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
Welcome to the Seattle Photographic Society.
Member Spotlight
Congratulations to our winners at the Washington State Fair including David Bibus, Jerry Dunbar, Jana Erikson, Mike Livdahl, Leia Smith, and Annette Stiers Jones.
Calls for Entry
Northwest Council of Camera Clubs Annual Conference and Salon
The NW Council of Camera Clubs (NWCCC) is holding its annual conference and its Open Digital Salon, Open Print Salon, and Digital Slideshow competitions. More information on the conference is later in this newsletter. If you just want to submit to the salon, the rules and the entry form can be found here. This year it is $60 to attend the conference and submit, or $30 if you only want to submit to the salon.
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, November 3, 7 pm. Theme = Lens Effects. Commentators scheduled are Annette Stiers Jones and Greg Bartell. 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. November 10, 7 pm. Print Night is held in person at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, 13047 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133.
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:
- November — Lens Effects. Use the camera’s “imperfections” creatively: flare, starbursts, bokeh, diffraction, shooting through glass, raindrops on the lens, or intentional soft focus. Experiment—this theme rewards play and risk.
- December — Artificial Glow. Photograph light that doesn’t come from the sun—holiday lights, neon, lamps, storefronts, screens, car trails, and warm interior windows. Aim for mood: cozy, electric, cinematic, or quietly surreal.
- January — Rainy Day. Seattle’s specialty. Puddles, umbrellas, wet sidewalks, mist, dripping branches, condensation, and moody skies all count. Let rain shape the atmosphere—soft contrast, reflections, and quiet storytelling.
- February — Reflections. Find the world doubled: puddles, glass, mirrors, water, polished metal, and nighttime streets. Try abstracts, layered scenes, or subtle “is it real or reflected?” moments—Seattle winter makes these easy to chase.
The full list for the 2027-2028 competition year can be found at any time on the website. The first theme of the 2027-2028 competition year is In Bloom.
Member and Educational Activities
Call for Volunteers: SPS Financial Review
As part of our regular financial oversight, and in accordance with our bylaws, SPS is seeking three members to participate in an internal review of the club's financial records.
The volunteers will work with the Treasurer to review the previous fiscal year's financial records, including bank statements, income, expenses, and financial reports. The goal is to confirm that the records are accurate and complete and identify any areas where financial procedures could be improved.
The review is expected to take approximately 4–6 hours per volunteer. Accounting or financial experience would be helpful, but is not required.
If you're interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact Jana Erikson via SPS website. You can email members from Our Club-->Send Email to Members.
Brief Technical Announcement
Some club members have run into an issue when uploading an image that is similar to a previously uploaded image. For example, say you enter an image into a competition, get feedback that a different crop might improve the image, and you try to upload the cropped new image. Visual Pursuits tries to optimize storage by not allowing duplicate images, and it may complain. Some easy fixes are to change the title and creation date. You can download exactly how it decides on whether an image is a duplicate here.
Northwest Council of Camera Clubs, 2026 Conference and Print Salon, November 21
This year's conference will take place at the Renton Technical College. 3000 NE 4th St, Renton, WA 98056. Rooms C101/C107.
Lisa Merrill will present Photography for Joy and Connection. An inspiring look at the “whys” behind photography - creativity, connection, mindfulness, play and using images for greater meaning. Daniel J Gregory will present The Language of Color and Building and Sequencing a Photography Portfolio.
More information on the event can be found here. Want to join the competition, rules here.
$60 for the conference and to enter the competition. $30 if you just want to enter the competition.
SPS Book Club
Book Club will be taking a little break to digest everything we have learned in the last three books and starting up next year. Our next book will be Gay Tal's
More Than a Rock,
Second Edition. Look for the one with the tree. If you are interested in joining us for this book, please contact Jenny Stuart, and she will add you to the mailing list.
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
Photo Center Northwest Classes and Workshops
The schedule is available for Winter quarter
classes and
workshops. Some interesting items that stood out to me. A four-session workshop on developing your photographic eye. A darkroom session specializing in bleaching and toning photographs. And a good friend of your editor is teaching an Introduction to Food Photography: Working with Natural Light on March 13th. I'll be taking Untitled: The Interplay Between Text and Images as well as Junior Seminar that quarter.
A panel featuring representatives from The Seattle Light Room, Solas Gallery, and Shutter & Light Collective. They'll discuss their curatorial approaches, working with emerging and established photographers and how exhibition spaces influence the experience of images.
Free if you RSVP here.
CURRENTS, PCNW, Nov 2 - Dec 13
CURRENTS brings together the varied processes and approaches of analog photography across the Pacific Northwest. The work emerging from this region reflects the distinct character of its analog community, shaped by the local environment, active photography groups, and a shared curiosity for experimentation. This exhibition captures a moment within that ongoing exchange, where practices evolve, discoveries lead in new directions, and individual paths meet.
Regeneration: After the Bolt Creek Fire, The Seattle Light Room, Nov 5 - Dec 5
Regeneration: After the Bolt Creek Fire is a 2026 Seattle photography exhibition by Melinda Hurst Frye examining ecological recovery after Washington’s 2022 Bolt Creek Fire. The project grew from Hurst Frye’s repeated visits to the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest near Skykomish after the 2022 Bolt Creek Fire, which burned nearly 15,000 acres.
