Manfrotto has launched a new blog designed to captivate, engage and interact with photography enthusiasts. The blog focuses on four key themes including Personality, Physicality, Popularity and Practicality. Simona Colombo, Manfrotto’s Communications Director – Imaging, said: “The blog enables us to connect with our audience by inviting them to be part of the conversation. Not only do we want them to keep taking and sharing photos, but we want to provide useful links and tips to get the most out of their photography”.

Idan Shechter, founder and owner of camerasize.com, has just launched a new website that allows users to visually compare camera sensor sizes. “Sensor sensor sizes like 1/2.33” or 1” didn’t really give me a good idea how small the sensor of the camera really is,” Idan says. “So I’ve decided to create a new web app that will allow me and others to really understand how large / small a specific sensor is in relative to other sensors.” You can try out the new web app for yourself at the website below.

Website: CameraImageSensor.com

PQ Blackwell is looking for photographers to test its new tailor-made book service, MILKbooks, during the month of July. Participants will get the benefit of exclusive design templates and tools specially created by Geoff Blackwell and his team of award-winning designers and editors. The test offer is being backed by a promotion of 8 free books for every 10 purchased during July. PQ Blackwell will also reward “early-adopter” photographers with a unique code that entitles them to 10% discount on all purchases for the next 10 years. To register, visit the website below.

Manchester-based Eposure, a new business which has been set up to support professional photographers by promoting its members to photography buyers, has just launched its website. Designed to create a single place where buyers can find, research and commission commercial photographers, Eposure.com allows members to create their own portfolio pages, which are then actively marketed and promoted to buyers on a daily basis. ” We have a blog which is a key part of the site, which is already well respected in the industry, based on feedback we get, because we are covering issues in the commercial photography market that nobody else has,” says Gabrielle O’Hare, director of Eposure. “The team behind Eposure have a strong photographic and marketing backgound, which means we understand the sector, and the people who commission and use photography for their own marketing.”

Website: Eposure

Instaprints have launched an online marketplace which offers Instagram users around the world the ability to sell their photos as canvas prints, framed prints, acrylic prints, greeting cards and posters. “Instaprints was designed for anyone who wants to turn their Instagram photos into an online business,” said Sean Broihier, founder of Instaprints. “Instagram users love transforming their photos into stylized works of art. Our website allows those users to generate income by selling their photos as actual art products which you can hang on your wall.” The company sets a base price for each available product, and sellers then add a markup to each base price. When a sale is made, sellers keep their entire markup.

Iconify is a new way for photographers to turn their portfolio into a responsive website and a mobile app. Smart enough to work in any browser, on practically any device, Iconify portfolios can be easily viewed, downloaded and shared. The minimalist yet highly functional design also makes it easy for potential buyers to get in touch with the photographer via e-mail, phone, Facebook, Twitter or personal website. Those signing up for the service before 30th June at the website below will automatically receive 30 days of Pro Membership for free when the service launches.

Nikon has launched the Small Moments are Huge online community photo gallery to encourage digital camera users to celebrate meaningful, everyday moments. The new community, which will be hosted on the Nikon USA page on Facebook, kicked off with the help of some of today’s most influential personalities in television, film, music and technology. Fans can join the Guest Stars and upload their own “small moments” to the community gallery throughout 2012. Additionally, for every photo uploaded, Nikon will donate $1 to The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island up to $50,000.

FOAP is a new web service that enables users to sell their iPhone photos via a smartphone app. The company splits the revenue on a 50/50 basis with the photographer, and each approved photo is licensed for $10, meaning you can earn $5 each time someone buys it. “We want to attract the best Iphoneographers and those who are passionate about photography rather then everyone,” says David Los, co-founder of FOAP. The company claims it has already partnered up with a number of photo buyers including Ferratum, a micro loan company. The app launched in the Scandinavian AppStores on 15th May, and has already attracted thousands of registered users. Today marks its launch on iTunes UK.

Worpix.com is a new online marketplace for geotagged photos. Created by Omegapython, a Finnish company based in Helsinki, Worpix is a global service that works without registration. Photographers retain the right to determine the pricing of their own photos, with Worpix getting a commission of 15% (or a minimum of $2) on every transaction. Additionally, photographers also have the option to auction the photos.

Harald Johnson has announced the relaunch of his photo education and entertainment site PhoozL. To celebrate this, the new PhoozL launches with two challenging photo contests/assignments. “Seeing the Light” is a “super-judged” contest with two rounds of judging, a theme chosen by Joel Meyerowitz, and the final judging and determination of winners also by him. The “After Dark” photo assignment is the first of a series of more casual photo challenges modeled on traditional assignments that art directors, editors, and publishers have always given photographers. There is an assignment, a limited time period to submit photos, and a final selection of winning images by the Assigner, in this first case by Harald Johnson himself. In addition to the contests and assignments, the new PhoozL also has forums (“Phorums”), a photo-critiquing area, a growing list of Photo Tips, and a Featured Photographer interview that will update regularly. There’s also a site blog and a special Phun section that includes Flash photo games, photo apps, and more.

