Angry Chicken Software, the developers of five-star photo app “Photo Notes,” have released One Stop Crop 1.1. Billed as “the only photo editing app that truly streamlines the iPhone photo editing experience,” One Stop Crop let’s you crop, rotate and even straighten images and supports unlimited, undo and redo actions. Additionally, One Stop Crop integrates the familiar, Safari-style multi-page display to allow editing up to 10 photos at a time. The app is available on iTunes for $1.99.

Bolide Software has released Bolide Slideshow Creator 1.4 – the latest version of its freeware slideshow editor. The new version introduces a pan&zoom effect that lets you highlight important details in a photo, show particular objects or people in a picture in more detail, or simply make the slideshow more dynamic. Bolide Slideshow Creator v.1.4 can be downloaded from the website below.

Tiffen has released updates to Tiffen Photo fx and Tiffen Photo fx Ultra. The apps now provide a number of ways to share enhanced or retouched images, allow users to save their favorite Photo fx looks into presets and import into Tiffen Dfx 3 and provide faster processors. Additionally, the Tiffen Photo fx Ultra version now supports the high-resolution Retina display of the new iPad. Tiffen Photo fx 5.0 and Tiffen Photo fx Ultra 5.0 apps are available today for $2.99 and $4.99.

The two lucky winners of a Manfrotto Photo Kit are Charlotte Clark and Austin Taylor.

These kits include the new Manfrotto Compact Travel Tripod which will go perfectly with your Manfrotto Veloce Backpack! Each kit is worth £135!

The new Manfrotto Veloce III (Black) Backpack is the essential shooting backpack, which comfortably fits all your camera gear and tripod either inside or outside the bag as well as a 13” laptop (13” Apple). Grab your DSLR (with or without battery grip and up to a 16-35mm lens attached) via the top opening without having to open the entire bag. 1-2 additional lenses, flash and accessories fit in the bottom compartment.

The Manfrotto Compact Photo Kit (Grey) is the most compact full size support in the market. The five section legs and the unique reversible column provide maximum compactness for storage and transportation, and yet, when fully extended it is a full size tripod with no compromise on height. The quick action intuitive ball head allows you to simply and quickly set the position of your camera in any situation so you don’t lose the right moment.

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

The winners of the May 2012 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for May was “Rain” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
Drops of fun by MKatz
Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

Tamron has announced the addition of the Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD for Canon mount to the lens profile for aberration correction offered for Adobe Photoshop CS6, ACR 7.1 and Lightoom 4.1. With the new profile, customers who own the lens will be able to utilize the above software for easy correction of lens distortion, chromatic aberrations and peripheral brightness based on design data.

Canon U.S,A, is once again joining forces with several of the country’s acclaimed national parks to offer free photography workshops to visitors this summer. Providing participants with free equipment loans and professional photography instruction as they take part in a guided walking photo tour, the workshops also offer an opportunity to print images for free. New to this year’s program are Canon video workshop sessions.  Visitors can experience and learn about shooting video by using a Canon VIXIA camcorder or EOS digital SLR camera and participating in a hands-on videography demonstration with experts. Click through / read on for the detailed schedule.

Sprite Labs have announced an update to Paint FX. Version 3.1 adds three new HDR effects with advanced controls and new effects including “Flame”, “Cracked Paint”, “Cracked Tile”, “Grunge Film”, “Handmade Paper” and more. Paint FX 3.1 is available for $1.99 through the iTunes App Store.

Induro has announced the July 2012 availability of its new Dual Range (DR) Hi-Hat Tripod Set. Shown for the first time at NAB 2012, the new Induro DR Hi-Hat Tripod Set, designed with both photographers and videographers in mind, is a unique support system that provides a range of capabilities that makes this tripod compatible with the requirements of still cameras as well as video platforms. Boasting a surprisingly high load capacity of 220lb, the new DR Hi-Hat Tripod Set consists of both a short Aluminium Alloy tripod with 100mm Bowl, and a 100mm Half Ball Adapter. The Induro DR Hi-Hat Tripod Set will be available for $279.

Sekonic has announced that the L-308DC DigiCineMate is now available in the U.S. with a special Protective Orange Skin. Now available at time of purchase, the colourful, sure-grip orange skin makes the DigiCineMate easy to find in any gadget bag, comfortable to operate, and adds a degree of safety when placed on surface.

Sekonic today announced a free downloadable upgrade to its Data Transfer Software (DTS) allowing for automated DSLR and Digital Video Camera meter calibration. Version 3.0 enables the measuring of the dynamic range of a DSLR or digital video camera and calibrating a photographer or videographer’s Sekonic L-758DR DigitalMaster and L-758Cine DigitalMaster meter to that specific data. Note that using the automated process requires recording images of one of Sekonic’s Exposure Profile Targets or one of X-Rite’s ColorChecker series targets.

