Transcend has launched the JetFlash 300, the newest member of its USB flash drive family. Drawing inspiration from black obsidian — a mineral known for its deep luminous black color and intense polished shine, the JetFlash 300 has a smooth gloss-black finish embellished with a colour band indicating its storage capacity. In addition to its stylish contoured design, the JetFlash 300 features up to 18MB/s data transfer rate and true plug-and-play functionality. Offering versatile features at an affordable price, the JetFlash 300 is now available in three capacities: 4GB Green, 8GB Purple and 16GB Lavender.

Gavin Bond’s newest exhibition, Music, will be held in the Idea Generation Gallery between 23 February and 21 March 2010. This new exhibition of music photography brings never before seen images to the UK, allowing music fans to get up close and personal with contemporary rock greats. Bond’s distinctive style gets beneath the skin of his subjects to reveal personalities, emotions and moments usually unseen in public. The extensive portfolio brings together ‘behind-the-scenes’ shots of bands on the road, images of live performances at some of the world’s biggest music events, innovative studio shots and intimate personal portraits to create a visual record of the last ten years in music. The Idea Generation Gallery is located at 11 Chance Street, E2 7JB. With a soaring 50 foot wall and over 200 square feet of gallery space, the Idea Generation Gallery is one of Shoreditch’s biggest exhibition spaces.

Jon Canfield held a workshop on fine art digital printing at the annual summit of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). The focus of the workshop was on preparation for printing-resizing, sharpening, creative borders, media selection, and colour management-and then the actual printing of sample large format prints. The HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer used during the workshop created quite a stir at the workshop. “The prints from the HP printer were extremely popular,” said Canfield. “Comments from participants were that the prints looked better than anything they had tried before. The black and white prints on HP Baryte Satin Art Paper were the most neutral they had ever seen. People were impressed.”

Organised by The Art Institute of Chicago, Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage is a new exhibition to be hosted by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. On view from 2 February through 9 May 2010, Playing with Pictures is the first exhibition to comprehensively examine the little-known phenomenon that long before the embrace of collage techniques by avant-garde artists of the early 20th century, aristocratic Victorian women were experimenting with photocollage. Whimsical and fantastical Victorian photocollages, created using a combination of watercolour drawings and cut-and-pasted photographs, reveal the educated minds as well as accomplished hands of their makers.  Featuring approximately 50 works from public and private collections—including many that have rarely or never been exhibited before—Playing with Pictures will provide a fascinating window into the creative possibilities of photography in the 19th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located at 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028.

Now’s your chance to do a photo shoot with one of the most recognisable international faces in fashion, Naomi Campbell. Hosted by Talenthouse.com, this exciting Creative Invite encourages you to submit up to 4 of your best photos within the theme of ‘glamour’. All photos will be posted on Talenthouse for voting after the submission deadline. One lucky winner can shoot - no, not Naomi Campbell herself, but “a model selected by Naomi” - for Glamour Magazine. The deadline is 12 February 2010.

Website: Talenthouse

Voies Off has issued a call for entriesfor the 2010 Voies Off Prize. For the past 15 years, the Voies Off Prize has been awarded by a jury of renowned professionals to an artist for the clarity of his vision and the high quality of his work. Voies Off night projections during the opening week of the Rencontres d’Arles festival (first full week in July) have become an international reference for the discovery of emerging authors and the alternative venue that it creates for international photographic creation. You have until 15 February to enter the 2010 contest, whose overall winner will receive €2,000. As always, you are encouraged to read the rules beforehand. Note also that there is a €25 fee to be paid.

Website: Voies Off Online Registration Page

Clickfree have launched the new C2N backup drive series featuring their BackupLink technology. With these drives, backing up multiple computers across your home or office network is now completely automatic. True to the company’s name, setting up a backup drive is truly click-free. “Our C2N brings a new level of simplicity to network backup for the home or office. To take away any set-up or configuration requirements to perform multiple computer backup on a network is truly a breakthrough,” said Bryan McLeod, CEO Clickfree Automatic Backup. “Imagine your mother, sister or brother now able to set-up a home network backup by simply plugging in our device once into each of the computers. We believe this takes convenience to a whole new level.” Also unveiled was the Transformer Network Edition Adapter with BackupLink technology. Owners of any external USB hard drive coupled with the Transformer NE can have the same backup experience, features and automatic network set-up function that are in the C2N. Come February, the C2N will be available in 250GB (£119.00), 320GB (£139.00), 500GB (£159.00) and 640GB (£179.99) capacities. The Transformer Network Edition will retail for £79.99.

