The 2016 Sony World Photography Awards are open for entries. Free to enter, the Awards feature five competitions: Professional; Open; Youth; National Awards and Student Focus. The awards’ prizes include the latest Sony digital imaging equipment; inclusion in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House, London; inclusion in the 2016 awards’ book and $30,000 for the overall winners. New for 2016, the 14 Professional categories are now divided into two distinct genres - Art and Documentary. The change is to provide a clearer structure in which photographers can be recognised. Both genres also include new category additions, with Art presenting the new Staged and Candid categories and Documentary now including Daily Life and Environment. Also new this year, the British Journal of Photography will partner with the World Photography Organisation and its Student Focus competition. As part of this partnership, the winning Student Focus photographer will receive an online feature showcasing a body of work on the jounral's website.

Triggertrap have released their  newest app, Triggertrap Selfie. Putting a twist on the ubiquitous self-portrait, Triggertrap Selfie uses the subject's voice to trigger the iPhone's camera. "Shout, clap, honk like a goose - from the creative to the amusing, Triggertrap Selfie opens up a whole new world of snapping self-portraits," the company says. As soon as the shout hits the required number of decibels, the pixelated screen will clear and the camera snaps a selfie. Your screaming work of art is saved to your camera roll, and you can share it straight to Twitter from inside the Triggertrap Selfie app.

Version 3.0 of Camera MX is now available in the Google Play Store. This update adds a new Shoot the Past mode, which grants users the ability to go back in time up to three seconds before the shutter release was pressed to select and save missed shots. The new version additionally features a completely redesigned user interface and a wide range of photo editing options. The app is available for free.

Nest has just announced the new Odyssey photo bag range. These products combine a rolling bag with a removeable backpack, and feature a generous main section as well as several pockets for small accessory storage. The Odyssey 10 will take two pro camera bodies plus 5 to 6 lenses and a flashgun and the Odyssey 20 provides enough space for two pro camera bodies pus 6 to 8 lenses and a flash. Available in August, the Odyssey collection has SRPs of £179.99 (Odyssey 10) and £209.99 (Odyssey 20).

The iKlip Grip is a new multi-functional video stand with Bluetooth shutter for smartphones and compact video cameras. It can be used as a desktop tripod, grip handle, monopod or tripod adapter. In all configurations it can securely hold any smartphone with a screen size from 3.5" to 6" — even when the device is in a protective carrying case. iKlip Grip also features a standard mounting system for connecting small action cams and compact digital cameras. Additionally, the iKlip Grip comes with a 17.5” / 45 cm detachable telescopic extension arm. This gives users an easy way to position their device from 10” to 22” (25 to 55 cm) away — high above the crowd for optimal video and audio recording.  The iKlip Grip is available for an introductory price of $/€59.99.

Google have introduced Google Photos — a new service that promises to give you "a home for all your photos and videos." The free service incorporates a standalone app for both Android and iOS, a web-based interface, unlimited photo-video hosting, automated syncing and backups. The original resolution is maintained for up to 16 megapixels for photos and 1080p for movies, and your works are automatically organised by people, places and other parameters. The new Google Photos Assistant creates animations, collages and videos from your still images. Pictures, movies and entire photo sets can be shared easily via social networks.

Website: Google Photos

The international Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) are now open for entries. The 2015 awards have three portfolio categories, three single-image awards, a New Talent category for aspiring professional photographers, an HD video category, Young Travel Photographer of the Year (for photographers aged 18 and under) and the new Smart Shot category (for images shot on a mobile phone or tablet). The overall winner of Travel Photographer of the Year will be chosen from the photographers who submit two or more portfolio category entries. The winner will receive £2,500, the Travel Photographer of the Year trophy and a personalised Plastic Sandwich portfolio case or iFolio. Entry fees start at £7.50 and entry for Young TPOTY is free. The submission deadline is 1st October. Images can be submitted online or as prints.

