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, the Northwest Council of Camera Clubs Traveling Image Salon is starting again. You'll want to submit 2-3 images of your choice (and making!) to Alan Moodie around mid-February. More information to come soon. If you are interested, the rules 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, February 3, 7 pm. Theme = All About Light*. Commentators scheduled are Alicia and Greg. 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, February 10, 7 pm. Print Night is held in person at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, 13047 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 9813.
*This month’s theme,
All About Light, challenges you to make light the star of your image. Explore how direction, color, and intensity can shape emotion and bring depth to your subject. From soft diffused light to dramatic contrast, let light tell the story.
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:
March - Humor
April - Long Exposure
May - Mood
Themes for the next competition year are being discussed now. Final call for input. Email sps-news-box@seattlephotographic.com if you have ideas.
Member and Educational Activities
Have something you want in the newsletter? Email sps-newsbox@seattlephotographic.com
Educational Night (Save the Date), February 24th
Darrell Gulin will speak on February 24, 2026. The subject will be Travel Icon on all 7 Continents. This will be a HYBRID meeting, however Darrell "puts on an energetic show that is more fun in the room", so if you can come in person that's wonderful. It's also a great excuse for us to get together. And, no promises, but he often gives away prints, so if you come to the Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, you might go home with a new print. Darrell will be sharing photos from Africa / Antarctica / Asia / Australia / Europe / North America & South America and how they were taken. You can see some of Darrell's work here.
Local Events and More
The Seattle Times Presents: Pictures of the Year 2025, January 29, 7:00-8:30
The Seattle Times has their annual Pictures of the Year presentation, featuring Seattle Times photographers' and videographers' most memorable work and the stories behind it. At the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave, Downtown Seattle.
Details of the event can be found
here.
Seats are limited and registration is required. More information can be found
here.
Great Backyard Bird Count, February 13-16
Spend time in your favorite places watching birds—then tell us about them! In as little as 15 minutes notice the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit your counts to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world. If you already use
eBird or
Merlin, your submissions over the 4 days count toward GBBC. More information can be found
here.
Photoshop Virtual Summit Foundations, February 23-27
Our friends at Virtual Photoshop Summit and Virtual Lightroom Summit have a new offering--Foundations. This is a brand-new event designed from the ground up for true beginners—the people who need a slower pace, clear explanations, and step-by-step guidance starting from square one. But it's also for experienced users who want to make sure that their foundations are strong. As usually you can watch the training for a short period of time for free or buy a VIP pass for lifetime access. More information can be found
here.
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.
Exhibition: The Sacred in Motion, Francis Anderson Center, Jan - March
The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation is pleased to present
The Sacred in Motion, an interdisciplinary exhibition that brings together choreographer Alberto Gaspar, photographer Kimberly Person, and the professional dancers of Olympic Ballet Theatre (OBT). The exhibition offers an immersive gallery experience that celebrates the intersection of movement, emotion, and visual storytelling. More information can be found
here.
Book Club Redux
Book Club will be starting a second book in March. Details to come. Contact Jenny Stuart if you are interested.
Tacoma Photographic Society Spring Fair Photo Contest
Tacoma Photographic Society is sponsoring the Spring Fair Photo Contest again this year (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. Entry forms will be available soon at
https://www.tacomaphoto.org.
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."
Galleries
We are an active club and travel all over Seattle and surrounding areas looking for photographic opportunities. See our trips to the Velodrome Race Track, Pike Market at night, Volunteer Conservatory and more in our galleries.
Bill Ray's Classes
Bill Ray offers education in the Art and Craft of photography available as streaming video:
Speaking of birds.
The migrations southward are underway.
Soon it will be bazillion bird season in the PNW.
We all have a few of these shots in our portfolio -- they tell a fun story! But they are a "one-trick pony", not engaging award-winning bird action shots. My 3-part masterclass on the art and craft of bird photography shows you how to go beyond crowd snapshots. And enjoy the zen of being out with captivating birds living their complex lives. Check it out
here
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