CyberLink is reminding interested photographers that the deadline for its "Goodbye Plain Shots" photo challenge is 7 May 2013. Intended to be a fun contest that will “bring out the creative side of photography enthusiasts worldwide,” the “Goodbye Plain Shots” photo challenge invites photo enthusiasts to submit a photo for others to edit, edit a photo submitted by another contestant, or simply “Like” their favourite edited photos. The company is providing a free trial download of its award-winning PhotoDirector 4 software for contest participants to use as a part of the contest. Do note that photos edited using other software will be excluded from the contest. Up for grabs are the latest professional grade dSLR and compact system cameras and the full version of CyberLink’s PhotoDirector 4 software. For more details or to enter the competition, visit the website below.

Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from Iraq is a new title from The University of Texas Press. The book will be publishedon Wednesday 15 May 2013 with a launch event at 25CPW Gallery in New York presented by author Michael Kamber, The University of Texas Press and the Overseas Press Club of America. The in-depth interviews presented in Photojournalists at War offer first-person, frontline reports of the war as it unfolded, including key moments such as the battle for Fallujah, the toppling of Saddam's statue, and the Haditha massacre. The photographers vividly describe the often shocking and sometimes heroic actions they and other journalists undertook in trying to cover the war, and the role of the media and issues of censorship that changed as the war intensified. The 288-page, 10"x12" hardback includes 166 black-and-white and colour photographs, and costs $65.

TimelapseWorkshops.com has announced that early bird registration is now open for “Timelapse Moab” an intimate 4-day dark sky time-lapse workshop taking place in Southern Utah’s Arches National Park. Moab, Utah is home to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park and is located just 90 minutes from Grand Junction, CO or a four hour drive from Salt Lake City. Workshop instructor Ron Risman chose this location due to the incredible red-rock landscape, dry desert weather, and extremely dark skies. The dates of this workshop (3-6 October 2013) also correspond to the new moon, allowing participants the ability to capture stunning Milky Way time-lapses using their digital SLR and an external intervalometer. Early bird registration is open through 31st May. The workshop is being offered at $1295 until that date, $1495 afterwards, and is open to a maximum of 12 students. Flights, lodging and meals are not included.

Olympus UK have made their partnership with multi-award-winning photographer Damian "Big Dog" McGillicuddy all official. It is no secret that Olympus and Damian McGillicuddy have been working together very closely over the last 12 months, beginning at Focus 2012 with the launch of the OM-D. Over the past 12 months Damian has been working on Olympus UK’s behalf -  testing their latest equipment, running courses and shooting the photographs that Olympus have been using to advertise the OM-D. He also worked with Olympus at Focus 2013. Today, the company has announced that Damian will be assuming the position of principal photographer and educator at Olympus UK. Olympus will be subsidising the cost of McGillicuddy’s workshops, making their educational content more accessible - and the good news is, you don’t have to be an Olympus user to benefit from these discounts.

Pictured above cementing the announcement with a handshake is Olympus UK’s head of marketing, Mark Thackara, together with McGillicuddy himself.

FA Cup sponsor Budweiser has appointed two 'Phoneographers' - amateur photographers who shoot solely on smartphones - to become the tournament's first official "social reporters" capturing, editing and sharing all the action from the Semi-Finals. The lucky Phoneographers, Oliver Nielsen and Ope Odueyungbo, will shoot pitch-side alongside professional sports photographers, getting a perspective of the game that an amateur photographer can only dream about. Their images will be shared on Twitter under the hashtag #tothedream. Football fans can also Tweet their own FA Cup photographs by following @BudweiserUK and using #tothedream for the chance to have it appear in a Budweiser fan film TV advert, which will be played during The FA Cup with Budweiser final on 11 May.

We've been hard at work on a fresh new look for Photography Blog.

We've concentrated on making the site simpler, cleaner and easier to use, with an up-to-date design that looks equally at home on a large monitor, smaller laptop screen and the latest Retina devices.

We've also placed more emphasis on what we do best - bringing you in-depth reviews of the very latest cameras, lenses and accessories - something that we'll continue to do in the future.

If you have any suggestions for how we could improve the site further, or any specific likes or dislikes, then please let us know via the comments form below.

Likewise, if you experience something that doesn't work in the way that you expected, please leave a comment.

In the meantime we hope that you enjoy the new Photography Blog!

The Handbook of Bird Photography by award-winning wildlife photographers Bence Máté, Jari Peltomäki and Markus Varesvuo is a new title from Rocky Nook.Written in an easy-to-follow style, this book offers fresh insight and practical tips that will broaden horizons for nature and bird photographers. The authors share their stories and showcase photographs for which they have received multiple awards in major international wildlife photo competitions. Topics covered include the bird photographer’s equipment, shooting techniques, field knowledge, using light, composition and cropping, the best locations for finding and photographing birds and the most effective ways of promoting and selling your photographs. The 388-page volume is available for $49.95.

Pentax Ricoh have posted a firmware update for the Pentax Q compact system camera. Version 1.12 corrects a bug related to the Smart Effect, "Tone Expansion." This effect is supposed to produce a dramatic, "quasi-HDR" image but users who have updated their camera firmware to version 1.11 when that update came out have found that the effect was no longer applied. This issue is resolved in version 1.12, which you can download from the website below.

Website: Pentax Q Downloads: Firmware Update

The second issue of the recently revived English/French language Camera magazine is now available for purchase. This edition showcases a portfolio of photographs taken by Malick Sidibé, the famous Malian photographer and recipient of a Hasselblad Award. "Photographer of Mali’s joyful, post-Independence years, this generous African has been around the world — just like his portraits — and yet roots are what he’s all about," says Brigitte Ollier, editor-in-chief, Camera magazine. The 76-page magazine is available in print form, priced at €9 (plus shipping if purchased online). You can order your copy through the website below.

