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Lay Flat is a newish nonprofit (founded by photographer Shane Lavalette) seeking to help artists create awesome photo books.  Founded in January of 2009, they are still getting their feet wet.

They work with both up-and-coming and more established artists to "create books that express a vision and exist as artful objects in themselves."  Lay Flat also publishes a magazine.

Their books are Lay Flat 01: Remain in Light (out now) and Lay Flat 02: META (coming soon).

Young places like this are a great way to gain a lot of experience quickly. If you are in the Boston area and in school, check out their internship.

Olympus recently released their new Micro Four Thirds Pen EP-1 camera. It's bragging rights include being the world's smallest 12.3-megapixel camera with interchangeable lenses. It can record HD video and audio, create slideshows, and, of course, take quality stills. The full specs can be found here.

New exhibits are the perfect ammo to inspire your own work. Here are a few that caught my eye this week.

The controversial Jill Greenberg's new exhibit New Bears just kicked off at the Clamp Art gallery in New York. Greenberg broke into the industry with her celebrity portraiture and continues to interest audiences with her animal portraits. Capturing individuality amongst her subjects, Greenberg constructed an outdoor studio in Canada and focused her lens on large bears. The exhibit runs from November 5th to December 19th and features a book signing November 13th from 6-8pm.

Check out tomorrow's photography show opening at Brooklyn's Farmani Gallery, featuring the work of Photo League photographers Fred Stein and Erika Stone. And while you're there, take a look at the many other galleries at 111 Front Street. Happy hopping!

Brimming with interesting tidbits about everything from manipulation software to lenses, Photography 24/7 is a site that inspires people to take their pictures further. Most of the content seems geared towards young photographers looking to break into the industry and photo-fledglings.

Recent features include a spotlight on photographer Tony Sweet, affordable photo editing software, and tricks to handle bad weather on assignment.

What separates this site from many others is that you can feel how excited the writer is about photography. The tone is downright giddy when a new product goes for a test drive and the Tony Sweet interview sounded nearly awestruck.  I say passion and quality content make this site certifiably awesome.

During the PhotoPlus Expo, I had time to catch up with Jeremy Yokota from Lowepro. He gave me the rundown on their newest bags. With hidden pockets full of all weather covers, detachable hard cases, hideaway straps, and ultra-durable pockets, these bags are as useful as they are stylish. With a lifetime guarantee, how can you go wrong?

There were a few bags in particular that caught my eye.

1. Versapack 200 AW

It looks like a stylish backpack, with the normal features to store pens and stray articles of clothing or water bottles. However, the bottom is a compartment made specifically to protect your DSLR and lenses. You can even access them without taking it off.

Don't just take my word for it — here, Jeremy gives us a demonstration.

Hahnemuhle USA created a new type of paper. It uses bagasse and cotton fiber.  Bagasse is a by-product from sugar cane refining, and the cotton fibers come from recycling paper mill waste. It's green and it works well. Recommended for use with inkjet printers, the paper is naturally white, textured, and it resists aging.

The paper is part of Hahnemule's Green Initiative Program.

The paper is the choice of Daniel Beltrá. His newest exhibit about tropical deforestation and it's impact on climate change, is printed on the green  paper. The exhibit, part of an awareness effort of The Prince's Rainforests Project, runs October 26th until November 22nd at the National Geographic Store in London.

This blog was contributed by Frances Cirenza, ZIO Photography Channel Assistant.

Fotolia's new plug-in, created for Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, lets users directly log in to their image gallery to purchase pictures. The application is free and gives you access to Fotolia's high resolution images.

One you buy an image, you can use it without any restrictions on locations or number of times used or period of time. The images are royalty-free.

This blog was contributed by Frances Cirenza, ZIO Photography Channel Assistant.

The Minox DSC, a point and shoot, is 2.560x1.920 pixels, takes AVI video, and is super discreet. While no professional photographer should ditch his current camera for the Minox DSC, it's perfect addition to an arsenal of kitschy and cool gear.

A dash of this, a lens from that, and Abby Normal for a brain Linux for an operating system creates the prototype for Frankencamera.

Stanford Professor Marc Levoy believes his monster will create a surge in camera innovation. I agree.

Want to hob-nob in LA? HobNob Wines wants to send you to LA to hang out in a swanky hotel and party. Sounds too good, right?

The winner and a friend fly to LA  to stay at The Standard Downtown LA Hotel and get VIP access to a nightclub. Runners up get a Flip Mino HD personal camcorder. All you have to do is snap a few photographs of you with your friends out living it up.

You have until 1/10/10 to get your entries in. The catch is that photos have to be taken within October, November, or December of this year. Good luck!

This blog was contributed by Frances Cirenza, ZIO Photography Channel Assistant.

Kodak and Photo District News  have a photo contest called Best Friends: The Ultimate Animal Photo Contest. Now doesn't that sound nice? It is both ultimate AND about our animal friends.

This Friday at 7pm you can kick off Halloweekend by exploring the work of over 100 artists, dancing to some live bands, and witnessing a truly Halloween-appropriate "exorcism."

The party is called We Made a Deal with the Devil: New York and is at the Brooklyn Waterfront Coalition Art Space in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Based in West Yorkshire, Pavilion leads projects to enhance photography culture though artists developing their work and showcasing it. They have an education program that focuses on outreach with disadvantaged youth and both virtual and tangible exhibitions in Leeds.

Pavilion got it's start as a feminist photography non-profit in 1983. In 1998, it widened it's audience by admitting men. Today, they focus on contemporary photography culture.

At last week's PhotoPlus Expo, Sony had Disney World-style encore performances by their lecturers throughout the day. One speaker that caught my eye, and ear for that matter, was Cristina Mittermeier who spoke about her journeys through South and Central America.

Overflowing with positive energy, she gleefully explained her photographs.

About 27,000 people flocked to the PhotoPlus Expo this year, despite the bad economy.  Apparently, no matter how weak the dollar is, there isn't a price limit for ideas and networking.
 
Big names meant big displays. While some companies decided to try out their own semi-infomercials, complete with headsets and overly dramatic gestures, many opted for more sophistication.

This blog was contributed by Frances Cirenza, ZIO Photography Channel Assistant.

Athentech is releasing their newest add-on for Photoshop, this time for Windows users. The plug-in, Perfectly Clear, enhances control over exposure, color accuracy and sharpness.  The product will hit markets at the end of November. It claims to cut the adjustment time of images down to a measly two seconds.

Be sure to include Artlog's Collect DUMBO in your Halloween weekend plans. This Friday, October 30th, Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood hosts a Halloween-themed art walk from 6:30 to 9:00 pm, with an afterparty to follow! Among the participating venues are +Kris Graves Projects, Farmani Gallery, powerHouse, and Smack Mellon.

Don't forget your costume! Check out the Artlog site for more info.

Artist Ted Kuykendall died at age 56 in New Mexico on October 5th from pneumonia and heart complications.

"Ted Kuyendall was one of the most intense human beings I've ever known," said Rixon Reed, Photo-eye Gallery and book owner, in an interview with The New Mexican.

A struggling artist, Kuykendall's images taunt the viewer to explore his alternative world, full of dark and ominous imagery.