Sybex have announced a photography contest which has a main prize of $1,000 and publication of your winning photo in a Sybex book.

Sybex Press Release

WIN $1,000 FROM SYBEX!

We’re pleased to announce the launch of the SYBEX DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST. Send us your best digital photos (max. 3) between now and 4/1/05 for a chance to win up to $1,000 and publication of your image in a Sybex book. The judge will be Tim Grey, author of Color Confidence and Photo Finish. Tim will also comment from time to time on selected photos throughout the contest period, so check back regularly for feedback on your entries. Visit us at www.sybex.com for details!

Lexar Press Release

Lexar Unveils Website Designed to Inform and Educate Digital Photographers

ORLANDO, FL, February 20, 2005 (PMA booth #4132) – Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), a world leader in advanced digital media technologies, today announced a new web site designed specifically for digital photographers. Located at www.lexar.com/dp, the new site includes valuable information and tutorials to help photographers more fully utilize the unique features Lexar products offer and achieve a more rewarding experience shooting and working with digital images. Additionally, this new site provides detailed information about new photography techniques, products and services, as well as interesting feature stories and background information about the many professionals who count on Lexar’s flash memory cards and accessories to help them succeed.

Panasonic Press Release

ORLANDO, FL (February 20, 2005) - Today from the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) 2005 Annual Convention & Tradeshow, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company announced an alliance with Shutterfly, a leading online photo service provider, to provide an online photo center for consumers.  Beginning in March, Panasonic customers can take full advantage of Shutterfly’s award-winning products and services at the Panasonic Photo Center, created and managed by Shutterfly.  This reflects a broadening of the alliance between the companies, who both provide consumers with high-quality digital photography solutions.

Epson America / Sprint Press Release

New Option Makes it Easy and Convenient for Sprint Customers to Print Camera-Phone Photos

Orlando, Fla. (Photo Marketing Association Convention and Trade Show) – Feb. 18, 2005- Epson America Inc. and Sprint (NYSE: FON) have teamed to make it easier and more convenient for Sprint customers to print photos stored in their Picture MailSM online albums on their home printers using a new feature for the site, Print at Home.

Beginning this spring, Sprint customers using Picture Mail will have the option to print the photos stored in their online album directly to their home printer, regardless of brand, using Epson’s popular Print at Home capabilities at no additional cost. Family and friends who receive a Picture Share can also use this feature at no additional cost.

Futurice Press Release

Photos to Friends A Virtual Sofa for Digital Camera and Phone Camera Owners

Digital camera and phone camera owners alike will be able to enjoy the new ‘Photos to Friends service’

Feb. 11, 2005—Futurice launches Photos to Friends service at 3GSM World Congress on 14 February 2005. The service resembles a virtual sofa where users can watch each others’ photos and chat with friends. It is private photo sharing online; each photo can only be seen by persons you have chosen.

The free service allows sharing of all photos that are in digital format. The easiest way is to use Photos to Friends camera phone applications to upload photos to the web based service. You can choose the persons you want to share the photos with directly from the contact list in the phone using Futurice’s patent pending technology. Digital camera users can upload photos with an Internet browser and later with a PC application. The service has been created based on the results of studies by the University of California at Berkeley, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology and Futurice on people’s true needs in relation to camera phones and photography and the sociological phenomena regarding photo sharing.

The latest issue of the monthly online photo magazine, Vivid Light Photography, has just been published. Once again there are some great articles to get you thinking - here are a couple of my favourites:

- Image Sushi: Sometimes Raw is Better
” The mantra “start with a high quality image” should always be your guide. If you rely on making a lot of adjustments afterwards, you’ll spend more time behind the keyboard than behind the camera and that’s not an acceptable option. But if you’re on a critical shoot or in a once in a lifetime location under tricky light, then shooting raw gives you the option to go back in time and make a different set of decisions should the worst happen. Raw is also a great tool to help you understand just what different camera settings can and can’t do for your images.”

- Do You Comb Your Face?
“In photography, light is the tool with which we work. Cameras, lenses and a whole host of related doo-dads are simply tools that help us harness light. Most folks who get serious about photography get pretty good at the basics of camera operation and exposure, and after a while their images are sharp and well composed. But I would venture that many, too many, never truly come to understand light. And past a certain point are embarrassed to admit it, even to themselves.”

