I'm curious how many large format forum participants are also NANPA members?
For those not familiar with NANPA, I'm referring to the North American Nature Photography Association (not the North American Numbering Plan Administration). Their web site is at:
http://www.nanpa.org/
I was a NANPA member for several years back in the 1990s through early 2000s. The reason I'm posting this in the Groups & Meetings forum is that every year NANPA has an annual convention (they call it a Summit). The 2009 NANPA Summit will be February 18-22 in Albuquerque, NM. You can find complete details here:
http://www.resourcenter.net/Scripts/...&ConfID_W=182&
Back when I was a NANPA member, I only attended one Summit - the 2001 Summit in Las Vegas, NV. The main reason I didn't attend more NANPA Summits was that the locations tended to be far away (Florida, Texas, etc.) and favored the NANPA membership contingent that enjoy photographing migratory birds. Nothing wrong with that, but not my cup of tea and rather difficult with a large format camera.
Since attending a NANPA Summit is a significant commitment in terms of both time and money, it makes the most sense for me to attend if I can combine the conference with some shooting while I'm in the area, or on the way there and back. That was why I attended the 2001 Summit in Las Vegas. It let me do some shooting in SW Utah (Zion, Bryce, Coyote Buttes), one of my favorite places in the world, as part of my trip.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the Summit conference. I attended several of the lectures, participated in the Members' Slideshow (which has been replaced with a Members' Print Show) and took advantage of the portfolio reviews to get my work critiqued by several publishers. Perhaps the most fun was meeting, and hanging out with, people whose names I knew from the various online photography forums, and/or had seen in publication credits.
Back then, most attendees and presenters still shooting film, 35mm, quite a few medium format and a fair number of large format shooters). While that has likely changed in the last eight years, Fujifilm is a major corporate sponsor of the 2009 NANPA Summit and Kodak will also have a booth at the conference trade show.
So, I'm curious if any large format forum participants are also NANPA members, and especially if any are planning to attend the 2009 NANPA Summit in Albuquerque. I know Tuan used to be an active NANPA member and has attended at least one past NANPA Summit. Anybody else?
Albuquerque is a long way from Portland, but I'm seriously considering attending. If I do, I will be driving and my trip will take me right through Moab, UT the rest of SE Utah and the heart of the Four Corners region - one of my other favorite places in the world to photograph.
It would be fun to hook up with other large format shooters while at the conference. So, show of hands please, who's going?
Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras
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