f2 Freelance Photographer - Free Taster Issue

The f2 Freelance Photographer App is free to download via all platforms. Within the App there is a free 44 page taster issue for you to try before you buy.

For free download CLICK HERE

14 June

SIGMA 18-35mm f/1.8 DC - launch date & UK price announced

Sigma UK have just announced the much talked about 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM lens will be launching in Canon and Sigma mount in early July, with Nikon fit following on towards the end of the month. UK RRP will be £799.99 including VAT. Availability for Sony and Pentax mount is to be announced at a later date. More information from

www.sigma-imaging-uk.com

SmugMug issue metadata pledge

Photographer backlash against the new Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act continues to gain momentum, with top names like David Bailey challenging the planned copyright law changes at the highest level. Responding to photographer concerns, Don MacAskill, CEO of e-commerce site SmugMug, this morning went on the record pledging “Our users can rest assured that we never strip key metadata from their images. Assuming they upload their images with the proper metadata, we will always maintain the important fields in their display copies (except thumbnails).”

In reinforcing the above statement SmugMug Educator and Account Manager Sean Rogan adds: “There is a due diligence issue that corporations must embrace. If an original file is out there and is lifted from SmugMug and ends up in a national newspaper, the photographer can make the case that the image has been used without their knowledge. The publisher will not be able to contest this because the original source file will have all its necessary metadata.”

5 June

Sony World Photography Awards - Open for Entries

The 2014 Sony World Photography Awards, organised by the World Photography Organisation, is now open for entries. Professional, amateur, youth and student photographers from across the world can enter their best work for free. Photographers will compete for a range of cash prizes and the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony. Overall winners will be announced in London on 30 April 2014. More information from www.worldphoto.org


Image: The Limousine Project. © Myriam Melon, Italy. Sony World Photography Awards.

30 May

The Renting Game

With more and more freelances renting their equipment rather than buying, Calumet has set up a website dedicated solely to rental. Photographic equipment, from cameras to studio products, is available at a daily rate, including damage waiver insurance. www.calumetrental.co.uk

29 May

Inkifi - Printing and Selling On Demand

Social media site Instagram has launched Inkifi: a platform which enables users to print their images on demand in different formats without the hassle of invoicing. This allows anyone to make money from their prints easily: a recurring issue brought up by many freelances. Just upload your image to the Inkifi website and choose how you want it to be printed – on anything from a canvas to a t-shirt. The Instagram printing service will then print to your specifications and ship it to anywhere in Europe. You have complete control over the selling price, with the option to alter commission levels with each sale. To find out more and get printing, visit http://inkifi.com/


23 May

Peaches and Cream Calling for Entries
Millennium Images Peaches & Cream competition asks you to submit a series of 3-10 images suitable for a book cover or hanging on a gallery wall. Prizes include a three year contract with Millennium Images; £750 in cash;
an exhibition at Dreamspace in central London in October; and the
possibility of seeing your work published on the front cover of a bestselling novel. Deadline of 20 July, with a discount for entries by 12 July. 
www.milimgallery.com


17 May
Bowens Compact Lighting Kit
Bowens Travelpak kits comprise a control panel, a battery unit, two Gemini cables, and a universal mains charger. They come in two sizes. The small Travelpak kit can power one or two Gemini monolights up to 3000Ws. Highly portable, it can deliver up to 375 shots at full power per charge, and can recycle to full power in as little as 2secs. The bigger Travelpak features twice the capacity, delivering up to 750 shots at full power, and recycling just as quickly in as little as 2secs. www.bowensdirect.com

8 May

TIPA 2013 Best Expert DSLR Lens
Sigma's 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM lens has been awarded the TIPA 2013 Best Expert DSLR Lens. Says Adam Woolfitt (f2, May 2013), "The resolution across the entire image field is exceptional, particularly at full aperture. From any standpoint, I judge it an outstanding lens and amazing value. Mechanically, it is beautifully engineered and a pleasure to handle."
http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/

29 April

Winners of the Photographer of the Year Awards
For the second year running, Mark Ashworth has taken joint honours in the Click Group, Fresh, and B2B Photographer of the Year Awards 2013. With the judging panel comprising internationally respected freelances such as Damian McGillicuddy, the awards are a great chance for photographers to get their work noticed. There are three awards given. Mark Ashworth ashworthphotography.co.uk takes the Click Group Award; Paul Johnson pjphoto.co.uk/ is the Fresh Group winner, and Sarah Tate sarahtate.co.uk wins the inaugural B2B Award. They all received cash prizes of up to £5500, and an OMD kit, courtesy of sponsor Olympus. www.cccuk.co  

