Kolo is running a monthly photo contest, with August’s theme being Nature. The submission deadline for this month’s competition is 31 August, and each entrant may submit up to ten photographs. The winners will be announced on 10 September. Note that participating photographers will grant Kolo a non-exclusive, fully-paid and royalty-free, worldwide licence to publish any of their photos submitted to the competition.

Website: Kolo Photo Contest

HP is to collaborate with the fourth edition of the Brighton Photo Biennial, which will present New Documents, curated by the internationally renowned photographer, editor and curator Martin Parr. The company is organising a prize draw, which gives participants the chance to win anexclusive tour with Conor Kilroe, the Head of Print of the Biennial Print Studio,free ticket to the Brighton Photo Biennial Opening Weekend, from 1st-3rd October 2010 – including invitation to limited-access Artist Talks, Panel discussions, the BPB private launch and party – and a Martin Parr book. Note that this prize draw is open to residents of the UK and Ireland only.

Website: Brighton Biennial Bonanza

15 August 2010 has been declared the next World Pentax Day. Photos taken that day with any Pentax digital camera can be uploaded to the PentaxForums User Photo Gallery from 15 to 31 August. Those who wish to upload their photographs must first register at PentaxForums. Each member may submit up to three images.

Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) is introducing a new award this year. TPOTY has teamed up with the Young Photographers Alliance to offer a new Young Photographer Alliance Award in order to help people passionate about photography to get a good grounding which will enable them to pursue photography as a career. Additionally, the existing Young Travel Photographer of the Year (Young TPOTY) competition - themed ‘Big World, Small World’ in 2010 - has been divided into two age groups, 14 and under, and 15-18, with prizes for each group. Finally, the TPOTY judges will give a special award to one young photographer. This award will be given to the most interesting entry from a photographer aged 25 years and under who has entered either the New Talent or Young Travel Photographer of the Year categories. As part of their prize, the winner will be mentored by an experienced professional photographer through a place on the YPA mentoring programme. Entry for Young TPOTY is completely free.  Images can be uploaded at www.tpoty.com.

Ricoh has issued firmware updates for the Ricoh CX1, CX2 and CX3 cameras. Version 1.25 for the CX1 and version 1.15 for the CX2 fix issues with printing to PictBridge compatible printers and corrects a bug with distortion correction. Firmware version 1.11 for the Ricoh CX3 improves the accuracy of flash adjustment, and fixes bugs with autoexposure bracketing and distortion correction.

Website: Ricoh CX1 Firmware 1.25
Website: Ricoh CX2 Firmware 1.15
Website: Ricoh CX3 Firmware 1.11

Datacolor has just announced the winners of its Real New York photography competition. Hundreds of photographers participated, submitting entries that captured the pulse of the city, from the bustle of Manhattan to the calm of Central Park. The contest’s first and second place winners, Richard Brown of Seattle, Washington and Tom Duggan of New York, New York were selected for their photos entitled, “Up with Color” and “Fishing.”  Mr. Brown, the contest’s first runner up, received a Lensbaby Composer, while second runner up Mr. Duggan was awarded a $250 gift certificate to B&H.

Epson has introduced its new line of Artisan® all-in-ones – the Artisan 835 (pictured) and Artisan 725. The flagship Artisan 835 boasts a 7.8-inch smart touch panel, a 3.5-inch colour LCD, built-in fax, and a 30-page Automatic Document Feeder, while the Artisan 725 features an enhanced touch panel for easier navigation. Both feature 2.5 times faster wireless connectivity with Wi-Fi n2, wireless printing from an Apple iPhone and the world’s fastest 4”x6” photo print speeds, according to Epson. The Artisan 725 ($199.99) and Artisan 835 ($299.99) will be available in mid-August through major computer, office and electronic superstores, a variety of retail stores across the U:S:A:, and Epson’s retail site.

Website: Epson Store

The Samsung PL90 is a new 12 megapixel camera featuring a built-in USB connector. Removing the need for additional wires or cords, the PL90’s Auto-install intelli-studio software provides instant access to any computer via the USB connector. The PL90 also features a 4x zoom lens, 2.7 inch LCD screen, VGA movies, Samsung’s Smart Auto (Still & Movie) technology, Perfect Portrait System, and Smart Album feature. The Samsung PL90 will be available in September 2010 for $149.99 / £129.99.

Samsung Germany has announced the 14-megapixel Samsung ES75 with 27-135mm lens and face, blink and smile detection features. The lens has a maximum aperture of f3.5 at the wide end and f5.9 at maximum telephoto. The Samsung ES75 uses an interesting form of digital image stabilisation - it takes two photos in rapid succession, one underexposed shot at a high shutter speed for the “sharpness information” and a well-exposed but potentially blurred photo for the “tonal information” and combines the two for a well-exposed and sharp result. The “intelligent” rear LCD screen adjusts its own brightness automatically based on ambient light levels, while in the unique Self-portrait mode, the camera helps you position yourself in front of the lens by optically and acoustically signalling to you when you are in the right place within the frame. The Samsung ES75 will be available from September priced at 189 euros.

