Borrow Lenses is now hosting a free weekly $250 gift certificate giveaway.  In addtion to renting photography  gear they  also sell some nice used equipment.

One of our favorite products is getting an upgrade, definitely well worth a look if you have never tired it.

Ready for a new round: The photo competition “European Treasures of Nature” starts off again! For the 22 nd time already, EuroNatur, in cooperation with the magazin "natur", the NaturVision filmfestival and Gelsenwasser AG, arranges the major nature photo competition.

Oystercatchers on patrol, a brilliant, many-tinted microcosm and a curtain of birds: the diversity of Europe's nature offers countless treasures to be discovered. We invite you to set off hunting for photos and to capture magic moments and stunning experiences in nature.

It's worth the effort: you stand a chance to win attractive prizes. The best pictures will be shown in the exhibition “Faszination Natur” (Fascination Nature) at the information centre Mauth of the Bavarian Forest National Park in autumn 2015. The winner photos will be published among others in EuroNatur magazine, in "natur" magazine, on the Internet pages of the hosts and in the large-size wall calendar "European Treasures of Nature 2016".



Conditions of entry 2015


(1) Entry fee and organisation. There is no entry fee. The organisers will bear the organisational costs of the competition and of the return of the slides. The organisers are the EuroNatur Foundation, EuroNatur-Service GmbH, the magazine "natur", NaturVision and Gelsenwasser AG. The competition is open to all photographers whose main residence is in Europe. The closing date by which entries must arrive is 31 March 2015. 

(2) Subjects and judging. Subjects should be drawn from nature in Europe. The jury will award prizes to the top twelve and have the option to award the “Jury’s special award". The 12 prize-winning pictures will be printed in the EuroNatur calendar 2016. Up to 30 further pictures will be selected for display in exhibitions. The jury’s decisions are final. The organisers reserve the right to disqualify pictures that were obviously taken by infringing the code of conduct for wildlife photographers. Digitally manipulated pictures, pictures of pets or farm animals, pictures of cultivated varieties of wild plants and pictures that were not taken in Europe will not be accepted. 

HOW TO ENTER: No purchase necessary. To enter, go tohttp://wapo.st/squirrelcontest and submit your entry. You may only submit an image that you have taken yourself, and you must have all necessary rights in the photo in order to submit it here. Please provide whatever caption information you like, as well as your name, e-mail address and phone number. Please do not submit images that have been heavily manipulated. It is acceptable to adjust images to achieve color balance that reflects the scene as you observed it. Cropping is also acceptable. The Post has the right to disqualify any image which it feels has been overly altered.

Only amateur photographers are eligible. Professional photographers (i.e., anyone who earns more than 50 percent of his or her annual income from photography, determined at Sponsor’s sole discretion) are not eligible.

Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 27, 2015. Entries that are late, incomplete, unreadable, inaccurate, unintelligible or otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules will not be considered. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, destroyed or misdirected entries.

PRIZE: Gift card in the amount of $100 to a retailer to be named later. Average retail value: Grand Prize, $100.

SELECTION OF WINNERS: One winner will be selected based on originality, creativity and skill by John Kelly in consultation with Sponsor’s in-house photo staff. The winners will be notified by Sponsor on or about April 12, 2015. 

At the RSPB, they love to embrace the outdoors; venture a little closer to nature and immerse into in Britain's beautiful wildlife and flora. 

If nature inspires you, why not share a special moment or encounter you've had with us, and enter our Giving nature a home calendar 2016 competition. It can be a bird, bug, plant, animal or even a beautiful view. As long as it was taken by you in the UK we’d love to see it.

We are looking for a total of twelve spectacular photographs of nature and wildlife taken by our members and supporters to use in our Giving nature a home calendar 2016. We are thrilled to announce that this year our competition prizes are again provided by Canon and there are some fantastic cameras up for grabs!

First Prize: Canon EOS 100D (Worth £449)

Second Prize: Canon PowerShot SX 400 IS (Worth £259)

Third Prize: Canon PowerShot SX170 IS (Worth £86)

It's a passion. It’s an obsession. It’s superfandom.  And from April through December, they are we're giving away a lens every month to reward the enthusiasm of our most loyal fans.

There are definitely some simple, very helpful tips for photographers here!

Southwestern College exhibits cross-border photography exhibit
By Gary Warth 6:08 P.M.MARCH 9, 2015

Southwestern College is working with the Tijuana Cultural Center to present a bi-national photo exhibit featuring work by four prolific artists from both sides of the border.

The exhibit will kick off with an opening reception scheduled for 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Thursday at the Southwestern College Art Gallery. The college is at 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, and free parking will be available in Lot O on the east side of the school along Otay Lakes Road.

The exhibit features the work of contemporary Mexican photographer Gustavo Mayoral, internationally renowned American photographer Ave Pildas, Tijuana-based photojournalist David Maung and Southwestern College faculty member Carlos Richardson.

Mayoral, the show’s curator, lives in San Diego and works in fashion and portrait photography. His work has been published internationally, he has also created special tools for photo manipulation and has written and taught workshops on the subject.

Pildas has 50 years of experience studying and working in Cincinnati, Chicago and Basel, Switzerland, and his photos have been published in the books “Art Deco: Los Angeles” and “Movie Palaces.”

Maung’s work has appeared in The New York Times, the Associated Press and the Washington Post. He has worked exclusively in Tijuana since 1996.

Richardson has a master’s of fine arts degree from Yale University and teaches photography at Southwestern and San Diego City colleges. His work photographing Mount Helix over the last few years will be featured at the event and also will be the focus of his one-man show in Osaka, Japan in June.

The show is free and runs through April 14. The gallery is open 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2015

Open to all professional and amateur, national and international photographers of all ages, the Atkins CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year is an international showcase for the very best in environmental photography and film. The competition encourages entries that are contemporary, creative, resonant, challenging, original and beautiful, but most of all, pictures that will inspire people around the world to start taking care of our environment.

EXHIBITION & PRIZES

The works will be displayed at the Royal Geographical Society in London in June 2015, followed by a tour to forest venues nationally, supported by Forestry Commission England.

Prizes for the 2015 competition include: 
Atkins CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year: £5000
Atkins CIWEM Young Environmental Photographer of the Year (Under 25): £1000 
Atkins CIWEM Environmental Film of the Year: £1000
Atkins Cityscape Prize: £1000 
Forestry Commission England Exhibition Award: one photographer will be invited to exhibit a solo show at one of England’s public forests

The Prize Winners will be announced during a preview of the London exhibition

7 April 2015 - Deadline for entries by 5pm (GMT)

Free entry and a wonderful theme- from the sponsors site:

Each year, InterAction’s photography contest focuses on incredible humanitarian and development work.

We encourage you to submit your most powerful photos that illustrate innovative, effective and inspiring efforts in international relief and development. Examples of self-reliance, shared values and partnerships are encouraged, though entries are not limited to those categories.  All images should be of work done outside of the United States.

DEADLINE: March 13, 2015

PrizesOne Grand Prize Winner will receive $200 and the opportunity to accept theEffective Assistance Photography Certificate at InterAction’s 2015 Forum, June 22-24.

Three Runners Up will receive $100 each. All winning photographs will be displayed in an online gallery on www.interaction.org.