Schatz Images: 25 Years is a magnificent and luxurious two-book boxed set by Howard Schatz. Published by Glitterati, the two volumes contain a total of 832 pages and 1083 original photographs. Beautifully bound in a custom slip case, and limited to 500 signed and numbered copies, it is a true collector's item. The set will be available next month, priced at $500.

111 shortlisted works submitted to this year's Atkins CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year (EPOTY) contest will go on show at the Royal Geographical Society in London from 22 June to 10 July 2015. Launched in 2007 by CIWEM, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, and sponsored by Atkins, the Atkins CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year competition honours amateurs and professionals of all ages. The selected photographs and films examine issues such as innovation, sustainable development, biodiversity, poverty, climate change, human rights, culture, natural disasters and population growth. Nigel Hendley, CIWEM Interim Chief Executive said: “The EPOTY competition provides a platform to raise awareness of environmental issues fundamental to our organisation; climate change, environmental pollution, water resource management, wastewater and flood risk management."

To mark the beginning of a three-year partnership with Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios (NNOS), Wex Photographic is holding its inaugural Photography Symposium which will take place on 7th June at The Forum. NNOS, which takes place between 23rd May and 7th June, celebrates the county’s artists and their achievements by offering them the opportunity to open their doors to the public to exhibit, sell and talk about their work. This year the festival will see over 450 artists exhibiting across 248 venues throughout Norfolk. The Wex Photographic Photography Symposium promises to be a day of enlightening talks from regional photographers and videographers. Featuring a mixture of established and up-and-coming talent, there will be a range of topics covered which include, ‘Capturing the Action’, ‘From Acrobat to Photographer’, ‘Small Town Inertia – Community, Context, Conduit’, ‘The Personal Landscape’, ‘Exhibition Cartographie Luminaire’, and ‘The Constant Photographer’. Tickets are £8 per talk or £40 for an all-day pass.

As part of their partnership with the National Trust, Panasonic UK will be holding events around a variety of National Trust properties between now and 27th September. The events, based around the United Kingdom, will allow attendees to borrow a choice of Lumix camera, including some of the latest 4K models, such as the LX100 and FZ1000 bridge camera, and with help from some of Panasonic’s official Lumix Ambassadors, will each get tips and advice on how to perfectly capture the surroundings of National Trust properties. Those who take part in the events will learn photography skills such as how to film in 4K video and extract 4K photos from the footage. Click through / read on for a full list of venues and dates.

ExpoImaging today highlighted the recent improvements to the patented ExpoDisc 2.0 Professional White Balance Filter. "With the original ExpoDisc, we invented the digital white balance filter and established it in the market as the premium white balance tool by individually testing and certifying every ExpoDisc,” said Erik Sowder, CEO at ExpoImaging. “Now ExpoDisc 2.0 introduces user-selectable warming gels and an improved mounting design.” Each ExpoDisc 2.0 is individually calibrated by hand, for neutrality and an 18% total light transmission across the visible spectrum. Priced at £33.29, the ExpoDisc 2.0 Professional White Balance Filter is available to purchase through leading photography retailers across the United Kingdom.

Two years after the introduction of their first Petzval lens, Lomography have launched a new Kickstarter project to help fund the commercialisation of their latest product, the Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens. This is a 58mm f/1.9 lens with adjustable bokeh and a brass or black finish. Using the newly developed Bokeh Control Ring on the New Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens, you are totally free to determine the strength of the swirly bokeh in your photos. "[T]his allows you to get the characteristic swirly bokeh effect in ways it has never been possible before," the company says. Additionally, the New Petzval 58 features a Waterhouse Aperture system (with plates ranging from f/1.9 to f/16) and a Gear Rack Focusing Knob for smooth and fast focusing. The lens will be available in Canon and Nikon fit.

