The PocketShot is a portable, universal smartphone mount. The PocketShot will mount any smartphone to any stabilizing device and can include an optional handle that opens into a table-top tripod.

The three lucky winners of a Samsung 64GB micro SDXC UHS-I card PRO memory cards are Paul Smith, Jon Pertwee and Alan Penman. Congratulations!

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced memory technology is offering Photography Blog readers the chance to win one of three professional, class 10 micro SD cards.

Samsung’s memory cards are built to maximize the users’ mobile experience with faster speeds, more reliability and higher capacity, making it the essential complementary item for smart phones, tablets and digital cameras. Samsung's 64GB micro SD Pro card offers read speeds up to 70 Megabytes per second (MB/s) and write speeds up to 20 Megabytes per second (MB/s).

The 64GB micro SD Pro card has been designed with Samsung’s proof technologies to provide users with ultimate levels of durability: Water- proof, Magnetic-proof, X-ray-proof and Temperature-proof. All Samsung memory cards come with a 10 year warranty.

For more information about Samsung memory, please visit http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/memory-cards-hdd-odd/memory-cards-accessories/

The four lucky winners of a fantastic Manfrotto Lino Special Edition luxury travel bag worth £400 are Paul Sullivan, Joanne Cattermole, Julia Kerr and Stewart Waddell. Congratulations!

Manfrotto is giving away FOUR fantastic Lino Limited Edition travel bags, each worth £400! That's right - we're giving away £1,600 worth of prizes!

LINO MANFROTTO - Limited Edition Bags Functionality. Prestige. Style. And the refinement that comes only from an unmistakable appreciation of beauty and attention to quality. This is the Lino Manfrotto Bag; available in a limited edition of just five hundred pieces, in two alternative colour schemes. Because excellence is for the few. Because excellence is for the kindred spirit.

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

The two lucky winners of a fantastic Vanguard Alta Pro 263 AGH tripods are Chris Bryant and Adrian Boler. Congratulations!

By popular demand, we merged our award-winning Alta Pro tripod with our popular GH-100 grip head.

Alta Pro tripod has unmatched flexibility and stability and enables more angle possibilities than ever before. Its innovative Multi-Angle Central Column (MACC) System allows users to move the central column from zero to 180-degree angles in variable vertical and horizontal positions, making macro-photography and special wide-angle shots a breeze. The Instant Swivel Stop-n-Lock (ISSL) System quickly and securely repositions the central column in one simple movement while maintaining the tripod’s stability.

AGH model: combined with a GH-100 grip head: the GH-100 pistol grip-style ball head has a Grip Position Release System with a handle that allows 360-degrees of panning movements and -32 to +90 degrees of side-to-side tilt and -8 to +0—degree back to front tilt movement all around.

Posterista is a new UK service that allows users to make poster-sized prints from images stored on their social media accounts. Poster sizes vary from 30x40cm to 70x100cm, with each poster showing 55-160 indvidual images arranged in a grid pattern. Pricing starts at £15 for a simple poster and £62 for a framed one. Until the end of the month, you can receive a 15% discount by entering the promotional code EARLYBIRD at the checkout.

Website: Posterista

Award-winning photographers Sue Bryce and Kelly Brown have teamed up for a free 3-day online class providing participants with tips to expertly document every phase of a baby’s first year. Interested readers are encouraged to tune in to creativeLIVE on August 23-25th from 9am – 4 pm PT to learn the ins and outs of pregnancy and newborn photography. To register for the course, visit the website below.

The LED Light Cube is billed as the world’s first high-end, portable and interlocking LED flash and video light. The main highlights of the LED Light Cube include continuous high speed flashing at full power even at bursts of 15fps, adjustable flash speed from 1/8000 of a second to 30 seconds, an ultra-high performance internal lithium ion polymer battery, interlocking capability for building light banks with extra units, and all-in-one flash and video lighting for immediate swapping from stills to motion picture. Manufactured by IC12, the LED Ligth Cube is funded through an IndieGoGo campaign, with those who donate $420 or more receiving a LED Light Cube plus an acknowledgement on the Cube website and inside the product manual.

Akvis has released Version 4.5 of SmartMask, an image selection and masking application for Windows and Mac OS X. Available as a standalone program and as a plug-in to a photo editor, the software is especially useful when you need to create photo collages with numerous objects from different images that don’t have clearly defined edges and fade into a background. This latest update fixes bugs, adds separate installation files for 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows, and offers compatibility with Adobe Photoshop CC (plug-in edition only). Akvis SmartMask can be downloaded for $90 from the website below.

Think Tank Photo have released a new sling camera bag collection, the TurnStyle. The range comprises three models, including the TurnStyle 5, the TurnStyle 10 and the TurnStyle 20. The Think Tank Photo TurnStzle 5 sling bag ($74.75) fits a compact system camera with two to four lenses plus a small tablet, the TurnStyle 10 ($84.75) accommodates a standard SLR body with one to three lenses and a small tablet, while the TurnStyle 20 ($99.75) holds a standard-sized SLR camera with one to four lenses plus a large tablet.

