The Africa Photographic Awards entices a worldwide audience of amateur and professional photographers with a broad spectrum of photographic categories and the largest prize pool ever offered for a photographic competition, being in excess of three million Rand! The main prizes have been donated by the distributors of Nikon in South Africa, Toyota, Kenya Airways and Sabi Sabi game lodges.

read the rest of this article »

Spicer Hallfield, the Haddenham, Bucks-based presentation solutions company has appointed administrators to find a purchaser for the business.

The business’s owner, entrepreneur Mike Smith, said in a statement today (2nd April 2009):

“The worldwide banking crisis has created critical financial challenges for the company. The board has been involved in ongoing and intense discussions with the company’s bank, RBS, to obtain funding to secure the company’s future.

read the rest of this article »

Calumet Photographic has announced that it will stop selling Leaf cameras and backs in all its territories worldwide – and will focus solely on the distribution of Hasselblad high-end products in the medium format marketplace.

The decision has been made following high-level talks with both Leaf and Hasselblad and will come into effect at the end of March. Joe Clark, Calumet MD explained: “The decision has been taken to focus exclusively on one high-end supplier in the medium format marketplace – and we believe the Hasselblad solution best fits our strategic plans for the future in this segment.”

read the rest of this article »

The annual TFC Glamour/Figure course for 2009 is now starting to fill.

This popular course run by Chris Burfoot of TFC Courses for 2009 will be held on June 13/14th in deepest darkest Dorset at Studio Décor’s HQ near Beaminster.

As well as a fully equipped new studio the venue offers 60 acres of grounds! Sets will include (weather permitting) Meadow grass, woods, tree stumps with amazing views, an orchard, log cabin, a beach scene, old barn plus a brand new studio!

read the rest of this article »

JP Distribution is pleased to announce the latest accessory for all your photographic needs from award winning manufacturer Lastolite.

The new Lastolite 2408 camera bracket allows the camera to be flipped between vertical and horizontal while retaining the flash position. The handle is extendable and has the option of hotshoe or spigot fixing.

The 2408 is the ideal partner for the Ezybox Hotshoe and the new range of Off Camera Cords.

Price & Availability:
The Lastolite 2408 camera bracket ( JP Code: 192142 ) is available at SRP £59.99 inc VAT

Last week was half-term and on Friday I decided to take my boys to one of our favourite places – Swanage, on the Dorset coast. When we were last down there I found myself drawn to a place I had not seen before (it turned out this was because it wasn�??t there before, not because I just hadn�??t noticed) called the �??Photographers Lounge�?�. Although not the biggest of galleries I have visited, it was probably the most welcoming!

The exhibition at the time was of images by Richard Heeps, whose work I had seen published before. There is nothing quite like seeing the real thing to make you appreciate the quality and skill and, in my case at least, to inspire you to get out there and do some work yourself. Anyway, I purchased a couple of Richard�??s books and asked Kate (the gallery owner) if she could hang on to them and get them signed for me. Richard had been due to be in the gallery the week I was in Swanage, but had had to postpone or I would have tried to blag an interview!

read the rest of this article »

Our friends at Dazed sent us this press release and we thought it well worth sharing:

The son of devout Mormon parents, Matt Irwin spent his teenage years dividing his time between working in a tractor factory and tying miniature explosives to his bike and riding around like a lunatic. Fast-forward a decade or so, and he is pretty much one of the most sought-after young photographers working in Britain today. Starting out, in his own words, “taking pictures of f***ed up, lo-fi punk kids”, Matt Irwin is now pointing his lens at supermodels for Vogue, Self Service and V Magazine among others, and shooting campaigns for leading high street stores. Needless to say, he dispensed with the Mormon sensibilities some time ago.

Mentored in the beginning by Dazed & Confused’s Creative Director, Nicola Formichetti, Matt’s breed of bright, candid, fashion and portrait photography was an instant hit with London’s disaffected generation. Rather than trying to emulate anything big and glossy, Matt was – and still is – interested in capturing stills from his subject’s own personal films. It was, and always will be, about the subject. Matt’s photography is instantaneous, unaffected – a diametric opposition to the over-saturated stuff we’ve become used to over the years – and fashion editors across the world simply can’t get enough of it.
read the rest of this article »

Designed with cutting edge imaging technology, ILFORD GALERIE Smooth Pearl and Gloss rolls are available now.

