SANP upcoming events

Club Meeting - Speaker - Bill Lea - Photographing the Great Smoky Mountains (07/28/2026)

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

SANP Monthly Club Meeting

July 28, Program - Bill Lea

Photographing the Great Smoky Mountains

Who is Bill Lea? If you have been a member of SANP for a few years, you know Bill Lea as the “Black Bear Photographer.” He is that, but so much more. To our great fortune, in the past few years Bill has become much more involved in Landscape Photography. At our July meeting Bill will describe some of the creative processes he uses to create his exceptional images.

With over 50 years of experience photographing the Smokies, his insights and details regarding the driving force and approach behind his images should be of great interest to all our members. Bill believes we all possess the ability to create beautiful art through our photography.

He has authored four coffee-table books. Bill’s latest book is "Great Smoky Mountains – Memories of Mystic Mountain Moods." His most popular book is "Cades Cove – Window to a Secret World." Bill’s attachment to the Southern Appalachian region is unquestionable, and he has shared that interest with the world through appearances in local and national media outlets, and through his books.

Bill has more than 7000 images published and has been leading photo workshops since 1972. He says his enjoyment of sharing the wonders of black bears, the Great Smoky Mountains, and nature with others is second only to his desire to promote a respect for wildlife, the natural world, and all of God’s creation. Check out his website here.

You should definitely make plans to attend this club meeting.

Thank you for registering and we look forward to seeing you!

Workshop - Going to the Dark Side (08/15/2026)

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMT

SANP proudly presents Going to the Dark Side by the widely recognized international “Father of Nightscape Photography” Royce Bair.

SANP is thrilled to welcome Royce Bair to Knoxville, Tennessee. Royce Bair is an internationally acclaimed professional photographer and educator, a full-time professional photographer, author, and photo workshop leader. He has been a professional magazine and advertising photographer for three decades. He is one the early innovators of a genre of night photography some call “nightscapes” and has often been called "the founding father of landscape astrophotography". His unique images have received worldwide newspaper and magazine syndication. Royce believes the foreground is just as important as the starry night sky and may need additional natural or artificial light enhancement for better recognition and aesthetic appreciation. Lecturing and presenting workshop throughout the world, Royce has taught various ways to accomplish this, including his public service website on "Low Level Lighting" methods.
He was the founding organizer of the highly successful Nightscaper Photo Conference. The scholarships provided by the conference to aspiring nightscape photographers were named after Royce Bair at the 2026 Nightscaper Photo Conference.

All images are copyrighted by Royce Bair Airglow Jackson Lake Tetons

Description of the workshop: “Half the park is after dark” is a catchy slogan used by our national parks, and I'm encouraging people to discover this unique world with their photographic night vision.
During the past two decades I've been able to avoid the crowds in our public lands and find amazing beauty and solitude in places that are oftentimes crawling with tourists in the daytime — it's like a whole new world of photographic opportunity!
In my "Going to the Dark Side" workshop I hope to not only get people excited about "nightscapes" but help them find new ways of seeing and enhancing their nighttime compositions. If photographers have tried astro-landscape photography in the past and found it challenging, I will help them break some of the technical barriers and help make it more fun and fulfilling.
If a seasoned photographer thinks they've already figured it out, I can assure them that there is much more to learn. I will teach advanced photographers’ new techniques that are opening up many exciting horizons in the nightscape genre! — Royce Bair

In addition to camera equipment for night photography, Do YOU Know: What Astronomical Dusk is and the best timing for photographing? Do you know how to use the Twilight Zones and how many they are? What is the best definition of the Blue Hour and how to use it? What is the best shape for stars? How to take panorama shots of the night sky? Why to eliminate stars in your images? What are some of the best software options for processing your night sky images? What planning tools to use for night photography? How to use the moon for night photography? How to deal with aircraft at night? What white balance to use? What is airglow? You may discover these answers and more at this workshop.

