This Autumn, a series of state of the art exhibitions will take place around Europe to showcase stunning images taken by Daniel Beltrá, the winner of this year’s Prince’s Rainforests Project Award at the Sony World Photography Awards. The exhibitions entitled, ‘Focus on the Rainforests’, will take place in London (Kew Gardens), Paris (Hotel de Ville) and Berlin (Alexa Centre). Opening in October, these interactive photographic experiences form the closing chapter of Daniel’s trip. The London exhibition will take place from 3 October through 6 December.

Joby, the designer of the Gorillapod photo tripods, has announced the GorillaTORCH. It is an electric torch that casts a focused beam of intense light and allows you to illuminate any target, hands?free. The GorillaTORCH is mounted on Joby’s award?winning bendable and flexible legs comprised of medical?grade ABS plastic and German TPE rubber. Combined with its powerful magnetic feet, the GorillaTORCH will grip to virtually anything, the manufacturer claims. The GorillaTORCH weighs under 197 gram, is 20 centimeters tall, has a suggested retail price of £29.99 including VAT. The product will be available from Amazon from October.

General Imaging has announced two new digital cameras, the GE J1050 and the J1250 (pictured). Shared features include Pan-Capture Panorama; Auto Scene Detection; Blink, Smile and Face Detection; Image Stabilisation and in-camera Red-Eye Removal. Out of these, Pan-Capture Panorama is the most interesting, which allows the creation of seamless panoramic photographs without a need for stitching. Also, both cameras have a 35-175mm equivalent zoom lens and a 2.7”; 230,400-dot TFT LCD. They practically only differ in their pixel count and price: the GE J1050 is a ten-megapixel model costing $129, whereas the GE J1250 is a twelve-megapixel camera that sells for $149.

iSyndica’s latest feature, called “Promotion,” enables users to securely distribute their portfolio on social media and photo-sharing sites for free, thereby gaining visibility without jeopardizing the rights to their work. Initial supported sites include Flickr, Picasa, Facebook and Twitter. The feature will also be available to videographers for seven popular video destinations, including BlipTV, Viddler, and YouTube. Historically, image theft made professional photographers anxious about sharing their images on social media sites. And for good reason - the Stock Artists Alliance estimated in 2007 that such theft resulted in $65 million of lost revenue for the industry. iSyndica’s Promotion feature addresses these concerns in a safe and easy way: distributed photographs are automatically watermarked and resized, effectively preventing their misuse, the company says.

Giottos are now shipping the VH6011 two-way birding / video head. Described as a sturdy yet lightweight head, the VH6011 features smooth fluid pan & tilt movements and a counterbalance spring on the tilt function to improve the head performance.  To assist with balance, a sliding scope attachment thread and Arca-Swiss compatible sliding quick release plate allow up to 60mm of sliding forward movement. The MH658D quick release plate features a VHS locating pin and anti-twist blocks to help prevent scope movement whilst in use. Both pan & tilt movements can be locked independently of each other and the pan bar can be adjusted for left- or right-handed use. Manufactured from die cast aluminium, the VH6011 head weighs in at 0.57kg and has a maximum weight capacity of 4kg. The VH6011 is available now for approximately £80, and comes with a five-year warranty.

Welshot Photographic Academy is staging an all-day event at Chester Zoo on Sunday, October 25. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn how to take stunning mains flash portraiture photographs, get up-close and personal with macro and floral photography, how to get your best photographs published and more. Leading professional photographers John Arnold, Will Cheung FRPS, Chris Noble and Steward Ellett will lead a series of informal yet instructive practical modules. The cost including zoo admission, lunch and all refreshments, is £45 for Welshot Photographic Academy members and £55 for non-members. Places are limited and booking is essential. You can register online at the website below.

Website: Welshot Imaging

VSO Software has just released VSO Seam Carving, a freeware program offering the seam carving resizing method to shrink or enlarge an image while the important features stay unaffected. This smart “content aware” resizing technology optimizes the resizing of full pictures to a new resolution, by keeping the full content without distorting, stretching or removing part of the image. The program also allows users to remove an object or a person from a photo very easily and without any knowledge of Photoshop, the company claims. VSO Seam Carving will be also implemented in the forthcoming VSO Image Resizer 3.0. Click through / read on to learn where you can download the program.

