Why You Need a Nikon D3100 This Holiday Season

With 14.2-megapixels, the D3100 is capable of resolutions greater than any non-professional photographer would likely need. Additionally, the bundled 18-55mm lens has built-in image stabilization and is a great starter lens for anyone just getting into DSLR photography.

The D3100 features a particularly competent automatic mode that will allow you to get your DSLR bearings. As you gain experience with the device, there are a slew of manual settings that will allow you to tweak your images to professional levels. Settings like ISO and white balance, for instance, are extensively adjustable.

It also includes a handful of smaller features that make it stand out in the category. The D3100 is capable of 1080p HDSLR video. Sure, even with its autofocus, it requires a tripod to roll video, but when you get it right, it’ll look amazing.

At its core, though, the only D3100 feature that really matters is the quality of pictures. And in that category, it performs on an exceptionally high level.

Read More: Why You Need a Nikon D3100 This Holiday Season

Vote on Your Favorite Smoky Mountain Photos!

Smoky Mountain Fall Color Video by Mountain Photo Gallery

Nature Photography Online Course with Instructor Richard Bernabe

The Ultimate Digital Nature Photography Course with instructor Richard Bernabe. This two-part A-Z class of digital nature photography will teach you the very basics of nature photography and a whole lot more. From choosing the right equipment to learning the essential aspects of composition to the basics of digital workflow, there’s not much this course doesn’t cover.

Read More: Nature Photography Online Courses

Photo Credit: Richard Bernabe

Photos of Fall Color in the Smokies!

It's leaf time in the mountains of Western North Carolina!

8 Photoshop Tutorials for Retouching Your Profile Pic

Even if you don’t have a magazine photo team to touch up your photo, it’s easy to make a couple of quick enhancements with basic Photoshop knowledge.

Whether you want to remove acne or add a tattoo — these eight tutorials will teach you how to retouch your photos like a pro:

8 Photoshop Tutorials for Retouching Your Profile Pic

The Power Of Color And Negative Space

Nothing brings power and emotion to a photo as well as bold, saturated color. Photographers capturing photos with this type of color are praised for the mastery of their images. But just capturing bold color is not enough alone to make a powerful photo. The purpose of this blog is to discuss just one color technique that will immediately improve your photographs: using complementary colors and negative space.
Read More: The Power Of Color And Negative Space

Facebook Upgrades Photos: Look Out, Flickr

Facebook, which is one of the world’s largest photo-sharing sites (in addition to being the leader among social networks), is rolling out some marked improvements to its Photos product.
These upgrades include hi-res photos, photo-download links, bulk tagging options and an elegant lightbox interface for viewing images from anywhere on the site. The lightbox in particular reminds us of similar features recently rolled out by Flickr (Flickr); and some of these improvements, such as hi-res and downloading capabilities, are what have prevented Facebook (Facebook) from serious competition with Flickr as a photo-sharing destination.
Read the full story, courtesy of Mashable: Facebook Upgrades Photos: Look Out, Flickr

The Blue Ridge Parkway at 5000 feet! - A One Day Photo Workshop

Richard Bernabe, outdoor photographer and author, is offering a one day photo workshop in the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This one-day photography tour and instructional workshop will take you through the North Carolina Highcountry during peak fall color via the famed Blue Ridge Parkway. From sunrise to sunset, you will not only see and capture the brillaint autumn color on display, but you will learn important professional photography techniques with your camera.

We will be meeting at 6:30 am in Pisgah Forest near Brevard and then carpool from there to our sunrise location, so if you live more than an hour from Brevard, an overnight stay in or around the area might be a good idea. We will pick up lunch on the road during the day and you will be on your own for dinner after sunset when the workshop ends. Prepare for a long, but very productive day. No long or strenuous hiking is involved, but some walking will be done in order to get some various locations.
Instructional topics will include:

Getting the most out of your digital camera
Getting the right exposure every time
Creating dynamic compositions
How to photograph moving water
How to make colors "pop"
Filters
How to shoot sunrise and sunsets like a pro.
And much more.


Read the full article here

Cades Cove

Digital Nature Photography Workshop

Digital Nature Photography Workshop:

This comprehensive weekend course is open to both beginner and intermediate nature photographers shooting with digital cameras.

Springtime in Western North Carolina

New Online Nature Photography Class Starting June 1.

This two-part A-Z class of digital nature photography will teach you the very basics of nature photography and a whole lot more. From choosing the right equipment to learning the essential aspects of composition to the basics of digital workflow, there’s not much this course doesn’t cover.
The Ultimate Guide to Digital Nature Photography will be your textbook** throughout the course and will be personally taught by one of its co-writers and executive editors Richard Bernabe.

For more information about this workshop, click here.

Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition

The 7th Annual AMPC People's Choice Award is bestowed upon one of the talented finalists from the 7th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition. Photographers from all over the world submitted over 1100 entries. The exhibition will be on display in the Turchin Center of the Visual Arts beginning on March 5, and running through June 5, 2010.

The judging panel chose 47 photographs for this special exhibition. These entries are now available for the People's Choice Award. You must register to vote for this prestigious award wtih a valid email address for the purpose of meeting voting restrictions. Voting will conclude on March 26th, 2010 at 5:00 PM.

A Day in the Smokies: A Photography Workshop

April 17, 2010

Photograph The Great Smoky Mountians at their finest! Scores of wildflowers, pristine mountain streams and rivers, and expansive views of layered blue mountains await you and your camera around every turn in the road. Classes are based out of NOC's Great Outpost store in Gatlinburg, TN and all field work is done in the surrounding mountains and rivers of The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Photography equipment, digital cameras, lenses, tripods, exposure, light, composition and processing are just some of the topics that will be covered.

Read more.

Photo Workshop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park This Spring

Top outdoor photographer Richard Bernabe announces a spring photo workshop in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The details:

Beautiful Wildflowers and Lush Spring Landscapes
April 23 - 25, 2010
Townsend, Tennessee
Tuition $575

According to Richard, "The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is my favorite place to be when the leaves begin turning green and the first wildflowers start to bloom in the lush hardwood coves. Maybe that's the reason I've been helping lead other nature photographers to this magical National Park for over ten years. The convergence of vernal awakening and this magical place inspires me greatly and I try to inspire and help others to see and feel the same way when they are here on one of my workshops or tours."

Visit Richard Bernabe's website to learn more about the spring workshop

About Richard Bernabe

Richard Bernabe has become one of the top outdoor photographers in the southeastern United States. His images have been licensed to magazines, advertising campaigns, calendars, and large format photography books. A partial list of his varied clients include: American Rivers, Audubon Society, Backpacker Magazine, Blue Ridge Country, Canon Global, Costa Del Mar, National Geographic Society, National Parks, Nature, Orvis Corporation, Outside, Outdoor Life, Patagonia, Rock and Ice, South Carolina Wildlife, Trail Runner Magazine, Trout Unlimited, Wildlife in North Carolina

Richard is also a writer, teacher, and adventure traveler. He pens several monthly
columns on outdoor and adventure topics and conducts dozens of hands-on photography workshops each year with Mountain Trail Photo as well as occasional classroom study programs at select local colleges and schools, such as the University of North Carolina at Asheville and the John C. Campbell Folk School.