Welcome to the Silver Spring Camera Club – we strive to be the friendliest photography club in Maryland.

Visitors and new members are invited to our public meetings, which take place the first three Thursdays of every month, September through May. Meetings are either virtual on Zoom or at Northwood Presbyterian Church, 1200 University Boulevard West, Silver Spring, MD. We also welcome you to our field trips. Meeting and field trip signups are through Meetup.

Click on the headings for complete information for each section.

Contact Us

For general information about the club, email us at: info@ssccphotography.org

Meeting Location

Meetings on the second Thursday of the month will be held at Northwood Presbyterian Church, 1200 University Boulevard, Silver Spring, MD. Meetings on other Thursdays are online.

Welcome

SSCC truly offers something for everyone. Whether you are interested in the competition experience, or just attending and learning about the process, we have some gifted photographers and great judges who offer constructive feedback in a very supportive and fun environment. Competition Night has made me a better photographer. The Club also offers a wealth of learning and fellowship opportunities, including insightful speakers, field trips, and a monthly meeting called Photo Forum which offers members a chance to receive feedback on their photography from their fellow members in a non-judging environment.

Catherine Honigsberg, President

Overview and History

The Silver Spring Camera Club began in the fall of 1950 when about 50 people attended an open meeting for anyone interested in forming a Camera Club.

Proud Member of National and State Organizations
Photography Society of America (PSA)
Maryland Photography Alliance (MPA)

Join Us

SSCC welcomes the membership of all those interested in photography, regardless of skill level. Current yearly membership dues are $50 for individuals, $35 for students, and $80 for a family. Payment of dues (and filling out the Membership Form) can be done online now.  Please go to Online Membership Form. For more information, contact Lisa or Marc Auerbach, or Andrew Rein at membership@ssccphotography.org.

Officers, Committees and Chairs

Contains the up-to-date names and contact information for officers, directors, and committees. Still not sure who to connect with? Contact info@ssccphotography.org or membership@ssccphotography.org.

Information for Presenters

We encourage presenters to use the Club’s laptop and projector, bringing their presentation on a USB device. More details are included in the link above.

Calendar

Monthly Workflow

Can’t remember the order of club activities or when to submit competition images?

• First Thursday – Speaker Night – Virtual. Submit Projected Competition entries by the midnight deadline
• Second Thursday – Competition – In-person. Bring prints.
• Third Thursday – Photo Forum – Virtual
• Fourth Thursday – Board Meeting – Virtual. The agenda is circulated before the meeting, and all members are welcome to attend and contribute.
• Field Trip(s)
• End of the Month. Submit your article for the Cable Release to cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org by the 24th.

About Monthly Speakers – See Calendar!

Our Programs chair schedules monthly talks by outstanding professional and amateur photographers from businesses, the media, and camera clubs – both local and nation-wide. Additional talks are available through the Maryland Photography Alliance, which are available to both club members and the public for free.

Photography Competitions – See Below!

About Photo Forum

The Photo Forum is an interactive meeting which is an informal and relaxed opportunity to enjoy discussions with other photographers. Each meeting provides useful information for every level of photographic expertise, from beginner to advanced. The atmosphere is accepting and supportive of all attendees. What topics would you like to explore? Topics can be wide-ranging, and include, for example, photo book reviews, an aspect of your own photography that you’d like to share, discussion of shows, workshops, trips, photo gear, software, and your questions. SSCC members can also share images and receive feedback and suggestions by fellow and advanced members.

Write-ups and slides from some Photo Forum presentations are available at the Educational Resources archive.

About Field Trips

Our monthly field trips are a great opportunity to learn from other members and shake yourself out of a photographic rut, a no-pressure opportunity to experiment with your photography and enjoy the company of fellow club members. When possible, field trips end with a group lunch. Please check our Cable Release newsletter, our website (https://www.ssccphotography.org) , sign up for Meetup announcements, or contact the trip leader.

SSCC publishes a monthly newsletter, the Cable Release, from September to May and mid-summer each year. This publication keeps members informed about all planned activities, speakers, judges, field trips, articles, and more.  Each Cable Release issue also features winners from the previous month’s photo competition. The submission deadline is the 24th of the month.

Social Media

We have an active Facebook account?? and we have a Google group forum, both of which you can join by contacting web@ssccphotography.org. You can find us on Meetup – the quickest way to receive invitations to our virtual events. Of course, the best way to connect is to attend one of our meetings or field trips!

Community Service

The purpose of the Community Service Project Fund is to financially support a photography project that advances a community-related cause. A project may be proposed by a Club member, by another photographer sponsored by a Club member, or by a community organization sponsored by a Club member.

NOTE: Only paying members may submit entries to competitions. Other people may attend and observe on competition night.

