The North Austin Pƒotographic Society is an inclusive, north Austin photo club dedicated to educating, inspiring and motivating its members through frequent face-to-face activities at regular club meetings. The club is open to photographers of all levels from true beginners (no camera required) to professionals. Through regular meetings, NAPƒS builds a community of active photographers, practicing their love for all types of photography. NAPƒS members share their passion and skills through presenting their work at meetings, participating in monthly competitions with live critiques, and exhibiting their work at our socials. We offer monthly presentations with topics of interest to photographers. Club activities are designed to help photographers of all levels grow through active shooting and feedback.
The slideshow on this page includes the winners from the latest month's NAPƒS photo competition.
Vote for the 2024 Photograph of the Year
NAPfS club members are invited to vote for the 2024 photograph of the year. The candidate photos are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the eleven 2024 competitions. All three levels (basic, intermediate, and advanced) are combined so that there will be only one winner.
The competition contains 68 photos.
The voting procedure is to give your top 5 picks a star rating from 1 to 5 (5 stars is the highest rating).
The competition is available in "Competitions > Vote on Competition Images" and select "Photograph of the Year for 2024".
The photograph in this box was the 2023 photograph of the year and was taken by Dennis Bosserman.
The photograph of the year for 2024 will be revealed at the Christmas party.
Upcoming Meetings
NOTE: the meeting announcements are shown below as soon as they are scheduled. Most meetings are held on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM CT. We have four types of meetings:
The first Thursday of each month (except December) is the competition meeting where image entries are judged and critiqued. The deadline for submitting images is shown in the meeting announcement on this page. These meetings are held both in-person and via Zoom.
The third Thursday of each month (except December) is a presentation or workshop. The presenters come from our club, from the photography industry, or from professional photographers. These meetings are held both in-person and via Zoom.
On the months which have five Thursdays, we normally have a social gathering which is not held at our regular meeting location. Check the announcements below for details on these gatherings. These gatherings are in-person only.
We have a Christmas party sometime in December where we share a potluck dinner and awards are made for the photographers of the year and the photograph of the year. This meeting is in-person only.
In-Person Meeting Location
The in-person location is available from the menu at "Organization > In-Person Meeting Location".
Instructions for joining Zoom meetings
These instructions are available from the menu at "Organization > Virtual Meeting Instruction". Zoom is used only for the first and third Thursday meetings.
Thursday, November 21, 2024, 7:00 PM CT - Gary R Hook on "Printing: Why, What, How, and Where"
The link to the instructions for joining the Zoom meeting is above this notice. The link to the map for the club's meeting location is also above this notice.
Digital photography affords a great number of advantages over film: cost per exposure, number of exposures without the interruption of changing film, ease of sharing of images, manipulation of images, turn-around time to view images, storage of images, and more. But viewing digital images requires an electronic device. And those devices, while seemingly ubiquitous, have not yet reached the point of being readily found on the bookshelf, piano, nightstand, or even arrayed on the living room or staircase wall. There remains a place for the printed image. Or perhaps it's better to say, the printed image demands to be seen.
In this short lesson we'll touch on the following, and more:
- Why should we print?
- Motivation to print
- The importance of prints
- What do we need to do to prepare an image for printing?
- Image capture
- Computer configuration
- How do we manipulate an image to get it ready for printing?
- Where can we get prints made?
- Buying your own printer
- Using a print lab
Gary R Hook is a photographer that makes his home just outside of Austin, in central Texas. His exploration in photography began in 2012, with an emphasis on portraiture and stage work. Over time, interests have expanded to include a variety of techniques and subjects, with a mindset that endeavors to find the art in everything. See more of Gary's bio on his website at https://www.garyrhook.com/about.
Thursday, January 2, 2025, 7:00 PM CT - January Competition - Theme is "Oldies"
The link to the instructions for joining the Zoom meeting is above this notice. The link to the map for the club's meeting location is also above this notice.
- Entries will be accepted starting on December 5.
- Submission deadline is Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 11:59 PM CT.
- Popular voting will open on the submission deadline.
- Popular voting ends on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 5:00 PM.
- The judging and popular results will be at the January 2 meeting.
