years ago on my Hasselblad but it continues to be one of my favorites thru-out the years. We were shooting at one of the local parks. I had been doing some fisheye shots and I had just changed film backs. When I turned back I saw the bride catching the breeze with her veil and grabbed the shot. This was back in the film/early digital days and I was just beginning to work with Photoshop. I had the image scanned, converted it to black and white and added the circular edge. The curvature of the scene, arches, the circular edge, along with the spontaneity combined for a very exciting bridal image. Camera specs; Hasselblad 500C fitted with 30mm Distagon Fisheye lens, F 8.0 @ 1/250 second, Kodak Vericolor 400 film. Enjoy! -David

Wednesday Wonderfulness

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Well, the rain has let up around here a bit and the sun is looking good today. I had the Ark about half built but the weather man said we would be clear of the rising waters for a while - I'm so relieved ;~) This is Open Day Wednesday you know, light reading, cool links, interesting tidbits, and things that didn't get into yesterday's posts. But, dear reader, I promise you you won't be disappointed with today's read. So let's round 'em up and head 'em out...

"It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it."
Arnold Toynbee

Mark's Cool Charlie Maj Blog

Want to see some great ideas for baby photography and a few terrific design ideas for presenting those images, then check out Charlie Maj's blog right here. My buddy, Mark Garber and his wife Jennifer who run a classy studio in Springboro, Ohio just had a baby last November.

Ms. Charlie Maj is cute as can be so they started a blog for family and friends to share Charlie's smiles. What's happened is that the images they post are just beautiful baby images so forget the reason for the blog and just enjoy the images of one of the cutest babies in the world. You can also check out Mark and Jennifer's studio sight right here - great images, enjoy the browse.

Thought You Might Have A Little Time On Your Hands So...

...Check out 24+1 Podcasts. The Master Newshounds over at Imaging Insider recently posted a link to 25 photography podcasts that will inspire you. Here is the podcast link right here. Be forewarned.... this link leads to many more very cool links, which of course lead to even more cool links. Please set an alarm clock so you don't get caught in the Internet Black Hole which could suck up the rest of the day if you are not careful - really good stuff here.

All Font Junkies Unite

7871 fonts right here at DaFont.com. I just downloaded about a dozen and they look pretty slick. DaFont has then in about any shape, size, and style that you could imagine. The layout is clean and intuitive. But you want to know the best part - THEY ARE FREE!!! OK, that said, they are free for personal use, some font require a small licensing fee if you plan to use them in your business. This is a great resource, guys and girls, so check it out.

But wait, there's more - head on over to Smashing Magazine for 40 professional fonts for professional design right here and you will find 28 more font links right here. I'm not finished yet, here is a link to 63 must have Grunge fonts right here. The last link also has a bonus - Grunge Photoshop brushes, too. The font support group meets next Monday... I admit I am powerless over fonts and that my fonts have become unmanageable...

Two Tutorials For The Road

Hey gang, I had these on the schedule for yesterday, but ran out of time, so here they are today. First, a clever tutorial on how to restore the hidden highlights in an image right here. It shows the trick combo of compressing the levels in conjunction with the "Apply Image " command in Photoshop - kind of interesting. Second a non-destructive burn/dodge trick that I thought was a clever take on my video post entitled, "Burn and Dodge Cha-Cha ". Here is the burn/dodge link right here.

Well everybody, that wraps it for me today. We are heading to Columbus, Ohio this afternoon to catch up with my buddy, Ed Pierce, who is just completing his "Captivated by the Light" tour. Hope you got a chance to see it when it came to a city near you. We are also stopping by our friends Kent and Sarah Smith for a little visit, a little wine, and a little relaxation. See you tomorrow for [B]Business Day Thursday. Adios, -David

"Magnificent View"

"Magnificent View"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made this past Saturday morning. I was photographing a Bat Mitzvah at one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in the country, historic Plum Street Temple in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The interior architecture and design are truly breathtaking to behold. During the service I like to take this front to back image of the interior. The fisheye lens captures the scope and grandeur of the magnificent interior. The image was shot in RAW, adjusted for highlight and shadow recovery in Lightroom, and given a small Vibrance tweak - about 20 seconds in all. The lens, composition, and Lightroom tweaks resulted in a beautiful image of this breathtaking interior. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 8mm Sigma fisheye lens, F5.6 @ 1/40 second, ISO 1600. Enjoy! -David

Technique Tuesday 05.20.08

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Who would have thought my post "I Don't Think I'm Dumb, Maybe I'm Just Stupid" would turn out to be my most popular post in months. Hey gang, all kidding aside thanks for all the valuable insights into the color issue. It was all very helpful for me and I hope for our readers too. This is the kind of practical information they don't teach in the books.... anywhere. But, you know what, it sure does make a case for RAW that I and I'm sure many others have overlooked - again, thanks for everybody's input.