Website: Vivid Light Photography - Issue #40

Polaroid Corporation Press Release

—New PolaroidPics Offers Consumers Free Service for Storing and Sharing Photos Online Plus Lab-Quality Prints—

WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/—Polaroid Corporation today announced PolaroidPics, its new online photofinishing website (http://www.polaroidpics.com/), developed for consumers who want a hassle-free way to store, share and print their digital images. PolaroidPics is a convenient, full-service site that offers innovative features plus full online security.

“With our strong background in photography and image printing, we are excited to be a part of the online photofinishing market,” said Jeff Hopper, vice president and chief marketing officer, Polaroid Corporation. “As digital capture continues to skyrocket, Polaroid is committed to serving its consumers across the spectrum of their digital imaging needs, including capture, print and storage. With the launch of PolaroidPics, we are poised to continue to expand our digital products and service offerings.”

JPG Magazine Press Release

Photobloggers Derek Powazek, founder of www.fray.com, and Heather Champ, founder of www.mirrorproject.com, have launched JPG Magazine (www.jpgmag.com) using the full color print on demand technology of Lulu (www.lulu.com). JPG Magazine is for people who love imagemaking without attitude. It’s about the kind of photography you get when you love the moment more than the camera. It’s for photographers who share their work online, but would like to see that work in print.

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) January 31, 2005—In a sea of blogs, photobloggers offer some of the most beautiful and provocative content on the Internet. Photoblogging —- the posting of digital photographs on a web site, or blog —- provides an ideal way for photographers to share images, receive feedback, and form communities with common interests. But as any photographer will tell you, photoblogging can never replace the satisfaction of seeing and holding a picture in your hands. To marry the worlds of photobloggers and print photography, an innovative San Francisco couple hatched JPG Magazine (www.jpgmag.com), a full-color publication devoted entirely to photography.

Snapfish Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 25, 2005—Snapfish, a leading online photo service, today announced the offering of complete Snapfish photo services on Circuitcity.com.

The new offering, currently live at www.circuitcity.com/photocenter, provides consumers access to the value, ease of use and selection of Snapfish’s online services. The new relationship also demonstrates how Snapfish’s online services can be easily incorporated into a retailer’s existing offerings to improve customer choice, while also exposing potential new customers to the retail brand through the incredible ease of online photo sharing.

Shutterbug magazine have predicted what will happen in the world of photography in the year 2005 and beyond. Amongst other things, they tell us that the megapixel wars will finally end (at last!).

“It’s no secret that digital cameras are already selling like hotcakes at the expense of conventional 35mm and medium format equipment, and this trend will certainly continue. Almost overnight, 7- and 8-megapixel models have become the norm in “prosumer” digicams, but will the megapixel wars continue? In other words, will we see 10- and 12-megapixel compact cameras in the near future? While that may sound like a logical prediction, it’s unlikely, at least based on current technology.”

Website: Shutterbug - A Look At What’s Ahead For Photography In 2005…And Beyond

AdoramaPix Press Release

AdoramaPix Opens its Gates and Will Now Make its Professional Digital Print Membership Services Free to Everyone

25 year old service company that serviced professional photographers now opens its doors to amateur photographers as well, and offers free incentives to place first order online.

New York, NY (PRWEB) January 22, 2005—AdoramaPix opens its gates and will now make its Professional Digital Print Membership Services free to everyone!

After thirty (30) years of serving the professional photography community, first in film and most recently with digital printing, AdoramaPix will now allow everyone to join its On-Line Digital Print Membership Club. Due to the volume of requests of amateur photographers, and the automation of the ordering process via Adorama’s easy-to-use WEB site, Mr. Herman Klein, Director of the Digital Developing Division of Adorama, announced today that AdoramaPix will now allow the public to become free members of its current full digital developing services. Membership fees and minimum print order requirements have been waived. New members are being offered incentives for placing their first orders via the WEB at www.adoramapix.com.

The latest issue of Nikon’s Pro Views online magazine has just been published. Highlights this month include an indepth look at Nikon’s NEF RAW file format and a preview of the D2X digital SLR, complete with sample images (found via Rob Galbraith).

“Long-awaited…highly anticipated…state-of-the-art…new generation of professional quality. Those are some of the things we can say about Nikon’s top gun, the D2X digital SLR, which is coming to market in February. All true, but nowhere near adequate. Let’s say it right off: Nothing we can tell you is going to compare with picking up the camera and working with it. But here are a few things to keep in mind.”

Website: Nikon - Pro Views

Bonusprint UK Press Release

Digital camera users can now save even more on their prints, thanks to Bonusprint’s new banded pricing which starts from just 9p per print.

