The 2011 Competition is over and we are very proud to announce that Jenny Wilkinson is our overall 'Photographer Of  The Year' as well as being our 'Wedding Photographer Of  The Year'.

Jenny has photographed over 400 weddings in a career lasting 14 years so far (and has been a Guild member throughout this). She started as a 'film' based photographer and only succumbed to digital 3 years ago! She is clearly very passionate about her wedding photography, capturing the very essence of the wedding day in a natural, exciting & creative style. No posing, no stiff formal photographs, just natural, informal & fun shots!

The Runner-Up in both of the above cases was Beverley Foster which is a remarkable achievement in itself as she was the Runner-Up in 2010 as well!

Last years Wedding Photographer Of The Year Phil Evans maintained his very high standards being pipped into third place in the Wedding section, and Gary Skerratt maintained a highly respected Fourth place.

Unusually, we had joint winners in the 'Open' or 'Professional Photographer Of The Year' – Bill McLaughlin & John Hollidge.

Bill specialises in Event / Sports photography and John landscapes.

Just behind them were Kristian Coltman and Jonathan Hilder.

Congratulations to the winners and everyone who makes this the demanding title competition it is!

Citizen have brought back an old favourite of the dye sub printer market and modified it to make it a real contender. They have launched their latest professional instant photo printer – the OP900ii.

The OP900ii is 20% smaller than previous models, has a print capacity of 600 6x4in – 280 9×6 prints per roll, weighs just 14kg, has a double buffer to cut delays between prints and aPSS-IV high performance engine.

It's retail price is in the region of £925 plus VAT.

To find out more visit their website.

AKVIS offer a wide range of image processing software software, and have launched an updated version of their Refocus software, which is available as a Photoshop plugin or as a standalone edition.

The software has been designed to improve the sharpness of any out of focus images and can process the entire photo or just parts.

In the new version 1.5 there is extra support for RAW and DNG files, several new ready-to-use Presets and more.

AKVIS Refocus version 1.5 retails at $39 USD and registered users of Refocus can upgrade to the new version for free.

To find out more about this visit AKVIS for more information.

A new version of Alien Skin Software's photography effects plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Lightroom is about to be released.

The new 'Exposure 4' will let you recreate the look of film and use old dark room tricks on your digital images with ease. It simulates popular films such as Kodachrome and Polaroid, as well as many others including infrared.

It also features several new effects such as light leaks and even realistic dust & scratches can be added.

The software interface has also had an overhaul. It is now quicker and easier to use.

Exposure 4 will be available from February 2012 for $249 USD, though if you already own any version of Exposure you can upgrade for just $99 and free upgrades will be automatically sent to anyone who has purchased Exposure 3 directly from Alien Skin Software since the beginning of  November 2011.

To find out more visit Alien Skin.

What a sad day! Eastman Kodak Co., the photography pioneering corporation that helped capture the 20th century has filed for bankruptcy.

At one point Kodak had 90 per cent of the North American market share for photographic products but it appears it has been unable to keep up with the 21st-century transition from film to digital technology. We hear that Kodak has listed a debt of $6.8 billion and assets of $5.1 billion so has filed for 'Chaper 11' bankruptcy.

The company said the move is a bid to bolster liquidity, monetize non-strategic intellectual property, fairly resolve legacy liabilities, and allow the company to focus on its most valuable business lines.

Kodak also announced it had obtained a $950 million, 18-month credit facility from Citigroup to enhance liquidity and working capital.

Interestingly the 'Chapter 11' process it has filed for allows Kodak to continue normal business operations and in a new website dedicated to the chapter 11 filing, Kodak said it does not expect the filing to have any impact on commercial relationships with Kodak operations based outside of the U.S. so will the brand continue?

We hope so!

She has had a passion for everything art related as long as she can remember, only turning to photography very recently.

Specialising in newborn photography Tracy aims to produce images that can be treasured forever, and clearly succeeds.

Her Gold Bar winning entries are below. To see more of her work visit her website.

Congratulations also go to Henry Ransby for his superb Gold Bar winning shot of a flower through the rain.

Guild member Alan Bennett has retained his crown in the over 25s section of the Norwich HEART photography competition which had the theme of ‘Alternative Angles – A new perspective on Norwich’s heritage’.

His winning photograph of Malcolm Jay reflecting on the view of Eaton Park model boating pond some 70 years after first using it.

Hi image impressed the judges who said that  “Alan’s photograph really caught our attention both technically and emotionally. It uses a lovely human, reportage style and shows the human condition to its fullest. As a viewer of the image, we get to experience the photographer’s perspective and the perspective of the subject. It tells a story of heritage on a number of levels.”

His winning image will now go on display at a public exhibition in 'The Forum' in Norwich during March 2012.

We all know the value of our lenses so why not tuck your lens into a tasty-looking 'Photorito' protective wrap.

The Photorito Lens Wrap, is a protective lens wrap that looks like a tortilla but it is made from Tyvek and cushioned with neoprene to give your lens the ultimate protection. The wrap is that good you could toss your lens into any type of bag, not just protective ones.

The manufacturers go so far as to claim that 'You know your lens will be safe even if you drop your bag off a cliff'!

The Photorito fits lens sizes from 24mm – 200mm and costs just $20.00.

For more information visit Photojojo

For more information visit the new Mamiya Leaf website

The 'New Wave Photography' exhibition will be showing the work of 11 young photographers from six different countries from 18- 26 February 2012, and the organsiers describe the images on show as demonstrating a 'high-level of technical ability as well as bold experimentation.'

The images certainally fit that description. There are computer-generated figures within digital photographs, illusionary compositions of childhood memories and some that combine digital photomontage with gum print.

The exhibition is free to enter so well worth a visit if you are in the area.

For more information see the United Creativity website – Do take a look!