The Photography.Book.Now International Juried Competition today opened voting for the People’s Choice Award. Anyone may now visit the Photography.Book.Now Bookstore and vote for their favourite photography books until the 20th August, 2009. Photography.Book.Now, presented by Blurb, celebrates the finest self-published photography books – and the people behind them. There will be one People’s Choice Award winner in each category – Editorial, Fine Art, and Commercial. Each award winner will receive a Maine Media Workshop Scholarship Package, and will have their books featured at the Photography.Book.Now meet-ups worldwide.

Website: Photography.Book.Now

The Collision Conference, the first conference to focus on hybrid video / DSLR photography and cinematography, has announced Shane Hurlbut and Vincent Laforet as keynote speakers for the two-day conference. The event is taking place on 29 and 30 August at the Los Angeles Film School, located at 6363 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, CA. Shane Hurlbut is an accomplished Director of Photography and his keynote speech, “Catch The Wave: How Still Photography Changes The Way We Make Movies,” will provide a stimulating, interactive discussion about the Canon 5D Mark II camera and how it changes the way movies are created. Vincent Laforet is a gifted photographer and speaker who was one of the first photographers to realize the potential of using hybrid DSLRs to shoot cinema style imagery. His short film, “Reverie,” has generated a lot of buzz for DSLR filmmaking and hybrid photography. Conference passes are available for purchase from $75 - $350 at http://www.ImageMechanicsExpo.com/.

The new Dual Harness from OP/TECH USA is a comfortable and versatile way to carry one or two cameras. The unique U-shaped neoprene neck pad evenly distributes the weight of your gear while absorbing the shock of your movements. As the Dual Harness uses your normal connector attachments, your gear remains safely in the upright position at your sides. This keeps the camera stabilised and secured within your view and grasp. By also maintaining the camera in the upright position, no stress is put on your camera, lens or shoe-mount flash units. Your cameras can be quickly and easily brought to the proper shooting position with the self-gliding connectors. The interchangeable design enables you to convert from a dual to a single system, and the removable chest strap gives you that extra meaure of security. In the UK, the Dual Harness is available from Newpro UK Ltd., for £34.99.

Ricoh have just announced the Ricoh GR Digital III, a ten-megapixel “serious compact” with a 28mm equivalent f/1.9 lens. This lens makes it possible to shoot at a faster shutter speed than could be used on previous models, or to shoot at the same shutter speed but at a lower setting for ISO sensitivity. In addition, the new image processing engine promises better noise reduction. These improvements make for better low-light performance, and the autofocus system has also been tweaked to work faster in low light. There is a new “full-press snap” function to shoot at a preset distance for a one-push full-press of the shutter button, and the Dynamic Range Double Shot function first seen in the Ricoh CX1 has also found its way to the GRD III. Other improvements include a multi-pattern white balance system for shooting in mixed light, a shutter speed priority AE mode, a 3”, 920.000-dot rear LCD screen, expanded My Settings and enhanced expandability via the addition of a 21mm ultrawide conversion lens. The new GR Digital III will be available at £529.99 inc from the middle of August.

AKVIS Software has released an update to AKVIS Enhancer, an image enhancement program that improves image detail, fixes dark, hazy, or out of focus photos, and can create HDR images. Version 10.0 introduces the new Smart Correction mode, which makes tone corrections in dark and light areas for a selected colour. The new mode is available in both the plug-in and the standalone versions of AKVIS Enhancer. In addition, Windows compatibilitiy has been improved and stability under Mac OS has been enhanced. The full version is available starting at $69, while upgrades for registered users are offered for $29 USD for any type of license.

