Photographic Center Northwest

As part of Filter, our annual PCNW Benefit, join us for an exclusive Photography & Wine Pairing Experience on Friday, October 2nd in the PCNW gallery. Led by sommelier Zach Olson of Rhônin Wine Consulting and Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor, this immersive evening invites guests to explore how perspective, place, and craftsmanship shape both photography and wine. Savor thoughtfully paired wines, light bites, and mocktails while hearing the stories behind select Benefit artworks before they head to auction.

Learn more about Filter and our related events through the link below:
https://pcnw.org/benefit/

Save the date!

We are back with another round of Member Spotlights! For this quarter’s member showcase, we are featuring the unique work of John Kunin, Lupine Marshak, James Papp, Paul Ostermann, and Steven Ambrose. Thank you for your submissions! Our members continue to impress us with their work, and we encourage you to submit your work for next quarter’s member showcase.

🏔️John Kunin is sharing work from Whalers Bay at Deception Island, a black-and-white photographic story exploring an island in the Antarctic, its volcanic history, and the remnants of its past.

🌿Lupine Marshak is working on “Intimate Landscapes Close to Home,” a project focused on the appreciation of what immediately surrounds us.

🌊James Papp is working on a book titled “Blessings of the Waters: From Glaciers to the Sea.” It delves into the deep and evolving relationship that our community shares with water.

🌸Paul Ostermann worked on a set focusing on hummingbirds together with cherry blossoms.

📷Steven Ambrose talks about his diverse projects including getting into color film photography using Harman's experimental film stocks, making his first tintypes and ambrotype at our Wet Plate Collodion workshop, and being in his first group show!

📸🚶🏼‍♂️Finally, we are hosting a PCNW members photo walk! Join us for an evening of creativity, exploration, and great company during this guided members only photo walk at Olympic Sculpture Park on Sunday, August 23, from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.

Read more about our members’ projects in our blog post, through the link below! If you would like to be featured in these spotlights or would like to attend the photo walk, it is not too late to become a member!

Member Spotlight: https://pcnw.org/2026/quarterly-member-showcase-2026/
Become a member: https://pcnw.org/membership/

Image credit:
Slide 1: John Kunin
Slide 2: Lupine Marshak
Slide 3: James Papp
Slide 4: Paul Ostermann
Slide 5: Steven Ambrose

We are two months away from one of our favorite evenings at PCNW🥂📸 On Friday, October 16, 2026, we will be hosting Filter, an evening celebrating the people and experiences that shape our creative community. Together, we’ll raise funds for our collective home for photography.

As part of our mission to champion artists, we are hard at work curating this year’s auction that will feature both emerging and established artists alike. Stay tuned as we announce the full catalog and spotlight artists over the next two months. This week we’re excited to highlight the work of Paul Mpagi Sepuya; his image Untitled (2020-022) will be available in the live auction.

In his signature Daylight Studio / Dark Room Studio works, Sepuya uses natural light or red “safelights” and props to create playful references to European and North American 19th century daylight studios and to the dark room. He highlights the double-entendre as both the space where film is processed and dark rooms in which other forms of exposure and revelation occur…. Shooting in this mise-en-scène, Sepuya explores different positions that q***r, racialized bodies occupy within the intimate dynamics staged by studio spaces where friends oscillate between subjects of portraiture and stylized model studies. He himself takes up the position of the photographer behind the camera, the invisible laborer who maintains the space, and as a model. By drawing out these associations and modes of relation, Sepuya entangles the pleasure of exhibitionism and leisure with histories of labor and objectification that can be glimpsed within the archive.

Join us on September 19th for an artist reception for the Auction Preview Exhibition. Come meet local artists and be one of the first to preview the auction in person.

Find more information about Filter through the link below! We can't wait to see you there.
https://pcnw.org/benefit/

You have one week left to view our current exhibition: “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit,” which is on view until August 16. Make sure to stop by the PCNW Gallery to experience it in person!

Marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this exhibit brings together photographs that examine the evolving symbols, identities, and experiences that shape the American experience. From defining historical moments to quieter scenes of everyday life, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the many perspectives that make up our shared history.

Artists Include:

Brian Allen
Jon Beck
Ouidakathryn Bryson
Debbie Fleming Caffery
Laura Gilpin
Nate Gowdy
Kris Graves
Ed Kashi
Erica Lansner
Greta Pratt
Carrie Schreck
Bill Yuvan
Kiliii Yüyan

The exhibition also features historic works from the collection of W.M. Hunt / Collection Dancing Bear, , and from the public archives of the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Slide 1: W.M. Hunt / Collection Dancing Bear
Slide 2: Erica Lansner
Slide 3: W.M. Hunt / Collection Dancing Bear , Brian Allen and Kiliii Yüyan
Slide 4: Gretta Pratt
Slide 5: Carrie Schreck and Nate Gowdy
Slide 5: Brian Allen with music composition by Edward Diemente

Exhibit install photos by Lilly Everett

Welcome to our next exhibitor spotlight: Fishpond Press!

Hans Hickerson's Fishpond Press books explore times and places and involve issues of seeing, remembering, and representation. Hickerson has been making photographs since the mid 1970s. He has worked at the Rencontres in Arles and has been involved in Blue Sky Gallery in Portland. He currently serves as editor of the online magazine PhotoBook Journal.

We’re excited to welcome Fishpond Press to this year’s Photo Zine & Book Fair! Feel free to check out his work through the link below:
https://hans-hickerson.squarespace.com/

Join us on Sunday, August 16, from 12–5 PM to explore their collection of photo books and zines, connect with the people behind the work, and browse publications from many other talented exhibitors. Whether you’re a photographer, book lover, or simply curious, there’s something to discover for everyone.

We can’t wait to see you there.

As we’re gearing up for this year’s annual Photo Zine & Book Fair, we want to spotlight some of our exhibitors that you’ll find tabling with us this year.

First up is Laila Mckinley!

Laila is a film photographer, collagist, and writer making zines in her suburban living room/art studio. Her works feature the more than twenty countries she has traveled through, original poetry and travel stories, film photography, and multimedia elements like collected paper scraps and illustration.

Laila has shown her zines all over Western Washington and recently in Vienna, Austria, at Europe’s largest zine fair. In addition to zines, she also puts her work on stickers, lighters, prints, and buttons.

Stop by on Sunday, August 16, from 12-5pm to snag some of her worldwide zines!
Check out the link in our bio to learn more and see the full list of exhibitors.