Do you have a photography project or series you’re passionate about? Curious what your peers and others think of it?
Join APA | SD and our photo community on Wednesday, November 19th at 6:00PM for an evening dedicated to sharing creative projects. This is an opportunity for you to share your work and/or to comment on the work of others. 3 photographers will share their projects in an in-person critique setting. Our “Peer to Peer” events are open to everyone, but you must be a current APA member to present your project.
As independent artists, we know it’s not easy to create in a silo. Sharing your work is an invaluable way to help find your voice and leverage the communal nature of creativity. Letting others in on your process can be inspiring and helps lead to self-discovery that can push a project even further.
If you don’t have a project to share, that’s ok. Come out to support the presenters and photo community. Constructive feedback and insight are always welcome.
Send us a link to your project for consideration. Submissions should be ready to share and present to an audience. If you are selected to present, you will be given 15-20 minutes including time for comments and questions.
WHEN: Wednesday, November 19th, 2025 | 6 PM
WHERE: Studio on Banks | 5343 Banks St, San Diego, CA 92110
Untitled is an annual juried exhibition designed to showcase the best work – images that show your unique vision, creative passion, and individualistic style, titled or untitled. Each year we invite curators, editors and industry professionals from the international photo community to help curate our annual exhibition and fundraiser. This year we’re honored to welcome our jurors Shana Lopes, Assistant Director from SFMOMA and Alyssa Ortega Coppelman, an independent photo and photobook editor, writer, picture researcher, and consultant based in Austin, Texas.
Our jurors will consider all photographic submissions for an in-person exhibition where 20 images will be displayed, and the top three finalists awarded prizes, one of which will receive the ‘Best of Show’ honors.
Our annual call for entries is open to anyone from students to professional photographers and there are no categories.
APA members receive discounts on all entries. For details and to submit your work click here or visit the Untitledshow.org to view past winner galleries. The deadline to enter is October 13, 2025.
Entry fees help support annual programming and events for APA San Diego and Outside the Lens. 10% of all entry fees will be donated to Outside the Lens in support of their mission and programming.
Join APA | SD for a casual members gathering at Bread & Salt Gallery on Friday, August 15th at 11:30am to tour their new exhibition by Jason Sherry. Meet us for a tour at 11:30 and stay to grab a coffee with us afterwards at Provecho! Coffee Co.
This is a great way to connect with other photographers, artists and members, learn more about APA and ask any questions.
Where: 1955 Julian Ave, San Diego, CA 92113
When: Friday, August 15th at 11:30am
This is a Free event so come out, meet other members and get more involved with your local photo community.
APA San Diego is hosting a midsummer mixer on Wednesday, July 30th at Studio on Banks.
This is an opportunity to meet new people, network, discuss collaborations and catch up with old friends. We’ll be inside enjoying some drinks from 5-7PM and hope to see you there.
All are welcome – whether you’re already an APA member or just interested in meeting others in the photo, film and creative community.
When: Wednesday, July 30, 2025 · 5 – 7pm PDT Where: Studio On Banks, 5343 Banks St., San Diego, CA 92110 Get Directions
Join APA | SD for a casual gathering for members at the Photographer’s Eye Gallery on Friday, April 18th from 12pm-1pm to tour their new exhibition, Earth Matters. Meet us for a tour at noon and stay to grab a coffee with us afterwards.
This is a great way to connect with other photographers and members, learn more about APA and ask any questions.
Where: 326 E Grand Ave. Escondido, CA 92025
When: Friday, April 18th at 12pm
Cost: Tour is FREE for members
This is a Free event so come out, meet other members and get more involved with your local photo community.
Photos clockwise from upper left: Stacy Keck, Rich Soublet, Andrew Burns, Rich Soublet, Rich Soublet, Stacy Keck
APA San Diego proudly presents three of its own to demystify the process of creating exceptional portraits. Andrew Burns, Stacy Keck, and Rich Soublet, are coming together to design a workshop on portrait lighting you will not want to miss. Andrew, an established gaffer/photographer will walk us through a wide range of lighting setups in the studio. In addition, we cover how to light an individual within a scene on location. Using strobe, RGB, and constant light, we will take attendees through the process of using these tools to create dynamic portrait lighting, not your typical headshot. We will walk the line between light and shadow and show you what it takes to have control over both.