As it turns out, this whole series of posts today mostly revolves around the Bat Mitzvah I photographed this past weekend. That's because it presented not just great photographic possibilities, but numerable technical topics that fit perfectly into my Technique Tuesday segment. For instance, check out the post below "Rainy Day Thursday - Perfect For Portraits" and you will get the idea.

Also, check out a new section today, "What They Don't Teach In The Manual." This post is based on information based on experience with software and equipment you just don't get in any of the books or DVD's available. You'll see what I mean when you read the post below. Anyway, good stuff today so let's get to it...

p.s. No, that's not me. -dz

Rainy Day Thursday - Perfect For Portraits

Today's Technique Tuesday is part photography and part Photoshop. It's the result of my experience last Thursday when we were scheduled to photograph an outdoor portrait of this beautiful, young lady. The image was to be used for her sign-in board at her Bat Mitzvah this past weekend. Theme colors green and pink. An indoor portrait was simply not going to work.

Although we had plans to make the portrait in a park in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, the rain started about three hours before the scheduled shoot and continued unabated into the evening. We had to come up with a plan B. This tutorial is more that just extracting the subject from one image and dropping her into another. It's how we got the background image that is so important. Don't forget to see the final touch near the end - very cool. Hit the play button below to see what I mean. Enjoy!

What They Don't Teach You In the Manuals - How About A Confusion Solution!

How many times have you searched the equipment manuals and software guides and never can find the answer you are looking for - mainly because it's not there? I end up doing a gazillion Goggle and Yahoo searches or check a bunch of forums to try to find the info I'm looking for. Most of the time I can get to an answer, but not always. That's why I thought I'd bring this new topic to DigitalProTalk.

The goal is offer insights, answers, and solutions to those naggy little info lapses we all encounter now and then. I hope our readers are inspired to offer their wisdom as well. Heck, who knows, it may result in a DigitalProTalk Forum. I'll keep you posted on that DPT segue as it develops. But enough said, this will be the first of I hope many posts of this kind. And, yes, I am looking to our readers for their input. Just leave a comment when ever the urge strikes you and I will give it premiere, spotlight placement right here on this blog. Let me give you an idea...

JPEGs Not Matching Your RAW Files...
...The Two Images Not Even Looking Like There Were Made With The Same Camera. Ahhh! behold the solution to your confusion.

Craig Lee first responded...
"Every RAW file has an embedded JPEG preview which is used to display on the LCD review after you take the shot. The histograms are based off the JPEG preview as well, I believe. I think IrfanView uses the embedded JPEG preview, instead of displaying the RAW data as it can't actually open the RAW data. Like the Large JPEG you shot, RAW's embedded JPEG is using your camera's built-in settings; saturation, sharpness, stuff like that. Lightroom displays the actual RAW data without the in-camera settings. Which would explain the difference. The advantage to RAW is the greater bit-depth information available for editing."

Jeremy Rowland offered...
"Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw share the same underlying RAW code, so as long as you keep their versions in "sync" (usually the release notes for the software comment on this) you should be able to flip back and forth between them, assuming you save the XMP metadata in Lightroom. Switching to another RAW converter (e.g., Photomatix HDR software) would probably ignore most or all the RAW settings."

This was borne out in a post over at Adobe forums by Tevor Meeks who was not happy with Lightroom but was much happier with Canon's RAW converter software. Here is the link to Trevor's post right here. Check out his image. The Canon conversion looks better. - DAZ

Alessandro Rosa followed up with these remarks...
"I would ask you to check how you have your Picture Styles set. If you have them set to anything other than Neutral or Faithful, then your 40D's DIGIC III processor is applying an adjustment to any number of parameters. This isn't just a White Balance issue, as it may appear just by looking at the previews. While ACR/Lightroom do a really good job, I don't think that they are compatible with proprietary in-camera adjustments like Picture Styles or Dust-Off data.

The test of this would be to run an image through Canon's RAW converter and see what you get. My guess is that it will either automatically apply the Picture Style option set when you took the photo or will give you an option to apply the Picture Style to the RAW conversion. About the only way to get close to this, if you like the results that Picture Styles is giving you is to set up Develop Presets in Lightroom which will mimic those results. At least then you can have a starting point similar to your JPEG with all of the control benefits of RAW."

