Innova Art will be drawing up in a traditional London red bus and celebrating the sporting highlights of London 2012 on its stand in Hall 6.1, stand B31, at Photokina. The company’s range of new and enhanced products - including a new, improved JetMaster, two new products in the Olmec range and a premium selection of IFA media - will also be on display. The Photokina trade show will be taking place from18-23 September in Cologne, Germany.

On his blog, professional sports photographer Jeff Cable has briefly reported on his experiences with a “hand built” (prototype) Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens. “I borrowed t[he] 200-400 and it is amazing!” Cable says. “Canon and Nikon both loan lens and cameras to all Olympic photographers… I am like a kid in a candy store.” Canon first announced the development of this lens back in February, claiming that it “will offer an unsurpassed combination of versatility, first-class optical performance and an enhanced weather-proof construction.”

Source: Jeff Cable Photography via Photography Bay

Reuters TV has posted two new videos on robotic camera arms and underwater cameras used at the Olympics. Reuters was the first news organisation to develop remote robotic photographic cameras for sporting events - now the technology is being used at the London Games. In addition, Reuters photographers Wolfgang Rattay and Pawel Kopczynski have developed advanced underwater cameras to shoot swimming competitions nd transmit the images instantly around the globe. The videos below highlight these exciting new technologies.

Spider Holster has announced the addition of the Spider Arca-Swiss Clamp to its range of camera accessories. With the Spider Arca- Swiss Clamp, Arca-Swiss plate users now can easily carry their gear with Spider Holster to reduce the stresses on their upper body. Compatible with any bracket or plate that features the Arca-Swiss geometry, including those from Wimberley, Really Right Stuff, Kirk, etc., users simply twist the pressure screw allowing the Spider Arca-Swiss Clamp’s sliding jaws to release and are free to connect the camera to their tripod. Compatible with both the Spider Holster SpiderPro and Black Widow, the Spider Arca-Swiss Clamp carries an MSRP of $95.

Manfrotto School of Xcellence has announced a second webinar featuring the lighting master Joe McNally. During this hour long tutorial Joe will explain the key aspects to take into consideration when shooting on location in order to achieve outstanding images. He will explore and analyse how to optimise backgrounds and lighting, where to place subjects in the picture and how to use colour. The webinar is taking place on 1st August, from 7-8pm BST. Interested readers can register via the website below.

Photography Blog is now running a competition sponsored by Dixons Retail. You have a chance to win a few products from Curry’s camera selection plus an external hard drives from PC World, as listed below.

The three lucky winners are: 
1st and 2nd Prizes: Anthony Jessuk and Linda Mayson - Samsung PL121 Compact Digital Camera - Black (pictured)
3rd Prize: Leana Beegum - WD My Passport Essential External Portable Hard Drive - 320GBP - Black

This competition ended on the 29th July 2012 (12:00PM GMT).

Showboat is a new scrapbook app for the Apple iPad. The easy-to-use program creates a double-page portrait photo album, a single page landscape photo album as well as a full-screen slideshow album - all at once. “Showboat was designed for anybody who wants to easily view and show their photos in a beautiful photo album format that looks like a traditional scrapbook,” the developers say. The app is available now on iTunes for $1.99.

In response to visitors’ demand, the Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) exhibition at London’s Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) has been extended for a further two weeks. Now running until 2nd September, the exhibition features the winning images from the 2011 international Travel Photographer of the Year awards, with all the stories behind the pictures, along with historic images from the Royal Geographical Society’s archives and a series of special showcases. The exhibition is free to enter.

The Brand Management Group (BMG) will launch their Kodak Professional range of digital media at this year’s Photokina trade show. The range includes the new 255g Professional Inkjet Photo Glossy and Lustre papers and two heavyweight, archival quality art papers: Fine Art Textured and Fine Art Smooth, both 315g. In the United Kingdom, the Kodak Professional Range will be distributed by Swains International.

