‘Anything But Cats’-An African Photographic Adventure featuring the photography of international wildlife and travel photographer William Cowger of Troy. ‘Anything But Cats’ features the unheralded mammals and amazing bird life of the Serengeti ecosystem. Since the cats of Africa get more press and attention than all the rest of the animals combined, a show highlighting the myriad of wild animals without whom the cats could not survive, seems overdue. The show includes ‘survival of the fittest’ challenges for antelope, elephants, giraffes, and zebras in addition to may beautiful wildlife portraits. The Troy Library (ranked 10th in the nation) is on Civic Center Dr.

A Meet the Artist Reception will be held Sunday, January 17th, 2008 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Troy Library. During this event, Mr. Cowger will present a continuous running slideshow and will be on hand to answer any and all questions you many have regarding his African trips of a lifetime featured at www.ThePhotoSafari.com.
Become a fan of Mr. Cowger’s African Safari Facebook Page at: William Cowger’s African Safaris Fan Page

Pleased to announce that my African Safari Show will be re-run on CMN-TV this week at the same times: Mon 9PM, Tue 8:30AM, Sat 3:30PM on Ch WOW 18 / Comcast 52 in Ferndale, Royal Oak, Clawson, Troy, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Berkley ,Auburn Hills, Huntington Woods, and Oakland Twp. This is part one of a 2 part series on the wonders of Africa.

…there is a photogenic gem just minutes from the city that is more rolling than most of northern Michigan, and has a unique look and feel due to the hundreds of horse farms in the area. Read Article Here

I’m pleased to announce a series of classroom and field photography workshops in Michigan. Oct 10, a 4 hour field workshop titled ‘Colors of Metamora’ is in beautiful rolling Metamora, Michigan. Classroom workshops are on October 1, 8, 15 and 22 from 7:00 to 8:30pm at the Boys & Girls Club in Troy at 3670 John R. Rd (north of Big Beaver). For more info Workshops

Photography is often described as ‘painting with light’. Ever wonder why some of your photographs turn out as if you were a professional and others look terrible? …. Read More

I am pleased to announce that I’m a reporter for Examiner.com, a nationwide news organization. I’m the Detroit Travel Photography Examiner. See my 1st article ‘Africa is not scary’. Examiners get compensated based on the number of views of an article, so click HERE.

I’m pleased to act as a judge for the 2009 Galaxy Awards – a world wide competition to honor marketing, advertising and PR professionals. The 12 entries I am judging range in medium from brochures to full marketing campaigns and have been submitted from countries ranging from China to Germany.

Like Detroit, Africa engenders a bit of anxiety in most potential travelers because of media hype as well as a lack of knowledge. As an example, I have been taking photographers and observers to Tanzania for the last 5 years (17 trips) and we have never had a bad experience with safety, health or insects. Every time we enjoy hundreds of incredible wildlife experiences, sightings of bird life beyond expectations, and beautiful landscapes.

Tanzanians consider their country as the Switzerland of Africa, and they back that moniker up with the fact that they have never had tribal wars or even fought their former colonial masters. The warm welcome one gets from the locals is truly one of the fond memories that each and every visitor brings home with them. One of the challenges facing this safe and stable but yet poor country is marketing their incredible natural wonders. Surprising to most is that the Serengeti National Park and Mt. Kilimanjaro are both actually in Tanzania and not in Kenya. The strategic foresight of reserving 25% of their land mass for wildlife is beginning to pay off and will serve them well far into the future.

When I first started my photo safaris as a business, I assumed my prospective clients were all serious photographers. However, I find that just as many people have had life long dreams of going to Africa, but really appreciate going with someone that knows where they are going, when to go there, and can ease the fear of the unknown. On the February trip this year there were just 3 of the 12 people that were serious photographers. Whether it’s photography, the wildlife or both that draw you to Africa, you should not hesitate because of safety or health concerns.

Interview of William Cowger by Michigan Entrepreneur TV on the business of running photo safaris. The interview is split into 3 x 10 minute segments. The full interview will air on Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Twp Public Access Channel 15 on Aug 11th at 11AM and Aug 13 at 7PM. Air times for Troy and Rochester are yet to be released.

Segment 1

Segment 2

Segment 3

One of the earliest feature length wildlife movies, and still one of the best is ‘Animals Are Beautiful People’ by famed director/producer Jamie Uys (of ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’). This film is one of the factors that drove me to be a wildlife photographer, and it’s wonderful family fun as well. It features animals … including elephants… getting drunk on marula berries that have fermented on the tree. It’s on special from Amazon LINK