Rollip.com is a new site where you can turn your digital photographs into Polaroid lookalikes. The site allows users to choose one of a number of effects, add text or decorations and upload their photos so that they can receive the “Polaroid” treatment. “It’s addictive,” says Lead Developer Maurice Sikkink. “Users who try it with one photo often end up processing their entire collection.” Rollip is a free service, and devoted users already have their own Flickr group.

Website: Rollip

Global imaging giant Kodak commissioned The Future Laboratory to examine how people in the UK, US, France, Germany and Italy view their relationships and the role digital imaging can play. Across the five countries, it found a common desire for ‘reconnectivity.’ The ‘Future of Reconnectivity’ report also uncovered the emergence of ‘Digital Families’ and forecasts the impact of future technologies on relationships. According to the study, we’re waking up to the fact that we’re struggling to nurture personal relationships and are gradually turning to technology for solutions. 53% of us already use cameras to communicate better with our families and over a third (35%) said we want to be able to see and contact other people more face-to-face, but technology is still an important part of this experience. Asked about future innovations in imaging technology, 41% felt that video conferencing would improve or intensify face-to-face relationships, whilst, 30% felt augmented reality would do the same.

Phase One has just announced the Phase One 645DF camera. Engineered in partnership with Mamiya Digital Imaging for superior quality image capture and ease of handling, it sets a new standard for high flash sync speeds – up to 1/1600 of a second. The new camera introduces many performance improvements over its predecessor. Capture responsiveness and autofocus speeds are claimed to have been highly improved, allegedly giving photographers up to 5 times faster performance in a typical fashion set up. The Phase One 645DF is compatible with digital backs designed for the Phase One / Mamiya AFD mount, including backs from Phase One, Leaf, Mamiya and others. Also today, Phase One announced the availability of three new high performance leaf shutter lenses, 55mm, 80mm and 110mm, all f/2.8 and all designed with the Phase One 645DF camera in mind. The lenses are a result of close collaboration with Mamiya Digital Imaging and Schneider Kreuznach. The Phase One 645DF camera body starts at $5990/€4290 and is expected to ship in the last quarter of 2009. The new leaf shutter lenses start at $2490/€1790 and are also expected to start shipping the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Schneider Group, Phase One A/S and Mamiya Digital Imaging, Ltd. today announced that they are collaborating on design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of superior quality, precision digital lenses for the medium format camera systems. The Schneider Group specializes in developing and producing high-performance photographic lenses, cinema projection lenses, as well as industrial optics and precision mechanics. The company’s main brand is “Schneider-Kreuznach.” Phase One is an employee-owned company based in Copenhagen with offices in New York, London, Tokyo, Cologne and Shanghai. Mamiya Digital Imaging is the digital successor to the reputable Mamiya brand, headquartered in Tokyo with two factories in Japan. The first results of their collaboration are the 55mm, 80mm and 110mm leaf shutter lenses designed for the Phase One 645DF and Mamiya 645DF cameras.

Magix has announced the release of MAGIX Xtreme Photo & Graphic Designer 5. New features include intelligent scaling, templates for practical online presentations, fun photo caricatures, fast optimisation, non-destructive red-eye correction, support for new raw formats, improved montage and collages, and wizards for cutting out objects, quickly cropping multiple photos, and uncomplicated creation of fullscreen pictures. MAGIX Xtreme Photo & Graphic Designer 5 is available now for SRP £49.99 from all major UK retailers and online partners including Amazon and PC World.

Bogen Imaging has announced three new Kata light stand bags. The KT LS- 36, KT LS-46 and KT LS-54 are compact carrying and working solutions designed to hold up to four light stands of 36 inches, 46 inches and 54 inches respectively. For quick and simple access, each bag opens easily and completely with a full length zipper. Extra side pockets on each model help to keep equipment organised and additional internal pockets are perfect for storing cables and smaller accessories within. The KT LS-36 (£59.95), the KT LS-46 (£69.95) and the KT LS-54 (£79.95) are all available now from Bogen Imaging.

Epson UK is offering half-price CoverPlus extended warranties on many of its Stylus Pro large-format printers, representing savings of up to £699.50.  This includes access to a UK-based telephone help desk, which will endeavour to resolve any issues, and, if required, a next-day site visit from a specialist Epson engineer. This offer is available from 31 October 2009 to 31 March 2010 and applies to the following Stylus Pro models: 3880, 4450, 4880, 7450 (pictured), 7880, 7900, 9450, 9880, 9900 and 11880.

