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
Calls for Entry
Edmonds Art Festival
The Edmonds Art Festivals' call for Gallery Artists is open! Applications accepted from now until 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.
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.
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, April 7, 7pm. Theme = Long Exposure. Commentators scheduled are Alicia. and Mike L. 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, April 14, 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.
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, April 7, 7pm. Theme = Long Exposure. Commentators scheduled are Alicia. and Mike L. 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, April 14, 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.
Announcing: Themes for the Next Competition Year
Here are the themes for the next competition year. Going forward, the newsletter will include the next theme as well as three additional months of themes with this level of detail. The full list can be found at any time on the website.
MAY — MOOD
Let feeling lead. Use light, color, weather, gesture, and atmosphere to create an emotional tone—quiet, playful, tense, eerie, joyful, or reflective. Focus on what the image evokes as much as what it depicts.
JUNE — THRESHOLDS
Capture the feeling of crossing from one place or state into another—doorways, gates, bridges, stairwells, and more. Look for edges and 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.
SEPTEMBER — SHADOWS
Make shadow the subject. Look for long late-day angles, silhouettes, hard-edged geometry, layered shade, or subtle tonal gradients. Street scenes, forests, and interiors can all become studies in shape and rhythm.
OCTOBER — WABI-SABI
Find beauty in imperfection and the passage of time. Seek out simplicity, asymmetry, and the marks of age—weathered wood, repaired objects, patina, cracks, moss, and gentle decay. Embrace subdued tones, thoughtful negative space, and images that convey quiet reflection.
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.
MARCH — CHIAROSCURO
From the Italian chiaro (light) and scuro (dark), this Renaissance painting technique — mastered by Caravaggio and Rembrandt — translates beautifully into photography. The idea is simple but demanding: use a single, directional light source to create bold, luminous highlights against rich, inky blacks. Your shadows aren't just background — they're half the composition. Hunt for side light raking across a face or texture, a single window cutting through a dark room, a streetlamp or candle in the night, or a shaft of sunlight breaking through a forest canopy. The key is to expose for the highlights and let everything else fall into darkness. TBD, add example images for this one.
APRIL — NATURE’S PATTERNS
Look for repetition and rhythm in the natural world—ferns unfurling, bark, seed heads, ripples, waves, stones, shells, moss, and branching forms. This is a great month for close observation and detail work.
The first theme of the 2027-208 competition year is In Bloom.
Vote for the Traveling Salon
In April we will be voting for the F67 Camera Club. Starting on the first of the month, you can view the images and then vote for your top five using these links. SPS and the NW Council of Camera Clubs thanks you. |
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Member and Educational Activities
SPS Board Meeting, April 21th, 7:00 pm
Curious about what the board is discussing, feel free to join us on Zoom.
Photo Walk, April 25th at 10:00 am
Step into a garden adventure with Jana Erikson. This is one of her favorite spots to capture photos and soak up the natural beauty of the Northwest. Tucked quietly between Seatac and Tukwila, this hidden gem features nine unique gardens spread across nearly eleven acres. Let’s wander among vibrant spring blossoms, marvel at the artistry of the Japanese garden, or simply relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
Where: Highline Botanical Garden
Date and Time: April 25th @ 10am
Address: 13735 24th Ave S. Seatac, WA 98168
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kZBaP31Xry5KhQ8L7
Educational Night, April 28th, 7:00 pm
Our own Jana Ericson will be presentingThe Art of the Title.Titles matter more than many photographers realize. They can clarify, suggest, amuse, or add another layer of meaning to an image. In this talk, we’ll consider how to create titles that are appropriate to the work—whether straightforward, evocative, fun, or artistic—and how to avoid titles that feel distracting or mismatched. The goal is to help you find titles that complement your photographs and strengthen the viewer’s experience.
Photo Walk, May 16th at 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 bluepoppies 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: See below
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).
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 emailsps-news-box@seattlephotographic.com.
SPS Book Club
The Book Club is currently readingThe Art of Noticing by Rob Walker. This book has a number of practical, low-stakes noticing exercises that translate well into photo walks and bi-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 atsps-news-box@seattlephotographic.com |
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Local Events and More
Art Exhibition: Seattle Art Museum, March 5 - August 2
SAM's newest exhibition,Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest, is now open. The works in this exhibition were inspiredby the region’s natural beauty and rapidly changing city. It shares the Pacific Northwest’s perspective through trending art styles—including Social Realism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism. Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan, Morris Graves and more offered a unique take on Modernist art and challenged the “mystic” label ascribed to their works.
Art Exhibition: Photo Center Northwest, April 2nd - June 7th
In Practice features selected work of PCNW's faculty, revealing a wide range of artistic approaches, processes, and subject matter that inform both their individual practices as well as their approach to teaching. Highlighting different artistic styles and professional career paths, viewers will discover teaching artists working in documentary, architectural, landscape, studio, and portrait photography that offer insight into those that balance editorial work, teaching, and creative personal projects. Artist Reception on April 9th at 6:00pm.RSVP here.
Conference: Nature Photographers of the Pacific NW Spring,April10-11
Paul Bannick is the featured speaker at the conference. In the morning, he will talk about owls, in the afternoon about woodpeckers. The meeting in April 10-11 in Centralia, Washington. More information can be found here.
Festival: Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature, May 1-3
Each spring, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop to rest and feed along the Washington Coast and in the Grays Harbor estuary during their migration northward. The concentration of birds during spring migration offers people a great chance to view a number of shorebird species. With luck you will also see the birds fly together in beautiful formation "murmurations" while trying to escape a Peregrine Falcon. More information can be found here.
Save the Date: Glazer's Photofest, May 29 - 31
Join us for Glazer's for its 17th annual PhotoFest, Seattle's largest photo and video event of the year. Featuring workshops, demos, photowalks and our largest sale of the year. You can RVSP here to receive more information.
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The Creative Spark
From the Editor's Desk
Creative ideas often begin in unexpected places. A painting may inspire a photographic effort or full project. Likelynot because you want to reproduce it, but because it reveals something you want to explore—light, atmosphere, symbolism, intimacy, scale, or emotion. Borrowing from another art form can loosen your habits and help you discover subjects and approaches you might not otherwise have found. It is one more way of widening the conversation between what you see and what you make.
A good place to begin is with a work of art that stays with you. Ask yourself what draws you in. Is it the color palette, the feeling, the relationship between figures, the use of space, the tension, the stillness, the drama? Once you identify what is compelling, think about how that quality might translate into photography. A project inspired by a painting does not need to resemble it literally; it may simply carry forward its mood, structure, visual rhythm, or underlying question.
To get started, choose one artwork and spend time with it. Make a few notes about what you notice, then list possible photographic directions it suggests.
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Bill Ray's Classes
Bill is extending free access to his Planning Tools class until April 5th so you can employ these powerful tools. Stop hoping for the bestand start being at the right place at the right time.
Click here to watch for free:
https://www.billrayimages.com/free-quicktakes-slideshows
Also, Development Your Eye for Remarkable B&W will be 1/2 off through April 16th. Think of it as a post-tax day reward for your creative skills. Get more details and order your ticket to watch the class video here:
https://tinyurl.com/BnWClass
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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! |
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