Seattle Photographic Society

Calls for Entry

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.

Washington State Fair
Registration for the fair is open! The Cascadia Photographers Exhibition and the Northwest International close on July 18th. More information can be found at https://www.thefair.com/washington-state-fair/wsf-participate/enter-a-competition-at-the-washington-state-fair/ 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, July 7, 7pm.The theme is Frame within a Frame. 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, July 14, 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:

• 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.

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

Member and Educational Activities

Annual Awards Night in June
It's that time of year again! The Seattle Photographic Society holds two End-of-Year Competitions each spring — Special Categories and Best In — celebrating the best work submitted throughout the competition year (May 1–April 30). Special Categories invites members to enter up to fifteen images across eight subject areas (such as Landscapes, Travel, Wildlife, and Portraiture) in both Print and Projected formats, including images never previously submitted. The Best In competition features images already entered in regular monthly competitions, judged across Creative, Nature, Open, and Theme projected categories, as well as four print divisions. Join us on Tuesday, June 23 to see the winning images. 

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 reading The Soul of the Camera by David du Chemin. If you are interested in joining for a future book, please contact Jenny Stuart. We'll share what the next book is and when we will start it in a future newsletter. 

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." 

Vote for the Traveling Salon
In June we will be voting for the Rainier Hills Camera Club. Starting on the first of the month, you can view the images hereand then vote for your top five here. SPS and the NW Council of Camera Clubs thanks you. 

Edmonds Art Festival, June 12-14
Come see the work on local, regional, and other artists. The festival includes gallery artists, artists with booths, food, and more. There is photography, sculpture, painting, and more. Over Father's Day Weekend. More information here. 

Kenmore Camera Summer Sale, June 12-14
Store wide savings, classes, workshops, and more. More information here. 

Ballard Mustang Car Show, June 21st 
Hosted at the Carl S. English Jr Botanical Gardens from around 9:30 am until 4:00 pm. 

Free Boating Day at The Center for Wooden Boats, June 14th
Kickoff the boating season with the 5th annual free boating day. There will be tours of The Western Flyer boat as well as Beers at the Boathouse starting at 5pm. More information here. 

Nature Photography Day, June 15th
Each year, June 15 is designated by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) to promote the enjoyment of nature photography, and to explain how images are used to advance the cause of conservation and protect plants, wildlife, and landscapes both locally and globally.

Annual Fremont Parade, June 20th 
The annual car free Fremont Parade occurs staring at 1:00pm. There will be a fair with lots of booths, crafts, arts, food, and more over that weekend. 

Seattle Center Glow, June 21
The Seattle Glow is a Hot Air Balloon Spectacular put on by Seattle Ballooning and the local hot air balloon community. Hot air balloons are fully inflated and tethered to the ground at the Seattle Center. As pilots fire their burners, the massive envelopes light up like 100-foot-tall glowing lanterns, pulsing with heat and color against the night sky. The balloons don't launch. They glow. On Sunday, June 21, 2026, the magic returns to Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. More information here. 

Burien Car Show and Strawberry Festival, June 21
Go for a day filled with classic cars, sleek rides, and plenty of family fun. From vintage muscle cars to modern marvels, there's something for every automotive enthusiast to admire. Stroll through rows of meticulously maintained vehicles, chat with proud owners, and snap photos of your favorites. The Strawberry Festival will also be happening, they will have food vendors serving up delicious treats, music to set the mood, and activities for the kids. More information here. 

Greenwood Car Show, June 27
The 2026 Greenwood Car Show is returning this June, transforming Greenwood Avenue into a mile and a half of incredible machinery, live music, and community spirit. Produced by the Greenwood Knights, this event supports vital local charities including the Greenwood Senior Center and the Forgotten Children's Fund. More information here. 

PCNW: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit, June 29 - August 16
As this year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the complexity of this anniversary is not lost on photography. The photographs in this exhibition move between defining moments and everyday life, placing events like the commemoration of Stonewall, the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, the Black Lives Matter movement, the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and civil unrest surrounding ICE enforcement alongside quieter, more intimate scenes. Together, these images suggest that history is not separate from daily experience, but embedded within it. Artist Reception on Thursday July 9th from 6-8 pm. (RSVP required).

Community Wildlife & Birding Day with Kenmore Camera & Sony, July 11
Start the day with the Juanita Bay Photo Walk from 7:30 am - 9:00 am. Later, meet John Prucich aka The Falconer, and a few of his ambassador birds to talk about raptors and falconry. Click here for details and to register. 

Seafair, July 21 - August 2
Our annual event with the Torchlight Parade, Fleet Week, and the Boeing Seafair Airshow offers lots of opportunities to photograph locally. 

Perseid Meteor Showers, August 12-13
The American Meteor Society lists the 2026 Perseids as active July 17–August 2, peaking August 12, with 0% moon on peak night, which is unusually favorable for night-sky photography

Interested in More on Titling Your Work?
Daniel Gregory just did a webinar about titling your work. Can you watch a recording of it here. 

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