Press Release in full, as supplied by distributor:

Marly, Switzerland, 20 January, 2008 �?? ILFORD is pleased to announce their new GALERIE Smooth Pearl and Gloss rolls are now available. Designed with cutting edge imaging technology and approved by professional photographers in acceptance tests worldwide, the new Smooth Pearl and Gloss rolls will give professional photographers a new and versatile media.

read the rest of this article »

Press release verbatim:

Though the current outlook might be gloomy, Dazed & Confused is excited and optimistic about the new wave of creative talent shaping and colouring our futures. Writing for this week’s Independent, Dazed & Confused fashion editor Katie Shillingford said, “Our fashion horizon is positive and thriving, despite the panic that the credit crunch has inflicted on the industry. The creators are creating more than ever before… optimism is a must, and our outlook is multicoloured!” After scouting out the most exciting new photographers, designers, models and stylists of the moment, Dazed & Confused is this month showcasing the year’s hottest new fashion talent in its own inimitable style.

Also in this issue, we investigate Beijing’s flourishing young creative underground, and talk to Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk about the forthcoming screen adaptation of his cult novel Choke. We also profile rising art star Alex da Corte, while Japan’s notorious purveyor of erotic photography, Noboyushi Araki, talks us through his personal archive. Harmony Korine introduces his previously unpublished zines from the last 15 years, plus we eat cake with hotly-tipped electro-pop duo HeartsRevolution, and meet Susannah Knoop, the alter-ego behind literary hoax phenomenon J.T. Leroy.

Dazed & Confused is an independent British fashion, culture and arts magazine, with a reputation for ground-breaking photography, fashion and editorial. Published monthly, it was founded by Jefferson Hack and photographer Rankin in 1992. Its editor is Rod Stanley, and Nicola Formichetti its creative director. Luxury biannuals AnOther Magazine and AnOther Man, and website DazedDigital.com are part of the Dazed Group.

GALERIE GOLD Fibre Silk continues to set the standard in digital inkjet technology

Marly, Switzerland, 21 October, 2008 �?? Digital imaging specialist, ILFORD, collected its award for Best Fine Art Inkjet Paper at Photokina 2008. Presented by Europe’s most celebrated photo and imaging panel, the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Awards, ILFORD GALERIE GOLD was the only inkjet media to be recognised in a total of thirty-six award categories.

Lars Sommerhäuser, Chief Operating Officer of ILFORD, was presented the prize by the TIPA Chairman, Mr. Thomas Gerwers, on Tuesday, 23rd of September in the presence of some of Europe’s leading professional photographers and press.

“This win is hugely important for ILFORD,�?� said Mr. Sommerhäuser. �??ILFORD has a heritage of groundbreaking imaging products and these awards prove that the company remains at the forefront of meeting customer needs and technological developments. The reaction we have received from professional photographers around the world is testament in itself to the quality of this outstanding product,�?� he concluded.

ILFORD GALERIE GOLD Fibre Silk is a 310gsm inkjet media featuring a traditional barium sulphate (baryta) base. The baryta enhances the media surface which gives the creamy whites and velvety blacks that form part of the unique look and feel of a true fibre print; the standard amongst art photographers worldwide. The media also produces real high definition images with an extended tonal range, making it a must for exhibition quality images ranging from vivid colour to dramatic black and whites.

ILFORD GALERIE GOLD Fibre Silk is available in the UK through JP Distribution.

About the TIPA Awards

TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) was founded in 1991 as an independent, non-profit Association of European photo and imaging magazines. With 27 member magazines from 11 countries, TIPA is the largest and most influential photo and imaging press association in Europe. Each year, editors of member magazines vote for the �??Best Photo and Imaging Products in Europe�?� considering innovation, use of leading-edge technology, design/ergonomics, ease of use and price/performance.

For further information, visit www.tipa.com