Central Maryland Photographers Guild upcoming events

CMPG Outing: Sherwood Garden (09 Apr 2026)

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Please join us for a beautiful flower shoot featuring an outstanding display of tulips at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore City, April 9 (8:00-10:00 am)

The goal of this outing is to practice techniques from the presentation on flower photography, as well as the Hands-On session on macro photography. If you weren't able to attend these meetings, you are still welcome!

Meet Up: On the sidewalk at the corner of Stratford and Underwood Rd. Mike Washington or John Schuster will be there. See their web site for directions and a facility map at https://www.sherwoodgardens.org/

Information: There is no charge for visitors and parking is free along the streets around the gardens. The venue is a private park operated by the residents and is known for the wide variety of tulips on display. CMPG members will be happy to assist newer photographers. There are no restrictions on camera gear, as long as you don’t interfere with the other visitors.

Please sign up so we know who is coming. Family and guests are welcome.

After the outing, upload your 5 best images to share (see instructions on CMPG web site).

CMPG April Hands-On Meeting: Shoot a "Roll of Film" (15 Apr 2026)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Join us for our next Hands-On Group

(formerly known as "User's Group")

April CMPG HANDS-ON MEETING:

THE EC SIMULATED "ROLL OF FILM" CHALLENGE

Our April Hands-On Group activity is a Simulated Roll of Film Challenge. This is an activity for all skill levels. This challenge's objective is to improve our intentionality. Better composition by focusing our efforts before we click the shutter button. Increase our creativity by limiting our choices. Slow down, plan the shot. Also, we'll reinforce our fundamentals (exposure, focus, etc.)

When:

Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 6:30 to 9:00 PM (sunset: 7:45 PM)

Where:

Main St. & Maryland Ave., Old Ellicott City (Downtown) Meet at the Tardis (blue Free library across from the B&O Museum) in downtown Old Ellicott City.

Overview:

To ‘see things with your own eyes,’ as they say, is not always to see the truth. One must see with eyes of the mind; one must employ the little cells of grey!

--Hercule Poirot (*1)

The activity is to shoot the equivalent of one roll of film... 24 exposures... NO MORE...

We'll start by "loading" our film, choosing our ISO and whether we are shooting B&W or color. We'll "wind" our film by recording on the clipboard our starting filename. Shall we make it harder? For those advanced shooters craving more challenge: Slide film. JPEGs straight out of the camera... Can you nail Exposure, hold the highlights while still getting shadow detail?

We'll explore Old Ellicott City for about an hour in small groups on what I hope will be a lovely spring evening. We will emphasize our composition and exposure skills: Architecture, street life, shadows, reflections, etc., as all are available downtown. We'll be shooting in the golden hour for the most part. We'll meet back at the Tardis to discuss our experience.

Please bring your patience, cooperation and sense of adventure. Remember this is a game, DO NOT let frustration ruin your experience. Please embrace the adventure. If twenty-four exposures run out to soon, then "reload..." B&W too constraining, change to color... ISO chosen, not good for golden hour, then increase it (or switch to auto-ISO)... The objective is to create composition choices intentionally, then record that choice with a decisive press of the shutter button. To think through the image making process rather than spray and pray...

What to bring

• Camera

• A favorite walk around lens

Sharing Images

Submit up to 5 images from this challenge. If you are willing, the first of these images should be a contact sheet of all 24 images, unedited. We will provide instructions for Lightroom and a couple of optional templates to dress the contact sheet up.

CMPG-2026-EVENT-APR15-LastName-FirstName-01.jpg

Dropbox Upload Link

Reference:

*1. Agatha Christie, The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot -- Chapter 1: The Affair at the Victory Ball, (Dreamscape Media LLC, 2018, originally published Sketch Magazine 1923), pg. 19

CMPG May General Meeting: David Blecman (06 May 2026)

Wed, 06 May 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Join us for our General Meeting, on Wednesday, May 6th! Our speaker will be David Blecman. David is an award-winning international photographer and instructor. He is based in Arnold, MD. Check back for David's presentation details soon.

This will be in-person, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at The Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant, 9100 Fathers Legacy, Ellicott City, MD 21042 Learning Center, Terrace Level. Click here for a map:

https://cmpg.photography/Maps

Volunteers Needed: Hero Dogs 1k & 5K at Congressional Cemetery (16 May 2026)

Sat, 16 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Volunteers Needed!

Hero Dogs 1k & 5K

Congressional Cemetery

CMPG is looking for volunteers to photograph a 1K and 5K race through the historic Congressional Cemetery in DC on Saturday May 16 th to benefit Hero Dogs, Inc. Along with the amazing support dogs, there will be actual people to photograph. Races are from 8am – noon. Details are on the hero-dogs.org website.

It would be great to have a minimum of 4 photographers. We will provide additional info as we receive it.

With its first burial in 1807, Historic Congressional Cemetery is among the oldest institutions in Washington, DC, and is the final resting place of over 70,000 individuals, including folks like Marion Barry, J. Edgar Hoover, and civil war photographer Mathew Brady. Marching bands, including the world-famous US Marine Band, regularly play at the grave of John Philip Sousa. After the races, we can roam the amazing grounds and take additional photos. Info is at Home - Congressional Cemetery.

Last Fall we photographed the 2025 graduating class of 12 dogs. Each had completed three or more years of training for their specific role. This year’s support includes their April golf tournament fund raiser, this event, and the graduation in Olney on October 18. We will post separate CMPG Event Notices for each.

Hero Dogs, a Maryland 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in Burtonsville, MD improves the quality of life of our nation’s heroes and enhances the services of community organizations by placing assistance dogs with customized training and lifetime support.

For more information, go to hero-dogs.org and contact Dan Smith at DanSmith007@comcast.net

Congressional Cemetery

1801 E Street SE

Washington, DC 20003

https://congressionalcemetery.org/