My personal thanks to all for taking their time to address the issue. All your comments included excellent info not necessarily found in the manual. That's what I mean by a Confusion Solution.

One More Confusion Solution - Nikon Focus Low Light Issues

Ever been shooting the wedding reception with your Nikon D3 with your 70-200mm VR lens attached? You try to take the shot and the camera either locks or continues to search focus. You are mad as heck, and just ain't going to take it anymore. Well, here is your Confusion Solution.

Michael offered...
"Did YOU HAVE IT SET TO dynamic 21 POINTS? This seems to confuse the camera in my experience (in low light, dance scenes at weddings.) I had the same issue with flash in low light... the camera would not lock on fast enough, shutter lag, etc. I switched the setting to 9 Dynamic Points and Focus Lock on set to off. Now it much improved."

Again, a big High Five Thank You to Michael for a Confusion Solution. Some things they just don't teach you in the manuals. Thanks, Michael.

One For The Road - Highlights From The Weekend

Hey everybody, enjoy this short presentation of my shoot from this weekend. This video captures the highlights of Carly's Bat Mitzvah service in the morning and wonderful celebration in the evening. Everybody had a great time and we got some terrific images. Enjoy! -David


Hey gang, that's it for me today. Things to do, places to go, people to see - have a good one and I'll see you tomorrow, -David

"Torah Reading"

"Torah Reading"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made last Thursday during my pre-shoot with my young subject. The wide 10-22mm lens really adds a dramatic perspective to the Torah. The young lady's hair dropped down as she was reading providing a perfect background for the profile shot. The lighting was supplied by my off-camera flash shooting through a translucent umbrella to soften the light. I used a slow shutter speed to pick up the detail in the background of the scene. Camera specs; Canon 40D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 10mm, F 8.0 @ 1/15 second, ISO 800. Enjoy! -David

A Very Almost Marvelous Monday

Good Morning Everybody,
I hope everyone had a good weekend and is revved up for the week. We had a great time at the Bat Mitzvah we shot Saturday. The room looked amazing, the kids had a great time, (and so did the adults) the DJ's played a lot of good tunes, and nobody left the dance floor till closing time. We got some great shots. I've just loaded them up into Lightroom and are giving them a quick glance today. I'll post an Animoto show tomorrow - I think you will enjoy it.

Well, that was the fun part of the weekend. The rest of it, well... My Epson 9600 printer died:~( That printer had become part of the family around here. It's been a super reliable workhorse for 6 years so when we wheeled it out yesterday, LaDawn and I almost shed a tear for it's departure. Our buddy, Rob Kumler of K&R Photographics loaded it up into his Voyager and drove it to greener pastures for our old pal. OK, OK, that was a bit too sentimental, but, hey we had to get back up and running by today. Orders to deliver. No problem. A friend of mine had a Epson 7800 he wanted to sell. After a quick phone call - Russ dropped it off late yesterday afternoon. Drivers are downloaded and we will have that baby on-line by noon. (Hopefully)

Anyway, that wasn't the only surprise over the weekend. At the party Saturday, I shot my trusty Canon's and my loaner Nikon D3. Yes, I got some interesting surprises from both cameras. Read on and I tell you the whole story. I'll wrap the day with a few interesting news tidbits so we better get moving....

I Don't Think I'm Dumb, Maybe I'm Just Stupid

Most of you know me as a big Jpeg fan. My thinking is that RAW is for sushi and oysters only;~) Well, I did the unthinkable, at least for me, these past few days. Dare I even type the words. I..., I..., I shot a few RAW images at my weekend event. I loaded up each of my Canon 40D with 1Tera-Byte, over-clocked, memory-monster flash cards and I was set to go. I figured I'd get about seventeen shots per card - OK, I'm kidding a bit here. But, here is the real deal.

I did set the Canon's to shoot RAW with large JPEG. You know I just wanted to see what the fuss was all about with RAW. But this is where it gets very interesting. I loaded them into Lightroom and was giving them a peek yesterday and was surprised (shocked) by what I saw. Take a look at the two images below. This is how they looked in my favorite image viewing program, Irfanview. They both looked the same - as I would expect.

Now look at the same images after importing into Lightroom. No adjustment of any kind had been made to either image, yet the RAW image is substantially cooler and darker.

