Fine art and photography printer Point101 has launched its new website. The site, which features Point101’s industry-leading image upload and room preview systems, has been refined and streamlined to give visitors a more enjoyable browsing experience, the company says. s “We’re delighted to have launched such an intuitive, engaging revamp of Point101” said Kerry Keays, director of Point101. “We’ve updated our products. We’ve cleared the site of clutter. Our clients have been asking for features — we’ve added them. Now, we can do our products justice, with all new product photography and large images as a central part of the site."

Singh-Ray Filters have just launched a new website showcasing close to 1000 photographs by over 50 major landscape photographers, including Art Wolfe, Ian Plant, Brenda Tharp, Tony Sweet, Jack Graham, Don Smith, Tom Till, George Lepp, Nevada Wier and Gary Hart. “Our new site celebrates the amazing work of photographers who use our products, in addition to being a site where you can find out about and purchase our filters and accessories," says founder Bob Singh. "Our blog will also include frequent posts by photographers who will share tips and techniques about their photography and how they use filters.”

LightRocket, an online photo platform targeting professional photographers and serious enthusiasts, now offers its members up to five times more default cloud storage and expanded 100GB storage units. "Our goal is to make photographers' and visual artists' lives easier and more profitable by simplifying the process of backing up, managing, promoting and selling one's work," explained LightRocket CEO and Co-Founder Peter Charlesworth. "If you make just one sale from LightRocket, you'll probably cover the cost of your subscription for years." The company is currently running an introductory promotion, offering an initial year of 'premium' membership (including 100GB of cloud storage) for $49. New members can try the service free for 30 days.

Calumet Photographic has launched a new ‘Assistant Finder’ tool on its rental website. The easily accessible platform allows assistants to upload a bio, including information on their experience, specialities, location and examples of their work.. The system also allows for reviews and ratings; helping assistantso build their profile and with references from industry professionals that they have worked with. “We are very excited by this online tool; it is going to be invaluable to many of our customers,” says Jon Warner, Managing Director at Calumet Photographic. “So far, we’ve had over 65 assistants register from across the whole of the UK - this is a great start and we’re confident that this service will grow very quickly.” Use of Calumet Photographic’s Assistant Finder is completely free for both professionals and assistants.

Canon has launched a new microsite devoted to camera lenses. "Visitors will be enlightened about the possibilities unlocked through the many different kind of lenses available to them: macro, zoom, telephoto, prime, wide-angle, STM, tilt-shift and fisheye," the company says. "Through informative videos, sample imagery, and educational video content, photographers and videographers from entry level to advanced amateur status will learn how to determine which Canon EF or EF-S Lenses will best help them create more powerful images with their EOS digital SLR camera. Additionally, visitors will find helpful quick tips for shooting with each category of lens, from fisheye to telephoto."

Zenfolio has launched Photographer Central, billed as the most comprehensive online directory of professional photographers of all genres. “The photography industry is fragmented, and part of the problem is the absence of one definitive source for hiring the right professional,” said Alex Peyzner, founder and CEO of Zenfolio and Photographer Central. “In building this new resource, we’ve set out to change the way people find photographers. It simplifies the process by providing clients with the complete and visual profile they need to make a decision; and provides photographers with marketing support so they can focus on the art of photography.”. Potential clients can filter photographers according to their preferred location, budget and style. They can save “Favourites” into a group that can be easily accessed at a later time. Clicking through to a portfolio brings up a simple, streamlined presentation of key information and a photography portfolio. From there, they can compare, contrast and immediately contact the right photographer. A single listing on Photographer Central costs $400 annually, but is available for $300 annually as a limited-time promotion.

RoundMe, a service and community dedicated to professional panoramic photographers and panoramic photography enthusiasts, announced today its free online web application. The software allows users to create Spaces – sets of panoramic images connected through portals and fill with any multimedia content such as videos, photos, text and links. Users can also communicate with each other, share and embed content on social media and websites, making it an all-in-one destination to explore the world through panoramic photographs- For more information and to sign up for RoundMe, visit the website below.

IP Guard, a service website for photographers, has added USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) copyrighting services to its proactive suite of protection services that include proprietary right-click tracking, 24/7/365 image monitoring, as well as DMCA Take down notices and other service s and tools specific to tracking, protecting and acting on authorised image alterations and usage. IP Guard uses proprietary technology to capture a digital “fingerprint” of those who try to download photos and images online without permission, and specialised staff monitor for illegal use of images around the clock. With the addition of USPTO copyright registration, photographers have greater intellectual property protection, giving them full legal recourse for recovery of their stolen and misused images and much greater chance of fair compensation, the company says.

Canon today revealed irista – an advanced, cloud-based image management platform that allows users to access and manage their photo libraries "like never before." Previously known in beta-form as Project1709, irista makes it easy to find any picture, regardless of which device it was shot on. Simple to use, inspired and connected, irista enables everybody to store all of their images securely in one location so they can be accessed anytime, anywhere. The service supports a wide range of file types, has no file size limitations and automatically uploads new additions to image collections. irista is available to everyone, with tiered storage options to suit a range of different needs. The ‘entry’ tier offers 10GB of cloud storage space completely free-of-charge. Advanced enthusiasts or professional users, who require larger capacities, can also choose from two further storage options, with 50GB and 100GB tiers available for a monthly or annual cost.

