The Booq Python catch collection is now available in the United Kingdom. The Python catch’s unconventional design features rugged, sustainable material, customisable organisation and enough space to accommodate two SLR cameras, up to four lenses and a 15" laptop. Its main compartment features three primary densely padded dividers and four padded subdividers that users can configure to fit their gear of choice. The interior flap offers transparent pockets so users can store accessories without losing track of them. For extensive outdoor conditions, a rain cover with reflective elements provides protection and visibility in low light situations. The Python catch is available for £220.

Sony has filed a patent for a new dual-layer image sensor. Spotted by Egami, the patent describes a sensor architecture where the top layer is made up of regular pixels with a standard RGB colour filter array, and the second consists of monochromatic pixels suitable for phase-detect auto focus (PDAF) operation. If implemented in a camera or smartphone, this sensor could enable users to pick their focus point with pixel-level accuracy (which is probably more than what any of us bargained for, but it could also improve focusing accuracy when using continuous, subject tracking auto-focus). According to Egami, this is but one of several examples given by Sony, as the patent itself covers a broader range of multi-layer sensors.

Via SαR

Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs of People by Henry Carroll is a new title from Laurence King Publishing. This introduction to portrait photography covers topics such as composition, context, street photography, black-and-white versus colour, the psychology of different types of light, plus more. The book is punctuated with “technical tangents,” which provide invaluable practical guidance for basic lighting set-ups, equipment, camera modes and more. Also included is helpful advice regarding legal rights whenever taking photographs of people. The 128-page paperback will go on sale on 29 September 2015, priced at $17.95.

Peak Design have embarked on a Kickstarter campaign to launch their first in a planned line of bags dubbed The Everyday Messenger. Product development was started over a year ago when professional photographer Trey Ratcliff approached the company with a challenge to design a bag that accommodated photo gear, but also the implements of everyday life. The Everyday Messenger expands from 13.5L to 20.5L, utilising a system of 22 foam panels that expand and contract cleanly, without losing shape. The exterior is built from a 500D synthetic canvas with wax coating and DWR finish, which sheds water and provides rugged durabiity. The Everyday Messenger’s interior is constructed with several removable high-density compression-molded EVA foam inserts that fold to adapt to a wide range of cameras, lenses and accessories, without creating pockets of “dead space” found in typical camera bags. The new bag features a proprietary closure mechanism designed to allow blind, one-handed operation, and both semi and full lock engagement. The Everyday Messenger is finished with an internally-padded seatbelt-style shoulder strap that allows a huge range of adjustment with no hanging “tail” of extra webbing. For more information, visit the website below.

Google will begin phasing out their Google+ Photos mobile app and Web service on 1 August 2015. Encouraging users to switch to the new standalone Photos app, Google says it will start shutting down Google+ Photos initially on Android, and soon thereafter on the Web and iOS. Your files currently stored in Google+ Photos will remain accessible, but the app will stop working. Photos and videos can be exported to Google Drive or downloaded to your computer using Google Takeout.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Miggo AGUA all-weather quick-draw camera bag is now available to pre-order from the Miggo website. Manufactured in three sizes, the IPX3-standard storm-resistant case enables you to comfortably carry your camera close to your body in any weather - and draw it quickly and with ease at the right moment to capture a perfect shot. The camera is attached to the bag with quick-release buckles, including a failsafe connection. This solution eliminates the need for the original camera strap because the AGUA's strap is used to carry the camera itself. By taking advantage of the pre-sale offer, you can buy the CSC/Superzoom version for $54.99, the mid-sized SLR option for $59.99, or the pro SLR option for $69.99. Additionally, you can now purchase the also-new Speed Strap, Two-Way Speed Strap and Grip & Wrap Mini at a 10% discount.

GoPro have just launched a premium content licensing portal for global advertising brands and agencies to license GoPro footage and imagery. According to the company, the portal "eliminates the pain points creative professionals have when sourcing content by helping them clear copyrights and likeness rights, easy access to creators’ content and organised, efficient, time-saving tools to search, download and preview content to license for use in advertising, news and other media and entertainment."

Burden of Proof: The Construction of Visual Evidence is an upcoming exhibition hosted by The Photographers' Gallery (16 - 18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW). Examining the way photographic images have been harnessed as evidence in instances of crimes or acts of violence, the exhibition presents eleven case studies spanning the period from the invention of ‘metric’ photography of crime scenes in the 19th century to the reconstruction of a drone attack in Pakistan in 2012 using digital and satellite technologies. These offer an analysis of the historical and geopolitical contexts in which the images appeared, as well as their purpose, production process and dissemination. On display from 2 October 2015 - 10 January 2016, the exhibition is accompanied by a book published by Xavier Barral Editions and LE BAL with introductions by Diane Dufour, Eyal Weizman and Jennifer Mnookin.

Photo Shanghai, China’s first art fair dedicated to photography, has announced its full list of participating galleries, programme highlights and partners for 2015. Running from 11-13 September, the second edition of the highly curated fair organised by the World Photography Organisation will feature 50 leading international galleries and over 500 works of art for sale by artists including: Nobuyoshi Araki, Birdhead, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Hsieh Chun-te, Elliott Erwitt, Chien-Chi Chang, Yang Fudong, Candida Höfer, Horst P. Horst, Axel Hüette, André Kertész, Steven Klein, Gustave Le Gray, Aki Lumi, Daido Moriyama, Vik Muniz, Helmut Newton, Erwin Olaf, Yuki Onodera, Jiang Pengyi, Irving Penn, Herb Ritts, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Li Wei and Zhang Xiao, among many others. Click through / scroll down for the full list of participating galleries and programme highlights.

