We’ve teamed up with Photospecialist to give away a Domke F2 bag and a Davis & Sanford Magnum XG tripod to one lucky winner, worth £209!

The lucky winner is Peter Boyle. Congratulations!

Foto Konijnenberg has been a major player in the Dutch and Belgian photo markets with retail shops in both countries since 1974. In 1999 they were the first retail store with a webshop and very soon their customers appreciated that the knowledge and service that was offered in the stores could also be found on the website. In the UK, Germany and France they are now trading as “PHOTOSPECIALIST”. In the near future Photospecialist will open online and physical shops in more countries in Europe – the logistics, sales and marketing will remain centralised in The Netherlands. In The Netherlands and Belgium the name Foto Konijnenberg will be maintained for the time being. Photospecialist will stay focused on both professional photographers and hobbyists, emphasising the high quality products from many of their partner brands, great customer service and providing a rapid courier service. One of the many unique selling points of Photospecialist is that they offer a Two Year Guarantee on all products sold – with the option of a low-cost two year extension (The 2+2 Year Guarantee Plan).

Jim Domke invented the F2 bag when he was working as a photojournalist on the Philadelphia Enquirer. He had the first one custom made for his own use in 1976, and the F2 is still one of the most popular Domke Bags today. Designed so that the photographer could get at equipment instantly, without having to take the bag from their shoulder, it includes an adjustable non-slip Gripper™ Strap with durable cotton webbing, removable bottom stiffener, removable hand carrying strap, YKK zippers, and steel snap hooks.

Davis & Sanford’s Magnum XG Tripod offers solid support for your DSLR, compact camera, camcorder, or scope - it can be operated from 20.32 cm to 182 cm off the ground. The 3-section aluminium legs and 2-section centre post provide rapid and secure adjustment, and the rubber feet add stability. The Magnum XG can support up to 6.8 kg, and weighs just 3.03 kg. A bottom centre post hook allows you to hang equipment or other weight for increased stability, and a tripod bag is included.

The winners of this year’s Black+White Photographer of the Year competition have just been announced. The overall winner is Clayton Bastiani, a fine art photographer specialising in providing imagery for the book cover industry. His prize is a Leica M Monochrom complete with a Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 lens. Antal Bánhegyesy from Transylvania and Tori Khambhaita from London have scooped the title of Young Photographer of the Year. Category winners include Adrian Bowd (The Human Spirit), Rinzing Kelsang (This is Life) and Gary Groucutt (The Living World). The winners will be announced formally at an exclusive event at the Leica studio in Mayfair, London on 15th November.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has launched its fourth annual digital photo contest in partnership with Eye-Fi. Submission to the “Best Shots” contest will be accepted until 16 December 2012. Entrants can submit one photo in each of four categories: people, travel, pets and cellphone shots. A slate of expert judges will select finalists in each category. Winners will be chosen via an online vote that will run from 8-11 January 2013. The grand prize winner, to be announced 11 January 2013, at the 2013 International CES, will receive a Canon EOS Rebel T3i and an Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card. You can submit your photos through the website below. Note that this competition is open to US residents only. As always we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Funjet Vacations have launched a photo competition/promotion searching for travellers’ favourite vacation memories. Entrants first need to “like” Funjet Vacations’ Facebook fan page before they can submit their photographs. All entries will go through a round of judging and the top 15 pictures will be chosen as finalists. Fans will have the chance to vote for their favourite finalist photo, and one randomly selected voter will also receive a trip to the Riu Palace Punta Cana. Note that you must be at least twenty-one years of age at the time of entry and a legal United States resident to enter. The submission deadline is Friday, 16 November 2012.

The EyeTime 2012 competition finalists have been announced. Sixteen finalists have been selected in each category: Emerging Talent and Future Voices..To view the finalists and contribute your “EyeTime” now for your favourite entrant, you need to download the EyeTime iOS app from the website below.

