Online photography lessons & affordable photograhpy seminars for photographers of all skill levels

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

I have purchased my fair share of camera equipment from all sorts of stores. I just discovered Abe’s of Maine and they have electronics of all sorts. I ordered a couple products from them that were out of stock everywhere else and man did they have everything I need on such a short notice.

I would highly recommend checking them out. Simply click on the link below to see what Abe’s of Maine has for all your photo, video and gadget needs:

Enjoy!
~Mike

I have been really minimizing my equipment over the past couple months and following the KISS (keep it simple stupid) approach to my photography. I thought golf was bad but I really think that photography has more gear and gadgets than anything else.

I used to bring out the big artillery for my wedding and portrait assignments and a lot of it wasn’t needed. Sure a studio strobe and AC power pack is nice to have… But my speedlights and high speed sync techniques can also do the trick. Throw in some nice light modifiers such as a soft box or shoot through umbrella and I’m in business.

So here is my list of what I found to be essential equipment for off camera flash photography:
• Bowens Portable Light Stand ($48.95)
• Manfrotto Swivel Umbrella Adapter ($29.50)
• Impact 60″ Convertible Umbrella ($29.95)
• Westcott Apollo Softbox For Speedlights ($114.95)
• (2x) PocketWizards Plus II Transmitters ($169.00 each)

Nikon shooters should pick up the following:
• (2x) Nikon SB-900 Speedlight ($459.95)

Canon shooters unfortunately need an extra transmitter:
• (2x) Canon 580EX II Speedlight ($445.95)
• Canon ST-E2 Transmitter ($229.95)

I did add the prices to show you how much each item goes for. As you can see, it can get expensive!

Want to save a bit of money? If you shoot Nikon then you can do without a second SB-900 speedlight if your Digital SLR has a pop up flash and is fairly current. You can use the pop up flash to act in Commander mode only and trigger your one SB-900 that way. This will also allow you to get away from needing those two PocketWizards. Let’s tally that up for a savings in the ballpark of $797.95! The only con here is that you are going to be limited by the flashes and they need to have a direct line of sight. BUT you get to use high speed sync which is an amazing thing if you get the hang of it!