Nikon today launched the “Nikon Behind the Scenes” video series, dedicated to entertaining intermediate-level photographers. The video series follows a diverse group of leading photographers into the field, including Nikon Ambassadors Joe McNally and Corey Rich and Nikon Professional Photographer Tamara Lackey. In “Nikon Behind the Scenes: Light It Up with Joe McNally,” McNally will be exploring what is possible with Nikon Speedlights and off-camera flash techniques. Over the course of five videos, he will show viewers how to make the most of lighting in whatever situation a photographer may find themselves in. The videos will go live on 11th March on the Nikon YouTube channel and the new NikonUSA Google+ page.

Issue 37 of Landscape Photography Magazine is now available to download. This edition includes a guide to photographic workshops, a review of the Little Stopper, an article on how fine art photographs are sold, a portfolio of images by Sue Bishop, an exclusive interview with Charlie Waite and much more. Do note that the full contents of Landscape Photography Magazine are available to subscribers only.

Issue 26 of David Noton’s Chasing the Light online magazine is now available. In this month’s edition, David takes his readers to Rio de Janeiro, relating an incident that took place on the Copacabana beach. In Seeing the Light, he considers the most effective lighting for travel portraiture and analyses some great accompanying examples. Hot Legs is the aptly titled name of this month’s essential Low Down and Video Blog by David, as he discusses tripods. Other interesting articles include a Guest Feature by world-renowned wildlife photographer Chris Weston, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a butterfly photo by Ross Hoddinott and the very first piece in David Taylor's series Taylor Made.  Do note that the full contents of Chasing the Light online magazine is available to f11 subscribers only. Non-members can purchase individual issues of the magazine at a price of £4.20.

The latest work from leading light artists Ian Hobson of Newcastle, UK and Jeremy Jackson from Virginia, USA demonstrate how people can make spectacular light art using a Nokia Lumia smartphone. Armed with a Nokia Lumia 1020, the artists have created a series of images and guide which are intended to inspire a new generation of smartphone light painters. All made possible by the 4-second maximum exposure time and remarkable low light photography capabilities of the Nokia Lumia smartphone cameras with PureView technology. Ian Hobson comments: ‘The Nokia Lumia 1020 is the first smartphone I’ve ever seen that has the capability to capture quality light paintings due to its 4 second shutter speed and its 41mp camera. With the advances of cameras in mobiles, it allows anyone on the go, to try out light painting.’ Click through / scroll down for a helpful video giving hints about how to light paint with a Nokia Lumia 1020.

A Kickstarter project started by Les Cookson and Ken Higginson aims to resurrect the great-grandfather of all cameras - the camera obscura. Weighing in at less than 1kg this camera obscura is about 15cm x 15cm x15cm in size. Hand-built with your choice of maple or walnut hardwood, the product features an uncoated spherical glass lens about 38mm in diameter, encased in a brass tube, a ground-glass screen for viewing and a clear screen that's used with a piece of tracing paper to trace the image. If you'd like to make a donation or simply learn more about the project, visit the camera obscura's Kickstarter page.

Wall mural company Photowall and picture agency Noll Images have teamed up to create a joint wall mural collection. “We have a great many skilled photographers working for us. Thanks to the collaboration with Photowall our images are scaling new heights – so much more happens when they’re expanded into large format,” says Dennis Blomberg, founder of Noll Images. The collection comprises 36 carefully selected, unexpected and surprising motifs representing everything from coloured circus tents to laughing plastic whales. You can check out the collection at the website below.

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.

The 18th issue of Adore Noir Magazine is now available for purchase. Adore Noir is a fine art photography magazine available exclusively in digital format. Featuring female portraits and nudes by Juul de Vries, images of a post-industrial England by John Claridge, works from E. E. McCollum's Cocoon series, photographs from Mark Sadan's Dancer portfolio, ethereal landscapes by Ludmila Espiaube, and much more; this edition reinforces the magazine’s commitment to high-quality black-and-white Photography. The latest issue of Adore Noir is available for $2.95 from the website below.

Website: Adore Noir

Last year, 'selfie' was officially named the Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year - now it's time to learn the phrase 'petsie.' A recent survey conducted by Samsung Digital Imaging shows that Brits are literally "obsessed with taking and sharing more photos of our furry friends than of our own friends and family." 63% of pet-owners in the UK confess to taking photos of their pets on a regular basis, with 62% of respondents admitting to frequently taking photos of their dogs, 52% of their cats, 8% of their rabbits and 4% even taking ‘petsies’ of their guinea pigs. In a sign of the social world in which we now live, nearly two thirds (62%) of people admit to regularly uploading and sharing photos of their pets on Facebook and Twitter, with a further 16% revealing that half of the photos they upload onto Facebook are of their pets. To celebrate Britain’s love of dogs and the growing ‘petsie’ phenomenon, Samsung Digital Imaging has launched an online search to find Britain’s best ‘petsies’. To take part in the Petsie Awards, all you have to do is upload the coolest picture of your pet dog on Facebook by visiting the website below.

Canon: A Year in Fashion is a documentary film highlighting the relationship between images and fashion. Presented by Andy Torres, the blogger from StyleScrapbook.com, the film tells a story about the symbiosis of photography and fashion as seen by those working behind the scenes. Featured photographers include Clive Booth, Tony Wellington and a number of student photographers who shot catwalk shows from the photographers’ pit for the first time in 2013. Click through / scroll down to view the film.

