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. NANPA Board Minutes Available Aug 19, 2008   Meeting minutes from the NANPA Board of Directors meeting held in Denver in July are now available for review. Click the headline to view the PDF document.   LoonWatch Poster Contest Aug 14, 2008   The LoonWatch program at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute is seeking entries for the 11th annual Loon Appreciation Week poster contest. The contest is open to original photography of any loon species. The winning entry will appear on more than 10,000 posters that will be distributed nationally to highlight Loon Appreciation Week, May 3-9, 2009. Interested photographers should contact LoonWatch for an entry form and submission guidelines at (715) 682-1223, loonwatch@northland.edu or write to LoonWatch Poster, Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, Northland College, Ashland, WI 54806. Submissions must be postmarked by Friday, September 19, 2008. More details are available at their website, click the headline.   ASPP Releases "Best Practices" Guidelines Aug 14, 2008   The American Society of Picture Professionals has released guidelines entitled "ASPP's Best Practices for Locating Copyright Owners of Photographic and Visual Art." This guide is intended to be a "living document" and will be continually updated as new registries and technologies become available. The guide can be found at the ASPP website at http://www.aspp.com/pages/257/189/0/   2009 NANPA Member's Showcase Opens Aug 1, 2008   Submissions are now being accepted for the 2009 NANPA Member's Showcase competition. Entry deadline is Sep. 15, 2008. For contest rules and details see http://www.nanpa.org/showcase_rules.php Login to the Members Area to submit your images.   Death of NANPA Fellow Tom Vezo Jul 22, 2008   We are saddened to report the death of NANPA Fellow Tom Vezo on Friday, July 18. Tom was hiking in the Rincon Mountains of Arizona when he died. Click the headline for details.   GDT International Nature Photography Festival July 15, 2008   The 16th annual GDT International Nature Photography Festival is scheduled for October 24-26 in Luenen, Germany. Details about the festival and a program schedule can be found at http://www.gdtfoto.de/content.php?siteloc=42 (Click "english" in the left column).   South Carolina State Parks Photo Contest May 27, 2008   The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism has announced its 75th Anniversary Photography Contest. Prizes will be awarded monthly throughout 2008 for photos taken in the state's parks with a grand prize at the end of the contest. See http://www.comeoutandplay.net/photo-gallery/contest-intro.aspx for details and entries.   NANPA Board Minutes Available Aug 19, 2008   Meeting minutes from the NANPA Board of Directors meeting held in Denver in July are now available for review. Click the headline to view the PDF document.   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   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.   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