In addition, as a fun way to show the process of creating trust with the people we photograph, Stacy and Rich will each be tasked with creating a series of portraits of someone preselected whom they have never met. These interactions of meeting someone new, quickly creating rapport, and directing their subject on camera will take place live in front of workshop attendees. This will be a great opportunity for participants to pick up practical tips on how to quickly get people comfortable in front of the camera.
This event will be interactive, providing participants the opportunity to ask questions and gain practical knowledge and confidence with their own creative works. Come join us and see the magic that happens when experienced photographers unite to create together!
What: An in-person lighting and portrait workshop for all levels of photographers
When: Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, 9:30AM – 12:00PM
Where:Skylight Studios, 4562 Alvarado Canyon Road, San Diego, CA, 92120
Cost: $25 APA Members $50 Non Members Students FREE with proof of enrollment/Student ID (Tickets must be reserved in advance, space is limited)
Sony will be joining us to share details about their UX Research Program. Sony’s UX research team is looking for more creators to provide feedback for Sony imaging products and concepts. Photographers, videographers, and cinematographers of all backgrounds are welcome to join the Creators’ volunteer list to hear about upcoming opportunities to share your experience and opinions. Gift card incentives are provided as a thank you for your feedback, which is used to improve current and future Sony products.
Thank you to George’s Camera for your ongoing support and helping make our annual programming possible. Visit their North Park or Clairemont locations and see why they are San Diego’s largest full-service camera store.
Skylight Studios for their generosity and hosting the event at their beautiful studio. Skylight Studios is equipped with the most thoughtful amenities of any studio of its kind in San Diego, paired with incredible hospitality and support. For a successful, headache-free production, look no further!
Voice & Video for their gracious donation of lighting and grip for this event. Visit them for your audio, video and production needs!
Meet Texas-based photographer and fine-art printerGeorge Craig. George was the 2024 Best in Show winner for APA LA’s Off the Clock photo exhibition and one of the top Untitled finalists in 2020. He began his photography journey capturing images during surf trips to Mexico in the 1960s. He holds a Bachelor’s in Photojournalism from the University of Texas, School of Communications.
Do you have a favorite podcast? When we do road trips, for which there are many, my wife and I choose podcasts according to where we are headed, so they are always something to do with the history or the geography of the area we are touring.
What 3 words best describe your photography style? Simplistic…Abstract…Graphic
What inspires you? Found objects and scenes in nature and the natural world. As I am not as involved in the corporate work as much as the fine art part of photography, my vision starts with what I can see…what I find while out in the world, and then try to capture that in my shooting style.
What’s your favorite thing about being a photographic artist? Using the tools and techniques that I have accumulated over the years. From the commercial side of my work, I was a storyteller. I try to do the same with my artwork and let the image, or series of images tell the viewer the how and why they are meaningful.
When you aren’t making photographs, what other pastimes do you have? At present, I am doing more printing than shooting. I have a huge inventory of color and b&w film that I have shot over the past 50 years. Going back and finding new images that were overlooked in the first round of selection is very exciting. Utilizing modern technologies to scan and print images that I had never thought of when they were captured, is like being back there again in that moment.
Who have been your biggest influences? Henri Cartier-Bresson for photography, my father for doing business, Lewis Portnoy for involving me in the world of sports photography before auto focus and automatic cameras. The tools and methods I learned to shoot fast-moving objects/people helped me immensely to look at and be prepared for anything I see through the viewfinder.
What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out? My father who has been in the advertising business most of his career, said to NOT work for Ad Agencies…work directly with the client/customer/designer. You will have better communication and feedback about the project, and you will ultimately get paid quicker.
What are the current challenges that you face as photographers and artists? With the over-saturation of imagery…tv, internet, social media etc, the viewer is overwhelmed with visual stimuli. It is my (our) duty to educate the prospective clientele we are after, as to what is good and why.
Of course art is appreciated by the eye of the beholder, and we (I) have to create images that strike a chord with the viewer. I can’t reach everyone, but those that I do make the difference to me in their appreciation.
