The Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship will award a cash gift of $5,000 and $1,000 in Sigma products to one talented American high school senior to advance his or her education and goals toward obtaining a career in the photography industry. Applications will be accepted until February 15, 2010. Online voting will occur Feb. 16, 2010 to April 23, 2010, and the winner will be announced May 3, 2010. Applicants are required to submit an application, brief essay and three to five images that have a connecting theme in order to be considered for the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship. The entire package will be judged based on creativity of subject selection, overall technique and, most importantly, image quality. Students are not required to use Sigma equipment to shoot the photo As always, make sure to read the rules before entering your work.

Website: Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship Application Form

HP today announced at Paris Photo 2009, the European launch of ARTtrust, a system that allows photographers and artists to provide individual identity to any Digital Fine Art Collection Pigment Print, produced on HP Designjet Z series printers using HP Vivera pigment inks with any compatible media. ARTtrust is specifically designed to meet the needs of the art market including creators (photographers, designers, digital or traditional artists), printmakers (artists who print themselves, photolabs, specialized fine art printers, print service providers), retailers (galleries, auction houses) and private or public art collectors. The solution is comprised of BubbleTags, a translucent polymer containing random and self-generated air bubbles affixed to the artwork itself that references the certificate of authenticity filed by the artist. ARTtrust is available for existing and new prints and any Digital Fine Art Collection Pigment Print can be retrofitted on demand. Following its worldwide launch at PhotoPlus Expo 2009, ARTtrust has already received positive feedback from individual photographers, such as Joel Meyerowitz and international photo agencies including Magnum. Commercial availability is slated for January 2010.

Website: ARTtrust Online

A group of British photographers have submitted an e-petition to Downing Street 10, calling on the Government to abandon plans, announced on 29 October 2009, to allow free and unhindered reproduction of photographs without payment or credit on non-commercial websites. The e-petition reads, “We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Abandon plans to amend copyright protection for photographers which effectively amount to nationalisation of photography.” The petition creator, Darren Hector, argues that the new plan is “completely at odds with the Government’s stance on file sharing of other forms of intellectual property… and raises the prospect of crippling thousands of small businesses while protecting large corporate interests.” Interested readers can read the petition - and sign it if they wish, provided they are legal residents or citizens of the United Kingdom - at the website below.

Website: Petition

Kodak, through a partnership with the National Geographic Society and Miller’s Professional Imaging, is offering consumers an opportunity to purchase décor prints of rarely seen images from the newly published book, National Geographic Image Collection. This new book showcases the work of 204 celebrated photographers, with images culled from the Society’s library of 11.5 million images, dating from the late 19th century. Many of the photos are previously unpublished. Through the partnership, consumers will be able to purchase prints in sizes up to 20 x 30 inches, all printed by Mpix, a division of Miller’s, on Kodak professional paper. Information and pricing for the décor prints can be found at:the website below.

Website: National Geographic Image Collection

In honour of Veterans’ Day, ScanMyPhotos.com is offering all active and retired members of the US military free photo scanning through 5 December 2009. Called “Operation Photo Scan,” ScanMyPhotos.com will scan and digitally archive onto a DVD up to 1,000 4”x6” photos for military families at no charge. The only cost will be the company’s standard $19.95 shipping and handling fee. For complete instructions, refer to the website below.

Website: ScanMyPhotos Order Form

Starting on Saturday 7 November in the Guardian and The Observer is a 9-part free booklet giveaway called 100 Years of Press Photography. Each booklet will be grouped by decade, starting with 1910s and 1920s in one part. The booklets promise to be a fantastic collection of images from the last century. The scope of the series ranges from hard news photographs from the front line of international conflicts to social documentary of everyday events, fashion photography and portraiture. Each instalment in the series offers a unique and surprising glance at the decade through the eyes of some of the world’s greatest photographers.

