The BAPLA Academy is a new online platform created by the British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies. The academy, which launches in May 2011, enables all members to learn more about the professional side of photography. In addition to advice from picture library professionals about copyright and keeping pictures safe from image thieves, helpful hints and resources, there will also be an opportunity to showcase the best work to the professionals and to sell prints to the public. “It is a unique opportunity,” says Simon Cliffe, BAPLA’s executive director (pictured), “to link into the expertise and resources of the people that sell images on a daily basis.” Academy membership costs £49 a year with discounts for students.

The World Photography Organisation (WPO) and Sony have announced a partnership with Save the Children for the 2011/12 Focus Award. The 2011/12 award will focus on Save the Children’s emergency relief work in order to raise the profile of under-reported emergencies and the importance of the Children’s Emergency Fund in responding immediately to disasters. Jasmine Whitebread, Chief Executive of Save the Children International comments: “Save the Children is delighted to partner with the World Photography Organisation and Sony to draw attention to the millions of children caught up in disasters around the world every year… This partnership will help us raise the profile of ‘forgotten’ emergencies and help save more children’s lives.”

Website: Save the Children

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) has recognised the Harman by Hahnemühle product family with its ‘Best Fine Art Inkjet Paper’ award. With the slogan “Two Legends: One Paper”, Harman and Hahnemühle have introduced a range of seven media (six papers and a canvas) for the sophisticated fine art inkjet print. The range was unveiled at PMA 2010.

Argentinean photographer Alejandro Chaskielberg has been announced as this year’s winner of the illustrious L’Iris D’Or, the 2011 Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year. Beginning his career at the age of 18 as a photojournalist for a local newspaper, 34 year old Buenos Aires born Chaskielberg has spent 16 years developing a highly successful career as a photographer. His winning photographs offer a rare and insightful look into the lives of a community of islanders who live on the Parana River Delta. Devoting himself entirely to his ‘High Tide’ project, Chaskielberg lived with the islanders for two years, immersing himself in their daily life in order to document the way they live and work. Chaskielberg said of his series of striking night time portraits, “Using photography I have been able to present another version of the Parana River Delta and its community that has been photographically ignored throughout the years.”

Today Nikon officially announced the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens, which features an all-new optical formula, a weather-sealed mount and instant manual override. The design comprises seven elements in six groups, including one aspherical element. The dedicated Silent Wave Motor (SWM) ensures quiet auto focus as well as full-time access to manual focus. Fully compatible with Nikon’s modern film and FX-format digial SLR cameras, it offers a 75mm (equivalent) focal length when used with the manufacturer’s DX-format DSLRs. Weighing in at only 185 grams, the lens is supplied with a lens hood and a soft pouch. In the US, the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G will be available from 16th June at a suggested retail price of $219.95, and in the UK and Europe from 2nd June 2011 at £199.99 / €232.00.

Programmer Matt Burns has written a search engine that lets people find their stolen camera gear by searching EXIF data for their serial number. Users can enter their camera’s serial number or simply drop any photo taken with their stolen camera on stolencamerafinder.com to get a list of web pages that contain images taken with the same camera. The service is free and available now at the website below.

Website: Stolen Camera Finder

The US National Park Service (NPS) has announced that the twelfth National Historic Landmarks Photo Contest is open for entries. The contest invites photographers to submit up to ten entries - one per landmark - by 31 July 2011.(National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States.) As always, we suggest that you read the rules before entering your work.

Dreamix Studio has released Album App 1.0 - a new digital photo album solution for the Apple iPad. The app lets you scale, rotate and move photos with a single touch, add pages to your album and get creative with the layout or use one of the 30+ predefined templates. With only a single tap you select a photo from your photo library and it will auto position on the spot you tapped on. Available on iTunes, Album App 1.0 is priced at $3.99.

Adobe has posted the final versions of Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) 6.4 and Photoshop Lightroom 3.4. Originally published as Release Candidates, these updates fix a few bugs and add raw file support for a number of new cameras, including the Canon EOS 600D (pictured), Nikon D5100 and Fuji FinePix X100 and others.