Website: AKVIS Enhancer

Andreas Becherer Engineering today released version 5.6.1 of their media asset management solution CDWinder for Windows, which offers new features like integrated geotagging and video thumbnails, as well as improved performance and stability. “The cataloging of video thumbnails is a major step forward, a feature many of our customers have been asking about. And with the built-in 3D-geotagger we can now also create those amazing geotags with azimuth and tilt that we’ve been able to catalog and rave about for some time now.” said Andreas Becherer, chief developer of the CDWinder team. CDWinder for Windows works on Windows 2000 or higher and is tested on Vista and the upcoming Windows 7. There is also a version for Macintosh called CDFinder, available as Universal Binary for Power PC and Intel-Macs. A single user license is 29 Euro / 39 USD. Multiple licenses for business or network use are available.

Green Clean has developed a special cleaning system for optics, touchscreens and many other sensitive surfaces. This system is claimed to be both dast and safe, and to provide a long lasting effect to prevent dirt build-up and static electricity. Among other things, you can use it on lenses (both coated and un-coated), LCDs and digital photo frames. The Green Clean Silky Liquid and the Green Clean Silky Wipe kit is available from Flaghead at £8.95 including VAT.

Think Tank Photo has announced its first-ever camera bag system dedicated solely to multimedia DSLRs. In their words, a “multimedia DSLR” is defined as a DSLR that has the ability to take still photos, video, and audio required to create a multimedia presentation. The company says that after numerous expert interviews, it became evident that one of the biggest challenges was managing the numerous cords and cables that need to be “wired up” between the various devices. Think Tank Photo thus created a system of “cable ports” or holes in the sides and bottom of the bags that allows the devices to be connected together and managed to minimise exposed wires and cables. The products developed so far include the Multimedia Wired Up 10 and 20 belt systems, the Multimedia Mic Drop In modular component, the Multimedia Recorder modular case, the Wired Up Big Audio case and a Wired Up Wireless Mic Kit. Read on / click through for the details.

There is a mail-in rebate promotion on most Leica M lenses in the US. The offer is valid through 14 August 2009, and the amount you can save varies between $200 and $500. The exact amount is based on the manufacturer’s suggested price of the M lens purchased. The offer is valid on purchases of new Leica lenses imported by Leica Camera Inc., excluding the 50mm f/0.95, 21mm f/1.4 and 24mm f/1.4. To qualify for the mail-in rebate, a customer must submit a mail-in rebate form, warranty card and a copy of the sales receipt. All mail-in rebates must be received by August 31, 2009. Processing of registration and mail-in rebate will take a minimum of 8 weeks from time of receipt.

MetaTools has announced “MakingFaces”, which allows every iPhone/iPod Touch owner to alter and animate their favourite photographs, and also launched a photography contest. You can take or import photos and literally put a smile on anyone’s face, lift their eyebrows, pinch their nose and a host of other imaginative treatments, all in real time. With Making Faces, taking a photo with an iPhone camera or importing an image from a library is a snap. Once a photo is selected, it’s easy to zoom in and out, rotate the photo to the perfect angle and finally crop the desired portion of the image. Making Faces always works on a copy of an image, so the original image is saved separately. You can even enter your creations in the Just GOO it contest for a chance to witn $1000 USD in cash or one of a number of other prizes. The contest is already open and submissions are accepted through August 31, 2009. Make sure to read the rules before entering. Making Faces is available for download now for $2.99 via iPhone.

The digital spirit level from Kaiser Fototechnik is now available in an audio-visual version. In addition to five coloured LEDs indicating the level of the camera, there are different beep sounds that can be connected to the LED signalling system thus providing an audio-visual control of the Kaiser Action Level. There are now three display modes to choose from: visual-only with five coloured LED lights in a traffic light style arrangement, or with beep sounds either indicating exact level or minor and greater deviations from exact level using different tone pitches. Sensitivity and brightness can be adjusted as well as calibration of the zero level point in case that viewfinder level and mounting level of the spirit level are nonparallel. The Action Level “Sound” fits onto any standard hot shoe and can be used with most of today’s SLRs (except Sony/Minolta).The unit is powered by two CR 1220 batteries and is supplied with four spare batteries. It weighs only 5 grams.