Kenro, the official UK and Ireland distributor for the Benro range of tripods, has announced the availability of the new Benro Classic Series Kits. Kenro Managing Director, Paul Kench commented on the release: “The Benro Classic Series Kits are the Bear Grylls of tripods! They’re ideal for the photographer who likes to push themselves and who needs a tripod that will take on any environment and a couple of the extra innovations like the built-in spirit level and compass have both been included to appeal to dedicated outdoor photographers.” All tripods in the Classic Series are supplied with a Benro N Series Ball Head which, incorporating Arca-Swiss style quick-release system, have been designed to facilitate both smooth movement and stable camera positioning. The range comprises of five models, ranging from £119.94 to £185.94, all featuring anti-rotation legs incorporating twist locks with dust and water-resistant design.

Issue 16 of Landscape Photography Magazine is now available for download. The redesigned magazine includes an interview with Colin Prior, a guide to long exposures, an article on finding your personal style and many more articles, tips and techniques. Note that the full contents of Landscape Photography Magazine are available to subscribers only.

Jessops has launched a new photography competition running throughout the month of June to celebrate National Photography Month. By entering your perfect celebration moment you could win one of ten Canon EOS 550D twin-lens kits, one of five Powershot SX260 HS superzoom cameras or one of twenty-five canvas prints, each mounted on a sturdy wooden mount stretcher. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is simply upload your photos to Facebook at the website below.

AVA Publishing has re-published Basics - Photography 01: Composition by David Präkel. The 184-page volume leads the reader, step-by-step, through the essential elements to consider when composing an image, including viewpoint, perspective, symmetry, scale and balance. Illustrated throughout with 200 classic images from the masters of photography and creative work by contemporary practitioners, including Harry Callahan, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Marc Riboud, David Hockney, Martin Parr, Lu Guang, Claire Martin and Claudia Rogge, the book is available for £23.50/$34.50.

onOne Software has released DSLR Camera Remote 1.4.3, an update that allows photographers to remotely fire and control Nikon’s new D800/D800E and D4 dSLR cameras from their iOS devices. “DSLR Camera Remote has been well received by professional and hobbyist photographers, so we are pleased to offer this update and support for these powerful new cameras,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. DSLR Camera Remote 1.4.3 is a free update to owners of DSLR Camera Remote Free, Professional and HD versions. Note that this update requires both the iOS app and the desktop server application be updated.

Canon today announced its support for the inaugural UK National Photography Month. The company has been particularly involved in supporting the “My School in Focus” competition which runs until November 2012. My School in Focus is an opportunity for secondary schools to get involved in National Photography Month by using photography to engage with key concepts in geography, especially during fieldwork.  The My School in Focus project is part of Colliers Green Focus, an innovative educational programme and photography competition which supports Geography at Key Stage 3 (S1-3 in Scotland).

The UK’s first ever National Photography Month (NPM) – a nationwide initiative that celebrates the importance of photography in our daily lives - has just been launched. “The campaign, based around the theme ‘Capture and Keep’, will provide a range of workshops, tools and ideas that will help the nation create and safeguard better pictures that people are proud to share with future generations,” the organisers say. Furthermore, in celebration of the launch of NPM and to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee, Photo & Digital Specialists Snappy Snaps will invite the public to take a ‘Snap with the Queen-’ The Snappy Snaps photo advisors will hit the streets of London at 30 of the most photographed sights in and around the capital, where they will be on hand to give photography tips and take photos of the public with a range of props including a life-size cardboard cut-out of the Queen, creating fun and memorable photographs. The team will be handing out branded ‘Snap’ cards featuring a QR code link to a uploaded these pictures to Snappy Snaps social media and give participants a chance to win prizes incorporating their photos.

Following the success of last year’s competition, creative software developer Serif has announced it is running another digital photography contest. The 2012 PhotoPlus Competition launches today – in conjunction with National Photography Month – and photography enthusiasts across the world are invited to submit photographs they have captured and improved using Serif’s photo editing software, PhotoPlus. The categories for the competition are: HDR, Action, Nature & Wildlife, Portrait, and Landscape & Architecture. The submission deadline is 31 July 2012. To take part, visit the website below.

The 2013 Sony World Photography Awards, organised by the World Photography Organisation (WPO), are now open for entries. Widely recognised as the leading global photographic awards programme, the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards include a professional competition for serious photographers, an open competition for amateurs and enthusiasts, a Student Focus for higher education photography students aged 18-28, a youth competition for photographers under 20, a 3D Award for anyone using 3D technology in photography or video and a Moving Image Award for those experimenting with film and narrative formats. The submission deadline is 4 January 2013, with the exception of the Professional competition which will close on 9 January 2013.