Who Should Attend: You should if you have thought about, considered, tried, the challenge of taking night photography. You will learn about various equipment options that may include information about cellphones, GoPro, DSLR, and mirrorless camera. The star tracker he prefers when he uses one. Lenses that work best for night photography. Lighting the scene at night so it looks natural and not like a spotlight beaming on the foreground or the building is on fire. The technique developed by Royce is now used by many of the professional landscape astrophotographers including those conducting international workshops.

You should attend if you consider yourself a beginner, an intermediate or an advance night photographer as you will discover techniques that will take your night photography to a higher level.

What to Bring: A notepad and pen. You cannot record the workshop.

Rules to Know: This is a NON-REFUNDABLE event. No EXCEPTIONS

All attendees will receive a link for his eBook Milky Way Nightscapes. A forty dollar value

Date and Time: August 15th Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. The presentation will start at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 3:30 p.m. with appropriate breaks.

Drinks: Drinks are allowed in the auditorium in containers that will not spill. Food is not allowed in the auditorium.

Lunch is on your own.

Location for the this Session: Goins Auditorium in the J. L. Goins Administration Building on the Hardin Valley campus of Pellissippi State Community College, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville TN

Registration is available through August 13th, or until all seats are taken. There is no registration at the door. Everyone who attends must register online, with no exceptions.

Registration fees:

For this Saturday Session Members only $125 dollars

For this Saturday Session Nonmembers is $150 dollars.

Any questions email me at dalepotter55@gmail.com

Focus Session - Rapid Fire Image Critiques #3 (08/22/2026)

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Attention: New Location for this FocusSession is in the Cafeteria Annex, J. L. Goins Administration Building on the Hardin Valley campus of Pellissippi State Community College, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville TN

The attendance is unlimited to members. The first 15 registrants will be invited to submit images for critique.

Leaders: Chris Rohwer and Kathy Westbrook

Time: 9:00AM - Plan to arrive at 8:45 for program start at 9:00AM

Purpose:
This session is intended to be a rapid-fire critique session, by members for members. Each participant will submit two images to be critiqued by three randomly selected members. Critiques will focus on offering constructive suggestions for possible improvements to image capture or post-processing.

While we will strive for a positive and respectful environment, participants should come with an open mind to the ideas and critiques offered by others.

Participants will not only learn more about their own images, but will also benefit from seeing and hearing recommendations on the work of others.

It is suggested that submitted images not be your “perfect” images, but rather images you like that did not fully meet your expectations for any number of reasons.

Once images have been critiqued and if time allows 1) the photographer will be given an opportunity to talk about how an images was created and 2) the judge will edit 3-4 photos. This FocusSession is interactive and is a learning opportunity for all attendees.

Instructions for submitting images will be provided to the first 15 registered participants at a later date.

Notes--format of critique sessions:

Submitted images should be named using the following format:
Number (1 or 2), underscore, first initial, last name
Example: 1_JSmith and 2_JSmith
An “experienced” judge will provide a brief summary of each image after member comments.
Each of the three selected participants should strive to summarize their thoughts in approximately 30 to 45 seconds. The facilitator will then have about one minute, giving each image roughly three minutes of total consideration.
With 30 images, total critique time will be approximately 90 minutes. Including additional instructional and procedural discussion at the beginning, the session will last about two hours.
Each participant will be assigned a number from 1 to 15. Three numbers will be randomly drawn to provide the critique of each image projected. After each round of selection, all numbers will be returned to the pool for random selection again.

Club Meeting - Speaker TBD (08/25/2026)

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 23:00:00 GMT

SANP Monthly Meeting

Speaker: TBD

Title: TBD

Club Meeting - Speaker TBD (09/29/2026)

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT

SANP Monthly Meeting

Speaker: TBD

Title: TBD

Club Meeting - Speaker TBD (10/27/2026)

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT

SANP Monthly Meeting

Speaker: TBD

Title: TBD

Salon Banquet - 2026 Digital & Print Competition & Dinner (11/13/2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 22:30:00 GMT

The date: Friday, November 13 2026, 5:30 pm

The place: Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919 (Next to Buddy's Barbeque)

Ticket price: TBD

Mark your calendars for the SANP Annual Salon, Banquet including dinner and digital and print competition. Registration will be open soon.