Website: Samsung press release (in German)

Practical HDRI, 2nd Edition, by pro photographer Jack Howard, is a richly illustrated introduction to HDR imaging. HDR imaging can be challenging and frustrating for the uninitiated, as it involves both field and computer expertise. However, Howard explains this complex subject matter in a practical way that will not intimidate the beginner, nor bore the experienced photographer. The emphasis is on the creative process and how to make it work for you—rather than the science behind it. Fully updated for 2010, this new edition covers the HDR process from image capture through post-processing for web and print. The 240-page book is available from O’Reilly for $34.95.

Today is the official launch of PhotoDeck, a service designed to offer photographers a brandable e-commerce solution for presentation and distribution of their images. PhotoDeck was built by a group of professional photographers seeking alternatives to stock licensing outside of the typical stock agency model. It allows self-pricing and sales without the expense of agency commissions. The service gives full pricing control and allows for automated payment as well as digital delivery of images. It can be fully customised and branded for easy integration with existing websites. “I built my own stock website as an early experiment and attracted over 6,000 visitors a day,” said J.F. Maion, PhotoDeck founder. “Our intent is to make this opportunity available to others.”

Website: PhotoDeck

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has issued the last call for entries to its 2010 Young Photographer Awards. Hundreds of entries have already poured in, but there is still time to put your snaps in the frame to win prizes - provided you are a UK citizen under 19. The winner will receive £1,000 worth of Olympus camera kit as well as a photography break courtesy of Natures Images. Danny Green, who runs Natures Images along with Mark Sisson, will join the overall winner and pass on some of his expertise during the annual deer rut in Bradgate Park, Leicestershire. The closing date for YPA entries is Monday, 6 September.

Website: Young Photographer Awards

Heathrow Express has launched a competition to find the best family holiday photograph. The company has teamed up with Luxury Family Hotels to give away a weekend away in the UK to the carefully chosen winner and his/her family. To enter all participants have to do is submit one of their holiday photographs along with a title, their name and telephone number and some details on where and when the picture was taken. Photographs must be submitted to [email protected] by 30th September at 11:59pm. The competition is open to participants worldwide, aged 18 or over on the closing date.

Newpro has announced the availability of new accessories from Cullmann and Pedco. These include a a complete Cullmann monopod and ball & socket combination comprising a Cullmann Magnesit 550 monopod and CB7.3 ball & socket head (£99.99) and the new Ultraclamp 2.5 kit from Pedco (£34.99). The individual prices are £71.51 for the monopod and £57.00 for the CB7.3 head, so the new Cullmann combination offers a saving of £28.52. The Ultraclamp 2.5 kit (pictured) is a combination of the original UltraMount ball & socket head and a brand new Clamp unit with jaws that have an opening aperture from 1” to 2.5” wide. This is then suitable for mounting cameras, camcorders, spotting scopes etc. on larger or wider objects than the original Ultraclamp can accommodate.

Website: Newpro

Apple has released a Digital Camera RAW.compatibility update for iPhoto and Aperture. Version 3.3 adds support for raw files created by the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS, Olympus E-PL1, Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 & G10, Samsung NX10, Sony A450, NEX-3 and NEX-5 (pictured) digital cameras. The update is downloadable from the website below.

Website: Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.3

Akvis has just released Akvis Retoucher 4.0 for both Windows and Macintosh. The program can restore damaged photos by removing dust, scratches, stains, and by reconstructing the missing parts of a photo automatically. It can also be used to improve composition of a photo by removing irrelevant details and even large objects that spoil the impression of a photo. You can remove date stamps, logos, wires, refuse bins etc. Akvis Retoucher 4.0 is available both as a plug-in and as a standalone program, and sells for $87. Registered users with a Home license can upgrade to Retoucher 4.0 for free.

Website: AKVIS

Topaz Labs released a major upgrade of the Topaz DeNoise plug-in, which features a double increase in speed, double the maximum image size and many additional noise reduction capabilities. “DeNoise 5 is twice as fast as its predecessor. It also introduces unique shadow tone restoration and dual-directional debanding capabilities, which enable photographers to solve additional problems caused by heavy noise,” said Dr. Albert Yang, President of Topaz Labs. Topaz DeNoise 5 works with a variety of host programs including Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Aperture, iPhoto and Lightroom. It is a free upgrade for existing DeNoise customers and retails for $79.99.

Rollei has introduced two touch-screen cameras, the Rollei Compactline 360 TS and 370 TS, which will be on display at Photokina and available at retail from the end of September. The Rollei Compactline 360 TS is a 12-megapixel model with 4x optical zoom starting at 28mm, and 720p HD video recording functionality. The Rollei Compactline 370 TS is the same thing with a 14-megapixel imager. Both cameras include a 3-inch LCD touchscreen display with gesture support. The recommended retail price of the 360 TS is €99.95, while that of the 370 TS is €129.95.

Lexmark Canada has announced the launch of the Lexmark Pinnacle Pro 901 all-in-one (AIO) printer. The Lexmark Pinnacle was awarded an Outstanding Business Inkjet 2010 Pick Award by Buyer’s Laboratory Inc, as well as a 2010 Hot Tech Demo Award at the Fifth Annual Small Business Summit 2010. Featuring the world’s lowest-cost black ink (based on MSRP and average yield), Lexmark’s Pinnacle is available now via major national and regional retail outlets, online retailers, distribution partners and direct from Lexmark at Lexmark.com for $299.99 CDN.