Website: ACR 6.4 for Mac | ACR 6.4 for Windows
Website: Lightroom 3.4 for Mac | Lightroom 3.4 for Windows

Canon has released a firmware update for the Canon EOS 7D digital SLR camera. Version 1.2.5 improves read and write speeds when using UDMA 7-compatible CF cards, and addresses various issues with custom function C.Fn 4-1, movie and still capture using certain CF cards, and menu screens displayed in Arabic and Portuguese. To learn more and to download the firmware update, visit the website below.

Website: Canon EOS 7D Product Page

Nikon has issued a firmware update for the Nikon D7000 DSLR camera. Version 1.02 resolves a number of issues and changes the way long-exposure noise reduction is performed. Specifically, dark frame subtraction is now applied to all photos taken using shutter speeds slower than 1s. Previously, long-exposure NR was applied to photos captured with exposure times longer than 8s only. You can download the update from the website below.

Website: Nikon D7000 Firmware

Canon U.S.A. has announced a series of workshops entitled, “Deconstructing the Story”, as part of its Live Learning events. These three-day, hands-on sessions provide intensive learning opportunities designed to demonstrate improved techniques for shooting successful video projects with video-enabled Canon EOS digital SLR cameras, such as the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV pictured above. The workshops will be held in five cities across the United States, including Orlando, Cincinnati, New York, Austin and Seattle. Click through / read on for dates and more information.

The Kodak Pulse digital photo frame and the new Kodak Portra 160 film have been honoured with TIPA awards. Named the ‘Best Accessory’ by the TIPA jury, the Kodak Pulse digital photo frame features Wi-Fi connectivity, a customisable e-mail address and a touch-sensitive viewing panel. Announced this February, the new Kodak Professional Portra 160 (pictured) is an all-new colour negative film that incorporates the manufacturer’s Advanced Cubic Emulsions, Kodak Vision Film Technology and Antenna Dye Sensitisation in the magenta emulsion layers. Replacing the Portra 160NC and VC offerings, the new Kodak Professional Portra 160 film is available in 35mm, 120/220, 4x5 and 8x10 sheet formats.

The Technical Image Press Association has honoured the Fujifilm FinePix X100 large-sensor digital compact camera, the Fujifilm 3D print service and the Frontier DL600 minilab with TIPA awards. The X100 has been recognised as 2011’s best premium camera, the Fujifilm 3D print service has been deemed the best photo service, while the Frontier DL600 has won the accolade of ‘Best Finishing System’. Adrian Clarke, Director of Fujifilm’s Digital Products said “The TIPA awards are the most coveted photo awards in Europe and for Fujifilm to win three awards is a massive achievement.”

Rusted Gears have released Photo LoL, a a new photography app for the Apple iPhone. Photo LoL allows users to change and enhance colours, improve and crop pictures, and apply adjustments to selected areas of a photo. The layer system introduced in this app uses the same principles of the professional photo-retouching programs, and there are several selection methods to choose from. The introductory price of Photo LoL is $1.99, and the app is available on iTunes now.

A newly released video sheds light on how the Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds lens is made. Created by JBC and shared by WasabiFoto, this seven-and-a-half-minute video introduces viewers to the manufacturing process and includes a number of sample images and footage shot with the lens. Although there seem to be a couple of technical inaccuracies in the voice-over, we have found the piece to be very interesting and well put together. Click through / scroll down for the video.

Wanderlust’s new product, Pinwide, is billed as “the world’s widest digital pinhole”. Designed specifically for Micro Four Thirds bodies, Pinwide has an angle of view similar to that of a 22mm lens on a 35mm camera, bringign “real wide-angle pinhole photography into the digital era”. Made from precision injection molded polycarbonate with a scientific-grade metal aperture, Pinwide is manufactured in the United States and is available now at $39.99.

The two winners of a fantastic new Manfrotto 290 Series Tripod Kit have been randomly chosen.

They are Nick Thompson and Arabella Bazley.

This contest closed on Friday 22nd April 2011 at 12.00 Midday GMT.

The new MK294A3-A0RC2 294 Kit is the larger 3 section kit combined with the detachable aluminium ball head. It is the best solution for stability and rapid movements. The anti-shock collar protects your camera from accidental impact, whilst the 3 faced design column prevents rotation to allow for increased accuracy and steadfastness. The leg locks provide a rock-solid support and with their innovative adjustability they provide a consistent and excellent performance.

For more information on Manfrotto products please visit: www.manfrotto.co.uk

Manfrotto – Imagine More