"The Eiffel"
©David A. Ziser

Here is one of the last images I posted very early on at DigitalProTalk without the back-story or EXIF data.  The image was made on a trip to Paris, France about 3 years ago.  We had just finished visiting The Louvre and planned to walk over to the Eiffel Tower just a few miles away.  We got a late start so when we arrived at the Eiffel Tower it was quite dark.  I have to say the view looking up at the Eiffel Tower was quite impressive. Interestingly enough, here in Cincinnati, Ohio we have an amusement park, Kings Island, which features a 1/3 replica of the Eiffel Tower.  Seeing The Eiffel Tower in person was quite the experience.  I was armed with My Canon 5D fitted with my 12-24mm Sigma.  I stood directly under the iron latticed tower and pointed my camera upward.  The view with the wide angle lens was amazing - offering a completely different way of viewing this historic landmark. Camera Specs; Canon 5D fitted with 12-24mm Sigma At 12mm, F4.5 @ 1/6 second (handheld) ISO 1600.  Enjoy!  -David

Good Morning Everybody,

Today is our third day at Imaging USA - and we still haven't made it all the way through the trade show floor.  Hopefully we can finish the job today.

I was hoping to have more to report for you today but yesterday had me in meetings for most of the day and I didn't get a chance to take in as much of the trade-show as I’d hoped. I plan to remedy that today. Anyway, I think you will like what I've got in store for today's post.

Another reason for missing a good part of the trade show time was the fact that I was attending the ASP Fellowship Luncheon. Those holding the degree of "Fellow" - there are only 104 living members - are invited to the luncheon.  I received the honor from the Professional Photographers Association in 1988.

One becomes a "Fellow" by going through a rigorous application process with includes a submission, a portfolio, of the applicant's top 25 images produced during their career.  We had 44 attend the luncheon yesterday and it was good to catch up with many old friends.

This year we welcomed three new "Fellows" to our group. They were Barry Rankin, Michael Timmons, and Joe Campanellie.  Each had stunning images in their portfolio submissions.

I was thrilled to see my buddy, Barry Rankin, receive his "Fellowship Degree".  Barry and I have known each other for many years.  Not only is Barry

"Haystack Rock - Cannon Beach, Oregon"
©David A. Ziser

How often does one see a vista like this?  Well, I guess if you live in Oregon and travel over to Canon Beach, you can see it every day.  This is one of the coolest, and easily accessible places for capturing some great images.  I visited Canon beach a number of years ago, and then a few years ago, we had the opportunity to be there again.  The vistas are breathtaking and exploring the environs with your camera will reward you with some great results.  This is just a "quick" shot I made as we were walking toward the "famous" Haystack Rock. Granted, I did tweak the tones and in Photoshop, but heck, Ansel Adams tweaked his "tones" with burning, dodging, and development. It's the visual result that counts.  Camera specs: Canon 20D fitted with 17-85mm lens at 17mm, F 18 @ 1/640 second, ISO 800.  Enjoy!  -David

"Nuuanu Pali Lookout"
©David A. Ziser

This image was captured at the windiest peak in Oahu a few months ago, Nuuanu Pali Lookout.  I was there with my kids years ago and we nearly got blown off the mountain.  I wanted to send my daughter a picture of the same spot we stood on years ago.  Sure, I had the big gear with me, but my iPhone made it easier to transfer the shot to her.  I was surprised by the image I obtained.  The lighting, colors and topography of the scene made for a great image. Don't get the wrong idea here - iPhone photos are not the norm here at DPT, but, you know what - a good image is a good image - even if you can't enlarge it much past a 4x6 ;~) Camera specs: Apple iPhone, 3.9mm lens, F2.8, Shutter speed unknown, ISO 70. Enjoy!  -David

"Lavender Fields Forever"
©David A. Ziser

I thought I would begin the New Year’s post with a bright, beautiful, and colorful image.  While we were visiting the South of France a few years ago, we made the drive over the mountains and headed to the little town of Sault – the Lavender capital of the world.  Our timing was perfect as the harvest season was just beginning and there were still several beautiful fields of lavender colors and smells everywhere. I wanted to capture the simple symmetries of the beautiful color as it extended to what seemed to be miles of color. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 70-300mm IS DO lens at 185mm, F7.1 @ 1/400 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

"Lavender Fields Forever"
©David A. Ziser

I thought I would begin the New Year’s post with a bright, beautiful, and colorful image.  While we were visiting the South of France a few years ago, we made the drive over the mountains and headed to the little town of Sault – the Lavender capital of the world.  Our timing was perfect as the harvest season was just beginning and there were still several beautiful fields of lavender colors and smells everywhere. I wanted to capture the simple symmetries of the beautiful color as it extended to what seemed to be miles of color. Camera specs; Canon 5D fitted with 70-300mm IS DO lens at 185mm, F7.1 @ 1/400 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David

"Fresh Greens"
©David A. Ziser

With the Christmas Holidays fading into the past, I thought I would kick off the week with a lot of bright colors.  This image again comes from one of our Cabo photo walks.  The rich colors of Mexico abound everywhere as this bright yellow wall shows.  What caught my eye was the lone agave plant in front of that wall.  The minimalist simplicity of the composition and the bright contrasting colors make this image one of my favorites from the trip. Camera Specs; Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 200mm, F 3.5 @ 1/8000 second (blame the settings on me being on "Aperture Priority" for some earlier shots. I'm still surprised with the sharpness of this image though), ISO 200.

 Enjoy!  -David

"Mexican Holiday"
©David A. Ziser

Here is another image from our Cabo trip a few weeks ago.  We were simply walking around the town of San Jose and LaDawn and I were having a conversation with my friend Sarah.  I spotted the cactus in front of the magenta painted wall but I didn't want to be rude, stop, and take the photograph while Sara was telling here story.  I just let the shot go.  We made it into town and the girls spotted a shop they wanted to stop at.  I invited them to do just that and once they disappeared into the shop, I backtracked our steps about a half a mile to get the shot I knew was waiting for me.  Only two striking colors against the white make up this simple composition. For me it how the green contrasts so effectively against the magenta that I enjoy the most. Simple composition and bright colors all combine for a shot that says "Mexican Holiday." camera specs; Canon 7d fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 80mm, F10 @ 1/500 second, ISO 800. 

Enjoy!  -David