Eighty-seven photographs have been shortlisted for the Made in Britain Photography Awards 2012, a nationwide competition run by the EEF, the UK manufacturers’ organisation. The organisers received over 800 images that celebrated the best of British design and manufacturing in three categories: professional, amateur and young person aged 14-19. An overall winner from each of the three entry groups will be awarded £5,000 worth of photographic equipment by sponsor Canon at a National Awards Ceremony in Westminster on 4 December 2012.

To celebrate the launch of its new Expression Premium photo printer range, Epson is asking amateur photographers to upload photos that capture a sporting memory from this year. “It can be absolutely anything, from holing a birdie putt on the 18th green at your local golf course or your children playing rugby in the park, to you celebrating your favourite football team’s victory in the pub with friends or in the stadium itself,” the company says. “As long as it depicts a memory of a sporting occasion from this year, Epson wants to see it.” The winner, whose photo will be judged to best capture a sporting memory from 2012, will be able to watch the Manchester United team train, dine in the city’s best restaurants and get a taste of the city’s night-life. The three-day trip will be rounded off by watching Manchester United’s stars take on Reading Football Club in March 2013. Entries close on 31 December 2012. Not that the competition is only open to people aged 21 or above on 1 January 2013 and resident in the UK. As always we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

In support of the Gary Sinise Foundation, a non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to improving the lives of American veterans, Geo Tactical Solutions (GTS) has teamed up with Canon USA to launch the “Actions Speak Louder than Words” photo contest. GTS will be donating $1 to the foundation for every photo entry and vote submitted. The contest runs until 7 December 2012 and three winners will be selected based on photo entries that receive the highest number of votes at the end of the contest. The first prize is a Canon PowerShot G1X camera, the second prize is a PowerShot Elph 110 HS, while the third place winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.

G-Technology has announced the winners of its Driven Creativity 2012 awards. Taking the top spot is “A Fox Tale,” by a group of four students headed up by Julien Legay. This animation team will receive a grand prize of €5,000 as well as a G-Technology 8TB G-RAID with Thunderbolt for their project that focuses on “the poetic and artistic side of Asia.” The winning piece, along with the category winners and runners-up, was showcased at a special exhibition last night at Shoreditch Studios, London.

The winners of the October 2012 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for October was “Rays of Light” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Rays of life by MKatz
Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

We’ve teamed up with Booq to give away one of its fantastic new Python camera backpacks, worth EUR 269,95!

The lucky winner is Fleur Moody. Congratulations!

Python pack is a camera laptop backpack designed for 1-2 DSLRs, up to 4 mid-size lenses, 1 large zoom lens, tripod, iPad, and a MacBook up to 15-inch. Its ergonomic shoulder strap design and side-loading camera compartment lets you access your gear while wearing the camera bag. Inside its rigid camera compartment, contoured padded walls cradle your DSLR camera for easy access, and densely padded dividers (not the flimsy stuff those cheaper camera bags use) can be configured to fit your gear of choice. A variety of pockets include concealed interior slots designed to be used to securely store accessories and flash cards, and its large laptop compartment, protected from the elements via a water-repellent zipper, is perfectly sized for a 15-inch MacBook Pro or magazines.

The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) in partnership with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has put out a call for the world’s best scientific images. Scientists creating images to support their research and photographers – both professional or amateur -  making images to record science in all its aspects showing applications of diverse photographic techniques are encouraged to submit images. 100 of the best – selected by scientists, photographers, and those working in the field – will be included in an exhibition that will open in Newcastle in September 2013 as part of the British Science Festival and will then tour the UK and abroad. Entries can be submitted from 1 November 2012 until 28 February 2013.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced the winners of the annual RHS Photographic Competition. Josie Elias has won the first prize of £1000 and the title of RHS Photographer of the Year 2012 for the above image of an olive tree surrounded by tulips. Elias said: “We stumbled on the Iris Garden at Plantas Distintas in Marnes, Spain quite by chance. I was particularly intrigued by the contrast of the gnarled old olive tree and colourful spring flowers. I felt I had to capture the scene and was encouraged by the nursery owners to enter the photograph into the RHS competition. I am very excited and honoured to have won.”

