Canon
This is the first year that you are involved in SGOTY. Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
Canon as a brand has been associated with wildlife photography and conservation for many years, going back to those old NatGeo magazines in the ’70s and through our conservation partner status with WWF in the 2000s. This just seemed to be the right time to start getting actively involved with the tourism aspect of wildlife photography in SA and through this competition and event, become linked to the top safari guides in SA.
Roger Machin form Canon
What will you be sponsoring?
We will be contributing not one but two prizes, both in the form of vouchers that can be redeemed for Canon equipment. A grand prize of a Canon voucher worth R20 000 and a R5000 voucher for the photography category.
Photographer Andrew Beck and Roger Machin
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
I don’t want to reveal any of the secrets behind our judging process, but they need to think about light, behaviour and probably more about the photographer, than photography itself.
- Provide educational opportunities to promote the conservation and rehabilitation of the cultural and natural heritage of southern Africa.
- To maintain and serve a professional association of highly-trained tourist guides, tour operators and hospitality institutes.
- To promote a culture of professional guiding based on a strong ethical, well-informed, safety-conscious approach that provides the visitor to southern Africa with a pleasant and memorable experience.
- To fully commit to the development and implementation of the national qualifications, promoting the development of all tourist guides including historically disadvantaged individuals, as a part of the South African transformation process.
- To promote the development of guides through the use of training programmes that conform to high standards of learner development.
- To promote the highest standards of guide assessment by appointing fully qualified and experienced assessors.