For customers ordering digital prints online at www.bonusprint.co.uk, prices start at 12p per print. This drops to only 10p per print for 50 or more prints, and further still to 9p per print for orders of 100 or more. The bargain prices from Bonusprint roll on with further savings on enlargements (with 8”x10” falling to just 99p for 10 or more) and mugs.

World Photo Day - June 1, 2005 - “capture and record on camera worldwide, our daily lives, and all in just 24 hrs”

The World PhotoDay 2005 project is an exploration into the everyday lives of people on a global scale. The diversity of this planet we inhabit is grand beyond belief. While you are having breakfast reading the paper, what do you think the rest of the world is doing? You will find out what happens on just one single day in the lives of people worldwide. What a journey it will be.

Website: World Photo Day 2005

BBC News takes a look at the increasing number of companies that are offering storage of digital photos on the internet:

“Marcus Hawkins, editor of Digital Camera magazine, said: “As file sizes of pictures increase, storage becomes a problem. People are using their hard drives, backing up on CD and DVD and now they are using online storage solutions. They are a place to store pictures, to share their pictures with families and friends and they can print out their photos.”

Website: BBC News - Web photo storage market hots up

shutterbug Magazine takes a timely look at the Photoblog phenomenon, with links to some great sites, ermm, I mean blogs, that are pretty much all worth a lengthy visit.

“In my exploration I was quite amazed at how much support for photoblogging is already available, even though photoblog popularity has grown substantially over a rather short span of time. For instance, websites like buzznet.com and fotolog.net both offer easy means to get started with full support to create your own photoblog. However, with these easy full-support options you are pretty locked into a limited format. So if you want some individuality and independence there are other ways to go.”

Website: shutterbug - Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Photoblog

I’ve completely overlooked Mike Johnston’s “Sunday Morning Photographer” column, which this month takes a look at Pentax and the *ist DS DSLR camera.

“So what does the Pentax DS offer to make it special? What unique feature sets it apart? Nothing! That’s right, nothing.

Well, actually I suppose you could say small size, which as I say is a longtime hallmark of Pentax products. The *ist DS is the smallest, lightest digital SLR so far. But beyond that, there’s no special feature to grab the fickle attention of the buying public. It hasn’t got anti-shake. No sensor-cleaner. The Canon 20D has better image quality, if only marginally. Several cameras focus somewhat faster. You can get slightly better value out of a couple of others. The DS is not the quietest, the fanciest, the most feature-laden, the most special in any way. Except one…”

Website: Sunday Morning Photographer: The K-1000 of Digital SLRs

Check the Latest Prices for the Pentax *ist DS

FujiFilm obviously drank a little too much at Christmas, as they have started a competition where you can win a digital camera every day from January 11th-17th. You do have to live in the United States though (which rules me out - damn it!). Visit the link below now for the chance to win one of the five models on offer, including the Finepix 5100 (pictured).

Website: Win a FujiFilm Digital Camera

This easily wins the award for funniest CES press release of the day. Just what all you iPod Photo owners need…

Playboy.com Press Release

Playboy.com Offers Stunning Image Galleries for Hand-Held Digital Photo Devices Like the iPod Photo

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/—Playboy.com has harnessed the digital photo revolution to put the sexiest girls next door in the palm of your hand with the site’s new “iBod” editorial feature. Given the popularity of handheld media toys like Apple’s new iPod Photo, Playboy.com has created both non-nude and nude image galleries to help beautify these portable players.

“Playboy has always been committed to delivering the fun and sexiness of the classic Playboy lifestyle to customers on any media platform they wish to use,” said John D. Thomas, editor of Playboy.com. “The overwhelming response we have received for this feature supports our theory that iPod Photo users are a technologically advanced group with a significant interest in enjoying beautiful Playboy images.”

The Copernio Corporation Press Release

Future Formats Group Launches ‘The Consumer’s Guide to Understanding Blu-ray and HD-DVD’

LAS VEGAS, CES, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/—The Copernio Corporation, an innovator in the defense systems and photonics research markets, announced today that it has launched a consumer’s guide to next generation optical disc formats at the 2005 International CES. Offered as a simple guide to help consumer’s evaluate future optical disc technologies, Copernio anticipates that this practical guide will concisely inform consumer choices.

The optical disc market covers all areas related to the production and recording of CD, DVDs and newer emerging disc-based technologies such as Blu-ray, HD-DVD, EVD and holography. The technological sophistication of the market often leaves the average consumer behind.