Competition Calendar 2023 – 2024

• September 7 – Open
• October 12 – Nature Photography
• November 9 – Open
• December 7 – Macro/Closeup
• January 11 – Open
• February 8 – Industrial
• March 14 – Open
• April 11 – Intentional Camera Movement 
• May 9 – Monochrome Photography
• June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)

Competition Theme Definitions 2023 – 2024

Please read the theme definitions so that you understand the scope of each theme.

Digital Entry Specifications

• Format:  JPEG File
• Size: 1000 KB (max).
• Recommended approximate dimensions of 1920 x 1440 pixels, reflecting the resolution of our projector
• File Name: Class~Maker’s Name~Image Title.jpg

Print Entry Specifications

Note that the following information is required on the back of prints: name, title, your level (Beginner, Novice, or Advanced), the date of the competition, and an arrow indicating the top of the print. The template is provided on the SSCC website http://www.ssccphotography.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PrintCompetitionLabels-8-16.pdf .

Competition Rules and Awards (2022-2023)

Competition Rules and Awards (Revised 2024-08)

AI Policy

Please be mindful of the Competition Rules and Awards. The pertinent rules can be summarized as

1. The photograph originates from a light sensitive device (such as film or digital
   camera, as well as scanned film, enlarger, copier, or flatbed scanner, etc), (Section 1)
2. The photograph is made by the entrant and any image editing, retouching, or manipulation of images must be done by the entrant. (Section IV)
3. Respects others’ copyright. (Section 1)

For an in-depth discussion of the implications of AI for our club – the white, the black, and the gray cases as of December 2023 – read David Terao’s article Are We Ready for Artificial Intelligence in SSCC Competitions?

End of Year Competition 2023 – 2024

Remember, this competition is not about selecting the best entries for a single month, but rather selecting the best entries from the monthly competitions for the entire club year (September through May). This is an informal competition – the results are not included in the club records. Note that details may change closer to the event. Here are the critical dates:

September 2023 – May 2024	Eligible entries – up to 5 in Projected and 5 in Print categories which were previously entered in competitions this club year.
Thursday, May 9, 2024	Deadline for submission of the original printed images, submitted at the final competition night in-person.
Friday, May 10, 2024	Deadline for submission of original projected images – send a list of titles (not JPGs) to competition@ssccphotography.org
Thursday, June 13, 2024 (Approximate date)	Results are announced at the End of Year Celebration, in the next Cable Release newsletter, and on the Club’s home page. Prints returned.

Competition Results

Monthly and End-of-Year results can be found in the next edition of the Cable Release Newsletter and on the Club’s home page. A compete archive of monthly results dating back to 2013 can be found in the Competition Galleries.

How to Format your Images Correctly

Here we remind you how to size and name your files:

USING LIGHTROOM TO EXPORT IMAGES FOR DIGITAL COMPETITION by David Mullen

Changing the File Size and File Name for SSCC Competitions – PC Version http://www.ssccphotography.org/changing-the-file-size-and-file-name-for-sscc-competitions-by-david-terao/

Changing the File Size and File Name for SSCC Competitions – Mac Version http://www.ssccphotography.org/resizing-and-renaming-projected-images-for-competitions-using-a-mac-by-david-terao/

Why Compete?

… the photograph on the left was tossed during the first round of competition, while the [identical] photograph on the right won a first place ribbon. The difference? The person looking at the photograph. These are not pronouncements from the Gods on high, but are the reaction of a fresh set of eyes upon our work.

Common Sense Guide

The purpose of a competition is primarily to see if your photography is improving, to learn how the judge thinks you can improve your particular photograph and to observe and learn from the comments he or she gives fellow photographers in the competition.

Here are some things to look for in your photographic entries: Impact, Creativity, Center of Interest, Lighting, Techniques, Subject Matter, and Presentation.

Beginner, Novice, and Advanced Explained

Participants in SSCC competitions have, from the earliest days of the club, entered competitions at either the Novice or Advanced level. We appreciate that many of you (particularly if you’ve recently joined the club), may be a little intimidated about entering your images in competitions. So, to ease the glide-path, we are creating a new Beginner category, that will give you the benefits of a competition, without having to compete against more experienced photographers. 

“Novice” means a person who is relatively new to photography or who may be relatively inexperienced with certain kinds of photography equipment. But within SSCC, “novice” also means a member who has only earned up to 36 points cumulatively in the monthly members’ competitions on a print or projected category basis.

The “Advanced” designation likewise has two meanings. It can represent a member who has earned 37 or more points in either the projected or prints competitions. But it can also be a member, regardless of points, who might be a retired pro or who has long experience as a serious amateur.

Ask the Rules Guru

Members are invited to email any questions about the rules to the Cable Release editor (cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org) who will forward them to the “Rules Guru” Questions. Answers appear in the newsletter for the edification of all members and on the link above.

Competition Archives

Field Trip Photos

Member Websites and Social Media

Educational Resources

Cable Release Archives

Articles 2005 – 2015

Board Minutes

Club Constitution

Stuff to leave out so don’t have to maintain the file during the year.