Thursday, January 16, 2025, 7:00 PM CT - Carol Schiraldi on "Marketing 2.0"
The link to the instructions for joining the Zoom meeting is above this notice. The link to the map for the club's meeting location is also above this notice.
Thursday, February 6, 2025, 7:00 PM CT - February Competition - Theme is Open
The link to the instructions for joining the Zoom meeting is above this notice. The link to the map for the club's meeting location is also above this notice.
- Entries will be accepted starting after the January 2 competition.
- Submission deadline is Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 11:59 PM CT.
- Popular voting will open on the submission deadline.
- Popular voting ends on Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM.
- The judging and popular results will be at the February 6 meeting.
Thursday, February 20, 2025, 7:00 PM CT - David Valdez, Former White House Photographer with G.W. Bush
The link to the instructions for joining the Zoom meeting is above this notice. The link to the map for the club's meeting location is also above this notice.
Upcoming Meetup Events
Meetup.com is a site that coordinates events in which its members might be interested. The NAPfS group will have many events, such as photowalks, photo outings, photo trips, etc. Some events are free; others are not. If you're interested in this type of thing, please join our meetup group at https://www.meetup.com/napfs-outings. It's free to join. Go to the website to see all upcoming and past events. You can post photos and see photos of the events. Virtual events are included whereby participants can participate from home.
If you'd like to host a Meetup event, please contact Gary Hook or Ed Peet and they will make you an organizer.
Photos from past Meetup events can be seen at https://www.meetup.com/napfs-outings/photos/ or on this website at "Galleries > Photowalks".
Saturday, November 23, 2024 - Photowalk: Gruene
Shops, a river, and cypress trees. Gruene has a wide range of photographic subjects, so let's explore. Let's plan on meeting in downtown Gruene, in front of the Gruene General Store, on Saturday morning, Nov. 23, at 9:00 AM. Most shops may not open until 10:00 AM, so we might have an opportunity to avoid crowds. We'll wander about, check out the buildings, and (with luck!) color-changing cypress trees on the Guadalupe river.
Gruene is about 75 minutes south of Round Rock (in decent traffic), so those that would like to carpool can meet at 7:30 AM in La Frontera in Round Rock. The usual spot: in front of the Austin Telco Credit Union, behind Applebee's. We'll depart from there at 7:45 AM.
More information on Meetup.
Monday, December 9, 2024 - Photowalk: Holiday Lights
The holidays are just around the corner. And what do we do at the holidays?
Why, make images, of course!
Let's have an outing and enjoy, as well as photograph, some holiday lighting. This year we'll check out the Georgetown square. Their annual ighting event occurs on November 29, so it will be ready for us!
Join us on Monday, December 9, at 7:00 PM, at the corner of Austin Ave and 8th St, near the courthouse.
More information on Meetup.
Happy Happy!
Joy Joy! People's Choice Awards
We are looking for photos that make you smile, giggle, chuckle, or roar with laughter. Something that brings joy and amusement to those looking at it. It could be someone caught in a funny act, dressed funnily, an animal doing something amusing, etc. Let your imagination go wild.
This competition is now open for entries. The entry deadline is Tuesday, November 19 at 5:30 PM CT. The winner will be announced at our Christmas party (probably December 5).
Entries must have been taken within the last two years.
Competition Results
Click on a button below to see the competition winners and some statistics.
Competition History
The following buttons will take you to the history of our photo competition all the way back to the club's origin in 2015.
Meeting History
These pages include links to meeting announcements, recaps (including videos), competition results, judges and speakers.
The past events pages are at "Organization > About NAPfS > Past Speakers and Judges", or just click on the button above and select the year.
Meeting topics and speakers for 2024 can be viewed by clicking here.
Meeting Videos
NAPƒS has a YouTube Channel. Click on the icon above to see it.
Videos of most of our meetings from 2020 to the present are available on our YouTube channel and on this website at "Organization > News and Information > Meeting Topics > Meeting Recaps". A list of all videos and some statistics are available here.
The chat windows and video event times are available in the "Meeting Recaps" pages but not on YouTube.
