ScanMyPhotos.com have launched ScanMyGrandparents.com, a service targeted at families striving to archive old photos. The package includes up to 100 photo scans on a DVD, a 20-page, double-sided Kodak Photo Book and free return delivery. Acceptable photo sizes are from 3"x3” up to 8"x10”. The service costs $49.95. Same-day service is available for an additional fee of $19.95.

Website: Scan My Grandparents

Wild Magnolia Design has announced the world’s first archival, eco-friendly wedding albums. Each album is made completely by hand and incorporates materials such as hemp canvas, vegan silk, and tree-free paper. The albums come in a variety of sizes and are available through select professional photographers, some of which are listed on the Wild Magnolia website. Wild Magnolia Design also offers eco-friendly photographic prints and graphic design services.

PhotoTrek Tours, a company that combines an officially licenced New York City tour with professional photographs, is celebrating its five-year anniversary in 2009. PhotoTrek Tours offer a personalised private walking tour of New York City where a professional photographer will take pictures of the group and deliver a CD with their digital images to their hotel within 24 hours. Guests are from all over the world and include honeymooners, families, friends or couples who want to be photographed together while participating in a walking tour of the city.

Website: PhotoTrek Tours

Basic Underwater Photography is a new book by Paul J. Mila, which offers a unique, non-technical photographic approach for divers who prefer enjoying their dives and taking photos without continually adjusting camera settings. Instead, the author stresses the importance of positioning, stalking techniques, and using the correct accessories. The book is designed for new underwater photographers as well as for experienced divers who are disappointed when their photos of beautiful eagle rays and barracudas appear small and unimpressive, colourful sponges and corals look drab and featureless, and their fish photos are blued-out or just blurry, grainy tails. The 23-page manual is intentionally short, easy to read, and packed with information, illustrating basic techniques using Mila’s own photos. The book is available for $12 (hard copy) or $5 (electronic version) via www.milabooks.com.

The National Park Foundation and Olympus have announced the launch of the 2009 Share the Experience Photo Contest, a special competition that encourages nature lovers, amateur photographers, and kids of all ages to take pictures of a national park. The 2009 Share the Experience Photo Contest will run from May 4, 2009 through December 31, 2009 and showcases the more than 500 million acres of Federal Lands, drawing entries from all across the United States. All 2009 entrants will have the opportunity to win one of six prize packages, including trips to national parks. The Grand Prize winner will earn the international honour of having his/her winning image grace the cover of the 2011 “Federal Recreation Lands Pass,” an Olympus E-3 DSLR camera kit, plus a five-day, four-night trip for four to the Federal Recreation Area of their choice.

Getty Images and Agence France-Presse (AFP) have renewed their partnership agreement. The renewed contract takes effect on 1st June 2009 and extends the partnership between the two companies for a further three years. AFP and Getty Images also signed a separate agreement on video sharing at the beginning of the year. Under the terms of the agreement, each party was granted access to the other’s video productions, for which they have non-exclusive worldwide marketing rights.

LEE Filters have teamed up with leading landscape photographer Jeremy Walker for a couple of weekend photographic workshops across the U.K. Jeremy is a professional landscape photographer with many years experience, his work has been used extensively by agencies and corporate clients around the world. He is an experienced course leader of workshops and tutorials, his easy going personality, inspirational photographs and close attention to detail help his students gain a thorough understanding of landscape techniques on both digital and film. Each extensive two-and-a-half-day workshop will be limited to just ten photographers.

Website: Jeremy Walker Landscape Workshops

Park Cameras have announced a dedicated event for professional photographers that looks to showcase the Canon ‘Digital Solution’. This is a one-day event running from 10am-5pm on 28 May. It consists of opportunities to both attend seminars on the Canon EOS system and also have the chance yourself to put any combination from Canon’s Professional range to the test. Canon is supported by the presence of both onOne Software and Colour Confidence, themselves displaying the latest post-production products through a combination of seminars and ‘touch and try’. This event is free for all those attending. Advance booking is required. Click through / read on for the seminar overview.

Harman Technology, owner of the Ilford brand, is staging a no-minimum-order-quantities ordering window for Ultra Large Format (ULF) photographers. This initiative allows ULF photographers to order sheet film from the manufacturer’s ILFORD PHOTO black and white brand, free from the constraints of minimum order quantities. The window, which opened on May 1st, will run until July 3rd 2009. After the closing date, Harman will manufacture the products at its factory in Cheshire, England with a view to shipping the products to arrive with dealers by mid-September. Specific products covered include FP4 PLUS in sizes up to 12 x 20 inches, HP5 PLUS in sizes up to 20 x 24 inches and ORTHO PLUS in hard to find sizes such as 18cm by 24cm. “Someone has to champion analogue photography and who better than Harman with a history in the medium stretching back over 130 years,” says Steven Brierley, HARMAN’s President of Marketing for North America. Click through / read on for a list of participating dealers.