I got the same result in each case of my RAW-JPEG combo shots. Why has Lightroom made the change? I also got the same result in Camera Raw - the RAW image was substantially different in color balance from the Jpeg yet camera settings obviously were the same in both shots. Like I said, "I Don't Think I'm Dumb, Maybe I'm Just Stupid!!"

Now, dear readers, on another note - this is where I may repent and change my life. I started playing around with a few more RAW images in Lightroom and Loved! the results I was getting. I could easily save the highlights, recover the shadows, and pop the vibrance. Check out my fisheye image of the temple ceiling from Saturday morning - pretty cool.

I have to say, the extremely positive experience gave me cause to consider shooting my next gig completely in RAW - all 4000 shots! (Did I really type that?) Boy, if I switch to RAW, I'll have to give up all my Jpeg jokes. Anyway, I'll keep you posted as I walk through that valley of Raw ;~)

More Nikon/Canon Surprises At The Party

So I'm a big fan of Nikon's low noise capabilities - ISO 6400 is the old Canon 1600. That super low light sensitivity on the Nikon is amazing, but that's where I was surprised. I put the 70-200mm VR lens on the Nikon D3 - I wanted to roam the party unnoticed trying to get some great dance candids, etc. My experience here was that I (the camera) was having a hard time finding focus in the low light.

I put the 70-200mm IS lens on my Canon 40D and tried the same thing and all worked fine. Flashes were not attached to either camera as I wanted to check the low light focusing capabilities of both cameras without focus assist. I had much better luck with the Canon.

Anyway, back to the Nikon manual to see if I'm missing something here. If anyone has any suggestions for Nikon camera settings for optimum results in low light focusing situations, please let me know.

News You Don't Necessarily Need To Know, But Did You Hear...

...About the new Samsung/Sprint iPhone look alike called "Instinct" that's about to hit the market, and probably at a much lower price than the Apple juggernaut? I just read about it in PC World magazine then hit the Internet to get the full scoop. Here is a story right here at Engadget.com. Check out a walk through of the new phone's features right here.

...About Google reader, which just happens to be my favorite - being available for the iPhone? It all sounds very interesting. Here is that story right here.

...About the very strange sightings over at Google Earth - we are not alone! Here is the link.

Hey gang, that's it for today. I've got to get my Epson 7800 up and running ASAP and the staff is waiting on me. Don't forget to tune in tomorrow for a really cool Technique Tuesday and a short Animoto show about my event this past weekend. See you then, -David

"I'll Take Romance"

"I'll Take Romance"
© David A. Ziser

This image was made near the end of the wedding celebration evening. I was taken by the beautiful architecture at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Kentucky. The sweeping lines and shapes, I thought, would make a dramatic background for my shot. My assistant was positioned behind the couple with my Quantum flash at 1/2 power. I underexposed the scene so that the backlighting would really pop forcing the viewers attention to the couple. The client really loved the image. Camera specs; Canon 20D fitted with 10-22mm lens at 10mm, F6.3 @ 1/80 second, ISO 400. Enjoy! -David

Fabulous Off The Wall Inspiration Friday

Good Afternoon Everybody,
I'm kind of off to a slow start today. Unfortunately, it turned out to be pretty long day yesterday. I was scheduled to shoot a portrait of a young lady outdoors for her sign-in board for this Saturday's Bat Mitzvah. Theme colors pink and green. Indoors just wasn't going to work without my young lady having much disappointment. Not a good thing!!

Only one BIG problem, it was pouring down rain. For hours it poured down rain in the Cincy area. So here is my final photograph. I'll show you the work around next Tuesday during Technique Tuesday. There was more to it than you might think. Anyway, let's get on with a pretty darn creative Inspiration Friday. Off we go.....

But Is It An Archival Work Of Art?

Hardly, but is pretty unique to say the least. Start with a windshield, end with a masterpiece. I visit my buddy, Nickolas Viltrakis' blog every Monday to see what's he posted over the weekend. Nicholas is also my photography assistant and digital tech here at the studio. Here is the link to his blog right here.

Anyway, Nicholas convinced his wife, Terri, who is an art teacher, to also give blogging a try. I headed over to her site to check things out and found some very interesting and inspiring little treasures in her link list. Here is the link to Terri's blog right here. One of my favorites is DirtyCarArt.com right here.

Scott Wade is the artist. Artist of what, you ask - painting on the dust of dirty cars! He has even been featured on the CBS Early Show. It seems his career is really taking off as he's booking g