26 April

The 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

L’Iris d’Or and competition winners were announced last night at the gala ceremony held in London. The winner of the L'Iris d'Or / Photographer of the Year title is Andrea Gjestvang, 32, from Norway. Meanwhile, amateur photographer Hoang Hiep Nguyen from Hanoi, Vietnam, was announced as the Open Photographer of the Year. Having only bought his first digital camera one year ago. Natalia Wiernik from Poland was awarded Student Focus Photographer of the Year, and Alecsandra Dragoi, Romania was awarded Youth Photographer of the Year.
http://www.worldphoto.org/competitions/sony-world-photography-awards-2013-open-competition/


Image: © Andrea Gjestvang, Norway, L'Iris d'Or, 2013 Sony World Photography Award

25 April

Bowens - Half a Century in the Making

Bowens has been in business for 50 years and is marking the occasion by holding a competition on the theme of '50'. Interpretation of this can be as varied as you please. The Bowens Litebook team will shortlist its favourites and place them on the Bowens Facebook page for the viewing public to pick the winner. The prize is £600 worth of Bowens lighting equipment and the deadline end of May. https://www.facebook.com/bowensflash

Image by Christian Hough using Bowens super-fast new Creo generator

24 April

Special Offer for UK Sigma Users
Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd have launched a special promotion recognising the loyalty of Sigma camera owners. Effective immediately and running until 16 June 2013 all existing Sigma SD/DP camera users can receive up to £300 cashback when they purchase a second unit. Terms & conditions apply to this offer and claims must be received by June 24, 2013 in order to qualify for the cashback. More information from www.sigma-imaging-uk.com

Photovision Hertfordshire

Good to meet everyone at Photovision Roadshow Hertfordshire yesterday at the Sopwell House Hotel. We were very pleased to finally meet Neil Bowler, whose work we have been following since our feature on him last year.

As usual all sorts of topics were raised on the stand some of which we will be covering in f2 over the coming months. One of the things that came up a couple of times was branding and logos - increasingly photographers seem to feel it's important to have a logo designed as a part of their branding. Some look great but quite a few in our mind don't tend to compliment or perhaps work with the style the photographer is creating. What's your experience of this? We'd really like to have your feedback on this really crucial topic – go to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/f2FreelancePhotographerMagazine

We will be joining the events again at Bristol's Ashton Gate Stadium Tuesday, 16th July - hope to see you there!

18 April

Sigma's Wide Aperture Zoom Lens Breakthrough

Sigma's 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM APS-C format (27-52.5mm, 35mm equivalent) is unusual in achieving a maximum aperture of f/1.8 throughout the zoom range - a very wide aperture for a zoom lens. This looks like a useful piece of kit for freelances to keep in their gadget bags, enabling you to achieve manual focus in darker conditions, and a narrow depth of field for portraits. Price and availability TBC.

15 April

Quantum's Compact Video Ringlight

The Quantum Omicrom 4 Video Ringlight is a ‘chromatically correct’ colour variable LED video ringlight, with adjustable colour temperature and auto-tracking. It is: flicker free dimmable from 100-5%, and colour temperature variable from 2600-6500K. It features auto tracking, and automatic intensity adjustment. It has a chromatically correct LED array for true colour rendition; eight user defined pre-set modes; a three mode LED display, flexible power options (mains or battery), and it is compact, light and easy to use. Omicron 4 video LED ringlight, incl AC supply OM44, £838.80. www.flaghead.co.uk

11 April

Nikon Red Dot Triumph

Nikon's FX (full frame) format D4 DSLR and four of its compacts – the 1 V2 and J3, the S1,and the Coolpix S01 - have received Red Dot awards for product design, presented for products released over the past two years that exhibit superiority in such features asinnovation, functionality, ergonomics, ecology, and durability. Winners will be on display from 2-28 July at the Design on stage – winners' Red Dot award: product design 2013 exhibition, at the Red Dot Design Museum, Essen Germany. http://en.red-dot.org/

4 April

Photovision Hertfordshire

Photovision Roadshows’ 2013 series begins at Sopwell House, Hertfordshire on Tues 23 April. f2 Freelance will of course be there and looking forward to meeting you, so bring a folio or tablet and show us your work. Register for FREE Photovision tickets - http://www.forwardevents.co.uk/register-for-free-tickets.html See you there!

