PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo has announced that British documentary photographer, Jason Larkin, is the winner of the 2011 Arnold Newman Award for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture. Larkin’s winning image series, titled “Past Perfect,” examines how the museums of Egypt use different styles of curating to present exhibits depicting the past to contemporary audiences. He will receive a $15,000 cash award and an exhibit of his winning picture series at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine from 2 July—27 November 2011.

Akvis has updated its ArtSuite to version 7.0. ArtSuite is a collection of versatile effects for decorating photos. The effects are grouped in two categories - Frames and Artistic Effects. Version 7.0 adds 105 new patterns to the Pattern Library, for use with the Classic Frame. A new frame pack - the Sports Pack - and support for raw image files have also been added. The new version also includes an OS File dialog for loading and saving files. The standalone version of Akvis ArtSuite sells for $69, while the plug-in retails for $49. Registered users of earlier versions can upgrade to version 7 for free. The Sports Pack is available for $19.

Calumet Photographic will host two marketing and self-promotion related workshops in Los Angeles, California. Presented by Maria Piscopo, both classes will take place on Saturday, 18th June. The first workshop, Getting Your Business Started ($45), will be held from 10am to 1pm. You will learn how to: start a creative business, handle taxes and business records, find the best clients for your creativity, sell your work by getting appointments, make presentations and better deal with pricing and negotiating. The second workshop, Marketing in Today’s Economy ($45), will take place from 2pm to 5pm, and will cover techniques to keep your clients coming back, to become more aware of the courtship and bonding in the photographer and client relationship and the latest in web sites, direct mail and internet marketing. Both workshops will be presented at the 1135 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles store.

Adva-Soft has announced that its TouchRetouch app will be released for Android devices at the end of this month. Already available for iOS, ToucRetouch allows users to remove objects from freshly captured or saved photographs easily, without affecting any other elements of the picture. Featuring in-app video tutorials, unlimited Undo actions and an easy-to-use interface, the Android version of the app will retail for $0.99.

A hands-on preview of the new Panasonic G3 compact system camera, with a gallery of 28 photos.

A photo gallery comparing the Panasonic G3 alongside several other compact system cameras.

Take a peek inside as we unbox the brand new Panasonic G3 compact system camera.

The Panasonic LUMIX G3 is the world’s smallest Compact System Camera with a build-in Electronic View Finder. The Panasonic G3 features a 15.8-megapixel sensor, fast auto-focus speed of up to 0.1 second, 3-inch free-angle touch-screen LCD, 4fps continuous shooting and full HD 1920 x 1080 50i movies. The Panasonic LUMIX G3 will be available in June for £629/$699 including a kit zoom.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS22 - also known as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 in the U.S.A. - is a new digital compact camera with a touch-screen interface and a Leica branded 28-112mm lens. With a maximum aperture of f/3.1-6.5, the lens isn’t terribly fast but it does feature Panasonic’s Mega Optical Image Stabiliser. The sensor offers 16 megapixels of resolution for stills and is also capable of recording 720p HD videos. The touch-sensitive rear screen has 230,000 dots and provides Touch AF/AE and Touch Shutter functionality. The “Sonic Speed AF” of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 promises focusing speeds up to 45% faster than the DMC-FH3. The camera will be available from July. Pricing to be announced.

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7/FS22

John Swannell, world renowned fashion, beauty and royal photographer, is hosting a public lecture at The Royal Geographical Society on 7th June in order to raise funds for the National Autistic Society. The lecture will take the form of a journey through John’s photographic career, from his first days as an assistant at Vogue Studios through to his time working for publications such as Harpers & Queen, The Sunday Times and Tatler. John Swannell said: “This will be the first time I have talked in public about the early years of my career and I will also be revealing some never-seen before photographs as well as some of my more famous work.” Tickets will cost £15 with all proceeds going to charity. To book tickets visit the website below.

