Luxury whisky brand The Macallan has been running a competition in which they are encouraging people to send in an important image and tag it with a key word - they call it the Last Word. You can find the details here. There are some amazing prizes up for grabs.

Here’s my Last Word picture which is titled Self. Self-portraits are perhaps the most difficult people shots to take – after all, not that many photographers like to be the subject of the picture. This abstract self-portrait plays with reality to deliver a pleasing image that doesn’t give too much away about the photographer. Taken with the humble iPhone and post-processed with Nik Software’s SnapSeed, it proves that even the humblest of equipment can take and create a good photo. The image also shows that the right lighting can make or break the mood; the lengthening shadows of dusk not only added to the ambience of the scene, but created the extreme sense of perspective that makes the photo so interesting. My tip - always carry some kind of camera with you, whether that’s a DSLR or a simple cameraphone - you never know when exactly the moment will be right.

Incidentally if you live in the UK you can see my image and some other excellent images at the Macallan booth at several exhibitions. Details here: http://www.themastersofphotography.com/

Don’t forget to enter the competition, there’s a photography trip to Scotland and top end Fujifilm cameras up for grabs.

Consumer electronics manufacturer Sakar International has announced the launch of four Polaroid-branded digital video cameras. The line-up includes tne Polaroid iD820, billed as one of the world’s thinnest, lightest true 1080p HD camcorders ($179.99), the Polaroid iD879 with 5x optical zoom ($179.99), the Polaroid iD450 with built-in Wi-Fi ($179.99) and the Polaroid iD640 waterproof, shock-proof, dust-proof and freeze-proof pocket video camera ($99.99).

Sakar has announced the launch of several new digital compact cameras under the Polaroid brand. The new models include the Polaroid iF045 ($99.99), a fourteen-megapixel camera with front- and rear-facing displays and 5x optical zoom that’s waterproof down to a depth of 10 feet; the sixteen-megapixel Polaroid iS2132 ($199.99) superzoom camera with 21x “enhanced definition” optical zoom and HD video capture and the Polaroid iS326 ($79.99) ultra-compact camera with 3x optical zoom and a slim form factor. Unlike the Z-series Polaroid digicams, these models do not feature built-in printers.

At an auction held yesterday at Swann Galleries, a set of Edward S. Curtis’s magnum opus, The North American Indian, complete with 20 text volumes and 20 folios, was sold at $1.44 million dollars—more than any other single lot auctioned off at Swann in its 70 year history. Daile Kaplan, Swann Vice President and Director of Photographs & Photobooks, said, “We were very pleased to have sold this iconic work by a major 20th century artist. The price reflects the rarity and beauty of this American masterpiece and the interest in photobooks as an artform.”

The Double Access Cascade 5020 bag holds a small SLR or compact system camera with up to a five inch long lens attached, with room for an additional one or two lenses, a flash and a tablet. Measuring 9"x9½“x3.8”, the Cascade offers convenient double access; via the top when carrying it around, or via the front when on a table top. There is a comfortable carry handle, a belt loop, a luggage loop for sliding the bag over you luggage hande or M-Rock’s Modular Cart 7080 and 4 D-rings on the back of the Cascade. Shipping with a lens cloth and a rain jacket, the bag sells for $80.

Hasselblad Bron has announced that New York City will be the host of Shoot NYC, a professional photography forum. Held on October 25 and 26, 2012 at the Terminal Building located at 608 West 28th Street, Shoot NYC is an and informative forum based on the premise of building a photographic community. “In addition to a wide range of free professional photography seminars, industry leaders broncolor and Hasselblad will help you learn how to harness and integrate the market’s most advanced photographic tools into your business, improving both your photography and your bottom line,” the organisers say. “Top industry professionals will host workshops and hands-on seminars in an array of subjects, whether you’re interested in fashion, portraiture, commercial, stock or repro.” Click through / scroll down for a list of speakers.

Blurb has announced a new version of its easy-to-use ebook editor that allows authors to add video and audio to their iPad-compatible electronic books. “We have effectively turned digital storytelling on its head,” said Eileen Gittins, CEO and Founder, Blurb.co.uk. “You’ll get the familiar structure and narrative of a book, plus the freedom to add multimedia to create a richer, non-linear storytelling experience.”

