About us
WELCOME to the Southeastern Photographic Society Meetup page.
Click here to go to the SPS website where you will find everything you need to know about us.
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.
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.
Featured event
A Special Evening with Andrew Thomas Lee
Please join us for a special evening with Atlanta food, beverage, and hospitality photographer Andrew Thomas Lee, widely regarded as one of the city's leading food photographers. More than capturing a beautiful plate, Andrew is a storyteller — drawn to the journey behind each dish, from a chef's dedication to the ingredients and traditions that shape Atlanta's restaurant scene. He'll walk us through his creative process: how he conceptualizes and styles a shoot, his lighting and composition choices, and his editing workflow from capture to final print. Bring your questions — he'll also be judging our August digital competition, themed Texture.
About Andrew Thomas Lee: He is a food, beverage, and hospitality photographer whose work has appeared in Esquire, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has photographed over a dozen cookbooks, including a multi-year project on whole-hog barbecue traditions across the South.
andrewthomaslee.com | @andrewthomaslee
Southeastern Photographic Society
Please 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.
- The presentation may be recorded and made available after the meeting. If recorded, the recording will be posted as soon as possible after the meeting, and a link will be emailed to all SPS members.
- This month’s competition is DIGITAL, and the theme is “Texture - Subject with tactile-textured surface such as rusty metal, tree bark or soft fabric, etc. (NOT a texture used in post)” By entering the monthly competition, you will have the opportunity to receive feedback about your image from a professional photographer.
- Entries are limited to TWO per paid member - one Color and one B&W.
- Please see competition rules for more information.
- The deadline for submissions is 9:00 PM on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
- Competition entries are to be sized appropriately, and files are to be re-named using the SPS naming convention: Firstname Lastname - Title of Image.
- Photos must have been taken within 48 months of the competition date.
- All are welcome for the presentation, but competition entries will be limited to paid SPS members only.
- Digital entries are to be uploaded to the links below:
- Black & White images: SPS Black & White Monthly Submissions
- Color images: SPS Color Monthly Submissions
***
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.join.spsatlanta.org
Upcoming events
5
A Special Evening with Andrew Thomas Lee
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, 2650 N Druid Hills Rd, Atlanta, GA, USPlease join us for a special evening with Atlanta food, beverage, and hospitality photographer Andrew Thomas Lee, widely regarded as one of the city's leading food photographers. More than capturing a beautiful plate, Andrew is a storyteller — drawn to the journey behind each dish, from a chef's dedication to the ingredients and traditions that shape Atlanta's restaurant scene. He'll walk us through his creative process: how he conceptualizes and styles a shoot, his lighting and composition choices, and his editing workflow from capture to final print. Bring your questions — he'll also be judging our August digital competition, themed Texture.
About Andrew Thomas Lee: He is a food, beverage, and hospitality photographer whose work has appeared in Esquire, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has photographed over a dozen cookbooks, including a multi-year project on whole-hog barbecue traditions across the South.
andrewthomaslee.com | @andrewthomaslee
Southeastern Photographic Society
Please 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.
- The presentation may be recorded and made available after the meeting. If recorded, the recording will be posted as soon as possible after the meeting, and a link will be emailed to all SPS members.
- This month’s competition is DIGITAL, and the theme is “Texture - Subject with tactile-textured surface such as rusty metal, tree bark or soft fabric, etc. (NOT a texture used in post)” By entering the monthly competition, you will have the opportunity to receive feedback about your image from a professional photographer.
- Entries are limited to TWO per paid member - one Color and one B&W.
- Please see competition rules for more information.
- The deadline for submissions is 9:00 PM on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
- Competition entries are to be sized appropriately, and files are to be re-named using the SPS naming convention: Firstname Lastname - Title of Image.
- Photos must have been taken within 48 months of the competition date.
- All are welcome for the presentation, but competition entries will be limited to paid SPS members only.
- Digital entries are to be uploaded to the links below:
- Black & White images: SPS Black & White Monthly Submissions
- Color images: SPS Color Monthly Submissions
***
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.join.spsatlanta.org34 attendees
Coffee & Critique - Digital Edition (PLEASE NOTE NEW SUBMISSION EMAIL)
·OnlineOnlinePlease join us for our August Coffee & Critique, which will be a “digital edition” conducted on Zoom. AND NOTE BELOW NEW SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR WHERE TO SEND YOUR IMAGES!
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 to RSVP with the attend button below. We will send a link to the meeting a day before the meeting to those who RSVP.
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.
We have a new digital submission email address. Submissions should now be emailed to CC@spsatlanta.org no later than 9:00 pm on the Thursday before the meeting. Please put “C&C” or “critique” in the subject line. We 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.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to email David Cruickshanks at CC@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:
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.
16 attendees
Call for Entries - The Images that Define Us
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, USCALL FOR ENTRIES NOW OPEN - Entry Deadline is Midnight 8/9/26
The Images that Define Us
A juried exhibition by members of the Southeastern Photographic Society
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Exhibition Dates: 10/8/26 - 11/19/26
Opening Reception: October 8, 2026, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PMTo celebrate our 50th anniversary, the Southeastern Photographic Society (SPS) is pleased to announce a very special juried exhibition at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center titled The Images that Define Us. For fifty years, SPS has supported thousands of members in their personal photographic journeys. To honor that legacy, we are asking you to submit images that have been particularly meaningful to you in your own photographic journey. There is no specific theme because we want your best — the photographs that reflect your passion for photography and contribute to your photographic story. The only limitation is that you may not submit images that have previously appeared in an SPS exhibition.
This call for entry is open to dues-paying members only. Please be sure your dues are paid for 2026! To join or renew, please go to: join.spsatlanta.org.
For all exhibit information, requirements, and entry instructions, please click here to access the Callanwolde Call for Entries 2026.
Please read this Call for Entries carefully. It includes the link for the online submission and payment of the $30 entry fee.
Please note the following:
- 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 a juried exhibition. Entering does not guarantee that all entrants will have images selected.
- You do not need to RSVP to this meetup. It is posted for information only and to provide a link for the Call for Entries.
We hope all our members will participate in this event. Questions? Please contact Harriet Dye, 2026 SPS Exhibition Chair, at exhibits@spsatlanta.org.
To find out more about SPS visit:
www.spsatlanta.org12 attendees
“The Art of the Crop!” with Jeff Milsteen
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, 2650 N Druid Hills Rd, Atlanta, GA, USWhile we’d all love to get our images perfect “in camera,” there are many reasons why cropping them after the fact is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to make them better. Fortunately, cropping requires no specialized post-processing expertise and is something anyone can easily do. This Learnshop will explore when and how you should crop your images and whether you should use standard aspect ratios. We’ll also offer specific tips for using crops to enhance your images. Regardless of your level of photographic expertise, join Jeff Milsteen for a fun and informative and look at the Art of the Crop!
Jeff is a long-time member, past president and five-time Photographer of the Year of the Southeastern Photographic Society. He is also a frequent speaker and judge for photography groups in the greater Atlanta metro area. His work can be seen on his website at milsteen.smugmug.com.
Please note:
The September Learnshop will be IN PERSON at our usual meeting place.
***
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.org26 attendees
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