A new flagship range of high-quality filters from Marumi, the Exus series, are now available from Kenro. Comprising a line of Lens Protect and Circular Polarising filters, the Exus series are available in 13 different diameter sizes ranging from 37mm to 82mm and feature new antistatic and anti-reflective qualities. The antistatic coating found in both new lines provides added reassurance that images won't be compromised by any clinging static, while the anti-reflective qulalities mean that the Exus Lens Protect filters are able to achieve ultra-low reflection of less than 0.3% (and less than 0.6% using the Circular Polariser). The filters have a suggested retail price which ranges from £52.92 to £120.90 and the Marumi Exus Circular Polariser filters have SRPs between £119.04 to £288.60, depending on size.

Fotopro and Custom SLR have partnered to bring a new line of professional and travel ready tripods to the USA. Custom SLR will feature a full line of Fotopro tripods and monopod support systems including the C5i series and TT-1 travel tripod kits on CustomSLR.com. The C5i tripod series ($189.95) comes in a lightweight, 3.6lb. package with reversible legs for compact stowing. The kit is equipped with an Arca-Swiss 3D ball head with single-action locking and can be converted into a monopod. The TT-1 tripod kit ($199.95) comprises a lightweight X4i reversed-leg, five-section aluninium tripod, Arca-Swiss 3D ball head and a versatile travel sling bag for an SLR camera with lens and flash.

Lowepro has announced a new range of shoulder bags. The Lowepro Format camera bags are available in five sizes, and offer streamlined dessigns with a variety of options for both photo and video gear, multiple pockets, interior padding, weather-resistant fabric and YKK zippers. The Lowepro Format 160  fits an SLR camera with attached kit lens and 2 extra lenses, as well as a selection of other accessories and personal devices, all for £29.99. The Format 140, 120, 110 and 100 are progressively smaller designs priced between £17.99 and £24.99. “Our new Format series addresses the protection and carrying needs of today’s new photographers and enthusiasts who like variety in their imaging gear,” said Mark Regan, Country Manager for Lowepro UK.  “These bags are designed to accommodate multiple devices – from DSLRs to CSCs to camcorders – and make it easy to adjust the fit to suit a particular shooting style or photo adventure.”

The Art of iPhone Photography by Bob Weil and Nicki Fitz-Gerald is a new title from Rocky Nook. The book explores how 45 of today's most creative iPhonegraphers from around the world conceived, composed, and edited some of their finest and best-known pieces—all in their own words. In addition, it includes explanations for the practical use of nearly a hundred photography apps that you can use to take, edit and share photos with your iPhone. The 352-page volume is available for $44.95.

The Zeiss Touit 2.8/12 lens has been honoured by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). At this year's ceremony for the coveted EISA Awards, the international jury selected the Touit 2.8/12 lens as the “European Compact System Lens of the Year 2013 – 2014”. Since its launch, the Touit 2.8/12 has already received the iF product design and red dot product design awards in addition to the EISA Award.

The Tiffen Company has launched its Steadicam Curve for GoPro competition. A “Best in Show” at CE Week 2013 (Dealerscope), Steadicam Curve for GoPro is a stealth camera stabilising system designed for action-packed, one-handed GoPro camera shoots. Compact enough to fit in your back pocket, the Steadicam Curve weighs in at a mere ¹/₂lb. The new contest is asking participants to submit their favourite Curve colour – black, silver, red, purple or blue – and share for a chance to win a Curve in their favorite hue. To take part, visit the website below.

Lynda.com has released a new, 33-minute video entitled The Creative Spark: Nick Onken, Travel and Lifestyle Photographer, which is available to the public for free until 30th August. Viewers will be able to watch Nick photograph a fashion model in New York, tour Guatemala with him through his work with Pencils of Promise, and listen to him telling his story about becoming a photographer. You can watch the video over at Lynda.com's Facebook fan page.

Lowepro has introduced two new camera bags. The new Photo Sport Shoulder bags offer photography enthusiasts a lightweight carrying solution for any DSLR or CSC kit with an adjustable and removable camera insert that transforms the bag into a fully functional day bag. “Our new Photo Sport Shoulder takes its inspiration from our award-winning Photo Sport designs,” said Mark Regan, Country Manager for Lowepro UK. “To make this travel-friendly shoulder bag a ‘sport’, we added durable ripstop nylon for lightweight resiliency, thick webbing straps for a comfortable and secure fit on the body, plus a storm-flap closure for extra moisture protection around the camera box." Available in two sizes, the Photo Sport Shoulder bag is priced at £57 (12L) and £65 (18L).

Transcend today announced the introduction of 128GB 600x and 64GB 300x SDXC UHS-I cards. Offering transfer speeds of up to 90MB/s and 45MB/s respectively, these memory cards provide both the storage capacity and the operational speed required to save, store and transfer large numbers of high-resolution photos and HD videos with ease. "Combining high capacity with full support of the Ultra-High Speed Class 1 specification, the new SDXC UHS-I memory cards effectively ensure ample storage space for capturing professional-quality images and high-definition videos, while offering enhanced camera response and significantly faster data transfers," the company says. The new 128GB 600x SDXC UHS-I card is currently available for a suggested price of $279, and the 64GB 300x SDXC UHS-I card is available for $109.