This year, sales of digital cameras and HD camcorders are expected to remain strong, as these products proliferate in the market and more manufacturers continue to introduce special-purpose and uniquely featured camcorder models, HDCameraGuide.com says. They have also found that a) many customers have a good idea of which camcorder they want to buy after researching it on the Internet, b) there is a trend toward consumers purchasing either entry-level or sophisticated products, as opposed to mid-priced models and c) Macintosh computer users tend to stick with Canon, JVC, and Panasonic. Read on / click through for their other findings.

International Garden Photographer of the Year is supporting the Muckin4Life Photo competition, which is now open. Take a photo of you, your friends, family, organisation or colleagues taking part in conservation volunteering and enter it in the contest. There are regional national, adult and young people winners and runners up. You could win up to £500 of high street vouchers and have your photo displayed at a prestigious photo exhibition at world famous Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. You can enter more than once - check all the details on the International Garden Photographer of the Year website – www.igpoty.com.

AsukaBook USA, a division of Kubota Photo Design Inc., has announced a new album choice, a new book size available in all lines and faster turnaround time on orders for professional photographers and designers. AsukaBook USA now has a total of six different book lines available from which to choose. The new Book Bound EXD line allows the photographer or designer to custom design the slide in box for the book with images, text and more. AsukaBook also introduces today a new size of book, featuring a landscape/horizontal layout, available in all book lines. This new horizontal book format measures 8 x 5.5”. In addition to new product offerings, AsukaBook now guarantees that a photographer’s order will be shipped within 3 weeks of their final approval date.

Western Digital (WD) is launching the WD Creative Masters Programme, an educational programme that will share the knowledge and experience of three world-class artists and emphasise the critical importance of safely storing priceless files and backing up. WD’s Creative Masters Programme will offer a colourful, educational and inspirational look at artistry and the creative workflow as presented through the eyes and minds of three of the world’s most respected photographers—Bruce Dorn, Colin Finlay and Peter Read Miller. The Creative Masters Web site will provide visitors with helpful tutorials and tips for taking better photographs, organising their digital files and protecting them using the right storage tools.

Website: Western Digital Creative Masters Programme

Take two photographers, one camera and a weekend in Barcelona - and the result is a collection of a thousand portraits! This was the recipe cooked up by photographers Sergi López Graells and Gerard Franquesa Capdevila, owners of the website 1000 Portraits Barcelona, itself modelled after thousandportraits.com, a project started by Eamon Lane and Carlo Nicora. You can take a look at all the photographs at the website below.

Website: 1000 Portraits Barcelona

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i/500D Companion is a new book written by Ben Long and published by O’Reilly. Although the Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i/500D comes with a manual, Long explains why you might need this book to get the most out of your camera. “Knowing what each button on your camera does won’t necessarily mean you can shoot great pictures. Personally, I know the basic concept of a paintbrush, but I can’t paint a decent painting to save my life. To use a creative tool well, you must understand both the technique and the craft of the tool, as well as have some sense of artistry when you use it.” The book sells for $24.99 USD, £18.99 GBP, but it is also available as an ebook for just $19.99 USD.

Fujifilm Professional has announced the re-introduction of E6 slide film processing vouchers in the UK. The vouchers allow photographers to send to the new Fujifilm laboratory in Leeds any professional reversal 35mm film for process only, or process and mount, as well as 120 for process only. In addition to the E6 vouchers, the company is also simultaneously launching a new ‘Image To CD’ scanning voucher. Each E6 processing voucher carries a unique code that can be used to track the status of the relevant order via the lab’s website. The E6 vouchers, costing £6.33 (including VAT), are available now, direct from Fujifilm, via www.fujilab.co.uk and all good Fujifilm Professional stockists. Image to CD vouchers are available from www.fujilab.co.uk only.

Hama has unveiled a wallet that has both an insert for an external 1.8” hard drive and a USB stick compartment. Since you always have your wallet with you anyway, you can now keep your USB stick, memory cards and hard drive (not included) handy and access personal data anytime and anywhere. The insert for the storage media can be removed from the wallet for easy handling. Price and availability to be announced.