To see the latest meeting video, click on the button below:
Photowalk (Meetup) Photos and Announcements
NAPƒS has a Meetup group which organizes outings such as photo walks. Click on the icon above to see the currently scheduled events and to see photos from previous events.
Selected photos from these events are on the Meetup website and on our galleries available at "Galleries > Photowalks"
Here are some links to gallery photos taken at previous events:
Painted Churches (10/19/24)
Slide Show or Tiled Images
Sign Bar (9/29/24)
Slide Show or Tiled Images
Hill Country Water Gardens (6/5/24)
Slide Show or Tiled Images
Instagram
Every month, starting on the day after the competition meeting, the winning images are posted to Instagram at the rate of one winner per day. The first image will be from the basic group and the final image will be from the advanced group. If you'd like to see how your winning photos are received by the "general public", please visit our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/napfs.club. If you're an Instagram member, you can start following napfs.club; Besides the winning photos, notices about upcoming competitions and meetings and other important notices are posted.
Members' Websites
We have many excellent photographers in our club and many of them have their own websites. To see the links to these websites, go to "Organization > Members' Website Links".
If you're a full member and would like your website's link on this page, please email the Webmaster with a square cover photo which is at least 200x200.
If you already have a link on the page, you can request to change the cover photo, change the link, or remove the link.
We Need Volunteers!
Our club has some excellent volunteers, but we need more in order to keep a healthy, active organization. If you can, please volunteer to help. The current volunteers will be happy to train you in whatever field you choose. Click on the button below to volunteer..
We need help with art shows, membership committee, outings committee, program committee, and competition committee.
And every month (except December) we need three advanced-level judges to judge the basic and intermediate competitions.
Popular Voting Instructions
All full NAPfS members can vote on the competition entries starting at the competition deadline and ending two hours before the competition meeting.
To read the instructions for popular voting, go to "Organization > News and Information", click on the triangle to the left of "Information", then click on "View" next to "Popular Voting Instructions".
Or just click here.
Instructions for Viewing All Competition Critiques
For instructions on viewing the competition entry critiques, go to "Organization > News and Information", click on the triangle to the left of "Information", then click on "View" next to "Instructions on Viewing Competition Critiques".
Or just click here.
How to Submit and Check Competition Photos
Instructions for submitting photos to our monthly competition are at "Competitions > Instructions on Entering Competitions".
To Check that your photo was properly submitted,
go to "Competitions > Submit Images to a Competition" and select the appropriate competition.
If your entry was properly submitted, you'll see it at the bottom of the page under "Images you entered into the Competition".
How to Set or Change Your Competition Level
Instructions for setting your competition level (mainly for new members) or requesting a change to your level are at "Competitions > Setting or Changing Competition Level". New members are not automatically assigned a competition level, but you must be assigned a competition level to submit photos to a competition.
Explanation of Competition Awards
First, Second, Third Place, and Honorable Mention awards come from the judges. These awards count toward the December “Photographer of the Year” awards. See “ Competition > Competition Rules” for the explanation of how the points are calculated. The images which win these awards are posted to Instagram at the rate of one-per-day starting the day after the competition.
Gold, Silver, and Bronze metals come from the Popular Vote. These awards do not count toward the December awards. Gold, silver, and bronze metals are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively in the popular voting.
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
October 4-12, 2025
Gary Hook organized a trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in 2023 and may do it again in the future. Let him know if you're interested in going.
To see his presentation describing the event, his trip proposal, and photos of the fiesta, click here or on the photo.
Comments, Questions, Concerns?
Do you have questions for the NAPfS members or officers? Do you have comments or concerns that you'd like to share with the other members?
There is a forum topic that is used for this purpose.
Go to "Organization > Discussion Forums" and select "View Topics" under "NAPfS General Comments, Questions, Concerns". You can add a new topic or add a post to an existing topic in this forum.
If you're interested in this sort of thing, even if you don't have anything to post, subscribe to the forum by clicking on the "Subscriptions" button on the right side of the "NAPfS General Comments, Questions, Concerns".
Pƒotographic?
Why do we use "Pfotographic" instead of "Photographic"? Because the club was founded in Pflugerville, Texas, which is just north of Austin. The club history is available from the menu at "Organization > About NAPfS > Club History".