NANPA News Environment News Press Releases   Legal Alerts Environment Alerts Member Alerts   NANPA Calendar   Conferences	NANPA News Center Keeping up with fast-changing events around the world can be a full-time job in itself! Our News Center will help you keep track of news and events affecting photographers and environmental concerns. NANPA-specific news items will always appear directly below. Choose a link in the left column for more specific news items or information on upcoming events and conferences. SPE Call for Proposals May 2, 2008   The Society for Photographic Education (SPE) is seeking conference proposal applications for the 2009 National Conference in Dallas, TX where the theme will be "Sprawl". SPE welcomes proposals from all photographers for topics including, but not limited to, imagemaking, history, contemporary theory and criticism, multidisciplinary approaches, new technologies, effects of media and culture, educational issues, funding and presentations of work in photography, film, video, performance and installation. The conference will take place March 26-29, 2009 in Dallas, TX. Proposals must be postmarked by JUNE 2, 2008. For more information, please visit www.spenational.org   NANPA Board Minutes Available Apr, 25, 2008   Meeting minutes from the NANPA Board of Directors meeting held in Destin, FL in February are now available for review. Click the headline to view the PDF document.   ASPP Fifth Education Conference Apr 24-27, 2008   The 5th American Society of Picture Professionals Education Conference "The Hi-ways and Buy-ways of the Picture Professional Industry" will be held April 24-27, 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa will be home base for the conference. Click the headline for details.   Health Insurance Now Available for NANPA Members Apr 5, 2008   NANPA has just joined the cadre of professional organizations able to offer its members health insurance -- a significant benefit that will add even more value to your membership. To learn more about the NANPA Health Insurance plan see the Health Insurance page.   NANPA Clarifies Proposed Regulations for Photographing on Federal Land Mar 10, 2008   NANPA has been following the progress of proposed Interior Department regulations under Public Law 106-206 following the House Natural Resources Committee hearing held on the issue in December. NANPA's Past-President, Kathy Adams Clark, had an email exchange with Lee Dickinson, Special Parks Uses Program Manager for the National Parks Service. For details of that Q&A session, please see http://www.nanpa.org/news/NANPA_Clarifies_PL106-206.pdf   2008 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Jan 29, 2008   Competition for 2008 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008 is now open. Mailed entries need to be in by March 24 and online entries have until March 31. For details and submission guidelines, please click the headline above.   Ripples and Currents Dec 31, 2007   NANPA has launched two new publications for members! Currents has changed from a bi-monthly newsletter format to a quarterly magazine format. Members should have already received their copies by postal mail. Ripples is the new bi-monthly publication for NANPA news that will be produced electronically in PDF format. Members will receive e-mail announcements when each new issue is available and an archive of back issues will be available in the Members Area. To find out more about these publications, see their respective web pages - Go to Currents Go to Ripples   NANPA Mourns Loss of Jane Kinne Nov 3, 2007   NANPA Mourns the loss of its dear friend and long-time supporter, Jane Kinne, who passed away early on Saturday morning, November 3. More details...   PACA Copyright Education Available Sep 6, 2007   The Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) has made a valuable resource available to NANPA members: a PowerPoint presentation that provides a thorough review of copyright law in the United States and how it applies to the use of imagery in advertising, the news media and fine art. The presentation includes real-world cases with images and detailed explanations of how the parties viewed the claimed infringements and how the courts assessed them. The slides examine what copyright protects and for how long, illustrate topics such as fair use, what is an infringement and what is not, and explain how the Digital Millennium Copyright Act can be used to remove infringing works from the Internet. The presentation is free to download from the PACA website.   July NANPA Board Meeting Minutes Aug 20, 2007   Minutes from the July 2007 meeting of the NANPA Board of Directors are now available for review. Click the headline to download the PDF document.   