What have been some of the highlights and challenges of your career so far? Most of all, meeting some of my musical heroes, Sonny Rollins, Johnny Cash, Linda Rondstadt, BB King, James Brown, Vicente Fernandez…being on tour with ZZ TOP, Clint Black, Asleep at the Wheel to name a few, that was the fun part. Most of my work was within the corporate sector, primarily within three divisions, industrial, healthcare, and education. 90% was in locations scattered over the world. Meeting and learning about nano-science from the individuals themselves, the discoveries of new ways to fight diseases, and the dedication that educators, scientists, and researchers have to their craft was so inspiring to me in my small world of telling their story with photography.
What were you doing before you became a photographer? I have really never done any other type of work. In college I worked in a commercial darkroom that specialized in large b&w murals…some for advertising, but most work was for interior design/office or museum decoration. We printed one mural that was 16′ tall, and 42′ wide. Old school ways that taught me how to be a better printer, which I still enjoy doing today. I have had a darkroom in my home or studio since the 1970s and find the practice of analogue printing very satisfying, spending minutes and hours producing an image, and not just seconds at the computer.
If you weren’t a Photographer, what would you be doing? Building something…I have built, from the ground up, three different studios, two different homes, and remodeled all the others that I have inhabited. Our current home was designed by me, and I did all the interior build-out and finishes as well…I like to keep busy with my hands. Currently I am helping my sister build her home out near ours, a 3,000 sqft mid-century modern design.
What do you do when you get stuck? We live out in the countryside, so just sitting out in the morning, watching the sunrise over the Guadalupe River Valley where I can see for miles with very little noise except for birds and other native animals waking up to the day as well. I get to reflect on the peace and quiet
I have so many projects going on, from building, to digital printing, to darkroom work, so there is always something else to turn to and get a change of perspective and let the “stuck” idea have a rest.
What is your best advice for your peers? Be a part of the photographic community. As a lifetime member of ASMP and an almost 10-year veteran of APA, join with your fellow creatives at your local and national meetings. We had monthly ASMP gatherings, and although these members are your competition, sharing stories, both good and bad, helped me to strive to become better in my craft, and never think that you know it all or have done it all … there is always something new to discover if you open up your eyes and your mind.
What advice would you give to yourself if you could go back 10 years? 20 years? I have been working on my fine art photography over the past 10 years, and should have been looking closer at competitions (like the APA untitled/Off the Clock/Something Personal) that were focused on the “creative” or personal work. There are many opportunities, through galleries and groups, to present and show the personal work that all of us have. Eventually the commercial work will end, but the process of being creative will remain and these alternative outlets will be the key to remaining and working on personal photographic projects.
20 years ago, with commercial work still in full swing, I should have been more proactive with my capabilities with Drone and Motion photography. I hired third parties to help with those work streams, and if I had done the homework and educated myself in those areas, I would have been able to offer clients a wider range of capture capabilities. Of course, my argument was to keep focused on what I knew the best, still photography, but one cannot predict the future and see how diluted the market would become, forcing rates to fall, and the acceptability of great photography to diminish as well. I am speaking personally on this issue … but when a client tells me (about 20 years ago) that he did not need to send me out to a specific location because … ‘our employee Bob can get a shot of this site with his cell phone that will work…’
Marketing Today: Your Voice on Instagram and the Web
This online event is designed to help you best present your photography on Instagram and your website. It all starts with your unique point of view; finding it, defining it and only then, putting it out there for your clients to see.
Photographer / Director Art Streiber and Editor / Agent Beth Huerta will share practical strategies, insights and expertise from their own marketing process to guide you in elevating the public face of your photography.
WHEN: Saturday, February 8th, 2025 | 10 AM WHERE: Online | Zoom link provided after registration COST: APA Members: $10, Non-Members: $20, Students: $10
In her current position as Senior Agent/Editor at the award-winning agency Candace Gelman & Associates, Beth has been fortunate to work with, advise and represent renowned artists such as Sandro, Marcus Smith, Olivia Bee, Kennedi Carter and The Voorhes, amongst others. She also works as a freelance editor for photographers including Art Streiber and Tracy + David. Prior to CG&A, Beth worked as a consultant/assistant for a bevy of internationally acclaimed advertising and editorial photographers including Howard Schatz and Theo Westenberger. Beth is a frequent workshop presenter and contributing writer for the American Photographic Artists Association. She is an adjunct instructor for the Photography program at Drexel University and has taught at The University of the Arts and Columbia College Chicago. Beth serves on the advisory board for FreshLens Chicago and is a Mentor for NYC Salt, a program that creates opportunities in visual arts for under-served New York City youth.
