Seattle Photographic Society

Calls for Entry

Edmonds Art Festival
The Edmonds Art Festivals' call for Gallery Artists closes May 1st! They accept photography, miniatures, paintings, sculpture, and more. Information about the jurors can be found here. To apply, create an account with Calls For Entry (CaFE) and search for Edmonds Art Festival under Apply for Calls. The Artists Award Reception will be at 6:30pm on Monday June 15th. The festival runs the following Friday - Sunday.

PCNW's Chase the Light
Not exactly an open call, but a great opportunity to get your work seen! Chase The Light is Photographic Center Northwest's (PCNW) annual summer fundraising and friend-raising event celebrating photography and community. The event kicks off with a48-hour photo weekend on June 13th and 14th, where people around the globe make photographs on the same weekend. Every participant who submits will have their work reviewed by industry professionals and is guaranteed to have one photograph selected for a pop-up exhibition and print sale on Saturday, June 20th.

Start Thinking About the Washington State Fair
The Cascadia Photographers Exhibition will open for registration on July 18th. If you are interested in getting a jump start, you can find out more via this PDF.

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 is winding down our second book,The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker. The next book is The Soul of the Camera by David du Chemin and our first meeting for that book is Monday May 11th. If you are interested in personal voice and vision, creativity, and how to make more meaningful image, this book is for you. The first meeting will be will be Monday May 11th. If you want to participate, contact Jenny Stuart.

• Projected Image Night. Tuesday, May 5, 7pm.The theme is Mood.Commentators scheduled are Sam Ruljancich and Annette Jones.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, May 12,7pm. Print Night is held in person at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, 13047 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 9813.

Themes in the upcoming months at Projected Images Night:

• May—Mood. Go for atmosphere and feeling first—images that lean evocative, quiet, tense, or luminous rather than purely descriptive. Think weather, light, color, and gesture working together.Aim for a frame thatfeelslike something, not just shows something.
• June—Thresholds. Capture the feeling of crossing from one place or state into another—doorways, gates, bridges, stairwells, and more. Look for edgesand transitions that hint at change and suggest a moment between “before” and “after.”
• July—Frame within a Frame. Compose using natural or built frames: arches, branches, windows, doorways, fences, shadows, or negative space that “holds” the subject. Use framing to guide attention, add depth, and create a sense of discovery.
• August—Barns, Sheds, etc. Lean into rural character and everyday structures—barns, sheds, outbuildings, fences, silos, old doors, and weathered textures. Think graphic shape, patina, and stories told through materials and wear.

For details on image Category rules, check the SPS website under Competitions - Competition Categories. Reminder that Theme images follow the guidelines of Open Category.

Photo Walk, May 16th, 10:00 am
Join Jana for Blue Poppy Day 2026!The mysticalHimalayan blue poppy, Meconopsis, will grace us withits ethereal beauty once again at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden. Walk through a meadow glowing with blooming blue poppies or stroll along the ADA accessible path through the blue poppy glade.

Where: Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden
Date and Time: May 16th @ 10am
Address: 2525 S 336th St Federal Way, WA 98003
Location Map:Here

Admission
$12– General admission, $9– Seniors and students, FREE– RSBG members, children (age 12 and under), andmilitary with ID

Member Showcase, May 26th, 7:00 pm
Step into the spotlight at our Members Showcase! Share a 10-minute presentation on anything that excites you, whether it is a photo series in progress, a fresh technique, or images that spark your imagination. Interested? Reach out by sending an email to the News and Events Mangers (Our Club->Send Email to Members).

Share your ideas at sps-news-box@seattlephotographic.com

Vote for the Traveling Salon
In May we will be voting for the Bainbridge Island Photo Club. Starting on the first of the month, you can view the images and then vote for your top five. SPS and the NW Council of Camera Clubs thanks you.