Plano Photography Club
Learn. Shoot. Share.

A friendly community for photographers of every skill level, serving Plano and North Texas since 1984.

The Plano Photography Club (PPC) aims to promote enjoyment, mastery, and further development of photography through cooperation, effort, and good fellowship. 


Meetings every third Thursday (except December) | Training at 6 PM | Program at 7 PM
West Plano Presbyterian Church - 2709 Custer Road, Plano, Texas

Guests are welcome at meetings. No reservations are required.

 Attend a meeting   Join the club  Learn more about the club


 Photo Activity Slideshows

Call for Photos - State Fair of Texas

 

The State Fair of Texas, whose commemorative theme and slogan is "Stars, Stripes, and Howdies!," continues through Sunday, October 18, 2026.

After you have attended the fair, we want to feature your favorite event photos in the slide gallery on the right.

Photo submission: Send your best five to seven (5-7) photos to ppcsendphotos@gmail.com for posting in the gallery and viewing in a slideshow at a future club meeting.

Include YOUR NAME and the TOPIC in the file name(s), such as ThomasMarsalis_StateFair_1.jpg. 

The maximum dimension (long edge) is 4096 pixels; the maximum individual file size is 10 MB.

Send all photos to ppcsendphotos@gmail.com by Sunday, October 25, 2026.

We look forward to seeing your State Fair of Texas images.


Call for Photos - Cottonwood Art Festival

 

Did you attend the Cottonwood Art Festival during the weekend of October 3-4?

If so, we want to feature your favorite event photos in the slide gallery on the right.

Photo submission: Send your best five to seven (5-7) photos to ppcsendphotos@gmail.com for posting in the gallery and viewing in a slideshow at a future club meeting.

Include YOUR NAME and the TOPIC in the file name(s), such as DiannaLawrence_ArtFestival_1.jpg. 

The maximum dimension (long edge) is 4096 pixels; the maximum individual file size is 10 MB.

Send all photos to ppcsendphotos@gmail.com by Sunday, October 18, 2026.

We look forward to seeing your photos.


 Current and Upcoming Photo Activities

Succulents Photo Shoot

Club member Irwin Lightstone has generously offered the club another opportunity to do a succulent photo shoot at his home.

We've done it a couple of times in the past (the gallery on the right is from last year's photo shoot), so many members should be familiar with how he does it.

Attendees should bring a tripod and a macro lens to practice their photo stacking skills.

Irwin will set up individual stations in his front yard for people to work at. He will also share his close-up shooting technique.

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM CT

Location: 
Irwin Lightstone's Home | 9048 Royal Crown Drive, Dallas, TX 75243 | Directions
Lunch: Mattito's | 7778 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 | Directions

 
Photo Submissions

Send your best 5-7 photos to ppcsendphotos@gmail.com for posting in a gallery on the club website and viewing at a future club meeting.

Include YOUR NAME and the TOPIC in the file name(s), such as ImogenCunningham_Succulents_1.jpg.

The maximum dimension (long edge) is 4096 pixels; the maximum individual file size is 10MB.

Submission deadline: Sunday, November 8, 2026.

 


Questions? Contact Club Activity Chair Lily Mak.


Future Activities

Activity     Activity Date(s)     Time     Notes
Fort Worth Zoo / Amon Carter Museum   November 21, 2026   9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT    Lunch at Pappadeaux followed by optional visit to Amon Carter Museum

 Next Meeting - Thursday, October 15, 2026

Training (6:00 PM CT) - Drone Photography (Library)

Lili Banta
Lili Banta

Program (7:00 PM CT) - Lili Banta: Birds, Conservation, and Environmental Storytelling

Lili is a wildlife and conservation photographer based in Dallas, Texas, focused on birds and the rapidly changing landscapes they depend on. Her work explores the intersection of wildlife and human expansion, documenting species in environments that are becoming increasingly fragmented and unpredictable.

She has contributed imagery to the National Audubon Society and its regional chapters and currently serves as Member Programs Chair for Audubon Dallas.

Her fieldwork is rooted in ethical practices and a commitment to capturing authentic behavior without disrupting the subject. She specializes in photographing fast-moving species in dynamic, often challenging conditions.

Through her work, she aims to create images that not only draw people in but leave them with a deeper awareness of what’s being lost and what is still worth protecting.


Program Description

In her presentation, Lili will cover suggestions for photographing birds, great locations for bird photography, and how to make your images come alive. But even more important than that, she will talk about the reasons our bird populations are declining and how that affects our ecosystems.


 Contest Information - October 2026

The Plano Photography Club's October contest is a PRINT competition with the theme OPEN.

Please review the print contest procedures before submitting your print.

NOTE: You must be a Plano Photography Club member to submit contest images.

Electronic entries must be uploaded to the PPC Competition Site by 11:59 PM CT on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Submit contest image


 October President's Message

Although September stayed warm (some might insist "hot"), a few mornings reminded us that fall was on the way.

Alan Daniel
Alan Daniel

We had the chance to photograph the Plano Balloon Festival, where the balloons lifted off Saturday morning (sorry for those who went on Sunday). The atmosphere was wonderful, with plenty of colorful images to capture.

As I write this, several PPC members and I are in Colorado enjoying the fall colors. The scenery is beautiful, and the temperatures are even better. Just wait until you see the photos—they'll be on the website soon and in future newsletter issues. If you couldn’t join us, plenty of local photography opportunities are still ahead.

The Cottonwood Art Festival is coming up, along with a chance to practice close-up or macro photography with succulents later this month. Check the website for details.

If pumpkins are your thing, Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum is a must-see, featuring 100,000 pumpkins from my hometown. And don’t forget the State Fair of Texas, continuing through October 18.

We had a great turnout at the September meeting, and we hope to see the same in October. Thank you to the visitors and new members who joined us, and to all our members for making the Plano Photography Club such a fun and welcoming place.

What do you know? It's October, and cooler, wetter weather has FINALLY arrived.




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