Kingston has announced the second-generation of its DataTraveler Locker+ secure USB Flash drive. The new, lower-priced DataTraveler Locker+ G2 works interchangeably between Mac OS X and Windows systems and all data is secured with hardware-based encryption. Available in 4GB (£7.43+VAT), 8GB (£8.61+VAT), 16GB (£15.33+VAT) and 32GB (£34.43+VAT) capacities, the Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ G2 is backed by a five-year warranty and free technical support.

58 North has announced that its digital photo book app, Pholium, is now free and offers a range of new features. Pholium’s latest version provides users with the ability to include an unlimited number of photos within each digital book that they create, while allowing users to share as many books as they want using iCloud. Pholium 1.2 for iPad is now available as a free download from the iTunes App Store.

The website Stadium Journey, which publishes reviews of sports stadiums from around the world, has recently posted an interesting article entitled, “Why the Back Row of a Baseball Stadium is a Photographer’s Dream.” Written by Greg Goodman, the article argues that the “cheap seats” are the best place to photograph a baseball game. Known for his Baseball Stadium Fisheye Tour series, Goodman points out that “[m]ost baseball stadiums have some sort of architectural flair on the roof that makes an incredible border for a photograph.” Interested readers are encouraged to read the piece in its entirety at the website below.

Website: Stadium Journey

Mark Gillett and Rebecca Hart have teamed up under Suitcase Media & Productions to deliver a film and photography workshop in Thornybush Game Reserve, South Africa. Taking place from 4-10 November and again from 11-17 November 2012, the DSLR and GoPro Safari Workshop is aimed at photographers who would like to explore the video function of their DSLRs, filmmakers looking for an opportunity to join a production team and anyone wanting to make a short documentary based on wildlife, conservation and the local African community. Each workshop is limited to eight participants. For more information, check out the website below.

For their end-of-year project, graphic design and photography students Luke Evans and Josh Lake swallowed pieces of 35mm film for ‘development’ in their stomachs and intestines. The two first year students were responding to a brief they had been set by their lecturers at Kingston University. “The title was ‘Outdoor’. What we decided to do was take things that are normally hidden inside our bodies and display them outside,” Luke explained. “The film was not exposed to light during the experiment, but it has created images nonetheless,” Exposed only to internal fluids, the celluloid revealed its journey with a series of marks, scratches and bumps that, under an electron microscope, created a number of dramatic shapes. “A lot of people think that because no light was used it’s not photography. Technically that’s true, but we feel it doesn’t make it any less intriguing and doesn’t devalue the work at all,” Josh said.

A fully revised and updated new edition of Doug Harman’s international bestseller, The DIgital Photography Handbook, is hitting the shelves this September. In this edition, the author includes the
very latest developments in digital technology - from cutting-edge cameras to up-to-the-minute software. “Featuring fresh new images and a new easy layout, the book will help you achieve stunning results,” the publisher says. “Crammed with professional hints and tips, this revised edition has everything you need to become an accomplished 21st century photographer.” The 224-page paperback will be availabvle from September priced at £7.9.

Picpack is a new service that allows you to print your Instagram photos on magnets. The Berlin, Germany-based start-up enables Instagram users to select a dozen images from their Instagram feed and order a 12-pack of 5,8cm x 5.8cm fridge magnets featuring their own photographs. A pack of magnets costs €18 including worldwide shipping.

Panasonic today announced that leading sports photographer, Dean Mouhtaropoulos (right) will be exclusively using the new Panasonic Lumix G5 compact system camera (read review) to capture the London 2012 Olympic Games. “Having worked for Getty Images (the Official Photographic Agency of the International Olympic Committee) for 9 years, Dean is well versed in capturing epic sporting moments including both Football and Rugby World Cups, the Olympics, Champions League football, World Championships in Swimming, Diving, Hockey, Athletics to name but a few,” the company says. Dean will also carry a selection of LUMIX G Lenses in his kit bag, ranging from 7mm-300mm (35mm equivalent: 14-600mm) including the recently launched12-35mm X lens (read review).