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- Macro Images of Life Underfoot with Diane KirklandUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Please join us for our monthly meeting on Friday, September 5, featuring accomplished nature photographer Diane Kirkland, and enter our digital image competition, "URBAN" (more information below).
Diane says: "For many years, my photography focused on local natural landscapes—but I began to feel the need for a new direction. I purchased a close-up lens and discovered a fascinating world that’s often overlooked. When I added extension tubes to the macro lens, it revealed a miniature forest within the forest, adding a whole new dimension to my walks in the woods.
My focus shifted to what I call “Underfoot Images”—tiny lifeforms on the forest floor and decaying logs: lichen, mosses, fungi, and slime molds. Using extension tubes flattens the background into a soft, painterly wash, but the resulting shallow depth of field requires 20 to 50 images per subject to achieve sharp detail. I combine these using focus stacking software to create a single, crisp photograph. I also enjoy blending these sharply focused images with their abstract, out-of-focus counterparts, layering them in Photoshop to explore the tension between clarity and ambiguity.
Additionally, I’m working on a new, ongoing series inspired by the beautifully illustrated manuscripts of the 1500s. These works combine my Underfoot Images with spectacular, public-domain photographs of the cosmos taken by groundbreaking new telescopes. Handwritten-style texts explore the universal patterns and laws of nature that connect all things—us, slime molds, and everything else in the cosmos."
Kirkland served as photographer for the Georgia Department of Economic Development for twenty five years. Promoting Georgia in the US and abroad, her photographs appeared in promotional brochures, websites, advertising campaigns,and publications including Southern Living, Time Magazine, USA Today, American Heritage and The London Times. Two books feature her photographs: Oglethorpe’s Dream, A Picture of Georgia (2001) and Democracy Restored, A History of the Georgia Capitol (2007). Kirkland’s photography and art have been featured in fine art magazines, and in galleries throughout the Southeast.
Kirkland's Underfoot Images recently received an Atlanta Park Pride Artist Grant and 6 outdoor photo panels are now on display at Herbert Taylor Park in the Morningside neighborhood; her slime mold photos have been featured in Lenswork Magazine.
To learn more about Diane and her work, visit:
dianekirklandphoto.comPlease note:
- This month's meeting will be IN-PERSON at our regular meeting location, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, at 2650 N. Druid Hills Road NE.
- This month's Competition theme is "URBAN." Please see competition rules for more information.
- Competition entries are limited to TWO per paid member - one color and one B&W.
- The deadline for submissions is 9:00PM on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.
- Competition entries are to be sized appropriately, and files are to be re-named using the SPS naming convention: Firstname Lastname - Title of Image
- Images are to be uploaded to the links found on our SPS website.
- All are welcome for the presentation, but competition entries will be limited to paid SPS members only.
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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 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 - The State Botanical Garden of GeorgiaThe State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, GA
REGISTER 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 State Botanical Garden of Georgia is home to a range of collections, displays and trails. The collections include:
- The Discovery and Inspiration Garden that includes plants, flowers, insects, butterflies, and pollinators.
- The Flower Garden boasts a variety of collections including the Annual Garden, featuring the All-American Selections Display Garden and the Daylily, Daffodil, Iris, Rose and Peony Gardens, the Fragrance Garden, Perennial Garden, Meditation Garden and a Woodland Walk to reach the Wildlife Pavilion.
- The Heritage Garden is a place where our history comes alive. Collections of heirloom flowers, antique roses, fruit crops, row crops and native species highlight plants that have held cultural significance throughout the history of the state.
- The Hummingbird Trail shows markers where hummingbirds frequent the garden.
We'll gather in the parking lot at 8am and explore the garden together.
More information on photographing hummingbirds
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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 - 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.
