What we’re about
WELCOME to the Southeastern Photographic Society Meetup page.
Click here to join or renew your SPS membership. Note: Signing up on the SPS Meetup page does not make you an SPS member. SPS members pay dues to engage in many activities that are unavailable to guests who simply sign up on the SPS MeetUp page.
Click here to go to the SPS website where you will find everything you need to know about us.
The Southeastern Photographic Society (SPS) is a registered non-profit Atlanta-based community of photographers established in 1976 to help members learn the skills for creating great images and sharing them with others.
We use Meetup to announce all of our events, so please look below to see what is coming up.
Thanks for visiting us here on Meetup.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Coffee & Critique - Digital EditionLink visible for attendees
Please join us for our September Coffee & Critique, which will be a “digital edition” conducted on Zoom.
For newcomers — we meet every month to share images and provide constructive feedback to each other on how to improve our photography. We alternate each month between online digital and in-person print critiques, and the meetings are for beginners and seasoned photographers alike.
For digital months, it is very important that you RSVP on the MeetUp site because only folks who RSVP will be sent the link needed to join the meeting. The link will be sent out the day before the meeting.
For digital C&C’s, participants may submit up to TWO images each for feedback. (A “before” and “after” pair of images will only count as one submission for those who want to “show their work.”) Please size your images as you would for an SPS competition — see instructions here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F0xzqEXvRfPl4T48zNbbasDSZ4beaOEU/view
Even if you don’t submit images, though, we encourage you to join and participate in the MeetUp. Our experience is that the critiques are a valuable learning experience even for folks who don’t submit images.
Digital submissions must be emailed to milsteenphoto@comcast.net no later than 9:00 pm on the Thursday before the meeting. Please put “C&C” or “critique” in the subject line. Jeff will acknowledge receipt of submissions, so if you don’t hear back from him, it means he didn’t get your images.
Your images should be titled with your name and a number showing the sequence of the submissions — e.g., JaneDoe1, JaneDoe2 — with the number reflecting the order in which your images will be shown. We generally show the final image first, and then show the "before" version, so if you don't want it in that order, please let us know.
The Zoom link will be sent out the day before the event. If anyone has any questions, feel free to email Jeff Milsteen at milsteenphoto@comcast.net.
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SPS has three standing meetings each month for its members and guests. The First Friday meeting features an outside speaker and a competition. While competition entries at these monthly meetings are restricted to currently paid-up members, we ALWAYS welcome visitors interested in photography to attend. The Learnshops (fourth Tuesdays) and Coffee & Critique (second Saturdays) are intended for members, but again, we welcome visitors. If you attend regularly, we ask that you help support the club (which pays for the rental of the facilities, supplies, and equipment) by becoming a member!To pay your SPS dues, visit:
join.spsatlanta.orgTo find out more about SPS visit:
spsatlanta.org***
LIABILITY NOTICE: By signing up and attending a Meetup sponsored by the Southeastern Photographic Society, I acknowledge that these activities can be hazardous and that I could be injured or my property damaged. I agree that I am voluntarily participating in these activities and assume any risk of physical injury or damage to my property.
- Members' Showcase Exhibit - Call for EntriesDekalb County Public Library, Reid H. Cofer Library, Tucker, GA
Member's Showcase Exhibition at Tucker Public Library
Dates: 10/4/25 – 12/3/25
Opening Reception: 10/4/25, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Submission Deadline: 9/14/25, MidnightThe Southeastern Photographic Society (SPS) is pleased to announce an open, members’ showcase exhibition featuring photographs by SPS members. It will take place at the Tucker Public Library.
Entries are being accepted now. Entry deadline is Midnight on 9/14/25 (or until we receive 34 entries).
We especially want to encourage individuals who have never participated in an SPS exhibition. We would love to see your work and have you represented in this Members’ Showcase. If you’re not sure which of your images is best to submit, you can send up to 3 images to exhibits@spsatlanta.org (sized to SPS digital submission specifications), and a panel of our more experienced members will provide a recommendation to you within 24 to 48 hours. Of course, this is completely voluntary and what you ultimately enter is completely up to you.
For all exhibit information, requirements, and entry instructions, please click here to access the Call for Entries. Please read this document carefully. It includes the link for online submission and payment of the $30 entry fee.
Please note the following:
· You must be a paid SPS member to submit images for consideration for this exhibition. Please click here for information about how to become an SPS member.
· Detailed requirements for gallery presentation of framed images are included in the Call for Entries. These requirements are designed to ensure an overall uniform and cohesive look for the exhibition.
· This is an open (not juried) exhibition. As such, it will be open only to the first 34 members who enter.
· Cash prizes, certificates, and ribbons will be awarded to the top 8 exhibited images as follows: 1st Place - $150, 2nd Place - $100, 3rd Place - $75, 4 Honorable Mention Awards - $25 each, and Participants' Choice - $100. The judges select the winning images. The participants will select the Participants' Choice Award.
· You do not need to RSVP to this meetup. It is posted only for information and a link for the Call for Entries. In September, we will be posting a Meetup for the reception, and hope you will RSVP to that!Questions? Please contact David Woolf at exhibits@spsatlanta.org.