Olympus have launched a new service on their website, called Lensfinder. As its name suggests, the Lensfinder helps you find the right lens for you, by showing you the same scene photographed from the same viewpoint, but at different focal lengths. For each focal length, the Lensfinder displays all Olympus branded FourThirds lenses capable of shooting at that focal length, shows which tier they belong to, and lets you click through to the detailed product page of each. The Lensfinder does not show any of the Sigma and Leica branded FourThirds lenses though.

Website: Olympus Lensfinder

Olympus have launched a new service on their website, called Lensfinder. As its name suggests, the Lensfinder helps you find the right lens for you, by showing you the same scene photographed from the same viewpoint, but at different focal lengths. For each focal length, the Lensfinder displays all Olympus branded FourThirds lenses capable of shooting at that focal length, shows which tier they belong to, and lets you click through to the detailed product page of each. The Lensfinder does not show any of the Sigma and Leica branded FourThirds lenses though.

Website: Olympus Lensfinder

iPhoto ‘09: The Missing Manual by David Pogue and J.D. Biersdorfer is a new book billed as “the book that should have been in the box”. This book’s opening chapters are a guided tour through all the ways iPhoto lets you group your pictures-by events, in albums, or even based on who’s in the picture and where it was taken. It also covers iPhoto’s beefed-up editing suite, including its increasingly Photoshop-like adjustments palette. iPhoto ‘09: The Missing Manual costs $34.99 USD / £26.99 GBP, or $27.99 USD as an eBook.

Canon today announced the launch of Canon Live Learning, a new on-site education programme targeted towards photographers who currently use or are interested in Canon EOS gear. Canon Live Learning (CLL) will offer high-quality classes and workshops conducted by a number of the industry’s leading professional photographers, Canon’s Explorers of Light. CLL will consist of two distinct educational opportunities: EOS Essentials and EOS Extras. EOS Essentials is ideal for photographers who are interested in learning how to get the most out of their EOS and other photography equipment. EOS Extras provides participants with an opportunity to take part in a weekend of instruction on location at an interesting site with a Canon Explorer of Light. Click through / read on for exact dates and locations across the US.

LaCie has announced upgrades to two of its network solutions, the LaCie 2big Network and the LaCie 5big Network. The product upgrades include improved performance, enhanced features, comprehensive backup support, and significant capacity expansion. The LaCie 5big Network takes advantage of a Gigabit Ethernet connection and features five hot-swappable drives that support seven RAID modes. Now, with the latest capacity advancements, the 5big Network includes a 10TB model. The 2big Network is a two-bay RAID device that provides up to 4TB of professional storage. Its upgrade includes features such as Windows Active Directory Support (ADS) and local backup. The LaCie 2big and 5big Network will be available through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+ or LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of $319.99 for the 2big Network and $799.99 for the 5big Network (excluding VAT).

LaCie has announced upgrades to two of its network solutions, the LaCie 2big Network and the LaCie 5big Network. The product upgrades include improved performance, enhanced features, comprehensive backup support, and significant capacity expansion. The LaCie 5big Network takes advantage of a Gigabit Ethernet connection and features five hot-swappable drives that support seven RAID modes. Now, with the latest capacity advancements, the 5big Network includes a 10TB model. The 2big Network is a two-bay RAID device that provides up to 4TB of professional storage. Its upgrade includes features such as Windows Active Directory Support (ADS) and local backup. The LaCie 2big and 5big Network will be available through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+ or LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of $319.99 for the 2big Network and $799.99 for the 5big Network (excluding VAT).

Jessops have introduced the Wrap-Up camera case, which is available in a variety of colours and patterns. These include Dalmatian, Pink Dots, Black and Quilted Black. The new wrap mounts to the camera via the tripod socket and even stays on during shooting.  When you’ve got the shot you want you can quickly wrap up the camera and move onto the next location. The Wrap-Up camera case costs £10 and can be purchased in store or online at www.jessops.com.

Bogen Imaging have announced a special offer on a range of Manfrotto Photo monopods. Those who buy a Manfrotto Photo 334B, 679B, 680B, 681B, 682B or 685B monopod in May or June will get a Manfrotto 234 head worth £16.95 free of charge. Consumers that purchase either the Manfrotto 694CX or 695CX Photo monopod can claim a Manfrotto 234RC head (pictured) worth £26.95 free of charge. The offer is available at participating dealers only.

Futuresource Consulting says the US photobook market is on track for healthy growth in 2009, with demand projected to reach nearly 17m units this year, up from close to 12.5m in 2008. In value terms, this means the US photobook market is set to exceed $500 million this year. Although online remains the channel of choice for most consumers, with current and forthcoming product launches like the Kis photobook kiosk, duplex printing equipment from Kodak, Fuji and Noritsu, and a number of new software features from companies like Lucidium, HP, Rocketlife and DNP, there is now a growing emphasis on developing the retail angle.