Pentax has launched a European-wide cashback promotion valid on the whole range of Pentax products. The amount of the cashback depends on the value of the purchase - it is £50 on purchases of £650; £100 on purchases of £1,000; £150 on purchases of £1,500 and £250 on purchases of £2,000. To download the claim form, head to the website below. N.B.: All claims must be received by 31st January 2010 at the latest.

Website: http://www.pentax-cashback.com” title=“Pentax Cashback”>Pentax Cashback

Toshiba has announced the launch of a new, back-illuminated 14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor offering enhanced sensitivity. Sampling of the new sensor will begin in December and mass production will follow from the third quarter of 2010. The sensor is of the 1/2.3” size, and the pixel pitch is only 1.4 microns, but Toshiba promises that it will “bring a new level of image quality to mobile phones”. The company says ir will “use the new sensor to promote its full-scale entry to digital camera market”.

Kodak apparently believes “It’s Time to Smile”, as this will be the tagline for its new, fully integrated marketing initiative. Citing recent research that has revealed relationships are suffering across America and people feel lonelier than before, Kodak has started a new campaign demonstrating “the brand’s dedication to strengthening and deepening relationships through sharing images”. The campaign began with social media activities supported by public relations in summer 2009. Kodak has announced three new social media applications that are making it easier and more fun to “share smiles” and photos. These include two Facebook applications, Kodak Konga Line and Kodak Smile Meter, and one iPhone app called Kodak Smile Maker.

Jessops.com celebrates its ten-year anniversary with 10 days of 10 deals across the whole product range. These offers started on Saturday, 24 October and change daily. Today’s deal is a saving of £50 on the new Nikon Coolpix S640 digital camera, billed by Nikon as “the world’s fastest Coolpix”.  Jessops have also shaved £10 off the SANDISK U2 SD HC 8GB memory card. Additionally, Jessops is giving out a £10 discount voucher to anyone purchasing any item from Jessops.com this week, which you can use when you spend over £150.

Professor Graham D Finlayson, founder and Chief Technology Officer of Cambridge-based computer vision company imsense, has been awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s Davies Medal for 2009. Instituted In 1998, the Davies Medal is awarded for a significant contribution in the digital field of imaging science. Professor Finlayson, holder of numerous patents for his work on image analysis and enhancement, including Dynamic Range Compression,  founded imsense as a spin-out from the University of East Anglia in 2006, and has developed computer and embedded versions of his algorithms into what is now branded as eye-fidelity technology and incorporated into camera devices and photo software. Professor Finlayson will be presented with the award at the Royal Photographic Society’s annual awards dinner in November.

Today at PhotoPlus Expo 2009, HP unveiled ARTtrust, a simple self-certification system that allows artists to provide individual identity to any Digital Fine Art Collection Pigment Print produced on an HP Designjet Z series printer using HP Vivera pigment inks and any compatible media. ARTtrust is specifically designed to meet the needs of the art market including creators (photographers, designers, digital or traditional artists), printmakers (artists who print themselves, photolabs, specialized fine art printers, print service providers), retailers (galleries, auction houses) and private or public art collectors. The solution is comprised of BubbleTags, a translucent polymer containing random and self-generated air bubbles affixed to the artwork itself that references the certificate of authenticity filed by the artist. ARTtrust is available for existing and new prints and any Digital Fine Art Collection Pigment Print can be retrofitted on demand.

PhotographyBB announced today the release of the 21st edition of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine. The October 2009 edition features Halloween themed tutorials such as “How to Photograph Ghosts” and “Digital Pumpkin Carving in Photoshop.” Additionally, this issue explores a sneak peek at the new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta release, and some of the exciting new features that Adobe has to offer. Other topics covered include outdoor portrait shooting techniques and HDR imaging, while their Photography Around the World feature showcases photographs of Ireland’s countryside, mountains, churches, and forts. Issue #21 is downloadable from the website below.