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SPS has three standing meetings each month for its members and guests. The First Friday meeting features an outside speaker and a competition. While competition entries at these monthly meetings are restricted to currently paid-up members, we ALWAYS welcome visitors interested in photography to attend. The Learnshops (fourth Tuesdays) and Coffee & Critique (second Saturdays) are intended for members, but again, we welcome visitors. If you attend regularly, we ask that you help support the club (which pays for the rental of the facilities, supplies, and equipment) by becoming a member!
To pay your SPS dues, visit:
https://form.jotform.com/spsatlanta/club-membership-registration-form
To find out more about SPS visit:
https://spsatl.smugmug.com/
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LIABILITY NOTICE: By signing up and attending a Meetup sponsored by the Southeastern Photographic Society, I acknowledge that these activities can be hazardous and that I could be injured or my property damaged. I agree that I am voluntarily participating in these activities and assume any risk of physical injury or damage to my property. - Roaming the Americas - with John Wiltshire, Max Heine and Heidi NatkinUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
This month’s Learnshop will feature a variety of travel images from North America and South America by three SPS members:
- John Wiltshire: Locations in Canada
- Max Heine: The Mojave Desert, Palm Springs, and Joshua Tree National Park
- Heidi Natkin: Exploring Bolivia including the Andes, the Atacama Desert and the Uyuni Salt Flats
If you’ve ever wondered about traveling to and photographing these locations, or just want to be an armchair traveler and see some wonderful photographs, join John, Max and Heidi as they take us on a photographic journey to these diverse and fascinating places in the Americas.
Please note:
September's Learnshop will be IN PERSON.
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SPS has three standing meetings each month for its members and guests. The First Friday meeting features an outside speaker and a members’ image competition. While competition entries at these monthly meetings are restricted to currently paid-up members, we ALWAYS welcome visitors interested in photography to attend. The Learnshops (fourth Tuesdays) and Coffee & Critique (second Saturdays) are intended for members, but again, we welcome visitors. If you attend regularly, we ask that you help support the club (which pays for the rental of the facilities, supplies, and equipment) by becoming a member!
Signing up on the SPS Meetup page does not make you an SPS member. SPS members pay dues to engage in many activities that are unavailable to guests who only sign up on the SPS MeetUp.
To find out more about SPS visit:
www.spsatlanta.org
To become a member, visit:
www.join.spsatlanta.org - Photography: A Love Affair With Life - with Rob GierschUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Please join us for our October First Friday meeting featuring photographer Rob Giersch and enter our print image competition, “TRAVEL" (more information below.)
Photography can sometimes be a lonely pursuit, and the perfect escape for an introvert who is more comfortable hiding behind the camera, quietly capturing the scene unfolding before them. But what happens when you push yourself outside of that comfort zone and more actively engage in the world around you? This is one photographer's story about facing discomfort and how making that leap not only made for a few better pictures, but opened the door to opportunities, and a life, he never thought possible.
Rob Giersch grew up in North Carolina and from an early age was captivated by both the outdoors and photography. Adventure has always been the pursuit of an introverted engineer who spent 30 years working across the globe for The Coca-Cola Company, and photography was the perfect creative companion to capture those memories and experiences. In later years he decided to push himself as a photographer by pursuing side gigs in the adventure sports space, and now continues that passion full time. Rob strives to capture the energy and beauty of spaces few ever reach—or even know exist—whether urban, wooded, above, or below, wherever the action flows.
To see his work and learn more about Rob, visit:
https://www.robgierschphotography.com/Please note:
- This month’s meeting will be at our regular meeting location, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta at 2650 N. Druid Hills Road NE, Atlanta.
- Entries are limited to TWO prints per paid member – one color and one Black and White.
- Please BRING YOUR PRINTS to the meeting on an appropriate rigid backing surface. (No frames!) See competition rules for more information.
- The competition will be judged from the printed image during the meeting.
- We are requesting/encouraging members to submit a digital file of their printed image by the meeting time for display on the SPS website.
- The digital version of the printed image is to be sized appropriately; files are to be re-named using the SPS naming convention:
- Firstname Lastname – Image Title
- Digital images are to be uploaded to the links below:
- Black & White images: SPS Black & White Monthly Submissions
- Color images: SPS Color Monthly Submissions
All are welcome to attend the presentation.
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SPS has three standing meetings each month for its members and guests. The First Friday meeting features a guest speaker and a members’ image competition. While competition entries at these monthly meetings are restricted to current dues-paying members, we ALWAYS welcome visitors interested in photography to attend. The Learnshops (Fourth Tuesdays) and Coffee & Critique (Second Saturdays) are intended for members, but again, we welcome visitors. If you attend regularly, we ask that you help support the club (which pays for the rental of the facilities, supplies and equipment) by becoming a member!Signing up on the SPS Meetup page does not make you an SPS member. SPS members pay dues to engage in many activities that are unavailable to guests who only sign up on the SPS MeetUp.
To find out more about SPS, visit:
www.spsatlanta.org
To become a member, visit:
https://form.jotform.com/spsatlanta/club-membership-registration-form
