The Lab Magazine has announced a new photography competition entitled, “Twelve Days of Christmas”. The Lab Magazine is a printed publication and an online culture hub dedicated to art, fashion, music, photography and film. Now they are calling for submissions of photos that represent the 12 presents from the song “Twelve Days of Christmas”. Entries may be submitted via the magazine’s Facebook fan page or Twitter. The author of the winning photo each day receives a $20 iTunes gift card. The contest runs from 1-25 December. For more information, visit the website below.

Website: The Lab Magazine

PictoColor has released iCorrect Portrait 2.0 plug-in for Adobe Photoshop CS5. The plug-in now offers full compatibility with the program in both 32- and 64-bit Windows and Macintosh environments. In addition to one-click image optimisation, iCorrect Portrait 2.0 offers tools for improving colour balance, adjusting brightness and contrast, correcting skin tones, and more. All colour correction settings can be saved and applied to multiple images with similar characteristics. iCorrect Portrait 2.0 may be purchased for $124.95 through the website below.

The fast-paced, glamorous world of motorsport is one of the most exciting and challenging environments for a professional photographer.

Autosport International, the world’s greatest motorsport show, is offering one Photography Blog reader the unique opportunity to experience this thrill first-hand through its inaugural Amateur Motorsport Photographer competition.

The contest is open to any amateur photographer over 18 years old, who is invited to submit an original image on the theme of Motorsport. The winning entry will be selected by a panel of experts to receive a money-can’t-buy prize: photography accreditation for the world-renowned Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The judging panel will feature a professional photographer from LAT Photographic, the largest motoring and motorsport photographic collection in the world, Photography Blog’s editor Mark Goldstein and representatives from Goodwood circuit and Autosport magazine.

Five finalists will be chosen to attend Autosport International 2012, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC, UK, on 12-15 January, where they will enjoy a busy programme of spectacular live racing, race car exhibitions and appearances from personalities including F1’s Paul Di Resta, Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard. For more information visit www.autosportinternational.com or follow @autosport_show on Twitter.

Autosport International will unveil the overall winner of the competition at the LAT Photographic exhibition stand, who will be presented with their prize: one-to-one tuition from a professional LAT photographer at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 29 June - 1 July 2012.

To enter the competition, simply submit your photograph along with your name, address and contact telephone number to [email protected] no later than Sunday 1 January 2012.

Ricoh Japan has released an updated roadmap for its GXR system. The chart now includes a new APS-C sensor-lens unit featuring a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor and a 24-85mm (equivalent) lens. The unit is slated for release in early 2012.

Via PR

Sigma Corporation of America has launched a sweepstake/contest on its Facebook fan page. Participants are required fill out an entry form and draft a “Dear Sigma” letter describing what Sigma products they’re dreaming of this holiday season. “Our Facebook fans are constantly telling us what Sigma gear they love and want, so we decided to give them an opportunity to win it this year,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “We’ll be judging the finalists based on their humour, creativity and overall appreciation of our products.” The deadline for submissions is 16th December at 12pm ET. Once all of the submissions have been received, online voting will commence. The top five vote-getters will become the contest finalists and a winner will be selected on 22nd December by a panel of judges. The winner will receive his or her wished-for Sigma products totalling up to $2,500 of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price

Iridient Digital has released an update to Iridient RAW Developer. Version 1.9.3 adds support for 14 new camera models, and offers various performance improvements and a couple bug fixes. The newly supported camera models include the Canon PowerShot S100, Fuji X10 and F600EXR, Nikon P7100, J1 and V1 (pictured), Olympus E-PM1, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, Ricoh GR Digital IV, Samsung NX200, Seitz 6x17, Roundshot D2x and Roundshot D3 and the Sony NEX-7. The update can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Iridient Digital

Published by Steidl, Chromes is an edit of more than 5,000 Kodachromes and Ektachromes taken from ten chronologically ordered binders found in a safe in the Eggleston Artistc Trust. “This book presents Eggleston’s early Memphis imagery, his testing of colour and compositional strategies, and the development towards the ‘poetic snapshot’,” the publisher says. “In short, Chromes shows a master in the making.” To be released in December, this set of three clothbound books - priced at £220 / €248 / $345 - showcases 364 colour photographs on a total of 728 pages.

iDevelopersLab has released HD Camera for iPad 2. Sporting a graphical user interface that is fully optimised for the iPad 2, the HD Camera app incorporates 16 different photo effects that can be previewed in real time. HD Camera for iPad 2 is available now on iTunes and retails for $5.99.

CyberLink today unveiled a new community, “I Am A Power Director”, for users of its PowerDirector video editing software. To become a Power Director, simply submit a testimonial — which can be a video, photo or short essay — describing the unique benefits of the program delivers to you. Visitors to the I Am A Power Director! community will be invited to vote for their favorite testimonials. Those who receive more than 100 votes will become PowerDirector Evangelists and will have the chance to win CyberLink’s PowerDVD 11 Ultra and PhotoDirector software, in addition to other prizes. For more information, visit the website below.

Lomography has announced a 10% discount on everything sold in the Lomography online shop, including cameras, films, accessories and fashion items. All you need to do is enter the voucher code SAVE10 at the checkout. Note that the offer is valid only today.

