"On Top Of The World"
©David A. Ziser

I posted this image quite a while ago but am revisiting it again today complete with back-story and EXIF data.  I forget exactly where I made the shot, but it was somewhere on the West Coast near La Jolla - I believe Torrey Pines.  Wow, what a great location.  The geography, the sea and sky, the moon-like setting all combined for an exciting place to shoot.  I had originally positioned the bride and groom up on one of the ridges but the wind was so strong, it looked like both of them were going to be blown away.  To solve the problem, I asked both to work their way, with the help of my assistant, into the valley.  The wind was substantially reduced where they were positioned so the shot was much more manageable.  I had my assistant get behind the couple with his flash on FULL power - it was triggered with my on camera transmitter. I adjusted the camera to the best setting to capture the setting sun on the horizon and still pick up detail in the surrounds.  To bad we didn't have digital back then.  Shooting RAW and working the HDR angle could have been pretty cool.  Anyway, the shot is still one of my favorites. Camera

"Somewhere In Time"
©David A. Ziser

Here is another image I posted at the beginning of DPT without the details of the shot.  Let me say, this is one of my all time favorite images.  When Matt Adcock over at Flashflavor saw it, he asked me to do a guest post on the shot. It was a very in-depth description of the shot, complete with the very interesting back-story.  You can give it a read right here. Quick cut to Camera specs; Hasselblad 500 CM fitted with 40mm Distagon lens, F8.0 @ 1/500 second, Kodak Vericolor 400 film.  Enjoy!  -David

"Rhapsody In Blue"
©David A. Ziser

Here is another image I post way early on my DPT blog without any of the back-story.  It is still one of my favorites. The setting was so unusual.  I asked the couple to carefully work their way to the middle of the stream which was actually easier than it looks.  It was a "muggy" day and the moisture was just hanging in the air.  I asked my assistant to position himself and my Quantum flash behind the couple about 12 feet. The flash was set to full power and fired by the transmitter attached to my camera. I adjusted the shutter speed to just pick up the surrounds of the setting underexposing it slightly.  The flash fired, it also highlighted some of the mist hanging in the air adding a dramatic touch to the lighting and the image. I love the finished result.  Camera specs; Fuji S-1 fitted with Tamron 24-135mm lens at 39mm, F5.6 @ 1/16 second, ISO 800.  Enjoy!  -David

"The Dance Of A Lifetime"
©David A. Ziser

This image ran in the early days of my blog before I was adding the back-story and EXIF information.  That's why I'm re-visiting it again today.  It is still one of my all time favorite wedding shots.  And the bride and groom, two children later, continue to be favorite clients of mine.  I remember taking this image like it was yesterday.  The floor was dappled with all these colors and I thought it would be great if I could capture some of the colors as they fell on the bride's dress.  The decor lighting was pretty bright so I was able to get by with a reasonably fast shutter speed and ISO to make it happen. I knew that my flash coming from behind them would freeze the action of their dancing.  I took several images, but I felt this one was the best. I was in the right place at the right time and caught the bride just as the groom "dipped" her on the final note of the song. Camera specs; Nikon D1x fitted with 24-135mm Tamron lens, F5.6 @ 1/50 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

"Midnight Serenade" 
©David A. Ziser

This image was made a few weeks ago during my Digital Master Class. Actually, it was one of the last images of the day.  Drees Pavilion is a big favorite for wedding receptions  in the Cincinnati area. The site has a beautiful view over the city and offers a wonderful setting for the perfect wrap up wedding shot. This is  always a favorite for my clients. Dragging the shutter (slowing down the shutter) to capture the ambiance of the location together with the back lighting makes for a great shot with which to wrap the wedding album. Camera specs; Canon 7D fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 24mm, F5.6 @ 1/15 second, ISO 1600.  Enjoy!  -David

p.s. Next year’s Master Class is announced for April 26-30, 2010. Here is the link to all the info right here.

"Rhapsody In Blue"
©David A. Ziser

This one my first digital images taken about 9 years ago. This is the kind of image could easily be included in a post wedding bridal pictorial. Why, because we are taking a chance with the dress maybe getting a damp, or soiled, in the stream.  Anyway, I love the shot.  I positioned the bride and groom in the center of the composition  because I thought positioning served to balance the composition best.  My assistant was holding my remotely fired quantum about 12 feet behind the couple. When the flash fired, it enhanced the soft mist that was just settling in over the creek.  The backlighting on the mist really gave a great look to the shot. I underexposed the scene so that the bride and groom would really “pop” out of the composition.  All elements came together for a great shot.  Camera specs (My best recollection): Fuji S1 Pro fitted with 24-135mm Tamron at 50mm, F5.6 @ 1/250 second, ISO 400. Enjoy!  -David

"On Top Of The World"
©David A. Ziser

Today I’ve decided to post an image from the blog archives.  When this image was originally posted over two years ago, I wasn’t giving the back story on the image as I do now.  So, that said, here is the rest of the story.

This image was made back in my film days and is still one of my favorites.  The wind was blowing so strongly on the top of the ridge I ask the couple to head down into the valley area of this unusual location.  I then had my assistant take up his position behind the couple. Next I asked the groom to lift the bride and asked both to give me very exuberant expressions.  The fisheye lens added to the dramatic curving horizon effect of the image. Camera specs; Hasselblad 500CM medium format camera fitted with 30mm Distagon Fisheye lens, F8 @1/500 second, Kodak Vericolor 400 (ISO400) film.  Enjoy!  -David

 "Beauty And The Beach" 
©David A. Ziser

Here is another image I made a few years ago. Coincidentally, it was made with my 16mm fisheye.  I know, it seems I'm stuck in "fisheye limbo" here, but I still like the shot.  Notice how in today's shot, the fisheye lens curves the horizon line adding interest to the composition.  The sunset colors always make for a dramatic shot, too. Camera specs; Nikon D1x fitted with Nikkor 16mm Fisheye Lens, F5.6 @ 1/500 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David