Central Maryland Photographers Guild upcoming events

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/

CMPG May Hands-On Meeting: Introduction to Timelapse Photography (20 May 2026)

Wed, 20 May 2026 22:30:00 GMT

CMPG HANDS-ON MEETING

An Introduction to Timelapse Photography

Our May Hands-On Group activity will be an introduction to timelapse video. This is an activity for all skill levels. We'll start by discussing settings and important concepts. Thenwe'll set up our gear and create a timelapse. We'll end with a demonstration of how to process in Lightroom and assemble in a video editor.

When: 20 May 2026, 6:30 to 9:00 PM

Where: The Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant, 9100 Fathers Legacy, Ellicott City, MD 21042 LearningCenter, Terrace Level. Click here for map

Overview:

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,

“To talk of many things:

Of Shoes and ships and sealing wax

Of cabbages and kings

And why the sea is boiling hot

And whether pigs have wings.”

-- Lewis Carroll*

The objective of this meeting will be to familiarize yourself with creating timelapse video with your camera. We’ll take two hours of misery and reduce it to a few seconds of fun. We’ll answer the mystery of what an intervalometer is and more importantly how to use the one built into your camera.

We’ll go over the essentials:

A stable platform

Tripod
A comfortable chair.
Electronic Shutter

During the course of capture, you might be taking 1000 i mages or so. You may want to save wear and tear on your mechanical shutter.

• Manual Focus
o We’re not creating that type of moving image
o And yes, back button focus works here...
• Manual Exposure
o Keeping the exposure uniform will improve the overall aesthetic
• Timing

o 24, 30, 60 etc

We’ll create a short timelapse. This is our hands-on activity. We’ll all set up and time-lapse a slow-moving subject. And last I’ll demonstrate assembly techniques with Lightroom and a video editor.

Please bring your patience and cooperation. Time-lapse is a unique animal. Lots of planning, some math, watching grass grow, and some tedious processing. But a rewarding output makes it worthwhile.

What to bring:

• Camera

• A moderate telephoto or zoom

• Tripod

What to prepare:

Familiarize yourself with your camera’s intervalometer (timelapse) menu settings. It might be a good idea to download your camera manual to your phone (or bring your paper copy).

References:

* Lewis Carroll, “Chapter 4: The Walrus and the Carpenter,” Through the Looking-Glass. Macmillan & Co., 1872

CMPG June General Meeting: David Blecman (03 Jun 2026)

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Join us for our General Meeting, on Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:30pm! Our speaker will be David Blecman. This meeting will be In-Person ONLY, at The Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant. Click for MAP

Ten Fundamentals to Strive for in Your Photography

During this presentation David will discuss what youy need to concentrate and strive for in youer photography, such as:

Better Compositions
Focus Techniques
Capturing Atmosphere
and so much more!

David Blecman is an award winning, internationally recognized photographer and instructor, having taught on four continents and in over 17 countries. His one-on-one mentoring programs for photographers and commercial models continue to grow in popularity. David has photographed projects for such clientele as Maggianos Little Italy, Sears, Color Me Beautiful, JCPenney, Bath & Body Works, Foot Action, Kaybee Toys, Littman Jewelers, Seagrams Americas, Holiday Inn, Wyndham Hotels, Days Inn, Hilton Hotels, The White House, Black Market, Water Water Everywhere, Cornell University, etc. He had also been hired to photograph such celebrities as President George W. Bush,

Christina Aguilera, Jimmy Buffett, Steely Dan, Moody Blues, Beyonce and Destiny’s Child, Celine Dion, Gene Simmons and KISS, and numerous others. David also speaks at photography venues, judges at beauty pageants and photography competitions, and continues to teach and mentor photographers and models internationally. David Blecman owns Positive Negatives, an Arnold, MD based photography studio, as well as The Annapolis Photography Workshop Group, which is comprised of over 1500 photographers, and is free to join. Not only does he teach workshops internationally, but he also produces the Free Weekend Wisdom photography training videos every weekend, as well as the Terrific Tuesday Tip newsletter every Tuesday to help educate the photography community. His fine art photography has been on display in several galleries.

Positive Negatives Website:
www.posneg.com

The Annapolis Photography Workshop Group’s Website:
www.meetup.com/annapolisphoto

The meeting will be 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

CMPG July General Meeting: Photographing Fireworks (01 Jul 2026)

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Join us for our General Meeting, on Wednesday, July 1! Our own members will be sharing their techniques and tips for photographing fireworks. You'll be all set by our Nation's 250th Birthday on the 4th!

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