The Master Photographers Association has launched the new style 2011 Master Photography Awards. This year sees a change in submission method, plus 8 new, or updated, categories, and the brand new title of ‘International Master Photographer of the Year’. The Master Photography Awards are the most prestigious awards for photography in the UK, and are open to all qualified members of the Association.

The Camera Lens Cap Holder makes sure that you won’t lose a lens cap again. Mark Stevenson’s lens cap holder allows you to securely attach a camera’s lens cap to your neck strap or camera bag. Initially there will be ten lens cap sizes. 52mm, 55mm, 72mm & 77mm for Nikon, Pentax, Fujifilm, Sony, Pro-series and vintage lenses, 46mm, 58mm & 67mm for M4/3, Cannon and Nikon lenses, and 40.5mm, 49mm & 62mm for M4/3, Olympus and vintage lenses.

XL Studio Lighting have released a new 2 in 1 black and white background for high/low key studio photography. Made from durable vinyl, one side is Matt Black and the other Matt White. Available in 2m and 2.9m widths and a range of lengths, prices start at £49.95.

Peter Steedman’s new exhibition at Lauderdale House encompasses a wide variety of themes ranging from landscapes to textures, plant portraits to old buildings. Lauderdale House is located in Waterlow Park on Highgate Hill in north London. The exhibition runs until 12th June, and is open daily from 11.00am to 4.00pm Tuesday to Friday, and midday to 5.00pm on Sunday. Admission is free.

From Monday 6 June, Australian consumers will have the opportunity to snap up one of just 2,000 limited-edition “red” EOS 1100D digital SLR cameras. The camera bodies come with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5–5.6 IS II and EF-S 55-250mm f/4–5.6 IS lenses, a red strap and a custom-made aluminium travel case. The kit can be yours for AUD 1,199.

Source: Canon Australia via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Canon has announced the resolution of patent infringement disputes with twenty companies. The dispute concerned certain toner cartridges and their photosensitive drums. As a result of the resolution, the twenty companies involved are now prohibited from making, using, selling and offering for sale in the US, and from importing into the US, the products which Canon accused of infringement.

Snapixel Magazine, which started out as an online publication dedicated to great photography by up-and-coming talents, is now looking to go into the print world. To this end, the editors have launched a Kickstarter campaign asking interested readers to back the project with donations. They want to raise at least $6,000 to cover the costs of printing and distribution, and you can pledge $5 or more to help them make this happen. “We’ve done some test runs, and the magazine really shines in print,” says marketing and advertising director Emily Sands.  “We want to be able to reach a wider audience and expose our featured artists to everyone everywhere!”

Website: Snapixel Kickstarter Page

Nikon has announced a new summer cashback promotion offering customers in the UK and Republic of Ireland up to £65 /€75 back on purchases of the Nikon D3100, starting today. Customers are entitled to claim £40/€50 cashback on purchases of a new Nikon D3100 body or single lens kit, or £65/€75 cashback on purchases of a new Nikon D3100 body with two or more lenses until 31st July. All claims must be received by 31st August to apply. For more information, visit the website below.

ActiveTrak has developed a new online tool to find stolen cameras and resolve copyright issues related to the unauthorised use of photographs on the Internet. Currently in Beta, GadgetTrak Camera Serial Search is built around the same idea as Matt Burns’ Stolen Camera Finder, namely, that many of the top camera manufacturers embed the camera’s serial number into the image files produced by their cameras. The difference is that the Portland, Oregon-based company has “built out a bot-net style distributed computing network to scour massive amounts of images online,” says Justin Thiele of AcitveTrak, adding: “This service can help locate & recover stolen cameras and we are working with law enforcement agencies to see how it can be used to solve other serious crimes, like child pornography.”

Website: GadgetTrak Camera Serial Search Beta

Photodex has partnered with Zenfolio to offer integrated solutions for creating video slideshows online. Photodex’s ProShow Web service now seamlessly pulls photos from Zenfolio galleries to create customised, HD video slideshows that can be shared online through social media sites like Facebook and YouTube, embedded on a blog or website and downloaded to a computer. Users can complete their shows with over 50 stylish themes, royalty-free music, and the ability to drag and drop a la carte effects onto any photo or video, resulting in a fully customised video. The news comes three months after the announcement of a similar agreement between Photodex and SmugMug.