Carousel 1.0 b Mobelux is a third-party Instagram app that allows Mac users to view their feed, popular photos, photos they posted, photos taken at a location and save their photos. “All of us at Mobelux are huge Instagram fans and while we love posting photos and checking our feed on the go, we also wanted a way to explore Instagram while we were working throughout the day on our Macs.” said Jeff Rock, co-founder of Mobelux. “We feel like we’ve come up with a wonderful way to do that while taking up a minimal desktop footprint.” Carousel is available immediately for an introductory price of $4.99 at the Carousel website.

he Artsicle Photography Show in New York City is an opportunity for American artists to show their photographs at a Chelsea gallery. Held at the World Monuments Fund Gallery located in the heart of Manhattan, this week-long exhibition will take place from 4th through 12th August. To take this opportunity, choose the three photographs that best represent your work and upload them to RocketHub - a launchpad and community for independent artists and entrepreneurs - along with a short written description. A panel of judges will then select the five best photographers who will be given an exclusive place in the exhibition and the option to sell at the gallery and to distribute work through Artsicle’s curated marketplace. The entry fee is $5.

Website: Artsicle Photography Show

onOne Software has released a free public preview of its new Perfect Layers application. Inspired by and designed with Scott Kelby, Perfect Layers supports the creation of layered files that can be opened and edited by Adobe Photoshop and can be used directly from within Lightroom and Bridge. The Perfect Layers Public Preview release is available immediately at the website below. This is a time limited release that expires on 30th June. The shipping version will be available, with additional features including Apple Aperture support, by mid-2011.

The 2011 international Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) are now open for entries. TPOTY 2011 has four Portfolio categories, two single-image categories, a New Talent award and the Young Travel Photographer of the Year award. The overall winner of the awards – the Travel Photographer of the Year 2011 – will be the photographer who submits the best entries in two of the four portfolio categories. Images can be submitted as prints or uploaded online. Entries for the 2011 TPOTY awards close on 9 October 2011. Entry fees start at £10 but Young TPOTY is free to enter. For more information visit the website below.

Luxipics is an affordable, subscription-based service that allows photographers to present and sell their photos online. No web skills are needed and photographers can be selling their work as digital downloads or prints within minutes of signing up, the company says. The latest version is now available on a monthly subscription model, with the pro service starting at £7.99 per month. Luxipics software even provides a built-in shopping cart allowing customers to buy photos, downloads or even book studio time using all major credit cards securely via PayPal.

Website: Luxipics

app4cam has released version 6 of its gps4cam app for the Apple iPhone. This program allows iPhone users to geotag pictures taken with any digital camera. The app doesn’t need to connect to a network to be used, and doesn’t require the user to manually synchronise the time and date between his iPhone and his camera, thanks to the use of a QR-Code generated by the app itself. This last version brings ease-of.use improvements such as the addition of an on-board guided tour and an integrated FAQ. gps4cam is now available for $2.99 on iTunes.

Lowepro has launched a new series of camera cases. The first product in the Quick Case series is a classically styled, fitted case that provides streamlined protection and instant access to your camera. The Quick Case series takes its design inspiration from retro-style, fitted leather cases, but is designed with a modern feel. A hybrid nylon and genuine leather shell provides a tough impact-resistant, stylish exterior that helps safeguard gear from moisture, dust and sand. It’s lined with soft padding to protect the fragile lens and LCD screen from scratches and abrasion. The Quick Case series is available in two sizes: Quick Case 120 for DSLRs with kit zoom (pictured) and Quick Case 100 for bridge and ultrazooms and compact system cameras.

The brand new Brighton Photo Festival is taking place on 14th and 15th May as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival. Set in Brighton Marina Square, this will be an open-air event bringing together manufacturers, retailers, service providers as well as photographic exhibition stands. There is also a live stage with entertainment, live talks and demonstrations, whilst over in Eclectia Gallery and studio you can see great local photographers and a few extra special studio lighting and retouching demonstrations throughout the weekend. For more information, visit the webiste below.