Website: PhotographyBB Online Magazine

To celebrate the launch of the new, 12.1-megapixel Sony Ericsson Satio handset on Vodafone, photographer Jillian Edelstein has been commissioned to capture the beauty and individuality of 121 eyes in only 12.1 hours. While Julian Edelstein has become famous for her portraits of celebrities, the Eyes Wide Open project “takes her gaze from the world of famous faces, and looks to delve into the realm of visual communication through the exploration of eyes”, the organisers say. Sony Ericsson are searching for people from all over the United Kingdom and all walks of life to be part of Eyes Wide Open. Jillian will be personally selecting the 61 participants from all applicants and inviting them to an invitation only Satio studio photoshoot. Members of the public can find out more and win the chance to be involved by visiting the website below.

Website: Eyes Wide Open

Vicon, a UK company based in Oxford, has obtained a licence from Microsoft to mass produce their wearable camera, which was originally developed to help people with Alzheimer’s disease. According to The New Scientist, the ViconRevue camera, which is worn around the neck, can automatically take a picture every 30 seconds, and can store up to 30,000 such snaps at a time in its built-in 1GB memory. Therefore it can help create a visual log of one’s life (as long as the photos are backed up on a regular basis, of course). Vicon will initially market the ViconRevue to its original target market of researchers but plans to launch a consumer model next year. The price is expected to be in the region of £500.

Via The New Scientist

An exhibition from the pages of Dispatches’ first five issues will be held in Bar 61, 3 rue de l’Oise, Paris. The exhibition opens at 7 p.m. on 20 October and runs until 1 November 2009. Dispatches is a quarterly that has been conceived “to fit somewhere between Gutenberg and Google, a lively source of fresh knowledge about a world changing at warp speed in a format for people who savour the heft of words and images on paper”. The exhibition features photographs by Antonin Kratochvil, Yuri Kozyrev, Seamus Murphy, Gary Knight and Philip Blenkinsop.

Website: Dispatches

X-Rite has announced a free webinar entitled “Raw Color Power with Adobe Lightroom and ColorChecker Passport”. Topics covered include white balance and camera calibration, creating and applying DNG camera profiles in Lightroom & Photoshop, one-click image enhancements, matching colour response with different cameras and matching colour response under different lighting conditions. The webinar takes place at 10 a.m. GMT on 23 October 2009. To register, visit the website below.

Website: RAW COLOR POWER with Adobe Lightroom and ColorChecker Passport

Photo-i has just launched its latest DVD title, A Guide to Digital Printing and Scanning. Written and presented by Vincent Oliver, photographer and editor of photo-i.co.uk, this 2 hours and 54 minutes DVD shows you how to get the best from your printer and scanner in an easy-to-follow way. Topics covered include choosing a printer, colour management, profiling a monitor, creating custom printer profiles, choosing the right paper, optimising photographs for printing, printer settings for monochrome, scanning film and prints, and more. A Guide to Digital Printing and Scanning has been produced in association with Epson and is available to buy online at the website below.

Website: photo-i

On October 22, Swann Auction Galleries is holding a Photographs & Photographic Literature Sale, featuring works ranging from the earliest days of photography through images by modern masters. Some of the works, including a series of portraits by Diane Arbus, are expected to sell for $20,000 to $30,000 each. Others, such as Richard Avedon’s nude portrait of Rudolf Nureyev or Ansel Adams’s landscape shot, Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, are estimated to be sold for $30,000 to $40,000. Other interesting items include a “mural-sized” chromogenic print of Marilyn Monroe, an album containing Los Angeles Police Department photographs from the years 1917 through 1942, as well as a selection of rare salted paper prints by William Henry Fox Talbot, one of the inventors of photography itself (pictured above).

Peleman Industries announced today the new MyBook Collection kit for photographers. MyBook Collection is a low-cost, easy way for photographers to quickly make portable 4”x6” photo books for wedding and special event photography. Priced at $5.99, the kit comes complete with a custom designed 4”x6” book cover, 2 end sheets, an easy-to-use assembly guide and a free matching mailing envelope.  MyBook Collection features a wide variety of colors, themes and designs to choose from to fit any occasion, from baby, graduation, anniversary, holiday, to thank-you notes and professional albums. It is available immediately at select Target stores and at http://www.myunibind.com.