ziser's Videos

You know, I've been hearing this question come up as we explore the many software solutions out there. People are asking, Why do I need NIK Viveza when Ive got the Lightroom 2 Adjustment tool. Cant we simply add more or less density and saturation as easily within Lightroom 2?

In this tutorial I'll discuss the features of both pieces of software, demonstrating the benefits and the shortcomings of each solution. But keep in mind, it may be the combination of both of these solutions that gives us the best result. Let's take a peek.

By ziser

Tags : Lightroom, Viveza, tutorials

What happens if we take our on-camera flash, turn the flash head 90 degrees, and bounce it of the wall? I've been bouncing my off-camera flash off the wall for years getting great results. But now with the much faster lenses, the higher ISO's being built into the cameras, and the ability to use apertures much wider than in the old medium format camera days, this technique can create much better lighting on the scene than with Uncle Harry's on-camera "blast flash" technique. Hit the PLAY button below and learn how to play Photon Ricochet. Enjoy! -David

By ziser

This is probably one of the least understood yet one of the most useful features in your lighting arsenal - high speed flash sync. What is it, what's it do? Folks, back in the old days when I was shooting my Hasselblad, I had the capability to sync my flash at 1/500 second with that fast leaf shutter built into those beautiful Hassey lens. My greatest disappointment as I migrated to digital was the fact that my first digital camera, a Fuji S-1, only synced to 1/200 second. That made it really hard for me to continue to get my dramatic "darkened sky" images I loved to do. Well, dreams do come true - now I can sync to any sync speed - and both Canon and Nikon systems offer that capability. Hit PLAY below to get the entire story on how to make it work, why it works, and when to use this technique. I think you will enjoy it.

By ziser

Today we have my last tutorial on underexposure - it's a practically invisible image that we will resurrect form the dead pulling out all the stops - or rather adding a bunch more stops to the exposure. This image was made by an associate photographer at a recent wedding. Although we had a good exposure of the same people at the reception, this image shows just how much life there is in a poor little JPEG. It also shows the power of RAW in salvaging underexposed images. Both RAW and JPEG's can be further enhanced with additional noise reducing software tools at our disposal. I'll feature NIK's Dfine 2.1 in this tutorial. Anyway, to see an image rise from the dead, please hit PLAY. Enjoy!

By ziser

Different exposure problems call for different strategies in solving the problem. I have the same image saved in JPEG and RAW format. Each file demands a different strategy to get the best result. I'll tackle the JPEG first and then head over to the RAW file where today we are going to save the image in question with a new twist to dodging and burning. I'm going to use the Gradient Tool in Lightroom. There are some situations - like the one I going to show you - where this is a perfect fit in solving an exposure problem. You be the judge as to the best result. Hit the Play Button below for the rest of the story.

By ziser

What do we do if that image is badly underexposed and it really needs to be in the wedding album? Can we save it? What are the noise issues involved. If there is a tremendous amount of noise, what can we do to ameliorate it? These are the questions answered in this tutorial as I walk you through one very underexposed image. I'll show you the JPEG and RAW strategies involved, each representing a different processing challenge to get to that decent result. This all sounds very simple, but I think you will be surprised by the results and how I got there. Hit the PLAY button below to see the rest of the story.

By ziser

Tags : Lightroom, Photoshop, Underexposure

So many people say get it right in the camera. Well, sometimes, I say Baloney! Sometimes getting it right in Lightroom or Photoshop is so much quicker. Check out this video to see what I mean.

By ziser

Tags : flash, lighting, off-camera, photography, wedding

In this lighting tutorial, I'll show you how to sync your flash at a substantially higher shuuter speed than that suggested in your camera manual. This technique gives you the ability to create strikingly dramatic outdoor wedding and portrait images.

By ziser

Tags : flash, hi-speed, lighting, photography, speedlite, speelight, sync, wedding

In this video, I'll show how to use a continuous light source - a high intensity flash light - to produce some gorgeous portraits. The technique is easy, but you do need to know the "secret handshake" to make the images come out just right. Hit PLAY below and check out some very cool images. I even through a little twist in at the end that I think you will enjoy. -David

By ziser