Writing on the Edge: Great Contemporary Writers on the Front Line of Crisis is a new book illustrated with photographs by award-winning UK photographer Tom Craig. Published in association with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Writing on the Edge features fourteen essays that take the reader on a harrowing tour of countries in crisis. Tom accompanied each writer to photograph the patients and stories they witnessed. The visits took place in 2005 - and the essays and Tom’s photos were published in the Sunday Times that same year. The book will be launched on 20 April in the US, followed by the UK, Canadian, Australian and South African editions. The 276-page hardcover book is priced at $29.95 USD / $37.00 CDN / £19.95

Blurb’s third annual international-juried competition, Photography Book Now 2010, is now open for entries. Photography Book Now celebrates the very best in self-published photography books and the photographers behind them.The competition features a grand prize of $25,000. Entries will be accepted in three categories – Fine Art, Editorial, and Photography Portfolio. The finalists’ books in each category will become part of the permanent collections at the International Center for Photography, the Annenberg Space for Photography and the George Eastman House.Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 pm PDT on July 15, 2010, at the website below.

Website: Photography Book Now

Fujifilm has just launched the ASK-2500 dye sublimation printer. Targeted at retail outlets and photographers’ studios, the Fujiflm ASK-2500 measures just 300mm x 411mm. Using thermal transfer to achieve its results, the Fujifilm ASK-2500 is capable of printing one 6x4-inch image every 6.9 seconds. It is recommended to be used with Fujifilm’s ‘Quality Thermal Photo Paper’, one roll of which gives 600 prints at 6x4” or 308 prints when set to 5x7”.

Kenro has announced the UK release of the Nissin PS 300 Power Pack for electronic flashes. By using the PS 300 together with the regular power source, the flash recycle time is reduced to a quarter of the standard time (approximately 0.7 seconds to recharge the Nissin Di866, Canon EX580EX II or the Nikon SB900). The PS 300 is powered by a NiMH battery – (7.2V/3,300mAh) that provides approximately 300 full flashes per charge (based on using the Di866 on full power).

Website: Kenro

Ilford UK has announced a special offer on its Galerie Smooth Lustre Duo paper. From now until 30 June, a pack of 25 A4 sheets costs only £10. Galerie Smooth Lustre Duo has a natural photographic white tint to produce prints with excellent colour gamut that is perfect for skin tones, according to Ilford. Compatible with both dye and pigment printers, Galerie Smooth Lustre Duo is suitable for creating tailor-made wedding albums, portfolios or even premium quality invitations.

The Annenberg Space for Photography is hosting a three-month photographic and multimedia exhibit based on the work of six photographers featured in National Geographic magazine’s April issue. The featured photographers are Jonas Bendiksen, with a story on Himalaya glacial melt; Edward Burtynsky, capturing California’s water infrastructure; Lynn Johnson, documenting the burden of thirst on women and children in Africa; Paolo Pellegrin, looking at water rights in the Middle East; Joel Sartore, with a story on freshwater species; and John Stanmeyer, with a moving portfolio of our spiritual connection with water. The Annenberg Space for Photography is located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars, #10 Los Angeles. The exhibit is open to the public until 13 June 2010.

Website: The Annenberg Space for Photography

Pixelspace Retouching and Anagnorisis Fine Arts have announced a photography exhibition and silent auction, Distorted Beauty, a collaboration between artist and retoucher D Tyler Huff and a select group of commercial fashion and beauty photographers. The proceeds of the auction will benefit the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center. Participating artists include Michael David Adams, Alex Beauchesne, Indiria Cesarine, Amber Gray, Edwin Ho, Wendy Hope, D. Tyler Huff, Sergio Kurhajec and Caitlin Mitchell. The exhibition runs from 8 April to 6 May, and is hosted by the Gallery at Station Digital, located at 73 Franklin St., New York.

AKVIS has updated AKVIS ArtSuite, a collection of versatile effects for decorating photos, to version 6.0. Like many other AKVIS products, ArtSuite is available in both a Standalone version and as a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter, Corel Photo-Paint, and Paint Shop Pro, ACD FotoCanvas, and Corel PhotoImpact. The Standalone version now supports Frame Packs of Hand Painted Photo Frames. Two new themed frame packs are also available. These frame packs contain frames which have been designed by artists specially for ArtSuite. Also new to version 6.0: support for 64 bit in the plugin version, bug fixes, and a new installation program. A free frame pack containing 30 hand painted frames is also available as a separate download. AKVIS ArtSuite Plug-in sells for $49; AKVIS ArtSuite Standalone for $ 69.Version 6.0 is a free upgrade for registered users of earlier versions. A free 10-day trial is available to new customers.

