Nik Software has released free 64-bit updates for Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro. The updates are available to registered users of Color Efex Pro 3.0 and Silver Efex Pro, respectively. Both can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Nik Software Downloads

Beta testing of ACD Systems International’s ACDSee Pro Photo Manager for Mac is heading into its final phase with the introduction of non-destructive editing. Other notable additions to the beta 1.4 version include faster operation, an improved graphical user interface for Process mode, the ability to easily copy and paste processing settings from one image to another, support for XMP sidecar files and more. The program is now available for download at the website below.

Fujifilm USA has launched the first in a series of Twitter sweepstakes for a free Finepix REAL 3D W3 camera. To participate, all you have to do is follow the FujifilmUS twitter handle, @ message FujifilmUS and answer the question “Which movie should be remade in 3D?” while including the #sweepstakes and #3D hash tags. One lucky US winner will be selected at random at the end of the month and will be adding Fujifilm’s 3D W3 camera to their gadget repertoire.

In a bid to demonstrate the resilience of its SD card range, Samsung UK is launching a worldwide search for 100 messages that will be loaded onto SD cards and launched in paper planes from space. There are 100 planes to personalise and members of the public are encouraged to submit details that can be uploaded onto each card like pictures of themselves, family and friends, greetings for the person that finds it and something which expresses themselves. Once all the SD cards have been filled, they will be slotted into specially designed, bright paper planes which will include greetings in several different languages. The SD cards will then be launched as a flotilla of 100 paper planes into the atmosphere from space. Interested readers should check out the website below.

Rizzoli’s new monograph of photographer Mika Ninagawa’s work, which we wrote about a few months ago, will go on sale in November in the UK. Lauded as an art and fashion photographer, Mika Ninagawa has become a cultural superstar in Japan since her debut only a decade ago. Her portraits of international personalities including Cameron Diaz, the late Isabella Blow, Dita von Teese, Chiaki Kuriyama and Beyoncé, plus her elaborate, fantasy-infused landscapes and still-lifes illustrate how and why her vibrant aesthetic has been influential in the fashion world. The 352-page hardcover includes 300 of her photographs and sells for ?45.

Kingston today announced it is shipping its first 32GB microSDHC Class 4 card. Bundled with a small USB reader for convenient data transfers, the card is backed by a lifetime warranty; and is available for £97.50. Kingston says the card has been tested on the latest crop of smartphones, and can store more than 19,000 five-megapixel digital photos in JPEG format.

The Levi’s Photo Workshop, located in Manhattan’s SoHo district, will officially open its doors on 8 October. For ten weeks, the Levi’s Photo Workshop will host an array of arts and culture programming, including exhibition openings, parties, public lectures and educational workshops. The exact location is 18 Wooster Street (between Canal & Grand), New York. You can watch a 50-second trailer after the break.

From October 8-11, Nikon will sponsor 100 of the world’s most promising young photojournalists in upstate New York for the 23rd Eddie Adams Workshop, also known as “Barnstorm.” During the workshop, the Barnstorm students are divided into 10 teams, with each team paired with a photographer, an editor and a researcher. Each day consists of hands-on activities such as shooting and editing, as well as speeches and panel discussions from industry veterans. At the workshop, students will have the opportunity to use Nikon’s professional digital SLR camera system, including the Nikon D3S, D3X and D300s cameras and a full complement of Nikkor lenses.

Colour Confidence has launched a photography competition in association with X-Rite. Their new ‘Search For Great Photography Competition’ offers entrants a chance to win either a ColorMunki (pictured) or a stylish Boa Flow backpack. You can enter by submitting your photography in one of the following four categories: Colour, Black & White, Portraiture and Landscapes. The deadline for submissions is 5pm on 30th November 2010 and the judging panel will comprise design, colour management and business experts who will be looking for originality, creativity and innovation.

The Federation of European Photographers (FEP) has announced that the 2010 European Fine Art Photograph of the Year Award is open for entries. The competition will be judged by a panel of international judges with Fine Art Photographer Pascal Baetens, Master Qualified European Photographer, as chairman. There is just one main category in the compeition, each entrant may submit up to 3 pictures. The entry fee is €10 for each picture submitted by a photographer who is a member of a national association which is a member of the FEP or €20 for each picture submitted by all others. The submission deadline is 31 December 2010. The competition is open to all photographers.

David Noton has released advance signed copies of his new book Full Frame – several weeks in advance of the book being available through general retailers. Full Frame, David’s second book, takes readers on an epic journey around the world and includes insights into David’s work, with informative, witty commentary. From ten locations worldwide - the Canadian Rockies, Bolivia, Morocco, Bali, South Africa, Laos, Provence, Umbria, Snowdonia and Dorset - David explores the key themes in his work, from his use of colour and how he achieves a new perspective on familiar scenes, to the spirit of adventure that drives him to seek out new ones. A limited number of signed hardback copies of the book are available for £25 plus p&p only through David’s website.

