Welcome to Seattle Photographic Society!
Founded in 1933, Seattle Photographic Society is a friendly group of supportive amateur and professional photographers. We strive to build both our skillsets and our community through image critiques, discussions, lecture, demonstrations, field trips, friendly competition and intra-club activities.
The club’s interests are primarily in the classical definition of photography, which has to do with the capturing of the original image(s) and post processing. Images generated by artificial intelligence are not eligible for entry.
Every month we hold several different types of meetings. Check out our Meeting Schedule to see what events are coming up.
Announcements
For details on any event see the calendar (must be logged in).
Educational Events have been added as a dropdown in our Resources tab. There, you can now find links to recordings and/or other information about our recent educational presentations and speakers. David Johnston's recording is now available for those who were not able to make the live meeting.
Special Announcement
First, the end of year Special Award categories are changing. For this competition year, the categories will be:
- Black and White / Monochrome (digital only*)
- Cityscapes / Architecture
- Landscapes / Seascapes
- Patterns and Abstract
- Portraits (people and animals)
- Street Photography / Journalism
- Wildlife
*Print already has a B&W competition category. Details on the rules can be found here.
Second, we are looking for a volunteer to help with membership. If you like helping people get connected and want to be more involved with the club, this is a great opportunity. You would help new members enroll, support renewals, and keep attendance for meetings. Much of the workflow is automated, and our current Membership lead will train you and help with onboarding. Interested? Contact Holly Hauser or email sps-news-box@seattlephotographic.com.
Third: Calls for Entry!
Edmonds Arts Fair Gallery Artists
Every year the galleries inside the Frances Anderson Center showcase art from more than 500 artists, including the work of photographers. Entries are juried and awards are given. You can apply via CaFE (Calls for Entry) from now until May 1st. More information on key dates can be found here.
Tacoma Spring Fair Photo Contest
Tacoma Photographic Society is sponsoring the Spring Fair Photo Contest (prints only) which offers cash prizes and daily People's Choice awards! It will be at the Washington State Fairgrounds - April 10-12 and 17-19. Entries and registration are due by Friday, March 20, 2026. More information can be found here. The complete entry form with details can be found here.
Print and Projected Nights
Projected night is the first Tuesday of every month. Print night is the second Tuesday. The next dates are:
- Projected Image Night. Tuesday, March 3, 7pm. Theme = Humor. Commentators scheduled are Bob B. and Greg B. Please submit your images by 2 pm Monday the day before the meeting. To keep to our two hour timeframe, we kindly ask that all participants keep their commentary and responses short.
- Print Night, Tuesday, March 10, 7pm. Print Night is held in person at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, 13047 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 9813.
For details on image Category rules, check the
SPS website under Competitions - Competition Categories. Reminder that Theme images follow the guidelines of Open Category.
Themes in the upcoming months at Projected Images Night:
April - Long Exposure
May - Mood
Member and Educational Activities
Have something you want in the newsletter? Email sps-newsbox@seattlephotographic.com
Club News
Changes in Judging
The Board has been refining our projected image judging process to reduce duplicate awards and make results clearer. You’ll see the first changes reflected in the February results. In the past, some smaller categories occasionally resulted in multiple sets of 1st/2nd/3rd awards. Going forward, we’ll reserve 1st/2nd/3rd for the top placements, and use Honorable Mentions to recognize additional strong images—especially in larger categories.
Behind the scenes, we’ve also made scoring more precise. Judges’ internal scoring has moved from a 15-point scale to a more granular 45-point scale, aligned with the 45-point results scale members already see. You may notice scores displayed with decimals displayed in your Image History. Those reflect the finer scoring increments rather than a change in how images are judged overall.
Judges will receive guidance and details as their turn to judge comes up.
Volunteer Opportunity
We are looking for a volunteer to help with membership. If you like helping people get connected and want to be more involved with the club, this is a great opportunity. You would help new members enroll, support renewals, and keep attendance for meetings. Much of the workflow is automated, and our current Membership lead will train you and help with onboarding. Interested? Contact Holly Hauser or email
sps-news-box@seattlephotographic.com.
SPS Book Club
Book Club just finish our first book--Photography and the Art of Seeing by Freeman Paterson. Lots of fun discussion and unique images. We just stared
The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker. This book has a number of practical, low-stakes noticing exercises that translate well into photo walks and weekly assignments (though it’s not photography-specific). If you want to participate in a future book, contact Jenny Stuart.
Macro Photography Group
SPS Member Bill Wheeler has a Macro Photography Group. If interested, contact him by going to the SPS website, then "Send Email to Members" under "Our Club" and search for his name under "Select from Member List."
Share your ideas at
sps-news-box@seattlephotographic.com
Local Events and More
First Thursday Art Walk, March 5th
A long, standing reoccurring event, but if you haven't been to one in awhile, just a reminder of the First Thursday Art Walks which occur in Pioneer Square each month. March 5th is the next one. The Art Beat mentions the opening of three exhibitions: Tết in Diaspora, We STILL Dream a Future: Reclaiming Our Humanity, and XX – The Patternmaster: An Afrofuturist Ritual for Collective Dreaming. Read more about the shows below!
Exhibition: Beyond Mysticism at the SAM, Opening March 5th
The Seattle Art Museum's new exhibition opens on March 5th. Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest
was inspired by the region’s natural beauty and rapidly changing city. This exhibition showcases artists who told the raw story of Seattle in the 20th century. By sharing the Pacific Northwest’s perspective through trending art styles—including Social Realism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism—these artists offered a unique take on Modernist art and challenged the “mystic” label ascribed to their works.
