I pretty much agree with this. I have one and i has worked OK as long as I only want to transfer jpegs. Too slow to realistically use for Raw although some will do it. I have had the Eye-Fi pro work well in an area where ther were no other WiFI connections, but have had less success at home where my network doesn't seem to get along with it.

I am guessing it was done using the multi-strobe mode on a flash that can do this. Set a long exposure (2 sec?) in a dark room with an aperture set so that the subject would be black without flash. Set the flash to shoot 2 or 3 discreet times during the single exposure. The subject turns his head during the exposure as the strobe fires 2 or 3 times. I suspect this could be done manually as well by pressing the test button a couple of times during the exposure.

MPIX is one of the labs used by Zenfolio and have done fine work for me over the last year.

My suggestion is to upgrade the desktop to Win 7 or 8 and go with LR5. My primary motivation on that comment is that I am unsure if new cameras are added to LR4 as they are added to LR5. If this isn't a concern, consider sticking with LR4. For a while I was using LR3 and LR4 on separate computers. It worked OK, but I could only go from LR3 to LR4 with edits. Going from LR4 to LR3 didn't work as well. It might be a different situation in LR4/LR5.

If you are sold on using a green/blue screen and you have limited space to work in, I would recommend looking at a "pop-up" reversible green /blue screen. Folds small and sets up in a minute. Here's a link to one:
http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Collapsible-Chromakey-Green-Background/dp/B003Y2KCG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390222568&sr=8-1&keywords=popup+green+screen

As for storing backdrops, I use either nylon stuff sacks or laundry bags for my 10x20 backdrops. Recently I have been rolling my main backdrop onto a 10 ft 1.25" PVC pipe. This is sort of between stuffing and folding. I have been happy with the small wrinkles one gets do this as opposed to the deep creases when folded. I also like that I can hang the backdrop on the pipe from the ceiling in the garage. One note, I also try to remember to roll the camera/front face of the backdrop inward so if it gets dirty during storage or transport, the dirt is on the backside of the muslin. For transport I drop my back seats and push the pipe/backdrop from the trunk/boot up between the front seats. Its surprising how long small cars actually are.

I have 4 Yongnuos (565ex, 560-II, 560-III, 468). I have not had any problems with any of them to date. I've been using all but the 560-III for well over a year now.

I also have a Canon 580ex-ii that I admit is my workhorse of all my flashes. The YN's work well, but are not made as well as the Canon. I would assume that this is true for the Nikon flashes as well. The savings on buying something like the YN's over Canon/Nikon, however, allow you to buy multiple units which gives you some backup as well as the ability to try different things with multiple flashes.

I believe it comes down to how you plan to use the flashes. The YN's are great for casual work, but you might want to have at least one name brand (read as high quality) speedlight if you are using flashes on the job.

I recently purchased a 6D to go with my 7D. I love the solid feel of the 7D and have used it a lot for all kinds of photography. I have only really noted that its high ISO (above 1600) is not what I want for available light work indoors. While I can do an OK job with post-processing cleanup of noise, the 6D really shines on these pictures (even at 6400). The wider view one can get out of your glass indoors is an additional plus for a full frame camera. I agree that the 7D is built better and that its focus system is better for action shots, but each has earned their places in my bag.

I have tried several brands and the Wasabi have been the beset. They work in 69D, 7D and 6D. Another brand (no name on it) works OK with 60D and 7D, but does not get identified in the 6D.

I wonder if the RF-603 remote trigger was not fully seated and locked down during the family shoot where you had a large percentage of failures. I have had that crop up occasionally with RF-602 triggers and YN flashes (560 II, 565ex).

I had this lens part of a kit purchase with a Canon XSi. It was not the II version, however. I used it for probably three years before I replaced it with a 70-300 USM. I was pleased with the quality of the pictures for the price. I think I paid about $150 as part of the kit for the lens. Its lightweight so not so bad to carry around. The weight has a drawback in that the build is that of a entry level kit lens. Adequate, but not built to take abuse. I thought the images I got from this lens were about the same as the 70-300, but that the 70-300 was built to handle heavier/harsher treatment. I traveled a lot around the world with the 18-55 and 55-250 in my bag. I have a couple of L lenses now which are heavier than I would like for general travel photography. My daughter has both of these kit lenses with her T3i and she uses them a lot making videos as well as stills.

My thinking is that you should wait for a bit before purchasing a DSLR. The main reason, IMO, is that during the class you will probably have the chance to see the equipment that others are using and possibly even handle some different models during the sessions. I believe this will help with your decision making process. Your current Panasonic should work OK for an introductory class. I shot with a FZ50 for several years, and it would do just about everything that an non-pro DSLR would do. Manual, Shutter, Aperture modes, change ISO, experiment with different zoom angles/lengths, etc. Possibly the one area that you could have a problem with is getting Bokeh or blurred backgrounds due to the smaller sensor in the bridge camera you are currently using. Having access to wide-apertures will help that, but not completely.

Both the YN-565 and newer YN-568 are eTTL based flashes. They work very well with the YN-622C units.

I use the YN 560ii (manual flash) and the YN-565ex (nearly a Canon 580exii without high speed sync or a commander mode). I also have the Canon 580exii. The Yongnuos are built well, but possibly not as well as the Canon, but then they are considerably less costly. I can use use the YN-565ex and Canon 580ex nearly interchangeably except that I try not to shoot the YNs at full power for more than a few shots. My Canon cameras can't tell the difference between the 580ex and the 565ex until I try to do one of the things that that the 565ex cannot do, and then the camera menu selection for that function is not selectable. I have been quite please with the YNs and will purchase another YN (possibly the YN-568ex) again. I have been using Yongnuo gear for several years without any problems.

I shoot youth teams (mostly Color Guards) using a two 10x20 backdrops, one on the floor and one raised vertically. The one in the vertical position is hung from a homemade stand made of 3/4" PVC. It uses four uprights which gives me three spans of about 6.5' each. There is a bit of sag using 3/4" instead of 1" PVC, but not so much. It does require a couple of sand bags for extra weight. I clip the muslin to the crossbar using large metal office binder clips which just work with the 3/4" PVC. Its not the most rugged of stands, but it has withstood lots of uses already.

I have a Sekonic L-308S that is reasonably priced and works well. Not too many bells and whistles. It does help to understand and be able to make calculations related to full and partial f stops, ISO and (to a lesser degree for studio) shutter speed in your head. I use it primarily for doing exactly what you describe in your post.