Wilkinson Cameras (Liverpool) are holding a free Canon Pro Video event on on 8 August 2015. Ideal for wedding photographers and videographers, schools and universities, the event entitled ‘Leave No Story Untold’ – Capturing the Action from Script to Screen with Phil Coates has a morning session starting at 10am and an afternoon session starting at 2pm. Both sessions last approximately 2 hours and there will be a range of Canon video equipment on display, along with the latest Atomos recorders, for attendees to try out. Phil Coates, Canon Explorer, will be delivering a 60 minute presentation about his work with the Canon video range. The event is free to attend ut advance booking is required. Interested readers can sign up at the website below.

Internationally renowned photojournalist Dan McCullin was awarded an honorary doctorate by Bath Spa University. Recognised for his outstanding contribution to journalism, Don was born in London in 1935 and spent his childhood in the derelict area of Finsbury Park. He left school at 14 and soon after was called up for two years of national service in the Royal Air Force, as an assistant for aerial photography that took him to Africa and the Middle-East. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including his highly-acclaimed autobiography, Unreasonable Behaviour. Commenting on his award, which was presented to him by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Sammells, he said: “I am thrilled to be given this honour as being associated with the City of Bath is particularly moving since the time of my evacuation as a child near here and spending over thirty years living close by.”

Digital imaging startup “Z” has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the commercialisation of the E1, a diminutive 4K video camera with a FourThirds sized imager and an MFT lens mount. Billed as the World's smallest interchangeable-lens 4K video camera, the new E1 is Wi-Fi 802.11N, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) compliant and comes with an Ambarella A9 image processor. Advanced 3D noise filters using motion compensated temporal filtering (MCTF) technology reduce noise and jitter, promising "incredible low-light performance" with a top sensitivity of ISO 102,400/51°. Proprietary iOS and Android apps provide the ability to control, live stream and manage content via a wide range of smartphones and tablets. Advanced users can customise the functionality of the E1 through a software development kit available in two versions. Once the Kickstarter campaign has been completed, the E1 will retail for $699 in a body-only configuration, as well as in a kit with a 14mm f/2.5 lens for $999.

ICELAND. An Uneasy Calm is a new hardback coffee table book featuring 98 toned black-and-white photographs taken in Iceland over the last eight years by landscape photographer Tim Rudman. Tim, who describes his fascination with the country as “a land of myth and magic, of fearsome subterranean power and spectacular scenery,” is well known internationally for his pioneering work in Lith Printing and distinctive toning methods of black-and-white silver gelatine prints, authoring a number of books and hundreds of articles in this field. The images featured in his latest book were captured on Ilford film (mostly Ilford Delta Professional 120) and printed on Ilford Multigrade FB Warmtone paper developed in Ilford multigrade developer, processed using a variant of the Ilford Archival Process. ICELAND. An Uneasy Calm is available to preorder from the website below. The standard edition costs £45 + shipping (regular price: £55), and the Deluxe Collectors' Limited Edition, which comes in an elegant black silk-bound clamshell box with a handmade limited edition silver gelatine print, is priced at £285. Shipping is anticipated mid September 2015.

This weekend saw the first of five ultraviolet art murals appear across London as part of a collaboration between Sony Mobile and a series of street artists to bring to life the low-light photography capabilities of its Xperia Z3 smartphone. The project was kicked off by artist Dan Kitchener, well-known for his modern impressionistic street scenes at night. His mural adorns the Hat and Feathers Pub at 2 Clerkenwell Road and has already sparked considerable conversation on social media. The next seven weeks will see five artists in total take to the streets of the capital and create murals around the theme of ‘I Can See in the Dark’ which aligns with Sony’s latest ‘I Can’ advertising campaign. The second mural, created by artist Zina, will be live from 20th July on the Great Eastern Bear Gallery in Shoreditch.

Defrozo have just started a photography portfolio contest. Offering four winner spots, the Defrozo portfolio competition provides each winner with a prize bundle consisting of 5 premium photography resources. The deadline for entries is 31 July 2015. Click through for the details.

JP Distribution have been appointed as the UK distributors of UKPro, the manufacturer of various GoPro accessories including cases, poles and lighting. San Diego based company Underwater Kinetics was founded in 1971 by Alan Uke who created hand held flashlights and accessories for the dive and industrial market. Now “UK” have over 160 individual products which are distributed in over 68 countries. UKPro is a division of Underwater Kinetics that is dedicated to GoPro accessories. The UKPro range of products will be available through JP Distribution with immediate effect.

Manfrotto have added the Off Road 20L Hiker Backpack to their Off Road Collection. Designed for transporting your gear while hiking outdoors, the Off Road 20L Hiker Backpack will hold a mid-sized SLR with lens and accessories, while providing a quick side access to your camera. Similar to the Off Road 30L Hiker Backpack, the 20L Hiker Backpack can be used to carry your personal gear and camera, or it can be converted into a total hiking backpack by unzipping the internal divider and removing the camera bag. The straps on the backpack are ideal for carrying the Off Road walking sticks and tripod, making the Off Road 20L Hiker Backpack the perfect choice for trekkers who wish to capture and record what they find on a hike, but don’t need the extra space the 30L Off Road Hiker Backpack gives. Available now through selected stockists, the 20L Hiker Backpack is priced at £129.95.