Fantasea Line has announced the Remora Focus Pro lighting set for underwater photography, which has been designed for compact underwater housings. Taking advantage of the Remora built-in YS Mount and thereby eliminating the need for an additional arm, the Remora Focus Pro Set features Fantasea’s Nano Focus Light with an automatic dim-out sensor. When mounted on top of the flash, the Nano Focus Light also serves as a modeling light. The Remora Focus Pro lighting set includes a Remora flash, a Nano Focus Light, a fibre optic cable kit an XL Stay Slot Tray, a Flex Arm 30 and a pro bag. The kit weighs 2kg. Pricing to be confirmed.

GoBoda has announced the newest generation of Boda lens bags - the Boda V3 series. The series includes the “full-sized” Boda V3 and the more compact Boda V3 Jr bags. The new BODA lens bags maintain all of the features that have brought them success, with a few key improvements that make them even more ergonomic, refined and durable. In addition, GoBoda will be launching a new product soon that will save on-the-go photographers both time and money: the Boda modular storage bag. The Boda V3 bag carries a retail price of $195, but is available for pre-order at $160. The Boda V3 Jr will cost $175, with the pre-order price being $140. The expected ship date is November 2009.

Imaging USA, one of the world’s largest events for professional photographers, has picked Nashville for its 2010 convention and tradeshow. The USA’s longest running photographic convention will feature a unique combination of artistic and business education designed specifically for professional photographers, whether they’ve been in business for years, or are just starting out. Registration for the conference, which will take place from 10-12 January 2010, is open to all professional photographers and several options are available, including full conference and one-day passes. A special promotion includes a free full conference registration for new members who join PPA prior to the show. For more information about Imaging USA or to register for the conference, visit the website below.

Website: Imaging USA

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of storage and wireless networking, today announces the DriveStation HD-HXU3, the first to market SuperSpeed USB 3.0 External Hard Disk Drive. The DriveStation HD-HXU3 offers SuperSpeed transfer speeds of up to 125MB/s.  With a slick, black glossy design and available with 1.0TB, 1.5TB and 2.0TB capacities, the DriveStation HD-HXU3 gives users the ability to quickly back up important data and share office work, digital photos, music and movies from one central location. The DriveStation™ HD-HXU3 is backwards-compatible and will work with all USB 2.0 enabled computers and notebooks, as well as forthcoming USB 3.0 models. Also launched is the Buffalo USB 3.0 controller, which allows PC users to take advantage of the new SuperSpeed. USB 3.0 technology. The Buffalo DriveStation HD-HXU3 and USB controller will be available in Europe, Middle East and Africa during the last quarter of 2009.

Engelmann Media GmbH has released a new program called Photomizer, which offers fully automated intelligent image optimisation. Sub-optimal exposures are adjusted, colours corrected and shadows are lightened up. The program recognises the important parts of a subject and uses its intelligence to lighten up and optimise faces for example. Allegedly, only those parts and attributes of a photo are changed that actually require editing, whereas the others are left alone. System requirements are Windows XP/Vista/7 and minimum of 1 GB RAM. Multi-core CPUs are supported. The software is available at an introductory price of €29.99.

Website: Photomizer

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) have just launched two complementary and dynamic photography exhibitions– the ROM’s Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008, and the AGO’s Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937. Visitors to either exhibition can retain their ticket stubs for presentation at the other venue to receive 20% off the cost of admission. A reciprocal members’ weekend will also be offered on October 17 and 18, allowing ROM and AGO members free admission to the other attraction. The ROM and AGO will also host a panel discussion focusing on the culture of celebrity and photographic portraiture on Monday, November 9. Facing the Lens, Seeing the Light: Observations on Portrait Photography will be moderated by Sophie Hackett, assistant curator of Photography at the AGO and Francisco Alvarez, managing director of the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the ROM, and will include photographer Nigel Dickson, gallerist Jane Corkin and Dr.Lilly Koltun of the Portrait Gallery of Canada. The AGO exhibition Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937 and the ROM exhibition Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 will run from September 26, 2009 to January 3, 2010.