The UK’s Broadcast Video Expo is set to feature digital SLR cameras for the first time in the show’s history. Amateur Photographer points out that the Broadcast Video Expo has been organised every year for 15 years now, without ever showcasing a single SLR, or indeed any stills camera. The advent of video capable DSLRs has apparently changed everything, as the 2010 event will feature a DSLR Cinematograpy Workshop, a Beginner’s Guide to Video DSLR and a DSLR Focus Feature. The Broadcast Video Expo 2010 show will take place from 16 to 18 February at Earls Court 2, London.

Via Amateur Photographer

Sample 10 is the third annual group show of theprintspace clients’ work. London’s theprintspace was launched in October 2007 in Shoreditch, and has quickly become a firm favourite with London-based commercial photographers, artists & students. The staff at theprintspace are in a unique position to oversee an extraordinary number of images produced for portfolios and exhibitions all around the UK and they invite you to view a little glimpse of the talent that they see week after week. Presented by Exhibit X, Sample 10 explores artists’ use of creative printing to enhance their work. The exhibition runs from 29 January through 18 February. Click through / read on for a list of exhibitors.

Nikon has released a new version of its Capture Control Pro software. Camera Control Pro allows the user to remotely control a camera from a computer using either a wired connection or a wireless connection if using a Nikon Wireless Transmitter with the camera. Version 2.7.1 adds support for the Nikon D3 with firmware v2.02, and modifies the following settings:

• When the ISO Auto box under Sensitivity in the Exposure 2 tab is checked and the Detail… button clicked to specify the maximum sensitivity, the steps available can now be selected from 1/3 step, 1/2 step and 1 step from Custom Setting b1 ISO sensitivity step value.
• The length of time the camera waits before adjusting focus in response to sudden changes in the distance to the subject can now be selected from 5 (Long), 4, 3 (Normal), 2, and 1 (Short) from Custom Setting a4 Focus tracking with lock-on.
• Dynamic AF area can now be specified for FUNC. button + dials with Custom Setting f4 Assign FUNC. button (f5 Assign preview button>Preview + command dials, f6 Assign AE-L/AF-L button>AE-L/AF-L + command dials). 

Support for the Nikon D700 with firmware v1.02 has also been added. When a D700 with firmware Ver. 1.02 installed is connected, the behaviour of Auto ISO and focus tracking are also modified as described above.

Website: Nikon Capture Control Pro 2.7.1 for Windows
Website: Nikon Capture Control Pro 2.7.1 for Mac OS

CoolerBot is an interesting outdoor telepresence robot built for nature photography. Created by Steve Norris of Norris Labs, CoolerBot sports an infrared video camera, a Nikon digital SLR camera and two solar panels used to recharge the batteries. Rugged, waterproof and designed to stay outdoors for long periods of time, the robot is remote controlled through a 912 MHz transceiver. Norris’ CoolerBot certainly looks like it has a great potential in aiding photographers wishing to photograph timid or potentially dangerous wildlife. For more information and to see a video of CoolerBot in action, head to the website below.

Website: Norris Labs

Unseen work by Mali’s most celebrated living photographer Malick Sidibé will be shown at the Lichfield Studios in London from 4 March 2010. Sidibé, who became the first photographer to be awarded the Lion d’Or for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2007, is now internationally respected for his black-and-white photographs that capture the transformation and energy of post-colonial Bamako, Mali’s capital city. Sidibé launched ‘Studio Malick’ in 1962, at this key moment in Mali’s history. His talent and charm won him a fashionable, young clientele, not only for portraiture, but also to see the pictures that he began to take of Bamako’s nightlife. He was one of the first studio photographers in Bamako to take a lighter 35mm camera outside to parties, weddings and picnics. A selection of Sidibés trademark small-format portraits as well as his images of Bamako nightlife, will be shown at Lichfield Studios between 4 March and 1 April 2010.

Update: The dates have changed. The exhibition will run 11 March – 16 April 2010.