Women of Photography 24-Hour Conference-A-Thon, March 8th
In celebration of International Women’s Day, 8 March 2026, and building on the success of the 2025 conference-a-thon, scholars, practitioners, and enthusiasts were invited to submit abstracts for participation in a free, online, global, 24-hour symposium dedicated to celebrating the contributions of women to the medium of photography from photography’s announcement in 1839 to now. This unique *free* event featuring 72 speakers aims to highlight the diverse and impactful work of women and female-identifying photographers, as well as those working with photography, across all countries, continents, cultures, and time zones, without a penny spent on travel or registration. The schedule can be found here.
Photowalk: Pioneer Square on March 15th from 11:00 - 1:00
Join Kate Haley on Sunday March 15th for a historic stroll through Pioneer Square and the Waterfront. More information can be found here.
Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, March 20-22
The cranes will be migrating north and Othello is hosting a festival. On you'll have the chance to see thousands of Sandhill Cranes, ducks, and geese as they gather against the stunning backdrop of the Saddle Mountains and sprawling cornfields. They have a fantastic lineup of wildlife viewing opportunities, along with engaging talks, fun tours, hikes, and workshops for everyone to enjoy. Experience the warmth of the friendly rural community while taking in the fantastic sight of the Sandhill Crane migration.
Classes and More at Kenmore Camera and Glazers
Both of our local stores offer classes on a regular basis and sometimes offer special events such as walks. Check out their schedules. Kenmore Glazers
Exhibition: Crossings by Susan Meiselas at PCNW
First presented at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990, this exhibition by Susan Meiselas intertwines documentary photographs of Central America during the 1970s and 1980s (from Nicaragua and El Salvador) along with panoramic images from the US/Mexico border taken in 1989. Additional photographs of the US/Mexico border taken in 2018 are also featured in a site-specific gallery installation. The exhibition invites viewers to see immigration in the context of economic and political crises in the region. On view at Photo Center Northwest until March 22nd. More information can be found here.
The Creative Spark
From the Editor's Desk
Have you ever seen an amazing picture of the Milky Way over a mountain or a full moon in the "perfect spot," and wondered "How did they figure that out?" Odds are they used PhotoPills.
PhotoPills is a planning app that helps you pre-visualize a shoot before you leave home: sunrise/sunset direction, blue hour timing, where the Milky Way will be, and even exactly when and where to stand to line up the moon over something like the Space Needed. You can scout a composition from your couch, then double-check alignment on location.
My experience: don’t try to “learn the whole app” first. Start with a specific mission (for example, Milky Way over Artist Point at Mount Baker or a telephoto moon alignment over the Space Needle), then watch the PhotoPills tutorials that match what you’re trying to do.
A good starting point is the 10 Steps to Start Planning Your Photos with PhotoPills. Also, in March Bill Ray will be offering access to a video on planning tools!
Bill Ray's Classes
As the spring photography season approaches, several significant celestial events are on the horizon. These include the total Lunar Eclipse on March 3rd—the last of its kind until late 2028—the Equinox sunset under the Deception Pass bridge around March 20th, and the return of the Milky Way’s bright galactic core. It is the perfect time to elevate your planning process.
Great landscape photography is often the result of being in the right place at the right time. Success depends on coordinating celestial alignments, terrain light and shadow, tides, and weather.
I use a specific kit of tools to plan these shoots from home or navigate them in the field. This presentation, originally recorded for the Seattle Photographic Society, uses case studies to show exactly how these tools work. Access to the class is free through March 31st.
- Precision Planning: Using PhotoPills and The Photographer’s Ephemeris for sun, moon, and Milky Way alignments.
- Weather Mastery: Navigating atmospheric uncertainty with professional tools like Astrospheric.
- Coastal Safety: Understanding how tides work and using multi-location apps to time your shots safely.
- Field Essentials: Navigating with GPS, compass, and altimeter apps on your phone.
You can access the full Planning Tools recording and our curated list of resources directly on my website. This free access window remains open until the end of March.
https://www.billrayimages.com/free-quicktakes-slideshows
The developer of the Photographer's Ephemeris has made a nice tutorial on lunar eclipses using his new Moon Simulator feature. It's also free to watch at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGlfnEzxF3
Videos on Recent Adobe Updates
Matt Kloskowski has a video that discusses some new features like AI Culling, new masks, and some enhanced distraction removal tools. Mostly use Photoshop? This video discussed those updates.
In this video, Julianne Kost demonstrates 15 new features and improvements that make editing faster, smarter, and more creative. Learn how to use Automatic Dust Removal, Improved Reflections Removal, Point Color Variance, Enhanced Masking, and more.
Macro Photography Group
SPS member, Bill Wheeler has a Macro Photography Group. If interested, contact him from our website. Navigate to "Send Email to Members" under "Our Club" and search for his name under "select from Member List."
Be Spam Aware
We’ve been made aware of scam emails that may appear to come from SPS or club officers. Please be cautious — SPS will
never ask you for money or gift cards via email. If you receive a suspicious message,
do not reply or click on any links. Instead, report it to SPS so we can follow up. Stay safe and keep your inbox scam-free!
Copyright © 2025 Seattle Photographic Society, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email as a member or our guest
To update your email address or check membership status please email
membership@seattlephotographic.com
|
|
| Seattle Photographic Society |
|
info@seattlephotographic.com
For website questions or comments, please contact webmaster@seattlephotographic.com
© Copyright 2013-2022 by Seattle Photographic Society.
All rights reserved. Request prior written permission from the photographer to reproduce their images.