Manfrotto is giving away one of its fantastic new 290 Carbon Fibre tripod and head kits worth £249.95!

The lucky winner is Paul Mitchell - congratulations!

The new Manfrotto 290 Carbon - a new family of carbon fibre camera supports designed to accompany passionate new photographers as they progress and improve their skills.  At that level, no longer a beginner, but not (yet) earning a living from photography, it has always been difficult to find accessories and equipment that offer the right balance of performance, practicality and versatility: cheap “first tripods” are too flimsy and can’t be upgraded, but professional tripods have too many features, too many options and are too much of an investment. The 290 Carbon range steps right in to fill the gap in the middle and support the aspiring photographer along the path from hobby to passion… or from obsession to profession.

Journeys to far-flung locations and spectacular holidays are often the triggers to taking photography more seriously, but it’s notoriously difficult to find a tripod that’s compact and light enough to travel, but stable enough to really help when you get to your destination. Step into your passion for photography!

For more information or to buy Manfrotto products online visit: www.manfrotto.co.uk

Last night the winners of the 2012 AOP Open Awards were announced at the presentation and party at Draw Walk Gallery, Truman Brewery. Photographer Andrew Perkins won Best in Show Award for his image, “Girl’s shadow on beach and three people in deck chairs” (above). Other winners include Simon James, Jon Tonks, Marietta d’Erlanger and Gaynor Perry, all of whom have received Judges’ Choice Awards.

The Outdoor Photographer of the Year (OPOTY) 2012 Competition is now open for entry. Now in its third year, the contest offers six categories across the genres of landscape, wildlife, nature and adventure with the chance of winning a cash prize of £1,000. The category winners will each receive a £250 voucher from Wex Photographic. The awarded images, along with other selected images will be exhibited at The Outdoors Show at ExCel, London (17 – 20 January 2013). The closing date for entries is 9 December 2012.

Nikon has issued a call for entries to the 2012-2013 Nikon Photo Contest. Held since 1969, the Nikon Photo Contest (NPC), formally known as the Nikon Photo Contest International (NPCI), was created with the goal of “contributing to the development of photographic culture by providing a venue of communication among photographers from around the world, be they professionals or amateurs.” For this year’s contest, Nikon is seeking entries in four categories including single photo, composite photo, video and Motion Snapshot. The entry period begins on 1 December 2012 and runs until 28 February 2013. To submit your work, visit the Nikon Photo Contest 2012-2013 website, complete the entry form and submit your work.

The Fujifilm Student Awards 2013 is now open for entries. Run in conjunction with ChooseFilm.com and Metroprint, the theme for this year’s Award is ‘The Colour Of….’ with students being briefed to capture an image that that illustrates how colour lights up their world. In a new twist to this year’s awards, entries are open to all students in the UK, not just those undertaking courses involving photography. This decision was taken following several requests from students who are keen photographers but not actually studying photography. For further details and examples of previous winners, visit the website below.

This year, Alvaro Deprit has been named as the winner of the BJP’s annual International Photography Award. Alvaro beat off competition from 168 other entries to win the series category, submitting a story called Suspension which looks at unaccompanied minors who have fled war, poverty and political uncertainty for new lives in Italy. Judges Harry Hardie, founder and director of Here; Jess Crombie, head of film and photography at Save the Children; and Karen McQuaid, curator at The Photographers’ Gallery, were impressed with the strength of the story Deprit had depicted, and the sensitivity he brought to it and his young subjects.

Land Rover North America has teamed up with 500px.com for a photo competition. Hosted by 500px, the contest encourages Land Rover fans to submit a photographic story that will fulfill a theme associated with the Land Rover brand’s “go anywhere” spirit. Entries must be tagged with “Land Rover Story Challenge.” In November, five winners will be announced on both the Land Rover USA and 500px communities, and will be invited to use a Land Rover vehicle from the 2013 lineup year for up to two weeks. They will also win a contract for $10,000 and travel expenses. For a complete list of rules, visit the website below.