* 14.2 Megapixels
* 3″ LCD
* Live View
* HD 1080p Video w/ Sound & Autofocus
* 11-point Autofocus
* 3 Frames per Second Shooting
* ISO 100 to 3200 (Expand to 12800-Hi2)
* Self Cleaning Sensor
* EXPEED 2, Image Processing Engine
* Scene Recognition System

The Nikon D3100 is available for pre-order over at B&H Photo for under $700. If I was just starting out then you better believe that this would be the camera that I would get! Click HERE to pre-order.

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Nik Software Viveza 2

The original Viveza was something that I used for a real long time. As you can imagine, I was super excited when I heard that Viveza 2 has been released. Viveza is something that I REALLY use

Here is a list of some of the Key Features of Viveza 2:
• U-Point powered Color Control Points for precise, selective photo editing
• NEW: global image adjustments, including levels & curves, make Viveza the only tool needed to enhance color and tonality in a photograph.
• NEW: Structure control providing fine detail and texture enhancements.
• NEW: Shadow Recovery control providing high quality lightening of shadows that can be applied either selectively or to the entire image.
• Improved color control points, with improved interaction, color rendering, and precision of selections.
• Improved time saving user interface, including easier-to-grab slider controls, slider favorites, multiple zoom states, keyboard nudging, and multiple undo levels.
• NEW: Copy & Paste enables quick duplication of control points for more complex image enhancements
• NEW: Define your favorite sliders to provide a more streamlined interface.
• NEW: 64-bit compatibility with 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system mean the software can access more RAM for working on larger files.
• NEW: Built-in interactive help and online video tutorials provide free training to ensure users get the most out of the software.

B&H Photo Video has Veveza 2 on sale for only $149. This includes all the plug-ins for Photoshop, Lightroom and even Apple Aperture. Click HERE to purchase.

Any of my readers here a Viveza user? What do you think of version 2???

Take care,
Mike

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Contact me at inlightinworkshop@gmail.com if interested.

Thanks!
Mike

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Date: Monday, October 25th, 2010
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Location: My Studio in Lancaster, NY.
Price: $99
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. (Reference Course #NY20)

Off-Camera Flash Techniques Curriculum:
• Introduction
• Photo 101 – Crash Course (shutter speed, aperture, ISO)
• Speedlight Crash Course (modes, settings, features, etc.)
• Bounce Flash Techniques (on camera)
• Fill-Flash Techniques (on and off camera)
• Manual Flash Photography (off camera)
• Portable Studio Lighting with Speedlights (off camera)
• TTL (Through The Lens) Flash Photography (on and off camera)
• High Speed Sync Flash Techniques (on and off camera)

We will be breaking for lunch and dinner (30 min each). Models will be on-hand so you can immediately start applying what you learned here and try out these techniques. I will teach, demonstrate and then let you try it out yourself. I will be available at that time to answer questions. The number of models available depends on the number of students so that you can all have some shooting time.

If you aren’t already aware, I am a Nikon shooter and will be demonstrating with Nikon equipment. I did used to be a Canon shooter so I will be able to help you out with your questions and whatnot so no worries ;)

WHAT TO BRING:
• Yourself.
• Digital SLR.
• Lenses (one or more).
• Notebook and pen.
• Speedlight(s).
• Flash accessories and light stand(s)*

*Not mandatory.

I am really looking forward to this event. It’s sponsored by the Professional Photographers of America. If you are a photographer and are NOT a member then you owe it to yourself to become one! I hope to see you all there. If you are a member then I believe that you get yourself a merit point for attending which looks great on your PPA portfolio.

Here are the details once again:
Date: Monday, October 25th, 2010
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Location: My Studio in Lancaster, NY.
Price: $99
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. (Reference Course #NY20)

~Mike

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I haven’t made any drastic decisions yet but have been really considering selling my Alienbees studio strobes, Hasselblad medium format camera, gizmos and even a couple lenses (email me if interested).

I think my 2011 setup will simply be the following:
• Nikon D700 DSLR + Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip
• Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 Lens for wide angle shots
• Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens (my all around lens)
• Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR Lens (for telephoto and portraits)
• Nikon 50mm f/1.4G Lens (shallow DOF portrait lens)
• Two Nikon SB-900 Speedlights (high speed sync is my friend)
• Two RadioPopper PX Units (high speed sync is my friend)

It all fits in my bag, it is all nice and versatile and it simply works! I rarely do studio stuff anymore and don’t feel like carting around all my studio strobes and ac power packs when doing shoots. It takes longer to setup and I feel that it can be overkill. I can pull off almost anything and everything with the gear listed above and don’t have to worry about carting more stuff along. I am also switching to the “darkside” and will be going back to using PC’s for my post processing. My Macbook Pro and iMac have served me well but it is just stupid to have to pay that much extra for a computer. I recently picked up a Lenovo Thinkpad T510 for $1400 and it has a Intel i7 Processor, 8gb Ram and a 500gb hard drive. You know what that would have cost if it was a Mac???

You may be asking why I am cutting back…
Good question. One of the main reasons for not needing all my gear is that my wife, Rebecca, is going into “retirement” at the end of the year. We are pregnant with out second child who is due late January 2011. We decided that it would be best for her to stay home and be an awesome mom while I continue shooting.

2011 will be an exciting year for me. I will be once again re-branding my business and only shooting high end weddings and some select portrait jobs. I love love love teaching and plan on making The inLIGHTin Workshop more of a full time thing. I have been blesses to have so many people who are taking interest in my teaching and my products that I can pull off doing it more on a full-time basis! Super excited.

