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- Photojournalism: Capturing Moments - with Ben GrayUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Please join us for our June First Friday meeting featuring photographer Ben Gray and enter our print image competition, “NATURE" (more information below.)
Photography is about finding and capturing the moments that tell a story. This is especially true in photojournalism, where the photographer is the eyes of the public and is responsible for telling the story unfolding in front of them. With 30 years of experience, Ben Gray has captured these moments in just about every situation, from President Carter's funeral (see photo above) to abortion protests to a zebra loose in downtown Atlanta. See some of his favorite images and hear the stories behind them. He will also share some of the personal projects he’s done and talk about how he uses them to fuel his creativity.
Ben Gray is a creative visual communicator with more than 30 years of professional experience as a photojournalist, videographer, photo editor and communications officer. Ben is based in Atlanta where he works with a variety of clients including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Associated Press, the BBC, Cox Enterprises, Wells Fargo, the Carter Center and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Previously, Ben lived in the Middle East, where he worked in Jerusalem and Palestine in the non-profit and religious sector with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and the Lutheran World Federation.
Prior to moving to the Middle East, Ben worked for 18 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a photojournalist, photo editor and director of photography. He is a graduate of Ohio University’s Visual Communication program and serves on the board of directors of The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar.
Ben has written blogs, deadline stories and feature-length narratives. He is a winning ultramarathon runner who has completed 100-mile races, an avid motorcycle rider and a patented inventor (graymatterinventions.com).
To see his work and learn more about Ben, visit:
bengray.com or Instagram: @photobgrayPlease 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:
www.joinspsatlanta.org - Shady Dale RodeoShady Dale Rodeo, Shady Dale, GA
REGISTER FOR THE EVENT HERE
DO NOT RSVP using the red MEETUP button. Signing up on this Meetup page does NOT make you an SPS Member or register Members or Guests for this Event.
To RSVP for this Event, use the link above.
The Shady Dale Rodeo is presented in an outdoor arena that is very photo friendly. A full range of events makes for great shooting.
Parking is free and adult tickets are $25 each and can be purchased at the gate.The Rodeo starts at 8pm. We will meet up in the parking lot at 6:30pm to find our way around, but feel free to arrive earlier in the day.
During the day on Saturday, from 9am to 4pm, Shady Dale’s Rodeo Roundup Festival will entertain rodeo fans with music, venders and eats with the mile long Al Sihah Shrine parade which starts at 3pm.
There are many good animal and people pictures before the show. We will have pretty good natural light for the first couple of events, with decent lighting later. A fast medium range telephoto works best for the action.
We will have access to a buffer area. They ask that we show a little common courtesy and move around frequently and not stand in front of the people in the crowd for too long. Jack Martin recommends bringing a stool. It will help stay out of the way and you can readily move it.
The Shady Dale Rodeo is a IPRA sanctioned professional rodeo event produced by Southern Rodeo Company for over 40 years. It has been voted the Number One Outdoor Rodeo in the Southeast many times.
The rodeo is located on Hwy. 83 just south of the red flashing light at the intersection of 83 and Hwy. 142 in downtown Shady Dale, Georgia.
Proceeds go to various Masonic charities and scholarships.For more event information: shadydalerodeo.com.
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SPS has three standing meetings each month for its members and guests.
The First Friday Program and Competition 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!To pay your SPS dues, visit:
https://form.jotform.com/spsatlanta/club-membership-registration-form
To find out more about SPS visit:
www.spsatlanta.org - Patterns & Rhythms Opening Reception – Emory University Hospital MidtownEmory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, GA
Opening Reception for Patterns & Rhythms: Congratulations to SPS members whose photographs were juried into this exhibition.
Fifty SPS members submitted 195 images for our jurors to consider. The exhibition will comprise 32 photographs by twenty-four SPS photographers.An opening reception will be held on Sunday, June 8, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the hospital lobby. We hope you'll attend and bring your family and friends. The exhibition will hang through June 2026 and is located in the atrium adjacent to the Savory Fare food service area on the lobby level of the Medical Office Tower. Head to the right after entering the hospital main entrance.
Winners will be announced. The members who submitted images are eligible to vote for the Participants’ Choice Award at this event. Light refreshments will be served.
Thank you to our jurors, Rob Knight (robknightphotography.com) and Kaylinn Gilstrap (kaylinngilstrap.com). We wish to thank Charity Crossley in Property Management at Emory Midtown for hosting us.
Questions? Please contact Nancy Penton, 2025 SPS Exhibition Chair, 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://sites.google.com/view/spsatlanta
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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.