An iPad/iPhone app named LightTrac 2.0, which helps photographers track the elevation and angle of Sun for any given date for any location on the planet, has been just released. Allowing photographers to plan their outdoor photo shoot ahead of time, the app is also useful as a location scout tool. The latest version of LightTrac also supports tracking the angle and elevation of Moon just like the Sun. Visimoon is yet another app that fully complements LightTrac by presenting you with a list of nights when Moon is visible at your location. LightTrac ver 2.0 is currently available for $4.99 as a limited time offer and Visimoon is available for $2.99.

The Olympus PEN E-PL1 compact system camera has won a DIWA Gold Award. The E-PL1 managed to convince the DIWA jury with the way it combines “system cameras’ flexibility and professional image quality with a super-compact camera body”.  DIWA Awards are based on test results carried out in the DIWA Labs, and evaluations on more than 200 different criteria carried out by DIWA members.

Go Goa Holidays is introducing a tour for both budding and experienced photographers to capture the real Goa rarely seen by tourists. Over five days, participants will be led by experienced professional photographer, Mark Oakley. The tour will offer opportunities to experience and practice wildlife, landscape, architectural, travel, documentary and macro photography. Locations will include the churches, convents and shrines of Old Goa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), a 200-year-old colonial mansion full of original furniture and art, and wildlife sanctuaries with a rich variety of vistas, flora and fauna. The tour will run on the second week of the month from October 2010 to April 2011, with prices starting from £495 per person.

Western Digital) will host a NYC Photo Walk with WD Creative Master and Canon Explorer of Light, Bruce Dorn, on Wednesday, 27th October. Photographers interested in participating in the WD Photo Walk can register at the website below by submitting any photo they’ve taken and writing a brief, 100 word description about why they want to participate. All entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on 11th October (Pacific Time).  Bruce will take eight winners on a Photo Walk of New York to take photos and get instruction from one of the most respected photographers in the industry. All eight participants will receive a Lowepro bag, Lexar memory card and WD My Passport Essential drive.  In addition, one lucky participant will receive a Grand Prize package consisting of a WD TV Live Plus HD media player, WD Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit, WD Network drive, and a Lowepro Pro Roller x100 roller bag.

Website: WD Photo Walk

The Amazing Monarch: The Secret Wintering Grounds of an Endangered Butterfly is a new book written and photographed by wildlife photographer and trial attorney Windle Turley. In the book, Turley captures stunning images in the rarely photographed wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly, in the Transverse Neovolcanic Mountains in Mexico. Granted almost-unprecedented access, Turley documents the final destination of this migration that only takes place every four to five generations with vivid, full-colour photographs. The 112-page hardcover is available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Borders and BenBella Books, at a list price of $29.95. A selection of images from the book can be viewed in an online gallery.

Beginning Wednesday, 15 December 2010, the Norton Museum of Art will explore the most basic aspects of photography in Stare: The Pleasures of the Intensely Familiar and the Strangely Unexpected. The exhibition gathers works that are by turns “intricate, outré, opaque, puzzling, and perverse”, created by seven photographers and other artists of “strikingly different sensibilities and concerns”.  They are: Diane Arbus (1923-1971); John Coplans (1920-2003); Walker Evans (1903-1975); Vik Muniz (b. 1961); J.D. Okhai Ojeikere (b. 1930); Ed Ruscha (b. 1937); and Taryn Simon (b. 1975)  The Norton Museum is located at 1451 S. Olive Avenue in West Palm Beach and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00am to 5:00pm, Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00pm. General admission is $12 for adults, $5 for visitors aged 13-21, and free for members and children under 13.

Manfrotto School of Xcellence has announced a free webinar titled “Handy Tips to Improve Your Photography. From Automatic to Almost Manual.” The host, renowned Italian photographer Marc De Tollenaere, will offer an easy and effective crash course for participants interested in mastering camera functions and improving their photography. The webinar will take place on 8th October from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. To register, visit the website below.

The Nikon Foundation is a new student initiative by Nikon UK, which aims to support and celebrate emerging photographers as they complete their education and begin their careers. By submitting a portfolio of images and a covering letter, students are in with a chance of winning a 3-month internship with fashion and celebrity photographer John Wright and Nikon professional equipment worth £4000. Whilst the Nikon Foundation is ultimately a photography competition, the shortlisted 10 finalists will each be interviewed by the panel of judges, including John, after which one winner will be offered the position with John and his team. The competition will run from today until 31st March 2011, with the winners announced in April. The three month placement with John will commence in June 2011.