Young Photographers Alliance has announced the signing of Vanguard USA to a two year sponsorship deal. “We believe that the future of great photography rests in the hands of students,” said Doug Feldner, Director of Sales and Marketing for Vanguard USA, “and fully support YPA in their efforts to prepare young photographers to continue the legacy of our industry’s top shooters.” Bob Hendriks, YPA President, adds, “YPA could not be more thrilled with this new partnership. We graciously accept and look forward to collaborating with Vanguard in the future.”

Issue 36 of Landscape Photography Magazine is now available to download. This edition includes a guide to starting a photography business, a review of the book "Art of Sunnmore" by David Hay, a beginner's guide to shutter speed, an introduction to camera systems by David Hay, a test of the Hasselblad H5D by Mark Bauer, and much more. Do note that the full contents of Landscape Photography Magazine are available to subscribers only.

Issue 25 of David Noton's Chasing the Light eZine is now available. In this month’s edition, David takes his readers to Prague, relating his four-day adventure in this beautiful city in his Behind the Lens article and Video Blog entry. In Seeing the Light, David continues writing about his latest passion for ‘shooting stars’, while in this month’s Stepping Back feature we are transported to the breath-taking Milford Sound in New Zealand. Lucie Debelkova has contributed this issue’s How It’s Done article, describing how she captured her inspirational shot of the Rock Arch in Wadi Rum. In The Bizz, Freya Dangerfield presents an opinion piece on whether we are really witnessing the death of photography, with contributions from various pros. And for the magazine's Guest Feature, renowned landscape photographer David Taylor explains the role his place of birth – Northumberland, UK – has played in his photography. Do note that the full contents of Chasing the Light online magazine is available to f11 subscribers only. Non-members can purchase individual issues of the magazine at a price of £4.20.

One hundred years ago, Oskar Barnack created the very first Leica, the Leitz Camera, later known as the Ur-Leica. An employee of the Leitz Werke Wetzlar and a photography pioneer, Barnack invented and constructed the first stills camera to shoot 24×36mm frames on 35mm in 1914. Company archives dating from March 1914 show that Barnack originally gave his compact and highly portable prototype camera the name ‘Lilliput’. The original is still in the possession of Leica Camera AG, together with the negatives and prints of the first exposures captured with the Ur-Leica – which include pictures from a 1914 summer trip Ernst Leitz to the United States. While the Ur-Leica itself never went into mass production due to the outbreak of the Great War, the concept revolutionised photography, with the manufacturing of the first "actual" Leica beginning in 1925.

The National Galleries of Scotland has announced the acquisition of a photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The formal portrait, captured by Julian Calder in August 2010, went on display yesterday at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. In this photograph Her Majesty The Queen is presented as Sovereign of The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of The Thistle, a chivalric Order that dates from the seventeenth century. Her Majesty wears the robes of the Order and insignia bearing the emblem of the thistle (the national flower of Scotland) and the cross of Saint Andrew. 

Foneclay, a mobile development company that offers a suite of cloud-based application services, has teamed up with Getty Images to offer their photos and graphics as mobile wallpaper through Feeds, Foneclay’s proprietary application for Android. "People look at the picture on their mobile home screen more often than any other image,” said Scott Dresden of Foneclay. “Our users want to see new images cycling through their background but don’t have time to change the image themselves. Therefore, we’ve enabled publishers like Getty Images to send dynamic images to these users’ mobile home screens.” Getty's partnership with Foneclay is the company’s first direct partnership with a mobile technology company that offers products to consumers.

SmugMug is launching a new film series that will provide a unique snapshot of the working lives of some of the world’s best photographers. Click through to view the trailer for the world premiere of the new series and subscribe to the SmugMug Films YouTube channel..

The second issue of PhotographyBB's CLARITY eMagazine is now available for purchase. CLARITY is billed as the first lifestyle eMagazine for photography enthusiasts at all levels of experience. Volume 2  includes 85 gorgeous page spreads, 7 videos, a 43-minute podcast, and articles from leading photographic educators including: Kevin Kubota, Piet Van den Eynde, Lindsay Ostrom, Sean McCormack, Chris Corradino, Dave Delnea, Bill McCarroll, Peter Dorr, Jay Livens, Lee Sacrey, and Barry J. Brady. Single issues of CLARITY are available for only USD $6.99 each, or a subscription savings bundle for one-year (6 issues, published bi-monthly) for $29.99.

The seventeenth issue of Adore Noir Magazine is now available for purchase. Adore Noir is a fine art photography magazine available exclusively in digital format. Featuring previously unpublished images by George Tice, fascinating low-key florals by Alessandro Idini, long-exposure seascapes by Dragos Ioneau, a series of wet-plate still lifes by Angela Walker, landscapes by Jeff Mercader, and much more; this edition reinforces the magazine’s commitment to high-quality black-and-white Photography. The latest issue of Adore Noir is available for $2.95 from the website below.

Website: Adore Noir

Moleskine have introduced new Photo Book Gift Cards. Available in the form of a pocket Cahier Journal, Moleskine Photo Book Gift Cards allow you to hand-write your dedication inside and mail them to your loved ones. Your recipient will be able to use the unique code inside to access the Moleskine Photo Books online tool and select their favourite photos to print as a physical book. The gift cards are available from Moleskine Stores worldwide and online at the website below.