KAZA has introduced handcrafted, full-grain leather camera cases for the Olympus E-PL1 and the Olympus E-PL2. Each case has a classic, vintage look and “is expressly intended to offer the utmost in security and ease of access in a full case”, the company says. Both of these cases have a smooth, soft flannelette lining that cushions the camera and protects the lens and LCD screen from scratches without adding unnecessary bulk, keeping the cases slim and easy to bring anywhere. KAZA’s Olympus E-PL1 and E-PL2 cases are available now at $59 apiece. For more information, check out the website below. Note that buyers are required to specify whether they need the E-PL1 or the E-PL2 version as they are slightly different in size.

he second phase of the Manfrotto Imagine More Contest has begun. The time has come for consumers living in France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, the UK and the United States to upload a single, unique, creative or inspiring photographic interpretation of what “Imagine More” means to them, to Facebook, Flickr or the Manfrotto Imagine More website. The best shots will be combined with the winning tweets from the first phase of the manifesto to create the Imagine More Manifesto a short film directed by acclaimed photographer and director, Bill Frakes. Winners of both phases of the contest will be rewarded with an exclusive trip to Venice for the 2011 Venice Film Festival. The submission deadline is 14th July. As with every competition, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Jessops has announced the unveiling a brand new shop in the heart of Manchester. “At over 3000 sq.ft this Centre of Excellence located at 107 Market street, Manchester, M1 1WN is the second to be launched this year and showcases a new customer friendly layout enabling customers to test and trial a vast portfolio of interactive cameras, camcorders, accessories and Jessops photo products,” the company said in a statement. Key features of the new shop include three a free camera set-up service, a 3D demonstration area, a separate Academy room, a low-light demo area, a designated bag room, a photo finishing demonstration area, and more.To celebrate the opening of the Manchester Centre of Excellence, Jessops has announced a number of exclusive deals on various cameras, with savings ranging from £50 to £160. These are limited-time offers valid period between Friday 3rd and Monday 6th June.

X-Rite has announced a number of free webinars for the month of June. On the 9th, you can attend the Raw Colour Power webinar (at 11am and 1pm EDT). On the 15fh, X-Rite will be presenting a Wildlife and Nature Photography webinar featuring photographer Juan Pons, who will share some of his best techniques and tips for making exciting nature and wildlife photographs (at noon and 3pm EDT). On the 23rd, X-Rite and onOne Software invites you to take control of your colour and unleash your creativity with Brian Matiash (3pm EDT). Finally, on 29th June, you can learn how to put a colour managed workflow in place from image capture through printer output including creating custom profiles and learning how to use them correctly to produce prints that match a display every time (11am and 1pm EDT). To learn more, visit the website below.

Billed as a “photo presentation tool that provides users with a diverse variety of beautifully themed slide show templates to use to share their mobile photos with friends and family”, Amoveo by Eternal Empire is a new app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running on iOS 4.1 or later. Amoveo’s slideshow templates utilize an innovative “Quick Scroll” interface to help viewers navigate through the pictures they receive with ease. The program supports both 3G and Wi-Fi internet connections, and gives users the option of sending out photo slideshow through a variety of different methods including e-mail, Facebook and YouTube. Available on iTunes, Amoveo sells for $2.99.

Pentax has just announced the Pentax O-GPS1, a versatile GPS unit providing basic location data and offering an array of original features. Designed for use with Pentax digital SLR cameras, the Pentax O-GPS1 records the latitude, longitude, altitude, coordinated universal time (UTC) and aspect of the location they are shooting, and additionally offers applications like ASTROTRACER, Simple Navigation and an Electronic Compass. The ASTROTRACER functionality, available with the unit mounted on the Pentax K-5 or K-r, couples the Pentax O-GPS1 with the camera’s magnet-driven Shake Reduction system to compensate for the Earth’s rotation, enabling photographers to capture stars as you see them, rather than as star trails. Thanks to its “simplified weather-resistant construction”, the Pentax O-GPS1 can also be used in light rain, making it a perfect companion to the K-5 camera and WR lenses. The unit will be available mid-June 2011, at the RRP of £229.99. In the USA, the Pentax O-GPS1 is expected to ship in July, for $249.95.

Having recently won the TIPA Award for Best Premium Camera, the Fujifilm Finepix X100 now received the prestigious award of Editors’ Choice from the 2011 Camera Grand Prix of Japan. Adrian Clarke, Director of Fujifilm’s Digital Products said “To win two of the camera world’s most prestigious awards is a fantastic achievement… The Awards are the highest recognition that with the X100, Fujifilm has created a camera with truly outstanding qualities”.

Review: Read our in-depth review of the Fujifilm FinePix X100 camera

Kenro has announced the UK launch of the Reflecta x4plus-Scan film scanner. The x4plus-Scan features a nine-megapixel area-array CMOS image sensor which utilises Instant Photo Capture technology (as in a digital camera) for quick digitisation of 110 and 135 format negatives and slides. This new addition to the Reflecta range features a 2.4” LCD display, an integrated SD/SDHC card slot and a lithium battery that allows the scanner to be used independently from a computer or power supply. The scanner comes supplied with film holders for three framed slides up to 3.2mm thick, film strips up to six exposures and for 110mm film strips up to eight exposures. The Reflecta x4plus-Scan is available now with an RRP of £160.

The fourth edition of the online Landscape Photography Magazine is now available for download. This issue features articles on ten-stop neutral density filters and long exposures, orange nights, Mupe Bay, colour and composition, choosing the best tripods, and more. The magazine also includes a number of photographers’ portfolios including Natalie Garvinez, Bruce T. Smith and Tony McGarva.

Website: Landscape Photography Magazine