Canon will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the introduction of their EOS 5D series of dSLR cameras this fall. Launched in September 2005, the EOS 5D was the first 35mm dSLR camera to break the €3,000 barrier, enabling a wider range of photographers to experience the image quality of a full-frame CMOS sensor than ever before. Then, in November 2008, Canon launched the second-generation model in the series: the EOS 5D Mark II. This camera, which was the first in the EOS series to include a function enabling the capture of Full HD movies, facilitated the widespread adoption of DSLR cameras as a tool for capturing video. In March 2012, Canon introduced the EOS 5D Mark III, featuring improvements in still-image and video quality as well as enhanced AF precision and a faster maximum continuous shooting speed. This year, the company launched the latest models in the series, the Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R (pictured), which boast a record-breaking 50.6-megapixel CMOS sensor for ultra-high resolution stills.

Olympus have announced a free new opportunity for photographers to test their cameras and lenses. They can choose from the OM-D or PEN series including the new OM-D E-M5 Mark II (pictured), in combination with one or more M.Zuiko Digital lenses. The Olympus’ ‘Test & Wow’ programme lets photographers trial the cameras for three days, in their own time, away from the retailer with no strings attached. For more information, visit the website below.

The Westcott Ice Light 2 LED light is now available in the UK. The new Ice Light 2 is engineered with patented new LED technology offering 1,740 lumens of daylight-balanced light while maintaining a compact housing. Unlike traditional LED panels, the Ice Light has a built-in diffuser that is custom-designed to protect the LEDs and provide a 73° beam angle. Daylight-balanced at 5500K and rated for 50,000 hours with a Colour Rendering Index (CRI) of 96, the Ice Light 2 provides flicker-free output and stable light consistency. The redesigned handle offers a dedicated on/off power slider with an 18-step range and a light output memory which remembers your last power setting between uses. Battery indicator displays the current battery level using illuminated blue lights. Both ends of the Ice Light 2 include 1/4"-20 thread`s to mount to a light stand, tilter bracket or tripod. The Ice Light 2 is available for £549.

MacPhun has announced an update to its newest application, Noiseless (read review). Using newly developed imaging technology; Noiseless provides a one-click solution for eliminating the noise generated by every camera when shooting in low-light situations. This latest update reduces processing time by 20%, adds French and German language support, and fixes bugs. Noiseless is available today as an electronic download from the Macphun web store and the Mac App Store. Noiseless is £13.99, while Noiseless Pro is £36.99.

WD today introduced its redesigned My Passport Ultra portable hard drives and My Passport for Mac drives. With the My Passport line now in its 7th generation, the My Passport Ultra and My Passport for Mac drives are now available in capacities up to 3 TB. USB 3.0 compatibility provides fast data transfer rates while being backwardly compatible with USB 2.0. "With more photos being taken than ever before, it's critical to have a high capacity, reliable external storage solution that you can carry everywhere," said Tony Tate, general manager and vice president of Content Storage Solutions at WD. "The latest generation My Passport drives deliver an easier automatic back-up experience, hardware-based encryption for security and higher capacities than ever before. Consumers can keep all their content in their pockets, while expressing their personal styles with the colors and WD Grip Pack." My Passport Ultra and My Passport for Mac have MSRPs ranging from $79.99 up to $199.99 depending on capacity.

Canon U.S.A. will showcase its latest 4K digital cinema products in Booth #12 at Cine Gear Expo Los Angeles from 5-6 June. Visitors will have an opportunity to receive hands-on experience with the latest cinema equipment offerings including the new EOS C300 Mark II digital camera (pictured), the XC10 4K digital camcorder, and the DP-V2410 4K reference display introduced in April. The company will also have its new CINE-Servo 50-1000mm T5.0-8.9 ultra-telephoto lens and EOS 5DS / 5DS R digital SLR cameras on display. In the Paramount Theatre during the Expo will be three Canon-hosted educational panel discussions, featuring industry professionals discussing their craft, and how Canon products have helped power their work. Click through / scroll down for the panel discussion schedule.