Our season for salons and program runs from fall through spring, with more last-minute activities during the summer. Get a PDF with more information on this year’s categories.
January 2026
January 6: Moods/Emotions Salon
January’s topic is Moods or Emotions. All other entries are open.
The public is always welcome to observe a salon at the Friends Meeting in Saint Paul.
January 13: Board Meeting
January 20: February Macro Salon Entries Due
February’s topic is Macro Photography. All other entries are open.
Macro photography is extreme close-up photography of very small subjects in which the image appears to have been life-size or larger on the sensor.
January 24: Winter party
February 2026
February 3: Macro Salon
February’s topic is Macro Photograph. All other entries are open.
The public is always welcome to observe a salon at the Friends Meeting in Saint Paul.
February 17: March Still Life Salon Entries Due
March’s topic is Tabletop or Still Life. All other entries are open.
Pose your static subject for maximum artistic effect.
Feburary 18 (WEDNESDAY): Beth Buelow “Creating Personally Iconic Imagery (Epic Location Not Required)”
This virtual program is being held in partnership with the Western Wisconsin Photo Club.
While it’s fun and energizing to capture iconic locations and scenes, what’s possible when we focus instead on the more personally meaningful? We’ll explore a different way of seeing “icons” and how they reflect your creative vision.
There’s a drive nature photographers share to seek out and capture the iconic landmarks and vistas. After all, those scenes are likely part of what drew us to landscape photography in the first place. But as popular locations become more crowded and vulnerable, we’re challenged to temper that drive and seek out new horizons. Instead of relying on photographing iconic locations, what if we focused on creating more personally iconic images? We’ll turn a few definitions on their head and look at how to release “epic location FOMO” in service to creating a body of work that reflects your distinct vision.
Beth is a Michigan-based artist, coach, and educator who specializes in abstract and minimalist photography. My guiding creative philosophy: If you’re not amazed, you’re not paying attention. Since my intention is to reflect the amazing world around us, my photography doesn’t fit neatly into one particular genre or subject. No matter the subject, her work often conveys a sense of calm, order, mystery, experimentation, contrarianism, and/or balance.
Here is link to one of her galleries.
March 2026
March 3: Still Life/Table Top Salon
March’s topic is “Table Top or Still Life.” All other entries are open.
The general public is always welcome to observe a salon at the Friends Meeting in Saint Paul.
March 10: Board Meeting
March 17: Program meeting and salon deadline
Program Meeting: Layne Kennedy on the History of Photography
Zoom meeting with Layne Kennedy on the History of Photography.
April Monochrom Salon Entries Due
April’s topic will be “Monochrome.” All other entries are open.
Images are limited to monochromatic hues or shades of gray, although filters may be applied to give the image a hue or tint. No part of the image shall be given a special color treatment.
April 2026
April 7: Monochrome Salon
April’s topic is “Monochrome.” All other entries are open.
The general public is always welcome to observe a salon at the Friends Meeting in Saint Paul.
April 21
Program: TBD
May Travel Salon Entries Due
May’s topic will be “Travel.” All other entries are open.
Travel photography documents an area’s landscape, people, culture, customs, and/or history.
May 2026
May 5: Travel Salon
May’s topic is “Travel.” All other entries are open.
The general public is always welcome to observe a salon at the Friends Meeting in Saint Paul.
May 12: Board meeting
June 2026
June 2: Annual Banquet and Awards (Tentative)