Website: Lomography Online Shop

SF Photo School has launched a new webinar series entitled “Portraits for Profits”. Presented by Uzair Kharawala, this series covers topics including how to set up a business, what camera & lens to start with, how to use off-camera flash, edit and post-process your photos, how to set your prices, what promotions and products to offer, how to implement offline and online marketing strategies, how to use websites, blogs, social media and more. Each webinar is scheduled for 1 hour, and the series runs from 11 January 2012 to 1 February 2012. The cost of the series is £125 + VAT and comes with bonuses worth £180. To reserve your place, visit the website below.

Innova Art has launched its new JetMaster paper for the fine art market. Designed for use with the existing JetMaster frame - a pre-cut, laminated self-adhesive board to which a paper or canvas print is pressed, then trimmed and folded to make a 3D gallery wrap print - the JetMaster paper has been specially developed to allow the print to stretch without cracking as the 3D frame is assembled. The paper will be available in A4 and A3 Plus sheet formats and a variety of rolls.

Caitlin Rakers, m sos and Peter Curno are the three winners of the Manfrotto Photo Travel Kit.

To celebrate the exciting launch of the Manfrotto Interactive Photo Lab in London (November 18th to 20th) Manfrotto UK is giving away THREE Fantastic Photo Kits which include the new Manfrotto Stile Unica Messenger Photo Bag and new Manfrotto Compact Tripod! Each kit is worth £135.00!

The new Manfrotto Unica VII Messenger Bag is the perfect everyday companion for carrying your camera gear, laptop and personal gear. Gain quick access to your DSLR with lens attached, 17” Macbook (15.4” laptop) and personal effects in the upper compartment by using the top opening. The Compact Photo Kit is the most compact full size support in the market. The five section legs and the unique reversible column provide maximum compactness for storage and transportation, and yet, when fully extended it is a full size tripod with no compromise on height. The quick action intuitive ball head allows you to simply and quickly set the position of your camera in any situation so you don’t lose the right moment.

This contest is now closed.

For more information or to buy Manfrotto products online visit: www.manfrotto.co.uk

Samyang is about to release a new version of its 8mm 1:3.5 Aspherical IF MC Fish-eye CS lens for Nikon single-lens-reflex cameras. Now equipped with a chip that can pass on aperture information to the camera body, the Samyang AE 8mm f/3.5 Aspherical IF MC Fish-eye CS is designed for cameras with a DX sized sensor. The optical formula comprises 10 elements in 7 groups, including one hybrid aspherical lens element designed to reduce chromatic aberrations. The Samyang AE 8mm f/3.5 Aspherical IF MC Fish-eye CS lens has a suggested retail price of €325.

Creanncy has released Photo Frame Studio for iPad 2, an app that enables users to edit their photos and decorate them with different borders and frames. Featuring a convenient graphical user interface, Photo Frame Studio allows real-time editing including, colour, saturation, contrast and brightness adjustments and various effects. The app is available now on iTunes for $5.99.

Low Cost Holidays have announced a 12 day marathon photo competition entitled, “Smiley’s 12 Days of Christmas”. Hosted on their Facebook page, the competition begins at 12pm on 12th December. The organisers will be setting 12 photo challenges over the 12 days leading up to Christmas and will be giving away 12 different prizes. Unlike most Facebook-based photo contests, where the winning image is selected by popular vote, “Smiley’s 12 Days of Christmas” is a juried competition. Photos will be judged on creativity, originality, and whether the photo puts a smile on the jurors’ faces.

Selling Stock Photography is a new, free guide released by PhotoShelter in electronic format. The guide delivers 13 first-hand interviews from seasoned photographers, photo buyers, and small agencies who offer strategies on how to licence stock photography and get noticed by buyers. The 48-page PDF is intended for stock photography beginners as well as seasoned photo professionals seeking to start licencing work from their archives. You can download the guide, as well as other free reports by PhotoShelter, from the website below.

Website: Free Photography Guides on PhotoShelter

Billed as “the most comprehensive iOS guide on photography on the App Store”, The Photo Guide is now available in English. The app offers over 80 photography tips, a how-to section containing over 30 entries, and a glossary of 250+ photographic terms. Additionally, there is a photo quiz with more than 300 questions, allowing users to test and expand their photographic knowledge. The Photo Gui

Macphun has announced a limited-time offer on its FX Photo Studio app. Available for $0.99 until 28th November, FX Photo Studio is an iOS app that features over 194 effects and filters, a colour splash tool, selective masking, and other image adjustments. Users of FX Photo Studio can also enter their creations in the first International iPhoneography Show - one of the biggest iPhone photography events of the year, taking place in Soho Gallery for Digital Art in New York, between December 16th and 23rd.

The world’s oldest photographic competition, organised by The Royal Photographic Society (RPS), has put out a call for entries for 2012. The 155th International Print competition is open to all photographers and includes a special award for under 25 year olds. The contest’s sponsor, Allen & Overy, is awarding a £1000 prize for the best photograph on the theme of ‘Change’. The competition is open to entrants until 21 March 2012, and the awards will be presented to the winners on18 July. The entry fee is £15 for RPS members, £18 for non-members, and £10 for entrants under 25 years of age. To enter, visit the website below.