It’s been a whirlwind five-day nature photography extravaganza this past week, where I attended the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) annual summit. This blog post is a NANPA Summit 2025 review and some thoughts on how important I feel this organization is at this pivotal moment in history.
NANPA’s History and Mission
NANPA has been holding these events since 1995, and I’ve been fortunate to be a part of several. Over the three decades I’ve been a NANPA member, I’ve met some of the world’s most notable nature photographers, including Galen Rowell, George Lepp, Art Wolfe, Franz Lanting, Joe and Mary Ann McDonald, Roy Toft, and many others. It’s always been inspiring to listen to NANPA presenters speak. However, this year it was even more poignant, given the mindset of our current government, which is primarily interested in removing environmental safeguards nationwide in the name of profit.
The mission of NANPA is to “promote the art and science of nature photography as a medium of communication, nature appreciation, and environmental protection.” All the programs were perfectly aligned with this mantra. The quality of speakers was outstanding, and much of it targeted towards making
the world a better place. But I couldn’t help but feel a bit discouraged knowing one of our current government’s main objectives is to”Drill baby, Drill” and what that means for our planet’s overall health, not to mention the quality of life that lies ahead for all the young people in my life.
Never Give Up
In my Lyft to the airport, I found myself dozing. The warm morning sun and the sound of the road lulled my senses while country music played softly on the radio. After several days of inspiration and excitement, I was beat but hopeful. Hopeful that what I had seen would be enough to counter all that is to come. As these thoughts rattled through my brain, my instinct to never give up returned and inspired me to write this blog to encourage others to follow. Where would we be had ASMP and NANPA not joined forces? The Economies of scale are so crucial for any mission of importance; the time is now to save this planet. As Amy Gulick so aptly professed, “Our losses are permanent. Our wins are temporary.”
For Those Not There
Tuesday, May 13th
The Summit began on Tuesday, May 13th, with a day-long business seminar titled Develop Your Business. This was a fabulous opportunity for those new to the business side of photography to learn some of the basics for trying to make money from your photography. Later that morning, we heard from Arizona Highways Photo Editor, Jeff Kida, about what he looks for in great photography. What better way to get inside the doors of a magazine than to hear it directly from the horse’s mouth, as they say? Mary Virginia Swanson shared her knowledge on the role a photobook can play in helping your career.
Later That Day
Thomas Maddrey from the American Society of Media Photographers gave a powerful program called “Thinking Like a Lawyer,” which encouraged participants to think of themselves as valuable and their businesses as successful. Touching on topics like copyright, generative AI, and more, this was a current and timely addition.
Wednesday, May 14th
The morning program featured the well-known photo educator Tim Gray, who presented his Lightroom Master Class. Brenda Tharp wowed the crowd with her presentation titled “Creating Expressive Nature Photos.” Tim Timmis showed us all how to shoot “Slow Motion Video for Nature.” The day ended with drinks and great Mexican food.
Thursday, May 15th
“Wild Neighbors: Photographing Urban Conservation Stories” by Anne Readel started the morning off with a bang. An amazing young photographer named Soren Goldsmith followed with his program, titled “Photo Engineering: Specialized Technology for Next-Generation Nature Photography.” I had a chance to meet Soren, who was sponsored by Gary Farber of Hunt’s Photo and Tamron. What a breath of fresh air to see such a talented young photographer, he’s only 20, chasing his dreams. Later, we had the chance to attend “Photographing Our National Parks at Night” with Gabriel Biderman as well as “In The Spirit: The Art of Conveying a Presence of Nature” with Karen Hutton.
At 11:00 am was the first Keynote speech, by William Neill, titled “The Long and Winding Road to a Creative Life.” William Neill is a landscape photographer extraordinaire whom I’ve admired for decades with an artistic vision that’s unequaled. The afternoon featured “Responsible Travel and Tourism Photography: Ethics in Action” by the Nature Photography Foundation, as well as another keynote speech by the legendary Tui De Roy, who shared with us the program “The World Through My Lens.”
