Information About Photonics Focus

Photonics Focus® is an award-winning bimonthly print and online magazine highlighting optics and photonics technology and industry, published by SPIE. Feature articles showcase scientific discovery and innovative real-world applications of optics and photonics, and should be of interest to professionals working in all fields of light-based science.

Because the magazine exists to serve the SPIE mission, we include articles to help readers grow in their careers, find new jobs, and stay informed about relevant changes in US and international policy. Photonics Focus also provides important updates about SPIE services, upcoming meetings, and community support.

Read the latest issue, or learn how to submit an article or subscribe to the magazine below.

What happened to SPIE Professional?

After 14 years in print, the SPIE Professional quarterly magazine was discontinued in 2019. SPIE Members now receive the bimonthly magazine Photonics Focus as a membership benefit instead of SPIE Professional. The increased frequency will enable SPIE to deliver more timely information about technology developments and news relevant to the community.

Read the SPIE Professional archives.

Announcement: In July 2020, just 7 months after its launch, Photonics Focus was awarded an Apex Award for Publication Excellence in the category of Most-Improved Magazine, Periodical, or Tabloid! Shortly after, we were awarded the 2020 Ozzie Award for Best New Magazine Design.

Subscribe

A subscription to Photonics Focus is included in SPIE Membership, along with many other valuable benefits, including discounts on event registration and courses, a free online professional development course, free downloads from the SPIE Digital Library, and a complimentary SPIE journal subscription.

Or, you can purchase an annual subscription to Photonics Focus (6 issues per year) without membership for $29.95:

Write an article

Photonics Focus publishes articles about people and technology in the optics and photonics community, and articles are authored by science journalists and experts working in the field. Article proposals should be related to a recurring section, such as career, industry news, or histories, and should be relevant to a specific issue theme per the editorial calendar. If you have an article idea that you would like to be considered for publication, please write a proposal containing a one-paragraph abstract of your proposed topic. Send the proposal and a one-page writing sample to photonicsfocus@spie.org.

Articles accepted for publication may be published in Photonics Focus or SPIE News, the Society's online news site, at the editor's discretion and in agreement with the author.

Submit a photo to "See the Light"

The beauty of optics and photonics technology can be seen in light-based art installations, laser shows, public lighting, and natural phenomena. Submit an image of photonics in society from your hometown or travels, and it may be featured in a future issue of Photonics Focus.

Submissions can be sent via social media by mentioning @SPIEtweets (twitter) or @spiephotonics (Instagram), and using the tag #photonics. They can also be sent by email to photonicsfocus@spie.org.

The fine print.

Images submitted via social media may be compressed by the platform (e.g., Instagram compresses images to 1080 x 1080 px). If a compressed image is selected for publication in the print magazine, we will ask you to provide the high-resolution version of the image. For good print quality, the original photo must be minimum 300 dpi and at least 3000 pixels on the longest side, and vertical orientations are preferred.

By submitting images, each entrant assures that all images are their own original works and no copyright and/or trademark infringement rights have been violated. Each entrant grants SPIE a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to display, distribute, copy, and reproduce in any medium images submitted to the photo contest, and to use the images in derivative works such as posters, articles, or via any means or form of dissemination. SPIE will include full credit to the photographer any time an image is used.

Advertising in Photonics Focus allows your company or product to reach more than 19,000 SPIE members, plus thousands more at world-class SPIE conferences like Photonics West. See our Information for Advertisers for rates and the 2023 media kit.

For any other information about Photonics Focus please contact:

William Schulz, Managing Editor
photonicsfocus@spie.org
P.O. Box 10
Bellingham, WA 98227

For Photonics Focus advertising information, please contact:

Melissa Valum
melissav@spie.org
phone | +1 360 685-5596
fax | +1 360 647-1445

Photonics Focus is a bimonthly print magazine that will arrive SPIE Member mailboxes the first week of January, March, May, July, September, and November. For questions about subscriptions or address changes, please contact SPIE Customer Service.

SPIE Members can edit subscription preferences by logging into their account on spie.org.