Aptina has announced a new 14-megapixel CMOS sensor for digital cameras, the AR1411HS, which is capable of providing 4K Ultra HD video at 60fps, in either the Quad HD (3840H x 2160V) or the wider Digital Cinema 4K format (4096H x 2160V). This is a 1"-type sensor, i.e. the same size as the 'CX' imagers found in the Nikon 1 System cameras. The AR1411HS is actually capable of outputting the full 14MP resolution at up to 80fps for an amazing 1.1 gigapixels/sec, 40 percent faster than its 10-megapixel predecessor. It can also record 1080p Full HD movies at 120fps, which is ideal for slow-motion playback. “The AR1411HS image sensor delivers superior image quality and the ability to capture still shots and video very fast, in virtually any environment,” said Sándor Barna, Vice President and General Manager of Aptina’s Consumer Camera business. “This 1-inch sensor effectively bridges the performance and price gap between the smaller 1/2.3-inch sensors commonly used in compact digital still cameras and the larger APS-C and full-frame sensors that are used in DSLR cameras." The sensor is already "in mass production," which means we may see it in an actual product fairly soon.

New Artists are bringing the work of photographer Sean Smith to the eerie setting of a crypt in Kensal Green Cemetery for an exhibition entitled "Sean Smith: On the margins." The exhibit focuses on images of marginalised people such as junkies, prostitutes and children caught up in war zones. “I’m interested in people on the edge of society”, says Smith. "They are usually either unrepresented or misrepresented.” The exhibition opens on 24th May and runs until 26th June.

From Fleeting to Forever: A Guide to Enjoying and Preserving Your Digital Photos and Videos is a new e-book that outlines how you can organise a vast and growing collection of photos and how to bring those digital images out of your phone and computer and into the real world in the form of unique products such as prints on glass and bamboo, canvas wall art, 3D prints, photo merchandise and much more. Each chapter combines a comprehensive overview of the subject as well as specific recommendations and links to service providers so that readers can immediately begin creating the products they've been reading about. From Fleeting to Forever: Enjoying & Preserving Your Digital Photos and Videos is available now for $6.99 at Amazon, Sony and Kobo bookstores. It will be available at Barnes and Noble, Apple and other e-book sellers by the end of April.

Pentax Ricoh have issued a firmware update for the Pentax K-5 II and K-5 IIs digital SLR cameras. According to the company, Version 1.04 corrects the following bug: "Switch operation may not rarely work during displaying Status screen in firmware version 1.03." You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Pentax K-5 II Downloads : Firmware Update

The new Reflecta HD Digital Slide Duplicator is a transparency digitisation attachment for your digital camera. Distributed by Kenro in the United Kingdom, the Reflecta HD Digital Slide Duplicator features a high-quality achromtatic close up lens, a mounted slide holder and a diffuser; and attaches directly to your digital camera's lens by way of an appropriate stepping ring. Included in the package are adapter rings for lenses with 37mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm and 62mm filter threads. TheReflecta HD Digital Slide Duplicator can be yours for£87 including VAT.

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM is an exciting new standard zoom lens for APS-C DSLR owners. Offering a short focal length of 27-52.5mm in the 35mm format, the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM’s most interesting innovation is its constant aperture of f/1.8 throughout the zoom range. Whereas most standard zoom lenses, even the more expensive optics, offer a maximum aperture of f/2.8, Sigma’s new lens offers a faster shutter speed and even shallower depth of field. The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM could effectively replace a fast 28mm, 35mm and 50mm prime lens in your camera bag, although it doesn’t offer the mild telephoto reach that a lot of standard zooms offer.

Want to see exactly what the new Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 lens, which is the first zoom lens ever to have a constant aperture of f/1.8 throughout its 27-52.5mm equivalent range.

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM is the first zoom lens ever to achieve a maximum aperture of f1.8 throughout the zoom range. Offering a focal range equivalent to 27-52.5mm in the 35mm format, the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM is standard zoom-lens for digital single lens reflex cameras with APS-C size sensors. The 9 blade rounded diaphragm creates an attractive round bokeh at large-aperture settings, while the HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a silent, high-speed AF function. The price and availability of the new Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM lens are still to be announced.

Getty Images today announced that applications for its 2013 Grants for Editorial Photography are now being accepted. Five photojournalists will be selected to receive grants of US$10,000, intended to provide the funding and freedom to pursue projects of personal and journalistic significance. The Grants for Editorial Photography were created in 2004 to provide emerging and established photographers with the means, creative freedom and collaborative editorial guidance to pursue projects of personal and journalistic significance. Previous grant recipients include Bharat Choudhary for “The Silence of ‘Others’,”  Paolo Marchetti for “FEVER – The Awakening of European Fascism,” Sebastian Liste for “The Brazilian Far West” and Kosuke Okahara for “Fragments/Fukushima.” Grants applications are open until 1 May, 2013 before midnight GMT. Winners will be announced in September 2013 at the Visa Pour l’Image photojournalism festival in Perpignan.

Following visits to cities in China, Phase One is now visiting Hamburg with Profoto and Production Paradise, as part of a 22-city World Tour. Each event on this tour is unique, with locally-based professional photographers who will share valuable insights to their work styles and techniques. Attendees at each event will have the opportunity to ask questions of key developers of the new Phase One IQ2 digital backs and check out the services offered by Production Paradise After Hamburg, the tour continues to Toronto, New York, Miami, Chicago, Washington DC, Mexico City and Sao Paulo, with more stops to be announced. All events are free—but space is limited to 150 seats in each city. For more information and to register, visit the website below.