Zoner has just rolled out a number of enhancements to Zonerama.com, its free cloud photo service. Sporting a new, more responsive design, Zonerama now dynamically adjusts to optimise the photo viewing experience no matter what device you access it on. New social features, such as the ability to follow photographers and rate their albums, have also been added, giving Zonerama a greater degree of interactivity. Finally, Zonerama now supports Google’s Chromecast, so users can wirelessly “cast” their photos from a mobile device or laptop to their TVs.

Calumet UK have launched a new website. Located at www.calphoto.co.uk, the new site offers the same features as previously with the facility to purchase a wide range of photographic products, award-winning customer service, next-day delivery service and much more. To celebrate the launch, Calumet is offering 30% off Calumet branded products and free standard delivery using the code CALPHOTO. This offer is valid through 1st June.

Microsoft Devices have launched the Lumia Win Win Project, a campaign aiming to reward the Lumia photographic community. The project encourages Lumia owners to enter 10 top photography competitions including the Pulitzer and IPA (International Photography Awards). Those who win any of these competitions with a photo shot on a Lumia phone will see their competition prize doubled by Microsoft. "If you win, we’ll match your prize money," the company says. "Together, we’ll change the way smartphone photography is perceived, while you get double the love. It really is a win win."As a part of the campaign, Microsoft Devices will be providing weekly photography tips on a dedicated community website called Shot on My Lumia. Lumia owners will be able to upload their shots, the best of which will be given an exemplary badge ranging in categories from ‘Foodie’ to ‘Traveller’.

Astrophotography.photos has just gone live. Very similar to its sister sites, Zeissimages.com and Leicaimages.com, Astrophotography.photos is a free online gallery with advanced search features and customisation which gives the amateur or professional astronomer the ability to show case his or her photos to the public.

Crated is a new online marketplace for digital artists and photographers. Unlike other art selling sites, "Crated provides a turnkey solution for artists providing not only display and sales features, but also high-quality production, marketing and fulfillment functionality with the highest profit sharing available," the company says. "Crated’s artists receive support from start to finish and a generous revenue share of 80% of generated profits. Setting up a gallery is free, no credit card is needed and the site does not charge any transaction fees." In celebration of the launch, the first hundred artists to join by May 16 will have the opportunity to be featured in Crated’s first pop-up gallery in Soho ArtHouse, New York opening on 21 May 2014.

Today at Visual Connections Chicago, PressFoto announced ImageRent, a new service that makes more than three million stock photos available for commercial, editorial or personal use online at a minimal cost. Rather than purchasing the images outright, customers pay a “rental fee” for the rights to use the image. The fee is $.01 per thousand views. Images may also be used on social media sites free of charge. “There are plenty of people around the globe creating online content who aren’t willing or able to spend the money required to purchase stock but don’t see theft as an acceptable alternative,” said Dmitry Shironosov, CEO of PressFoto. “ImageRent is the perfect solution. It provides legitimate and cost-effective access to a massive library of great images at an exceptionally reasonable cost.”

Pixels.com has launched a new image licensing marketplace. Allowing photographers to set their own rates, control which licenses they want to sell (royalty-free or rights-managed), and even create their own custom licenses with their own terms and conditions; Pixels.com was inspired by the success of the print-on-demand business of its founder Sean Broihier. "The Pixels.com value proposition is clear -- photographers chose which licenses they want to sell, set their own prices for those licenses, and then we showcase their images on an established marketplace that already receives 10+ million visitors per month," said Broihier. "To cover our costs, we simply mark up the prices that are set by the photographers. We did it for prints -- now we're doing it for image licensing." The mark up is 30%.

Digital CameraMart is a new free website which allows allows photographers and photography retailers in the UK and USA to advertise their new or used photo gear. Sellers can add up to eight images and a YouTube video to their ads, while prospective buyers can contact themthrough the website's email system  or via their telephone number. All adverts can be shared on all the most popular social networking site to help exposure and can be done by both sellers and buyers.

Vimazing is a new social network for filmmakers: cameramen, editors and video lovers. Launching next month, Vimazing is a portal for fans of film art, inspired by popular photo-ranking communities such as 500px, Pixoto or 1x. Once launched, Vimazing users will be able to publish their work, build their own film portfolio and evaluate other members' videos. The first 1,000 users to upload a movie will receive a 6-month pro membership for free.

Russian Photography is a new online exhibition presented by the Photographic Museum of Humanity (PMH). Curated by Anna Shpakova, Director of Photography at the Russian agency Ria Novosti, this exhibition explores the work of Anastasia Rudenko, Georgy Pervov, Denis Tarasov, Ilya Batrakov and the Grozny Collective Project. "The stories we are presenting today at the Photographic Museum are very diverse: we are introducing photographers from different generations, individual and group projects, and we are showing bodies of work from various genres: from documentary photography to a completely original genre entitled 'photographic realism', coined by the photographer," Shpakova says.

VeryFirstTo.com is offering the chance to capture 10 of the most sensational views across the globe with the latest  cameras from Fujifilm. From the iconic and breathtaking Grand Canyon in the USA to the snow capped Himalayas, including Mount Everest in Nepal, each location is known for being both photogenic and awe inspiring. Theo Georghiades, Senior Business Manager at Fujifilm says of the trip, “In a world where selfies are the norm and are cluttering the photographic world, it is time to turn the camera back around and capture the most spectacular places in the world.  These are truly breathtaking subjects with stunning cameras selected to deliver the best possible memories.” The luxury vacation costs £72,000.