By Frank Gallagher, NANPA Blog Coordinator
Everyone wants to maximize their membership dollars but you can only take advantage of what you know about. NANPA offers its members a wide variety of benefits, from training to discounts to marketing advice and opportunities to connect with other nature photographers. The 2021 members’ survey showed that many of you are quite familiar with NANPA’s member benefits, but three resources didn’t have the same, high level of awareness. So, let’s take a closer look at NANPA’s general liability/workshop insurance discounts, citizen science database, and handbook series.
Insurance
Last month, we covered photography equipment insurance available to NANPA members at a discount from Chubb through Rand Insurance. But that’s only one of a range of insurance options available to NANPA members. This year’s member survey showed that about 60% of members weren’t familiar with this option, yet half of members thought it was valuable (and two thirds of pros thought it valuable). If you’re a pro, there’s a business owner’s policy and a general liability policy that covers workshops and phototours. Both are administered by Rand Insurance and available at special rates to NANPA members. There’s even a NANPA Member Health Insurance Program for medical coverage through JLBG Health, with a rich set of features and an extensive network of providers.
For the traveling amateur, part-time or full-time pro, there’s also travel insurance that covers trip cancelation, medical expense and evacuation, and more through USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services.
Get all the details when you login to the Members’ Area of the NANPA website.
Citizen Science Database
National Geographic defines citizen science as “the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. Through citizen science, people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs.” It’s a relatively new term that describes a practice dating back centuries in which ordinary people collect data and share that with scientists and researchers, giving both sides an enhanced understanding of and appreciation for our world. There’s even a US government website, CitizenScience.gov, dedicated to accelerating citizen science and crowdsourcing projects.
If you took part in NANPA’s Nature Photography Bioblitz with iNaturalist back in June, you participated in a citizen science project. There are many more opportunities to combine photography and citizen science for research, conservation, and other worth goals. NANPA’s Conservation Committee has developed a database of ongoing citizen science projects needing photographers. Less than 30% of NANPA members were aware of this.
Want to make a difference with your photography? Start here. And, if you know of a citizen science project that would benefit from nature photography assistance, let us know
NANPA Handbooks
Want to know more about conservation photography or photography contests? A relatively new benefit of NANPA membership is the ongoing series of handbooks. Each handbook takes a deep dive into a particular topic, like bird photography or the business of nature photography, through a set of carefully curated articles by the experts in that subject. Only about half of NANPA members were aware of the handbooks but, of those who were, the handbooks were overwhelmingly popular.
Current handbooks address conservation photography, the business side of nature photography, photo contest tips and secrets, bird photography and the fascinating world of vernal pools. Handbooks are PDF files and are free to download.
NANPA has a wide variety of member benefits, learning opportunities, networking options, and more. When was the last time you took a close look at what’s available in the Members’ Area? Maybe it’s time to log in and explore so you can take full advantage of your NANPA membership.