Website: AKVIS ArtSuite

Reflections on Nelson Mandela is a new book that contains exclusive photographs of renowned statesmen, thinkers, performers, celebrities and commentators alongside their answer to one simple question: “What do you think society, mankind and humanity can learn from Nelson Mandela’s values and virtues?” Reflections also reveals ‘the meaning’ of Mandela to the world at large – from artists to activists, bankers to bouncers, marketers to road sweepers, policemen to journalists, healers to students, and many in between. Completing the volume are revealing images of Mandela himself. To celebrate the pre-launch of Reflections (which will hit the shelves on 1 July 2010), selected images and quotes from the book will be framed and displayed at the Proud Central, London W1. An auction of these items (25 May 2010) will raise money for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

Guilherme Junior, a Brazilian photographer, is the winner of the 2010 Sony World Photography Awards’ Campaign Award. The winning image, entitled ‘Twisters’, shows the supporters of the Flamengo soccer team in Rio de Janeiro. Delly Carr, one of the world’s leading sports photographers, and chair of the judging panel commented: “This female fan epitomises football’s energy and passion. She is singled out from the rest of the crowd through her ‘over-the-top’ celebratory jump, and therefore as one with the team. She has channelled all her energy into that explosive reaction. Her face is pure joy.” A selection of shortlisted images entered to the competition, including the Guilherme’s winning shot (reproduced above), will be exhibited in Cannes, April 2010.

John Freeman Photours has launched a series of studio-based photography workshops. Day courses cover techniques such as lighting, still life and digital workflow and a five-day starter course, called the ‘Five day learn nearly everything course’, gives a thorough introduction to photography for beginners wanting to kick start their hobby; and even perhaps turn it in to a lucrative career. The courses take place in East London. Prices start at £195 for one-day workshops and £925 for the five-day course.

Website: John Freeman Photours

The Canon EOS 7D Digital Field Guide is a practical, full-colour book designed to help you get the very most out of the EOS 7D. The book covers the camera’s new features, including the 19-point autofocus, new metering system, integrated Speedlight Transmitter, 8fps continuous shooting, and video capabilities. In addition, it teaches you photography essentials such as composition, exposure, perspective, and more, and includes a grey and colour card checker and full instructions. The 304-page guide is available in paperback and Kindle editions, priced at €16.00 / $19.99.

Website: Canon EOS 7D Digital Field Guide

PhotographyBB has released the 26th edition of the free PhotographyBB Online Magazine. This edition examines some key traits necessary for those interested in becoming professionals, or “photo-preneurs.” Additionally, there are some helpful tutorials on conveying a sense of motion in night portraits, along with the top 5 landscape photography tips and techniques. The editorial team takes a look at the key differences, advantages, and disadvantages of shooting raw vs. JPEG, and presents readers with a very special in-depth coverage of the new Lightroom 3 Beta 2 release. PhotographyBB Online Magazine is available for free download through the PhotographyBB website.

Website: PhotographyBB

The Canon EOS Movie Plugin-E1 for Apple’s Final Cut Pro that was announced recently is now available. The new plug-in allows for simple and easy transfer of video content from Canon’s video-enabled EOS DSLR cameras directly into Final Cut Pro. The EOS Movie Plugin-E1 takes advantage of Final Cut Pro’s powerful Log and Transfer feature, which allows users to select and mark the video directly while it is still on the camera, add custom metadata and ingest the clips in the background so the editing can begin immediately. The plug-in is compatible with Final Cut Pro 6 or higher and currently supports the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS 1D Mark IV cameras. To download the plug-in, visit the website below, and select “Mac OS X” as your operating system.

Website: Drivers and Downloads

Apple has released an update for Aperture 3.. Version 3.0.2 improves overall stability and fixes issues in a number of areas. Click through / read on for the detailed release notes.

Website: Apple Aperture 3.0.2

DxO Labs have just published their raw-based sensor data for the Leica M9 interchangeable-lens digital rangefinder camera. “In comparison with the sensors used by other full-frame main manufacturers, the pixel quality of the Leica M9 sensor remains low,” they say. “The Leica M9 provides good image quality for low ISO, but its results for high ISO are weak, with dynamic range decreasing very fast.” The Leica M9 achieved a DxOMark Sensor score of 68.6, which is almost 10 points higher than that of the cropped-sensor Leica M8, but lower than that of any full-frame digital camera tested so far. However, DxO Labs point out that they only evaluate raw sensor performance which, they admit, “is not the only factor that should be taken into consideration when choosing a digital camera”.

Website: DxOMark Raw Sensor Data for the Leica M9

Phase One has just released an update for its Capture One software. Version 5.1.1 incorporates the following enhancements:

  * Tethered and raw file support for Leaf Aptus-II 8 (40 MP) camera backs
  * Improved default film curves for Leaf backs.
  * Support of develop-curves from Leaf MOS files.
  * White balance can now be set when shooting tethered with Leaf backs.
  * Orientation can now be set when shooting tethered with Leaf backs.
  * Base characteristics gains presets.
  * A number of bug fixes.