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UK Photography retail giant Calumet swallowed up by Wex Photographic

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The whole epic Aurelius/Bowens/Calumet saga now seems to be drawing to a conclusion. And what a journey it’s been. Calumet USA goes bankrupt, Calumet UK and Bowens are bought out by Aurelius. Recently, Bowens winds down and is sent into liquidation. Now it seems the Calumet is going to disappear, too. At least in name.

Calumet just sent out an email blast to all of their customers to let them know that from tomorrow, things are changing. Calumet and Wex are merging into one giant retailer. Sometime later this week, the Calumet Photo website will be closing down, and moved to the Wex website. Presumably Calumet’s 8 stores around the UK will also be rebranded to match.

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Manfrotto just bought out JOBY and Lowepro to expand into vlogging markets

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It looks like vlogging has turned from being the strange pastime of a select few “self absorbed” individuals into a more mainstream pursuit. When companies like Vitec, owner of Manfrotto, start taking an interest in the genre, you know it has probably become a big deal.

Vitec today announce that they have acquired two of the companies most associated with vlogging equipment. JOBY, makers of the GorillaPod, and Lowepro, probably the most popular brand of camera bag out there amongst vloggers.

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It’s not really a camera, yet this Canon invention will record video from any vantage point in a sports field

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With sports in-stadium income on the decline, stadiums are trying to figure out new revenue streams. But this is a photography blog, so there is a photography angle (no pun intended) involved.

Canon is developing a new “camera system” that will enable viewers to “fly” in the stadium and view the game via any vantage point that they choose.

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Town tries to limit drone pilots. Pilot draws FAA regulations card and wins a lawsuit – could have US-wide implications

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The FAA has relaxed his drone regulations a little in the USA. People no longer have to register them, and guidelines for hobbyists and professionals are quite clear. When Newton Massachusetts attempted take things further with local regulation, though, one resident fought back. Dr Michael Singer, a professor at Harvard, claimed the proposed ordinance was preempted by federal law and violated his rights.

His case won. The court ruled that it was indeed in violation of his rights. sUAS News went live on Google hangouts today with Dr Singer, along with Loretta Alkalay and attorney Jonathan Rupprecht. It’s a very interesting discussion going over what happened and the potential implications for the rest of the USA.

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Affinity Photo for iPad updated to iOS11 for speedy drag & drop workflow

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Affinity Photo for iPad has rapidly become the hot favourite for editing images on the go. It’s a fantastic piece of software that’s extremely powerful. It contains the same processing engine as the popular Mac and Windows versions, but it’s optimised for the iPad hardware. Now, Affinity Photo for iPad has been updated for the new iOS11 release.

One of the new capabilities Apple added to iOS 11 is the new Files app. The new Affinity Photo update allows you to drag and drop files from the Files app into the app itself. It means that multiple files can be dragged at once for focus stacking, HDR or making panoramas. And you can drag files straight in from emails, including PSDs, with all layers intact.

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New York photographer loses the only copy of wedding photos on subway

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We all get distracted and absent-minded sometimes, especially after a long day. But New York-based photographer Kurt Sneddon was really out of luck. He recently photographed a wedding and forgot the photos on an NYC subway train. It wouldn’t be too tragic if it wasn’t the only copy of the images.

As he writes, he was “distracted and overwhelmed,” and he simply left the backpack with the photos behind. Now he is reaching out t the public via social media and flyers, trying to find the backpack and retrieve the precious photos. He is even offering a $2000 reward for safely returned memory cards and hard drive.

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Mobile photo editor Snapseed gets a UI facelift and new perspective correction tool

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Google have released a new version of Snapseed with a drastically overhauled user interface. Version 2.18 is available for both iOS and Android. You know Snapseed, it’s the reason Google bought Nik Software. A company which offered a fantastic suite of desktop tools Google then abandoned.

They say that the new user interface is designed for faster editing and a more efficient workflow. All of the usual features are still there, and a new perspective correction feature has also been added. The new, brighter look is getting some mixed reactions, though. Many aren’t happy about the new, bright grey and white background. I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of it myself.

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Adobe breaks the record with $1.84 billion Q3 revenue

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At the end of the third fiscal quarter, Adobe broke the record in revenue. The financial results they reported for the Q3 of 2017 show the $1.84 billion income, which is 26% year-on-year revenue growth. Out of this sum, as much as $1.27 billion comes from Adobe’s Digital Media segment, with Creative revenue growing to $1.06 billion. Although many users aren’t happy with the subscription model, it seems that it’s been the ultimate solution for Adobe.

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This AI tool makes a 3D model from a single portrait photo

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Creating a 3D model of someone’s face usually requires multiple shots taken from different angles. But researchers from the University of Nottingham and Kingston University have created an AI tool that makes it from a single portrait photo.

The scientists describe the 3D face reconstruction as a “problem of extraordinary difficulty.” However, they’ve managed to use neural networks to turn any 2D portrait into a 3D model. There’s also a free online demo for you to try it yourself.

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