Posted by Keith Snell on March 17, 2009 at 5:01 PM
Although I haven’t posted on NPN in quite awhile, I thought I’d come back and share an opportunity with some of my fellow nature photographers. This year I had the wonderful experience of being on the North American Nature Photographers (NANPA) committee for their College Scholarship Program. This program brought twelve outstanding students to Albuquerque for an all expenses-paid NANPA Summit experience that included photo shoots at Ojito Wilderness Area and the Rio Grande State Park and Nature Center, portfolio reviews by some of the nation’s top picture editors and photographers, and an amazing number of opportunities to interact with professionals in the field of nature photography. This was a tremendously rewarding experience for both the students and the committee members.
As my good friend Cindy Miller Hopkins said, “Whenever I come home from a NANPA Summit, I feel that my next shoot is always my very best of the year. My head is filled with new information and tips that I can't wait to try and put to good use. I love networking with old friends and meeting new ones. I have truly loved all of my Summit meetings but this year was extra special…Thank you so much for letting me spend time with the very fun & talented 2009 NANPA College Scholarship students. It was truly the highlight of my week. I was totally inspired by their fine imagery, creativity, and bottomless enthusiasm ... I'm hoping that some of it rubbed off on me! They reminded me that photography is a skill that we never really master, but instead, something we keep trying to get better at, keep learning, evolving, and shooting in new ways to create our vision…I'm excited to be off to Galapagos in 24 hours and I'm looking forward to going back to one of my favorite places in the world. With every click .. every composition ... every lens choice - I will be thinking of the students and how I can aspire to see my subjects with their creative eyes. Thanks to ALL of them from me!”
I’m sharing this with the NPN membership for two reasons. First, please help us get the word out to potential applicants, and colleges and universities in your area, by telling them about the NANPA College Scholarship Program. More information can be accessed online at: http://www.nanpa.org/students/app_process_co.html
Second, we had several members that had to give up their positions on the committee this year due to family and other commitments, and therefore have two committee positions open. As I mentioned above, this a tremendously rewarding experience for a nature photographer that can spare the time to plan for and attend the Summit and work with the students. If you are interested in volunteering to be part of the NANPA College Scholarship Committee, please contact me via the contact form on this site, or respond to this post.
Posted by Keith Snell on March 18, 2009 at 10:54 AM
Hi Ben,
I responded to your email query with more information about the application process. We're in the process of updating the applications for the 2010 Summit. We should have new information and the 2010 application process online by the end of May. (NANPA is also in the process of fielding an entirely "new" website, so hopefully that won't slow down the process too much.)
Just to give you a "heads up" with what to expect, the application typically calls for a "thematic" presentation of five images, an "open" portfolio submission of ten images (they don't have to be nature photography, but obviously should be your best work), and answers to several essay questions along the lines of: 1. Provide a brief personal biography and include your involvement with nature, conservation, and photography; 2. Describe your career goals and how photography fits into your future; 3. List any awards, recognitions, exhibits, and/or publication credits your photography has received; 4. Describe your involvement with community organizations, clubs, sports or other extracurricular activities; and 5. Please explain why you would like to participate in the NANPA Summit and how receiving the scholarship would help you to attend.
Hopefully this will give you an idea of how you might want to start preparing for the application process. Being selected as a scholarship student has opened many doors for past participants, including internships with some of the great names in nature photography. Please keep in touch if this is something you are interested in.
Discussion
2 repliesAs my good friend Cindy Miller Hopkins said, “Whenever I come home from a NANPA Summit, I feel that my next shoot is always my very best of the year. My head is filled with new information and tips that I can't wait to try and put to good use. I love networking with old friends and meeting new ones. I have truly loved all of my Summit meetings but this year was extra special…Thank you so much for letting me spend time with the very fun & talented 2009 NANPA College Scholarship students. It was truly the highlight of my week. I was totally inspired by their fine imagery, creativity, and bottomless enthusiasm ... I'm hoping that some of it rubbed off on me! They reminded me that photography is a skill that we never really master, but instead, something we keep trying to get better at, keep learning, evolving, and shooting in new ways to create our vision…I'm excited to be off to Galapagos in 24 hours and I'm looking forward to going back to one of my favorite places in the world. With every click .. every composition ... every lens choice - I will be thinking of the students and how I can aspire to see my subjects with their creative eyes. Thanks to ALL of them from me!”
I’m sharing this with the NPN membership for two reasons. First, please help us get the word out to potential applicants, and colleges and universities in your area, by telling them about the NANPA College Scholarship Program. More information can be accessed online at: http://www.nanpa.org/students/app_process_co.html
Second, we had several members that had to give up their positions on the committee this year due to family and other commitments, and therefore have two committee positions open. As I mentioned above, this a tremendously rewarding experience for a nature photographer that can spare the time to plan for and attend the Summit and work with the students. If you are interested in volunteering to be part of the NANPA College Scholarship Committee, please contact me via the contact form on this site, or respond to this post.
Thank you,
Keith Snell
I responded to your email query with more information about the application process. We're in the process of updating the applications for the 2010 Summit. We should have new information and the 2010 application process online by the end of May. (NANPA is also in the process of fielding an entirely "new" website, so hopefully that won't slow down the process too much.)
Just to give you a "heads up" with what to expect, the application typically calls for a "thematic" presentation of five images, an "open" portfolio submission of ten images (they don't have to be nature photography, but obviously should be your best work), and answers to several essay questions along the lines of: 1. Provide a brief personal biography and include your involvement with nature, conservation, and photography; 2. Describe your career goals and how photography fits into your future; 3. List any awards, recognitions, exhibits, and/or publication credits your photography has received; 4. Describe your involvement with community organizations, clubs, sports or other extracurricular activities; and 5. Please explain why you would like to participate in the NANPA Summit and how receiving the scholarship would help you to attend.
Hopefully this will give you an idea of how you might want to start preparing for the application process. Being selected as a scholarship student has opened many doors for past participants, including internships with some of the great names in nature photography. Please keep in touch if this is something you are interested in.
Keith