Kenmore Camera Digital Expo, Nov 6-8
Save the date for the digital expo at Kenmore Camera in November. Until then, as usual, lots of classes and events. See a complete list of all events here.
PhotoWalk with Kate Haily, UW Red Square, Nov 8 at 10 am
Kate is a portrait and travel photographer based in Seattle. Kate’s work is a mix of studio portraiture to street photography, blending in movement and stories along the way. When she’s not creating images you’ll find her teaching Photography, Portraiture & Lighting. Join her and visit Red Square. Register here.
Rockstars, and Tombstones, and Birds Oh My... Dale Fall Photography Show, Nov 13
Get ready to dive into a wild mix of rockstars, tombstones, and birds all through the lens of Dale Fall! This in-person event is your ticket to an unforgettable photography experience that blends edgy vibes with nature's beauty. Come hang out, enjoy stunning shots, and soak up some serious creative energy. Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind show! Register here.
Glazers: The Art & Science of Color -- A Photographer's Guide, Nov 14 & 21
Two-part Mark Fitzgerald class covering color perception, harmony, complementary/analogous schemes, color spaces, correction versus grading, and Lightroom/Photoshop application. Register here for this class. Also has other ongoing events.
Wild Lanterns at the Woodland Park Zoo, Nov 13 - Jan 17
Wild Lanterns is back again this year. Be sure to check out the schedule, as they are closed some nights throughout this time frame. More information here.
Garden d'Lights, Nov 28 - Jan 3
Interested, but live on the east side? Check out the Garden d'Lights at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens.
Annual Christmas Tree Lighting & Winterfest, starting late November
The downtown Seattle Christmas tree lighting is typically the first Friday after Thanksgiving. Winterfest runs Nov 27 - Dec 31. Learn more about Winterfest here.
PhotoWalk with Kate Haily, Pike Place Market, Dec 5 at 4 pm
'tis the season for frivolity and fun photographic opportunities. Capture Pike Place Market and the nearby area in the early evening. This is a slower excursion, as using tripods and exploring techniques in slower shutter speeds. Kate will share camera settings to help you capture light trails, as well as highlight some of her fave compositions within the market. Register here.
Acts of Faith with Art Wolfe, Dec 11 at 6:30 pm
Gather with the UW community at Mobius Hall for a special author talk with acclaimed photographer, Art Wolfe, ’75, who will share the stories behind the visuals in his latest book, “Acts of Faith: The Beauty of Belief.” Collected over 40 years of international travel, “Acts of Faith” presents a stunning portrait of global rituals, festivals and other faith-based traditions. Admission is free, but registration is required. Register here.
The Creative Spark
by Jenny Stuart
Seeing Color: Recognizing Color Casts
Part 1 of a Three-Part Series
Color is one of the most powerful tools we have as photographers. It can create mood, direct attention, establish a sense of time or place, and influence how someone feels about an image. But color can also work against us. An unwanted color cast can make an otherwise beautiful photograph feel slightly wrong, even when we can't immediately identify why. Color casts also suppress the full color in your image, one important reason to be able to see and correct them.
Over the next three months, we'll explore color in photography: how to recognize unwanted color casts, practical techniques for correcting them, and finally, how to use color intentionally to create mood and meaning.
What is a color cast?
A color cast is an unwanted color shift that affects an entire photograph. An image might appear too blue, yellow, green, magenta, cyan, or red. Casts can result from our white balance settings or adjustments we make during editing.
The tricky part is that color casts can be surprisingly difficult to see. Our eyes adapt to color, and after twenty minutes of editing, something that initially looked too blue can begin to look perfectly normal. It's one reason we sometimes return to an image the next day and wonder what we were thinking.
Learning to see color casts
One of the easiest ways to identify a cast is to look for something that should be neutral—a white shirt, gray rock, or concrete sidewalk. Look throughout the photograph, examining the highlights, shadows, foreground, and background. Although a color cast affects the entire image, it may be easier to recognize in some areas than others.
Some color casts are easier to recognize than others. I have a particularly hard time seeing a red color cast. I often just know that something is off about the image, without recognizing what it is. This is when some of the techniques we'll discuss next month become important.
Another useful technique is to step away and return with fresh eyes, or compare the photograph with other images. It's also worth revisiting photographs you edited months or years ago. Do you notice something about the color that you missed before?
Of course, not every color shift is a problem. A white wall illuminated by golden sunset light will look warm, while shadows under a blue sky may look cool. These colors are part of the atmosphere, not something to correct.
Our goal isn't to make every photograph perfectly neutral. A useful approach is to first establish a believable, color-correct starting point, revealing subtle color variations that an unwanted cast might obscure. From there, we can make intentional creative adjustments, perhaps even reintroducing some of that color bias for its emotional effect.
Next month, we'll explore practical techniques for correcting color casts.
Bill Ray's Classes
Bill Ray offers education in the Art and Craft of photography available as streaming video. You can find them here. |
|
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!
info@seattlephotographic.com
For website questions or comments, please contact webmaster@seattlephotographic.com
© Copyright 2013-2026 by Seattle Photographic Society.
All rights reserved. Request prior written permission from the photographer to reproduce their images.