Passing of Fritz Pölking Jul. 31, 2007   The nature photography community suffered a great loss with the passing of German photographer Fritz Pölking on July 16, 2007 at the age of 71. Fritz was one of the first international members of NANPA and co-founder of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen (society of German nature photographers). His contributions both to the industry and his fellow photographers spanned decades and his inspirations will be missed. NANPA Board member Lynda Richardson wrote: "I admired his fabulous wildlife work and always smile when I think about his famous Galapagos photograph of the hawk landing on the giant tortoise's back! I actually met Fritz only once while shooting in the Everglades, of all places, where he was photographing an osprey diving for fish along the Anhinga Trail. He graciously talked to me about how he was capturing the shots and was personable and giving regarding his shooting techniques. We will all miss him, one of the great pioneers of our field!"   Travel Insurance Benefit Announced Apr 27, 2007   NANPA is pleased to announce the addition of another benefit for members - travel insurance. See the Travel Insurance page for details.   2007 NANPA Fine Art Winners Jan 22, 2007   The award winners and prizes for the 2007 NANPA Fine Art Exhibit have been announced. These prints will be on exhibit at the annual Summit January 16-21, 2007 at the Wyndham Resort in Palm Springs, CA. A slideshow of the images in the exhibit is also be available on the NANPA website. Just click the headline.   NANPA Participates in Imaging Coalition Nov 8, 2006   For the first time ever, leadership from a group of organizations (including NANPA) representing more than 100,000 photographers, stock archives, graphic designers, illustrators and educators, met to discuss pressing business topics. Discussions centered on emerging industry tools that affect the memberships of all the groups and included metadata technical standards, image registry and on the robust protection of artist's rights via copyright education. View full press release   Update on NPS Fee Proposal May 19, 2006   On April 14, 2006, the National Park Service issued a press release announcing the implementation of legislation relating to fees for commercial filming and still photography. Unfortunately, the press release was vague and caused an uproar among nature photographers who did not understand the implications. We have spoken to a knowledgeable official of the National Park Service and are pleased to report the following: *THE RULES ARE NOT BEING CHANGED CONCERNING STILL PHOTOGRAPHY.* Federal legislation (Public Law 106-206), which has been on the books for several years, provides that the Park Service cannot require a permit or assess a fee for still photography if the photography takes place where members of the public are generally allowed and the photography does not involve models or props which are not a part of the site's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities. The Park Service is not proposing to require permits for this kind of still photography and, indeed, the Park Service could not legally do so because it would be in violation of the federal statute. The reason that this is all coming up now is that Public Law 106-206 does provide for permits and fees for motion picture and video photography and the Park Service is now implementing those permits and fees. So go out to the National Parks and shoot. So long as you are shooting the landscape and the local wildlife at times at which and from places where members of the public are generally allowed, fees and permits cannot be imposed.   NANPA Responds to 'Orphan Works' Legislation Mar 10, 2006   NANPA president Al Sieg submitted a comment letter to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees that are considering changes to the Copyright Act. The letter states NANPA's concerns for the rights of photographers in regard to the "orphan works" language being proposed. Click the headline to view the letter. For more information on how this could affect photographers, please review http://www.asmp.org/news/spec2006/orphan_APAstatement.pdf   Proposed Copyright Law Changes Affect Photographers Mar 1, 2006   Copyright law changes being considered in the U.S. Congress right now could have important, long-term, negative effects on photographers' published works. The central issue concerns the status of artwork as "orphaned" and how publishers determine that status. Comments from interested parties are now being collected and the comment period deadline is March 25, 2006. NANPA members are urged to review the material published by ASMP and submit their responses to this important piece of copyright legislation. For background and more details, visit ASMP's web page on the subject.   The preceding information is provided to you as an information service from NANPA in maintaining its responsibility to keep you informed about issues and events related to nature photography, the environment, and the Association. It is not NANPA's responsibility or intent tell you how to vote, what to think, where to go, or what you should do. And to that end NANPA does not endorse or promote such issues or events. This information is provided for informational purposes only. If NANPA takes a specific stand on any issue, it will be stated. If you would like more information on any issue, contact the NANPA office.         Site Index       Search       Disclaimers       Contact Us   North American Nature Photography Association 10200 West 44th Avenue, Suite 304 Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-2840, USA Phone: 303-422-8527 Fax: 303-422-8894 E-mail: info@nanpa.org   © 2001 All Rights Reserved