Good Morning Everybody,

We had a great first day touring the city yesterday – just relaxed and did a lot of “people watching” at least up to about 2:00 p.m. at which point we caught up with my daughter, Elizabeth.  She is making the move from Brooklyn into the city, and just like any good parents, we decided to help her with her move this week. 

OK, this is where the fun begins, she’s rented this compact apartment in Murray Hill, a very nice, bustling, neighborhood. We thought we would help with the new decorating chores.  So, what do we do in the Midwest – we jump into the car and head to the local Target store to pick up what we need, right?  NOT, at least not in NYC.  We took a taxi back to Brooklyn to the Target store – that’s right, TOOK A TAXI TO A TARGET STORE!

OK, now we’ve made our purchases.  The very nice girl, Connie, at the Target check out asked me if I want to open a Target charge and I can save $45 off my purchase.  I say, “Heck yeah!” – it made up for our cab fare – what a deal. At the card’s sky high 25% APR, I need to cancel that card as soon as we get back home ;~)

OK, we’ve made our purchases, a 5x7 throw rug,

"Ready For The Party"
©David A. Ziser

I walked into this empty ballroom and was intrigued by the light patterns and shadows I saw being cast on the floor.  I thought there might be a photo-op with the lights, shadows, and architecture of the room. The challenge was to make my subject stand out from the busy background. By choosing to use a wide angle lens, and positioning the bride in the foreground, I knew I could make the bright windows appear smaller. I also wanted to use an exposure that would reveal the detail in the room - I really didn't care if I "blew out" the windows.  In fact, over-exposing the windows removed a lot of the exterior distractions that otherwise would have shown. I used my Quantum T5d through my Zumbrella at 1/4 power and approximately 10 feet away to illuminate my bride.  I positioned the bride between the two windows with her head positioned in front of the plain wall.  That eliminated distractions behind her head and let all the leading lines of the overall composition lead the viewers eye directly to her. Notice too the "bonus accent lighting" I pick up on the bride's right side.  The light from those windows in the room "rim" her out nicely.  Wait, there's more.  With her positioned in

"Wedding Day Splendor"
©David A. Ziser

I love this image. Anytime I'm working in a church this beautiful, I always pull out the wide angle lens. The convergence of the lines accentuated with the wide angle lens just adds to the dramatics of the already spectacular location. The main thing to notice about this image is the subject's position in the shot. I've place her pretty much in the bottom right quadrant, what I call quadrant #4. Notice too how I've framed her within the tall pillars you see in the background on either side of her. Also, when having brides lean into the pew, be sure to not have them lean too much.  It’s a quick way to show a “tummy bulge” – not a good thing.  They should actually just barely be touching the pew with their body – be careful about this one. When designing images like this, always remember, the presentation of the location, especially a location as beautiful as this one, is as important as the subject. It's both subject and location that come together to makes a great photograph.  Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with a 10-22mm wide angle lens, F7.1 @ 1/50 second, ISO 1600. Light from camera left - Quantum through Zumbrella, 10 feet away, 1/4 power.  Enjoy!  David

Written by Carlos on May 19th, 2010 with no comments.
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