About Art Streiber
Art Streiber is a Los Angeles-based freelance photographer specializing in portrait, reportage, entertainment, and advertising photography.
Streiber’s magazine portraits have been published on the covers of Vanity Fair, TIME, Entertainment Weekly, Wired, The New York Times Magazine and Variety.
Streiber has photographed movie posters and key art for motion picture studios, television networks and streaming services including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, ESPN, CNN, Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Peacock, Hulu, Universal, Warner Bros, Paramount and Focus Features.
Since 2005 his imagery has been selected to appear in American Photography and the Communication Arts Photography Annual and in 2019, Streiber was the inaugural recipient of The Stieglitz Award from the Los Angeles Center for Photography, for his continued excellence and commitment to the photographic community of Los Angeles.
Streiber’s fine art prints are represented by The Photo Gallery in Halmsted, Sweden, and upon request with The Fahey Klein Gallery in Los Angeles.
Meet La Jolla based fine-art photographer and APA member, Lisa Miller. Lisa’s work employs tone and shadow to distill complex details to their essence.
What 3 words best describe your photography style? Precise, nostalgic, moody.
What inspires you? I am inspired by other photographs. I enjoy looking at the works of famous photographers from the past as well as images I see in current media. The beauty of the natural world is a constant inspiration. While in Iceland recently, I was overwhelmed by its simplicity and magnificence.
What’s your favorite thing about being a photographic artist? I think photography makes you look at the world more closely. It makes you more attentive to your surroundings as you see compositions, patterns of light, interesting people or chance juxtapositions.
When you aren’t making photographs, what other pastimes do you have? I enjoy cycling, walking, travel, reading, visiting museums, and working with underserved teens through my Rotary club.
Who have been your biggest influences? Artists such as Rembrandt, Salgado, Kertész and Sam Abell. I took one of Sam’s workshops in the late ’90s. Recently I attended another one. It was fun to see him again and learn from him after all these years.
What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out? Shoot what you like. You don’t have to pigeon-hole yourself or stick to a niche. I love still life photography, but the advice has encouraged me to pursue street photography and landscapes, which I also enjoy.
What have been some of the highlights and challenges of your career so far? I have enjoyed having my work displayed in galleries and in international contests. Another highlight has been the opportunity to meet and interact with people involved in photography. They’ve provided different perspectives and insights that I’ve learned from. I find it challenging when my work is evaluated within certain paradigms. I have decided to make photographs that I like, even if they “break the rules.”
What were you doing before you became a photographer? I was a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.
If you weren’t a Photographer, what would you be doing? I am retired so I would probably be doing something else I really enjoy.
What do you do when you get stuck? If I get stuck processing a certain image, I move on to another one or take a break. I think I’m fortunate that I don’t have to produce work under a deadline or for a certain customer. It allows me to be creative and make something I like.
What is your best advice for your peers? Make images that appeal to you. Also, seek out critiques of your images and don’t be too sensitive about criticism. If you don’t like what a judge said, reconsider it a few days later. Most people are just trying to help and if you are too sensitive, you likely won’t improve as quickly as you could. Set goals for yourself. That keeps you striving to improve.
What advice would you give to yourself if you could go back 10 years? 20 years? Take more time off to enjoy photography.
What is a photographer’s role now that technology has made it so much more accessible to the masses? Photographers can teach the public the principles of how to “read” a photograph. While any given photograph may appeal to someone, there are basic principles that make a “good” photograph, whether it be composition, storytelling, etc. The more the public understands these principles, the more they are likely to enjoy photography and make images that others appreciate.
We’re excited to kick off a new year with a peer-to-peer event on Wednesday, January 15th at 6:30 pm. This time, we are focused on PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS and projects that have inspired them.
Have you completed a photography book? Do you have a project you are considering publishing in book format? Do you have a favorite photography book that has inspired you? We’d love to know more about all of them! Join us on Wednesday, January 15th at 6:00 p.m. with your books in hand. This is an in-person opportunity to share your work with a group of peers or participate in discussing the work of others.
Mingling begins at 6 p.m. and discussions will begin at 6:30 p.m.
WHEN: Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 | 6 PM
WHERE: Studio on Banks | 5343 Banks St, San Diego, CA 92110
APA | San Diego 