May f2 Now On Sale

You can order your print or digital copy from our Buy Now page. It is also available to buy from W H Smiths on your local High Street or through our app. This month's issue contains five exclusive interviews with successful freelances including Simon Brown. Plus news, tips for improving your business and the latest product reviews. Find out more by reading our Latest Issue column (to your right).

28 March

Easter Bank Holiday In-App Discount

Special Offer for the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend - 25% off 5 and 10 issue subscriptions via pocketmags.com, now is the time to subscribe! The f2 App is FREE to download - go to http://tinyurl.com/d4qm9cy

27 March

AFP - Sports Journalist Photographer of the Year

Adrian Dennis receives coveted award as 2012 photographer of the year from the British sports journalists’ profession. Dennis was particularly acknowledged for his surprising picture of Usain Bolt, photographing himself alongside fans after the Jamaican team’s victory in the 4X100-metre relay at the London Olympics. Having already won the photographer of the year title for his coverage of the Paralympics, Dennis was praised for his Olympics portfolio by the UK Picture Editors’ Guild.

http://tinyurl.com/d8xn4v8

25 March

Olympus OM-D Easter Offer

Olympus have announced an Easter Bank Holiday Special Offer with £150.00 off OM-D bodies and kits. The existing free accessory offer is also extended over the Easter period from the original end date of March 31st to midnight on April 1st. For more information on the offer please visit olympus.co.uk/promotions

14 March

Nikon's Spring Cash Back Offer

Nikon's spring promotion offers up to £150 cash back on selected products, including DSLRs the D3100, D3200, D5100, D5200, D7000 and D600.  This promotion runs from 14 March – 31 May, and all claims must be received by 30 June.  For more information on the promotion, and how to submit your claim, please visit: www.nikon.co.uk/cashback.

7 March

April f2 Now On Sale!

The latest issue of f2 Freelance Photographer magazine is now available and you can order your print or digital copy from our Buy Now page. It is also available to buy from W H Smiths on your local High Street or through our app. This month's issue contains five exclusive interviews with successful freelance photographers including Nadav Kander, plus news, tips for improving your business and the latest product reviews. Find out more by reading our Latest Issue column (to your right).

1 March

Focus On Imaging

f2 Freelance Photographer will be at Focus at The NEC Sunday through Wednesday. We're on stand K1, sharing again with our friends from the Bureau of Freelance Photographers, - do please drop by and say hello if you're coming to the show.

Nikon School launch
Nikon is opening the Nikon School in central London next month. Based in the new Nikon Centre of Excellence, two minutes from Oxford Circus. It will also function as a contact point for technical support and advice, for professional photographers who are members of the Nikon Professional Services (NPS) group. A programme of courses is being launched to coincide with the opening, from introductory to more advanced. Nikon is currently offering a £20 discount on courses. To claim your discount use the code aclc2kfojh when booking.

www.nikon.co.uk

25 February

Capture One Pro 7

Phase One has launched Capture One Express 7 offering essential tools to import, convert, organize, adjust, share and print superior-quality photographs in a fast, intuitive workflow. Express 7 includes many of the advanced features found in Capture One Pro 7, such as noise reduction when shooting in low light, the ability to recover detais in shadows and highlights. More from www.phaseone.com/pricing 

21 February

Bowens in the Limelite

Limelite, the videography and broadcast subdivision of Bowens, will launch two Mosaic LED panels at Focus this year. The Tungsten and Bicolour panels are part of the Limelite modular studio and location light-bank system, and are set to be showcased alongside a new HD Field Monitor, a range of DSLR camera rigs, and the Studiolite DMX fluorescent lighting range. The company will also preview a new 300W focusing floodlight and an on-camera LED light and LED ringlite. www.limelite.uk.com

15 February

Hahnemühle FineArt has a range of archive and portfolio boxes for storing fine art inkjet prints

Due to be launched at Focus on Imaging, Hahnemühle FineArt's range of archive and portfolio boxes offer a protective storage solution. These boxes are acid free and age resistant, and have been designed in conjunction with museums and galleries in China for the safe storage of artworks and artefacts. Available in four sizes to hold A4, A3, A3+ and A2 sheets, the boxes are constructed in a thickness of 1.6mm for A4 and a heavier 3mm board for the larger sizes. Prices start at £5.50. www.hahnemuehle.com