Canon U.S.A: has announced two major additions to the Canon Digital Learning Center (CDLC). Firstly, the company has recently launched a new dedicated mobile site to help make the CDLC’s educational content and resources easily available from any smartphone or tablet. Viewers can even register for Canon Live Learning workshops right from their phones. Secondly, they have added a library of Wireless Files Transmitter setup guides. These easy-to-follow step-by-step PDFs are fully illustrated and include instructions for all WFT modes, network configurations, and popular operating systems.

Coolirish has launched a completely redesigned LiveShare that combines photo sharing, text messaging and other communication features into a “visually exciting experience across mobile and Web”. The new version allows the user to easily reply to conversations from any device using email without even having to launch the LiveShare app. In addition, the multi-shot camera mode enables the user to capture rapid action photos and immediately upload the burst of photos into a beautifully organised collage. The full-featured Web version optimises for the desktop experience with full-screen viewing and drag-and-drop bulk uploads. The all-new LiveShare is available today for free in the iTunes App Store and on the Web at the website below.

Jorge Torralba, the mastermind behind the highly successful Rangefinderforum.com, ZeissImages.com and LeicaImages.com websites, has announced the launch of JustNEX.com, an online gallery dedicated to images captured with Sony NEX series cameras. Besides being a gallery, JustNEX is also an image forum.where participants can comment on and discuss the photos uploaded by members. Additionally, the website lets visitors search for photos taken with a specific lens, camera, focal length or any other combination, while the online Market allows photographers to sell equipment they no longer need.

Profoto has launched a new website called ProfotoAssistant. The new site hosts monthly photo contests that are open to full-time photography assistants from around the world, and features a Photo Assistants Directory where assistants can get listed and get work. In order to participate in the Profoto Assistant Photo Contest, assistants must complete the online registration form certifying they are a full-time assistant. After they are registered as a Profoto Assistant they may enter up to 20 images a month. Each submission must be accompanied by a single image of a “behind the scenes” shot of the Profoto equipment on set, showing how it was used to create the image with the subject or background visible. Visitors and assistants may vote for as many images as they wish, but are allowed only one vote per image per month. The image with the most votes in a single month wins.

Land Rover North America has launched on Tumblr with “Five By Five,” an innovative photography project that “reflects a unique approach to the creation and distribution of content”. The company selected five socially-connected photographers in five different cities and granted them access to different Land Rover models. “Land Rover is excited to launch on Tumblr with Five By Five because it is such a unique project that highlights our vehicles in a creative and artistic way,” said Ken Bracht, Marketing Communications Manager, Land Rover North America. “We chose to maximize Tumblr as our new social media channel because it fosters engagement, and with this project, allows enthusiasts to share and follow the journeys of each photographer as they experience our vehicles through the eyes of a lens.” To view the photos visit the website below.

SmugMug and UK-based pro lab Loxley Colour have announced a new alliance offering a turnkey online business solution, enabling photographers to easily and cost-effectively showcase and profit from their work. Said Ian Loxley, managing director at Loxley Colour: “This integration means that photographers will never again have to manually take and fulfil orders for high quality prints. This new ecommerce solution gives customers the ability to sell prints and digital downloads for their photo and video inventories.”

Facebook has announced a few enhancements to its photo viewer, including support for high-resolution photos and full-screen viewing. Now the photo viewer will automatically display photos in the highest resolution possible, and you can expand the photo viewer to take up your entire computer screen. Note that this functionality enhancement only applies if you are using the latest version of Firefox or Chrome. Additionally, Facebook will now assign a simplified sRGB profile to every image, including thumbnails. You can read about this update at the website below.

Manchester-based Eposure is a new business which has been set up to support professional photographers by promoting its members to photography buyers, and raising the profile of commercial photography. The business will be supported by a website, launching at the end of April. “We are very aware of the challenges that professional photographers face these days, such as competition from amateurs and a general devaluing of the profession,” says co-founder and director Gabrielle O’Haare. “With a senior level background in photography and marketing at blue chip client level, we’ve valuable experience of many clients, and the problem often stems from the fact that many brand/ad agencies and clients, don’t understand photography and therefore don’t get the best out of it.” To tackle this issue the directors will be working with and providing content for the buying community. An example of this approach can be found on their blog.

Phase One has launched a new website and announced a price cut on its Capture One 6 software. The program comes in three versions. Capture One Pro supports virtually every professional DSLR and most popular camera models and includes powerful tools to enhance the capture and editing processes. Capture One Express features the same processing engine as Capture One Pro, but is without some of the more advanced tools. Capture One DB ships with all Phase One medium format camera systems. Capture One Pro is available for $299 and €229; Capture One Express is now priced at $99 and €69. In addition, the trial period of the software from 30 to 60 days.

Tunaverse Media has just launched its new photo sharing social network called Blinq. Using web linking technology combined with proprietary “just enough, just in time” image delivery software, Blinq makes remotely stored media appear to reside on the user’s local device. By adding remote control capability Blinq enables users to do whatever they want with those remotely stored photos from anywhere. Because upload time is eliminated, sharing albums of any size, even remotely stored albums, is instantaneous, the company claims. To download Blinq and start sharing your photos, visit the website below.