2025-2026 Schedule

- September 22 Kickoff Meeting - 5:30 - 7PM.  “Introduction to Photography” meeting at Kathy Lozier’s house, 10 Cook Street, Rowayton. The meeting will include all Provisionals as well as photography committee members. We are excited to host Jill Corr, Co-President of the Stonington Garden Club, at our kick-off event.  Jill is an award-winning photographer and Prospective Photography Judge. She served as the Zone II Photography Representative from 2020-2022. Jill will go over what judges are looking for in a judged competition, and how to create a winning photo. If you’d like, bringa photo you’ve taken over the summer, or one of your photo entries from a past competition. Jill will give us ideas and input on our compositions and share her ideas on how to create a statement of intent when entering.

We will also go over the basics of how to enter a competition, where to get your photo printed and how to fill out an entry form. We encourage all committee members to enter a photograph at least 3 times during the year. We hope everyone on the committee can join us!

-   October 7 Judged Competition “Coastal Contrast: A black and white photograph depicting a shoreline.” Photograph may include coastal flora like shore plants and seaweed, but not required. Any coastal plant(s) must be identified. Use iNaturalist App if plant material doesn’t come up in Google Lens or Picture This. Competition will take place on October 6 at Kathy Lozier’s house. Photos must be dropped no later than 11:00am at 10 Cook Street, Rowayton.

-   October 20 Workshop - 4:30 - 6 pm. Using a Light Box or scanner to create a photograph highlighting the beauty of flattened or pressed plants. Workshop will be held at Kathy Lozier’s house, 10 Cook Street, Rowayton.

-   November 11 Judged Competition “Botanical Imprints: Stories in Still Life” Arrange leaves, petals, plants, seeds, twigs or any plant material found in nature in a flat layout. Great for scanning or light table photography but not required. Competition will take place on November 10 at Kathy Lozier’s house. Photos must be dropped no later than 11:00am at 10 Cook Street, Rowayton. 

-    December 4, 2026 No Competition - Holiday Party

-   Jan 13, 2026 No Competition - Zoom

- Jan 29, 2026 Workshop 5 pm. Photography workshop via Zoom - click here to join.

- Feb 3 - Mar 3, 2026 - America Sings contest for Focus magazine - please consider entering a photograph! Details here‍ ‍

- Feb 5, 2026‍ ‍GCA 2026 Photography Conference 11am - 5pm
Location: Virtual - click here to register by February 3

-   Feb 10, 2026 No Competition - Zoom

-   March 10, 2026 Judged Competition “Intimate Landscapes: A garden element or scene that evokes a personal connection.” Create a color or black and white photograph that depicts a personal garden moment, a story, a close up of the magic that lives in our gardens. Open to interpretation - think tucked-away bench, garden shed bathed in afternoon light, shadows bouncing off your stone path, insect sighting, favorite bloom, etc. Plant material optional.  Competition will take place on March 9 at the home of Kathy Lozier, 10 Cook Street, Rowayton.  Please drop your photos by 11:00am.

-   Workshop TBD/ Mid March 10:30am - 12:00pm at the Greenwich Avenue Apple Store. Private session focusing on iPhone basics and manipulating photos (cropping, filters, adjustments), and making images brighter and more vibrant.  Followed by lunch at Meli- Melo. Carpooling or train highly suggested. 

-   April 14, 2026 Photo Exhibition: “Flower Power Pop” We‘re excited to be joining forces with the New Canaan Garden Club to host a combined photography exhibition. Based on the colorful artistry of our guest speaker, Trish O’Sullivan, please submit a vibrant color photograph enhancing a floral arrangement, bouquet or singular flower. Photograph may be manipulated. Plant material required. This is not a judged competition, but club members will vote on their favorite photos at the meeting. We’d love to showcase our GCD photography talent, so let’s enter! Please drop your photos at Kathy Lozier’s on April 13 no later than 11:00am.

-   Workshop TBD/ Late April early May A visit to Juliet Cain’s Native Plant Garden. We will be having a tour of Juliet’s garden and learning specifics about our recent GCD Provisional Project.  We’ll have plenty of opportunities to photograph pollinators interacting with Juliet’s garden plants.

-   May 12, 2026, Judged Photo Competition: “The Living Garden: Bees, Butterflies and Birds.”  A color photograph capturing the presence of pollinators caught in natural moments in the garden. Plant material required. Photo may be manipulated. Please drop your photos at Kathy Lozier’s house on May 11 no later than 11:00am.

June 9, 2026 Annual Meeting -

GCD will be submitting one photo for the Nature’s Pearl Zone II meeting - Class 3 Nature’s Gift. Please bring your photo in the following category: A color 8” x 10” photo showcasing the overall beauty of the coastline. Plant material required. GCD members will vote on the photos at the June meeting, and the winning photo will be GCD’s entry in the Nature’s Pearl Zone II meeting.

Photos that received first place in 2025-2026 will also be exhibited at the meeting. Please drop your photos at Kathy Lozier’s house on June 8 by 11:00am, so that they can be displayed at the meeting.

We’re looking forward to a great year!