LaCie has unveiled LaCinema Mini HD, an all-in-one Wi-Fi High Definition media centre. Encased in the latest minimalist design from Neil Poulton, LaCinema Mini HD is described by LaCie as a fusion of art, simplicity and technology. “The new LaCinema Mini HD offers a full-featured media centre by combining high storage capacity, compact design, and seamless store-and-play functionality,” commented Salem Tirane, Digital Home Product Manager. “Users will benefit from large HD video format compatibility and the convenience of built-in wireless N streaming.” Transferring content to the LaCinema Mini HD is easy through the bus-powered USB connection for maximum transfer speeds, or by connecting the drive to a home network. Users can conveniently load files wirelessly from their computer or via the Ethernet connection. LaCinema Mini HD is available in 500 GB capacity in Europe and will be available worldwide later this year through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+, and LaCie Corner, starting at the suggested retail price of £259.

Website: LaCie

Prysm has announced the public launch of its Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) technology that promises dramatically reduced power consumption, long-lasting performance and brilliant picture quality. LPD images are created by using a laser engine to excite a phosphor screen while consuming up to 75 percent less power than other display technologies. LPD screens deliver high brightness, high resolution, high contrast and natural colour content with zero motion blur, the company claims.

Website: Prysm

Datacolor has announced that Manfrotto Distribution (formerly Bogen Imaging) will serve as its U.S. master distributor for the entire line of Datacolor Spyder monitor and print calibration solutions. The Spyder3Studio SR workflow solution (pictured) includes the new Spyder3Print SR (strip reader), a spectrocolorimeter that incorporates significant advancements in ICC printer profile technology; the Spyder3Elite, a monitor calibration tool; and the SpyderCube, which eliminates any need for traditional 18% grey cards. “Clearly the synergy between our target audiences – those photographers that demand the highest in quality, performance and reliability – is evident. We are proud to add Datacolor to our growing roster of first-class partners,” said Andrew Mougis, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Manfrotto Distribution. “Datacolor’s highly-respected Spyder line is widely recognised as the most advanced colour management technology available today.”

Flaghead Photographic has announced the availability of two new folding brackets from Custom Brackets. The CBFolding-T and CBFolding-S are designed to keep the flash well above the camera and lens, regardless of camera orientation, ensuring that shadows disappear down behind the subject and red-eyes are avoided. The CBFolding-T bracket accommodates tall cameras, or those with add-on vertical grips/battery packs. Boasting an easy-to-use, spring-loaded flash flip and suited for both right- and left-handed photographers, the CBFolding-S is built to accommodate smaller cameras, or those without add-on vertical grips.  The CBFolding-T and CBFolding-S are available from Flaghead for £58 and £54, respectively.

Website: Flaghead

Sakar International has announced a new Kodak-branded microSD memory card reader. Roughly the size of a quarter, the new Kodak R110 card reader for microSD cards has special features to keep the card, USB connection and device itself safe and secure.  It slides open from the middle to expose the card compartment and USB - then slides closed to prevent the card from falling out and the USB from collecting dust and dirt. For loss protection, it comes with a cord that connects to your keychain as well as a built-in non-detachable cover that cannot be misplaced. The MSRP is $14.99.

Adorama are launching the APPOS, the first annual iPhone App Awards for Photography as well as an iPhone Photography Contest. The Adorama Photo APPOS Awards will cover six categories of photo software from colourisation, masking/cropping, filters, zoom, panoramic and stop action apps. Along with honouring the software titles and their developers, Adorama will showcase the winning photo apps, chosen by popular vote. Photographers winning awards will be chosen by a panel of judges, in categories including Nature, People, Humour and Creative/Special Effects. Contest entries will be accepted until February 15, 2010. All winners will be announced during the month of March 2010. Prizes include one Grand Prize of a $1,000 Adorama Gift Certificate plus 10 Wacom tablets, fifteen Canon wireless printers, thirty $100 Adorama Gift Certificates and twenty-five $50 Apple App Stores Gift Certificates. All photographic entry information can be found on the Adorama website.

Website: Adorama

Addonics Technologies today announced a new CFast Memory Adapter, which is designed as a solution for connecting any CFast media to eSATA or the new eSATA USB hybrid port. CFast is the latest Compact Flash media standard with native SATA interface to achieve much higher data throughput than the current CF standard. The CFast Reader reads and writes to any CFast card through the eSATA port or the new eSATA USB 2.0 Hybrid port. By using the optional Addonics eSATA USB adapter, the CFast media can also be accessed via the ubiquitous USB port found on many systems. List price of the CFast adapter is $39.99. The optional eSATA USB adapter costs an additional $29.95.

Website: Addonics Online Shop