Guyana represented at Nature Photography Trade Show
Kaieteur News
January 23, 2007
Guyana was one of the exhibitors at the North American Nature Photography Association's (NANPA) 13th annual trade show, which took place in Palm Springs , California from January 17-21.
Representatives touting Guyana at the booth included local photographer David Fernandes; Wilderness Explorers General Manager, Teri O'Brien; and United States Agency for International Development / Guyana Trade and Investment Support (USAID/GTIS) tourism specialist, Judy Karwacki.
The Guyana team also received assistance from Joanne Williams, a professional nature photographer and NANPA member.
NANPA is North America 's only association focused on the field of nature photography. Their mission is to “promote the art and science of nature photography as a medium of communication for nature appreciation and environmental protection.”
Every year, the trade show attracts 800 nature-related professional and amateur photographers and features some 50 exhibitors. Photographers come together to exchange ideas, experiences, and technical information, as well as discuss ideal nature photography locations.
Guyana representatives attended the trade show to display the country's photogenic qualities and market Guyana as a nature photography tour destination.
Birds are a popular subject for nature photographers as are large mammals, making the photography market a natural extension of the GTA-GTIS birding tourism program.
Joanne Williams has recently partnered up with the GTA-GTIS project to offer assistance and advice in planning trips for nature photographers.
It is expected that through her company, Joanne Williams Photo Safari/Tours, she will be leading the first nature photography tour to Guyana .
She will be traveling to Guyana in February to take part in a birding and natural history product familiarization (FAM) tour, and is looking at introducing a tour for November 2007.
The tourism industry will be invited to participate in a debriefing session trip at the end of the FAM tour, where Williams will give her assessment of Guyana 's potential as a nature photography tour destination.
As a well-known nature photographer and tour leader, she has travelled the world and her images have been shown in numerous publications.
Reports from the NANPA trade show have been positive. In addition to several travel photographers who found Guyana to be an appealing destination, four nature photography tour operators expressed an interest in starting future tours to Guyana, and Neblina Tours, a nature tour operator that features Guyana in their catalog, said a lot of interest was shown at their booth.
Much of the excitement came from the fact that Guyana 's amazing birds and nature have rarely been professionally photographed.