One Memento is a new photography experiment designed to capture 250,000 single moments. Participants download a one-shot digital camera app from the iTunes App Store, giving them one chance to take a single photo for the experiment. All they have to do is capture an image, or choose one from their phone’s photo gallery, add a comment and share it on Facebook or Twitter. Their ‘One Memento’ will be kept safe in an online gallery for their friends and the world to view. Once shared, the user’s One Memento can’t be altered or deleted - according to the initiators of the campaign, this forces users to think before they shoot and share.

Eye-Fi has announced a new Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB, Class 10 card that increases both storage and speed capabilities while continuing to deliver convenient wireless upload of photos and videos from cameras. The new 16GB card provides twice the storage capacity of the prior Pro X2 card, while the Class 10 performance delivers faster read and write speeds for the same retail price of $99.99. The Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB card is available for pre-orders that ship within the United States from Amazon. The card will also be available, within the coming weeks, for customers in Australia for AU$108 and Japan for ¥9980.

Benro has announced the availability of its new video camera support systems. The lightweight and compact customisable Benro Video Tripod Kits feature S-Series Video Heads available in three weight load capacities, matching Quick-Release Plate, Panning Handle, aluminium alloy or carbon fiber legs and a padded travel case for added protection. Each Benro Video Tripod Kit is based on an eighth-generation design of single leg tubes and flip-lever leg lock mechanisms for rapid access and tear-down. In addition, a sliding centre column with an integral 60mm bowl allows fine camera positioning on vertical and angular axis for properly located and level panning. These tripod kits are available now in prices ranging from $200 - $465.

ColoRotate, originally a 3D colour picker and editor plug-in for Adobe Photoshop CS4, is now available for the Apple iPad. Designed for swiftly creating and editing custom colour palettes, the app is claimed to work “great alone, or connected to Photoshop CS5 or CS6.” ColoRotate for iPad currently sells for €3.99 on iTunes.

RigWheels’ new assortment offers increased flexibility in allowing videographers to scale their camera movement and mounting solution from DIY to complete system. The new products and tools are designed for moving and mounting your camera in unique and versatile ways. One of the most interesting and original items in the line is the RigMount, a high-powered rare-earth magnet with surprising strength in mounting applications for video as well as still photography. For more information, visit the website below.

Adobe has posted updates to Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), DNG Converter and Lightroom, including preliminary support for the Nikon D600 digital SLR camera (pictured), allowing you to play with the raw files provided in our Nikon D600 review. The updates also add support for 21 other cameras ranging from the Canon EOS 650D / Rebel T4i to the Sony DSC-RX100 and profiles for over 40 Canon, Carl Zeiss, Hasselblad, Leica, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma and Tamron lenses. The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.2 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.2 updates additionally incorporate a number of bug fixes.

Olympus UK has announced an upcoming consumer promotion. Those purchasing an Olympus OM-D E-M5 compact system camera between 15th October and 31st December can claim a 45mm (90mm eq.) f/1.8 short telephoto lens absolutely free by redemption. This offer will only be valid for the UK and the Republic of Ireland and only through authorised stockists. You will need a valid UK/ROI VAT receipt to claim your free lens, subject to the promotion’s Terms and Conditions, which will be posted at the website below, starting 15th October.

Website: Olympus United Kingdom | Sales Promotions
Reviews: Olympus O-MD E-M5 | M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 | Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Nikon D7000

Akvis has updated its ArtSuite to version 9.0. ArtSuite is a collection of versatile effects for decorating photos. The effects are grouped in two categories - Frames and Artistic Effects. Version 9.0 adds a new Halftone effect which turns a photo into a halftone picture giving it a retro comic book look. Also, in the new version the list of the ready-to-use Presets has been added to the Effects. Additionally, in both groups, Frames and Effects, it’s possible to save a preset to a file and load it from the file using the buttons in the top panel.

Burrard-Lucas Photography has launched a new travel photo competition. They are looking for striking, original and beautiful travel photographs that reveal the wonders of our planet. You are not limited to any subject matter in particular; travel photography can portray many things including an area’s people, cultures, customs, history or landscape. The grand prize is a Canon EOS 60D digital SLR camera (pictured). The winner also receives a 16x24” framed print of his/her winning photograph. The submission deadline is 31 December 2012.