Thanks!
~Mike

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PPA's Super Monday 2010

Coming to a Studio Near You (or more like me)

(Lancaster, NY)—Many people have an interest in photography, but how many actually have the skills and knowledge to become a professional? On Monday October 25, 2010 at 9:00 AM), Michael Alan Bielat of Paramour Photography in Lancaster, New York will be sharing his expertise as a professional photographer, helping you learn and fine-tune both on and off-camera techniques, such as fill flash, bounce flash.

Michael’s class, “Off-Camera Flash Techniques“, is part of a nationwide educational event by Professional Photographers of America (PPA). Called Super Monday—as the majority are held on Mondays—these classes have been a huge success each year. Known for individual and focused attention, Super Monday features educational classes on diverse topics around the country, hosted by professional photographers.

“Newcomers to our photographic events are pleasantly surprised at the warm welcome they receive and the openness of sharing success stories,” commented Ron Nichols, PPA’s 2009-10 President. Indeed, photographers who attended similar classes in the past have raved about the new skills and improvements to their businesses.

Join Michael to learn and fine-tune both on and off-camera techniques, such as fill flash, bounce flash and how to use speedlights and light modifiers to create a portable studio on the go. You’ll also get hands-on experience by photographing models.

Discover more about Michael’s Super Monday class at www.ppa.com.

Michael Alan Bielat is a 27 year old professional wedding and portrait photographer located in Buffalo, NY and has over 13 years of experience behind the camera. He is also the founder of The inLIGHTin Workshop which provides online education and workshops to photographers of all skill sets.

Professional Photographers of America (PPA), a worldwide association, exists to assist its over 22,000 members in achieving their professional, artistic, and fraternal goals; to promote public awareness of the profession; and to advance the making of images in all of its disciplines as an art, a science and a visual recorder of history. For more information, visit www.ppa.com.

Contact: Michael Alan Bielat
(716) 491-8854; inlightinworkshop@gmail.com

UPDATE:

Pre-registration for Super Monday Fall 2010 will open on August 2, 2010. Sign up by October 11th, and get this full day of instruction for $99. On-site registration (day of) is $120, space permitting. PPA members earn one merit toward a degree.

Click here to Register (Reference Class #NY20): http://www.ppa.com/education-events/sm_new.php

Want more information on PPA’s Super Monday? If so, then visit the PPA website here for their FAQ: http://www.ppa.com/education-events/sm/faqs.php

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I have had some real big issues with Pictage back in 2006-2007 so I made the move to collages.net where I stayed for a couple years. Business was picking up in 2008 and my first year promotion with collages.net was up so I switched back to Pictage (under new management. I can vouch that they did clean things up since then and are now actually great to work with). I made the switch back because I was looking to outsource some of my work like album design and print fulfillment which was well worth it. Now, that I re-branded once again as Michael Alan Bielat Photographers I am focusing less on the quantity of weddings that I shoot and more on the quality of weddings that I shoot. This involved a considerable price increase for my wedding photography services and whatnot. I am not imagining to be shooting 30+ weddings with this price increase so I didn’t want to be locked into a contract with an online proofing company which I may or may not use as much as I used to… That was the only reason why I left Pictage once again.

Instaproofs.com is where it's at!

So that left me in the market once again with needing a new image hosting company. Enter instaproofs.com! First and foremost, it is FREE to host your images with them. That’s right F-R-E-E! Secondly, they have a great user interface that is intuitive to the users and allows for you to sell your prints even. No they don’t have a full team to design albums for you or to handle your print fulfillment but man FREE is a tough thing to pass up!

How it works: You set up an account with instaproofs.com All you have to do is create an event and then you can use their drag and drop user interface to add images to the event. You can even FTP the images to them directly if you have more than 50 or so. A couple clickity clicks and that’s it, the event is live. You can set an expiration date, add a password to the event and a whole slew of other things. You even get to add a promotion like 25% off prints to try and boost print sales.

The only gotcha with this FREE hosting thing here is that Instaproofs does take 15% out of your print sales to help keep them alive. This is great because they don’t get paid unless you do. It is a real nice way to help them out so they can continue doing what they do without you being tied to any contracts or monthly payments. For example, I just got a print order for $330 and Instaproofs received around $50 out of that. No problem whatsoever in my book because I didn’t have to pay a monthly fee. I don’t know about you but I do not rely on my print sales from weddings or events that I shoot. I consider these a “bonus” and put it towards equipment purchases or fun stuff for the family. Since I don’t rely on it, that means it isn’t super important so this free hosting is great! Here is what they say on their website: “Instaproofs does what it can to maximize your time, and minimize your costs. Your 15% (maximum) commission goes to pay for the credit card processing fees, merchant account fees, image storage costs, site improvements, unlimited uploading and downloading bandwidth, stellar tech support, multiple order management tools, automated email marketing, etc.”

The second gotcha is that YOU need to do the print fulfillment yourself. I am cool with this because I love WHCC so I had no problem finding a reason to use them more. I was going to use WHCC’s Pickpic service and pay their one time $1500 fee to do so but they recently switched over to monthly payments so that was out of the questions. Now I get affordable image hosting AND I get to use the print lab that I love. Win-win in my book. I use WHCC’s ROES interface to place the order and have the prints drop shipped directly to the buyer.

So I cannot recommend instaproofs.com enough. I never had to use their Customer Service but they are a pleasure to work with. You get to set your own prices and you get to rake in print sales without ever worrying about paying for monthly plans.

For more info, visit instaproofs at www.instaproofs.com

~Mike

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I picked up a couple 32gb cards and man do they rock!!!
~Mike

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