Friday, May 16th
The day began at dawn with the talented and prolific Ms. Kathy Adamas Clark. Kathy led a small group of bird enthusiasts on a tour of the hotel grounds to photograph birds. I wasn’t in on this tour, but I did something similar two years ago at our last Summit, and we had amazing opportunities with many different species of our feathered friends.
Other programs that day included “Putting Your Images to Work” with Jennifer Leigh Warner. Dan Mele presented “Documenting Research Best Practices.” The Keynote that day was none other than the incredibly successful Art Wolfe, who presented his work from his latest book, Wild Lives. Art puts on a great show with lots of funny one-liners.
The hundreds of images from his most recent book were simply stunning. Later, and equally impressive, was one of my other photographic heroes, Franz Lanting. Wow, Franz is a great speaker with visuals from his newest book that were beyond impactful. His program, titled “Think Globally, Act Locally,” was exceptional. Finally, in the afternoon, the wonderful new magazine Wild Eye hosted a discussion titled “Innovative Approaches to Storytelling.”
Trade Show Extravaganza
To get us all enthused to help support the trade show, Melanie Porter organized the Trade Show Extravaganza, which took place at “3:33 pm sharp!” What better way to get us all in the mood to spend money than to offer a cash bar and lots of high-quality giveaways by drawing numbers from a hat? The best prize was a $1,350 tripod from Arlington Camera. The atmosphere was lighthearted and relaxing, with the crowd having a good time. I’ve never seen any tradeshow do anything like this, and it was a lot of fun. Great idea, Melanie!
Saturday, May 17th
This day started with a message from the Masters of Photography delivered by Ron Rosenstock. A presentation followed by Roy Toft on his book Wild Ramona – A Local Book Project. There was a field trip to Tucson Botanical Gardens, and at 8:30 am, a phenomenal presentation by Amy Gulick titled “Shoot For A Cause-The Power of Pictures.”
Amy’s work is truly impressive, with a fabulous message on how to work with partners to get your message out. Do yourself a favor and check out Salmon In The Trees, a book about the importance of wild salmon. The rest of the day included the program “Working With Scientists” by Ryan Wagner, and the final keynote address by the world-renowned underwater photographer, Brian Skerry. Brian’s work for Nat Geo was stunning.
Did I Mention the Portfolio Reviews?
One of the ongoing highlights of all the NANPA Summits is the Portfolio Reviews. It’s a chance to sit down with top professional photographers or editors, have them review your pictures, and share with you their thoughts on what you might do to make more compelling imagery. This is an amazing opportunity to learn firsthand from some of the world’s top visual professionals. This is a unique program and I know of no other organization that offers anything like it.
Wrapping It All Up
To say this was an impressive five days would be an understatement. The number of programs was daunting, but in a good way. How can anyone complain about so much of a good thing? The trade show wasn’t huge, but it was more than adequate. Here’s the official schedule so you can see what was offered. Sony, Canon, and Fuji were there with all their gear. Canon was cleaning cameras, and Tamaron had a booth. B&H was in attendance and was making 16×20-inch prints for people from a Canon printer.
A big heartfelt thank you goes out to Thomas Maddrey and Melanie Porter, the organizers and driving force behind this year’s Summit. Until next year.
Finally, thank you to both NANPA and Franz Lanting for mentioning the passing of one of the world’s finest nature photographers, Jim Brandenburg. Jim passed away a couple of months ago. I was fortunate to meet Jim when I was just starting to pursue my dream as a nature photographer. Jim was shooting the annual report for Minnesota Power, as he did every year, and our mutual friend invited me to tag along. Our connection never grew beyond that day in the field, but I admired him as my favorite nature photographer ever since.
PLEASE JOIN NANPA NOW
You too can join this important organization and experience the next Summit for yourself. Join NANPA to encourage support for all things related to enjoying and supporting nature. JOIN NANPA TODAY BY CLICKING THIS LINK!