The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), an election-assistance and democracy-promotion NGO, is accepting submissions for its annual photo competition. The contest seeks photographs of individuals taking part in elections or other activities that embody the values of democratic governance and civic engagement. One winner and up to 10 finalists will be chosen, with the winner being awarded $600 for his or her entry. Full contest rules and entry information are available online at the website below.

Website: IFES Photography Contest

The Bibble Survival Guide by Marco Frissen and Andreas FX Siegert is anin-depth guide to Bibble 5.x. Available as a printable e-book in Adobe Portable Document Format, The Bibble Survival Guide explains how to get the most out of Bibble for newcomers but also has in- depth information for more experienced users. The 200+-page e-book retails for $30, and is available for immediate download from the website below.

Website: Bibble Survival Guide

Bibble Labs have released Bibble 5.2 Pro and Bibble 5.2 Lite for Linux, MacOS and Windows.The new version adds support for 14 new raw file formats, including those produced by the Nikon D3100, D7000, P7000 and the Panasonic LX5, GF2 and GH2, and includes significant improvements to Bibble 5’s Selective Editing capability, and many other enhancements. Bibble 5.2 Pro and Bibble 5.2 Lite are available immediately for $199.95 and $99.95, respectively. Bibble Labs customers who purchased Bibble 4 since September, 2006 are eligible for a free upgrade to Bibble 5. Bibble 5.2 is a free upgrade for all current Bibble 5 customers.

Canon will debut a collaborative film, entitled “The Story Beyond The Still,” on 23th January, at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. “The Story Beyond the Still” began as a year-long contest, launched in January 2010 on Vimeo that allowed photographers and videographers to showcase their creativity in a new style of filmmaking that blended still and video images into a continuous cinematic piece begun by Canon Explorer of Light, Vincent Laforet.  The complete short film, including the final chapter starring The Breakfast Club star, Judd Nelson, will be viewed in its entirety at this private event during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It will then publicly première on 7th February on the Sundance Channel and Vimeo.

CraftArtist Platinum is a new digital crafting package from Serif. Aimed at “creative types looking to make professional-looking print projects”, the package may be of interest to anyone who wants to easily and quickly make unique photobooks, wedding stationery, cards, scrapbooks etc. at home. The package contains Serif’s CraftArtist Professional software and four creative kits, Baby Photos, Greeting Cards, Wedding Day and Scrapbooks. “CraftArtist Platinum makes the creativity of a craft store accessible to all PC users,” says Gary Bates, Managing Director at Serif. “It offers a fun, easy and affordable way for everyone to create personalised print projects regardless of their age, experience or artistic ability.” CraftArtist Platinum is compatible with Windows 7/Vista/XP and retails at £39.99.

AKVIS has just upgraded its NatureArt software to Version 2.0. Described by its developers as “an excellent tool for imitating the magnificence of natural phenomena”, AKVIS NatureArt lets photographers choose from six nature effects including rain, water, lightning, clouds, fire and Sun. Version 2.0 introduces a new effect, frost, which allows you to adorn an image with an openwork of frost crystals; plus introduces the ability to create new images and to save the selection areas to a file. Users who own previous versions of AKVIS NatureArt can upgrade to Version 2.0 free of charge.

Sabio Products have released the Sabio DM2PT – an extremely small-footprint, two-drive, RAID enabled external storage solution with data transfer rates of over 115MBps. The DM2-PT is compatible with any Apple, Windows or Linux-based computer or workstation and features built in eSATA, Firewire 800 and USB 2.0 connectivity. Biled as “an ideal travelling companion for the most demanding photography, video or content capture project”, the Sabio DM2-PT offers up to 2TB capacity, and is distributed exclusively by WYNIT in the US.

Kubota Image Tools has announced details for its exclusive Secret Italy 2011 workshop, which will take attendees to several picturesque locations throughout Italy’s famed northern lakes region. Taking place from 2-8 October 2011, this workshop will be headquartered in one of the central historic villages that define the lakes region from which Kubota will guide daily photo excursions, hold classroom sessions and photo critiques. The tuition for photographers interested in registering for the workshop is $2,995.