14 February

The Nikon Photo Contest, final call for entries

12 February

Zed Nelson's exhibition "Love Me"

Zed Nelson's exhibition "Love Me" continues its tour and opens across 2 venues at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery and the Lighthouse Gallery on Friday 15 February. Zed Nelson will be there for the opening and will be giving a talk about the project, at 7pm. He's a great supporter of freelance photography and is always happy to talk about his projects - so it's a talk not to be missed if you're in the area. www.zednelson.com

7 February

Loxley Colour appoints ex Kodak manager to the head of sales

Leading wedding and social pro lab Loxley Colour has appointed former Kodak business manager Calum Thomson as its new head of sales and business partnerships. Stepping into his role with immediate effect Thomson says: “This is an extremely exciting challenge.” Commenting on this high key appointment Loxley Colour MD Ian Loxley adds: “Calum brings a comprehensive and enviable knowledge of the imaging world. He will bring fresh focus and impetus to the company and will play a key role in helping to expand the Loxley Colour business.” calum.thomson@loxleycolour.com  www.loxleycolour.com

30 January

LPA / FUTURES Competition 2013 

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to win representation by one of the UK’s leading photographers’ agents. The deadline is fast approaching for applications, which is this Friday 1 Feb at 6pm. www.lisapritchard.com/uploads/pdfs/Call-For-Entries-2013.pdf

25 January

15,000 share £4 million Payback royalties through DACS.

Payback is an annual scheme which distributes royalties to visual artists, including photographers, whose work has been reproduced in UK books and magazines or on TV. In August 2012, DACS launched a new online system for Payback making it quicker and easier to make a claim. Planning for Payback 2013 is now underway and will launch this summer. If you have had work published in UK Books, magazines or on TV and wish to claim Payback for the first time this year you should register with DACS. To find out more about Payback visit www.dacs.org.uk/for-artists/payback or follow DACS on Twitter at @DACSforartists

18 January

Calumet chief pledges to help ‘stranded’ Jessops customers
Calumet has made an offer of free help to any Jessops customer left stranded with warranty repair issues following the recent collapse of the High Street retailer. Christof Bergmann, MD at Calumet Europe, said Calumet’s doors were open across the country to provide professional assistance with manufacturers’ warranty repair issues saying: “Customers experiencing these problems can walk into any Calumet store with their appropriate receipt and our staff will handle the dispatch and return of the product along with all the necessary paperwork – and we will make no administration fee for this service.”

14 January

Sigma Special Cashback
From 14th January 2013, Sigma Imaging UK Ltd are introducing a short term special offer of a £50 cashback for customers buyiong a 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens. Terms and Conditions apply. Visit www.sigma-imaging-uk.com or ask your local photographic retailer for more details of this offer and how to claim your £50 cashback.

Phase One updates Capture One Pro

Capture One Pro 7.0.2 is ready for immediate download. The release focuses on solving bugs reported by customers, strengthening overall stability, adding support for new cameras,and includes new tethered support for Canon EOS 6D. www.phaseone.com

11 January

Nikon continue Jessops customer repairs

Nikon UK would like to assure Jessops customers that we are actively working with the administrators and plan to undertake all outstanding repairs as quickly as possible. Nikon UK will be contacting customers directly regarding their repairs, however for any queries please call 0330 123 0928. To help us update you on the status of your repair, we ask customers to have a product serial number to hand. Nikon UK can confirm that we will also be honouring any repairs under Jessops’ Photo + extended warranty scheme.

Nikon UK would like to take the opportunity to remind customers of its FREE product returns service via a local Post Office, simply visit www.nikon.co.uk/repairrequest to register a repair request. Customers should also take advantage of the range of Nikon service benefits, including free technical support and advice via our support centre and online Service and Support section and manufacturer’s one year guarantee with an option to extend for two years. Simply register your Nikon camera online at www.nikon.co.uk/register .

4 January

Reviews Section  - new product reviews added

We're continuing our update of the site by adding more recent equipment reviews including tilt and shift lenses, EOS5D MkIII and the Elinchrom Ranger Quadra lighting system - please check out the reviews section for more.

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