Website: Secret Italy 2011

deGeo is a new photo sharing app for iOS that helps iPhone and iPad users guard personal their privacy by removing the built-in geotags when sharing photos. “While geotags can be useful for personal reference, automatically including your real-time location along with each photo is probably not the best idea when sharing online,” the software developer says. “Locational geotag data can potentially disclose some of your most sensitive information including your home address, workplace or daily habits. Revealing your location via a photo can catch anyone by surprise and could potentially compromise your privacy without you even being aware.” deGeo is available through Apple’s App Store for $0.99.

gyroCam is an iPhone app that automatically levels photos in real time, while shooting. The app uses a combination of accelerometer and gyro sensors in camera-equipped iOS devices to frame a level 4:3 sub-image from the scene, with perfect alignment every time. In addition to its unique gyro capabilities, gyroCam is also a full-featured camera app, offering tap-to-focus and exposure, front and rear camera control, focus and exposure activity indicators, and much more. gyroCam 1.0.1 sells for for $0.99 on the iTunes App Store, and works on any camera-equipped iOS device with iOS 4.2 or later, although some functions are available with certain models only.

Why Photographs Work by George Barr is now available in the United Kingdom. Announced last month in the US, the 288-page volume contains analyses of 52 striking images by some of the world’s top photographers. Accompanying Barr’s analysis of each image is an explanation by the photographer describing the circumstances of making the image, including not only the how, but also the why. Also included is each photographer’s biography, a reference to his or her websites and publications, and brief technical descriptions of the equipment used in taking each photo. The book is prioced at £30.99.

The Samsung ST6500 is a stylish new digital camera with a curved design. The body of the ST6500 is curved around the lens and angled at 7 degrees to make for a more ergonomic fit. The ST6500 also comes equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor, 5x zoom lens, new Smart Touch 3.0 User Interface, 3.0 inch LCD touch screen, and the intelligent Smart Auto feature which automatically adjusts the camera’s settings. The Samsung ST6500 will be available in March for $229.

The Samsung ST95, ST90 and ST65 are three new ultra-slim, stylish digital compact cameras. The ST95, ST90 and ST65 measure 16.5mm (ST90) or 17mm (ST95 and ST65) thick, include a 26mm wide lens on the ST95 and ST90, and a 27mm wide lens on the ST65 plus a 5x optical zoom lens, and boast 16 megapixels for the ST95 and 14 megapixels for the ST90 and ST65. The Samsung ST95, ST90 and ST65 will be available in February for $199.99 / $149.99 / $129.99 respectively.

The Samsung ST30 is a new ultra compact camera. The 10.1-megapixel ST30 Smart Auto focus, an internal battery charging system, a 28mm lens and 3x power optical zoom, all contained within the camera’s fun-sized body. The Samsung St30 will be available in March for $99.99.

Kenro has announced that the Nissin Di466 Professional Speedlite is now available for Four Thirds in the UK. The Di466 comes with ‘MY TTL’, a feature exclusive to Nissin that enables the user to customise their own TTL exposure level settings.The unit has a guide number of 33 (in metres at ISO 100) at the 53mm setting and is firmware upgradable. The Nissin Di466 comes in either black (£156.47) or white (£178.72, pictured).

MoviePlus X5 is an easy-to-use video editor from Serif. Launching on 7th February, MoviePlus X5 offers 200+ video and audio effects, and users can burn their finished films onto DVDs and Blu-ray disks. The latest version provides adanced support for HD videos, an improved user interface and a range of usability enhancements, new tools and effects. Compatible with Windows 7/Vista/XP, MoviePlus X5 retails at £59.99.

GIMP 2.6 for Photographers by Klaus Goelker is a beginner’s guide to GIMP, an open-source image editing tool that runs on Linux, MacOS and Windows. Topics include the basics of image editing and simple adjustments, as well as advanced techniques using layers and masks, stitching panoramic images, and preparing high-quality black and white photographs from full-colour originals. A companion DVD includes GIMP installation files for three operating systems, and a number of freeware programs including IrfanView, Hugin, and much more. The 384-page volume is available for $39.95.

Tourism Ireland are asking people to enter an adventure photography competition - ‘Go-tography’ - by sending them the best pictures from their own adventure holidays. The highest-quality photographs will be showcased on Tourism Ireland’s Flickr page and the winner will receive an all-inclusive trip to one of the world’s best adventure spots, the Delphi Mountain Resort on the west coast of Ireland, for “an action-packed weekend of adventure sports”. Return flights from anywhere in Great Britain and car hire will also be included.

Website: Go-tography