Central Maryland Photographers Guild upcoming events

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 June Outing: Glenstone Museum, Potomac, MD (11 Jun 2026)

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Join us for a photo safari at Glenstone Museum Thursday, June 11th. as a co-field trip with the Carroll County club. Admission is Free on a timed admission system. We have secured 10 admissions for 10:00 am. If we have more interest, we may be able to get more timed entries, so don't hesitate to register.

Tripods are not allowed on property, Photography is not permitted indoors . The indoor galleries, however, are pretty amazing. Please refer to Glenstone photography policy

CMPG Hands-On Mtg: Wheel of Composition Challenge (17 Jun 2026)

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 22:30:00 GMT

CMPG Hands-On Meeting

The Wheel of Composition Challenge

When:

Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 6:30 to 9:00 PM (sunset: 8:36 PM)

Where:

Old Ellicott City. Meet at Tiber Park, Maryland Avenue and Main Street (across from the B&O museum, train station)

Dinner first? Anyone interested in a bite or beverage first, meet up at the Trolley Stop, just over the bridge! We'll be there at 4:30pm.

Introduction:

Our next Hands-On Group activity is the Wheel of Composition Challenge. This is an activity for all skill levels. Composition tools support and complement our inspiration. Our assignment is use a basic composition concept for the day's photography. For about an hour in downtown Ellicott City, we'll emphasis incorporating one compositional element.

The twist is each of you will spin the wheel to determine the composition tool to use.

Overview:

No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be anartist. -- Oscar Wilde1

I’ve chosen twelve compositional elements for the wheel. Of course there are many more, and likely we will incorporate more than one in our photos. The challenge is to incorporate the technique as an important element of our photo.

Frames within the Frame: Compose our subject by surrounding our image with a “natural or man-made” frame to focus our attention to the subject.

Reflection: Incorporate a reflection into our image. It could be the subject or it could be just an important supporting element

Shadows/Silhouettes: Include a shadow.

Color: Use color to draw our attention to the subject.

Symmetry/Anti-symmetry: Highlight our subject with a symmetrical (or anti-symmetrical)composition.

Low Perspective: Don’t shoot at human eye level, but emphasize a perspective view from nearer the ground.

Moment: Anticipate a scene coming together and with a decisive press of the shutter.

Layering: Layer the composition with distinct foreground, middle-ground, and background.

The next three techniques are unique in that each are two for one. So, the challenge will be to produce “two photos" emphasizing each side of the compositional contrast. The two photos do not have to be related.

Contrast: One/Many: One person vice a crowd, one boat vice a hundred fishes, a single needle vice a stack of straw.

Contrast: Hard/Soft: Hard edges vice gentle transitions.

Contrast: Saturated/muted: use bright colors to highlight the composition or use subtlecolors to emphasize the delicacy.

Your choice: The last e lement is up to you... you pick from above or pick one from your repertoire.

We'll explore Old Ellicott City for about an hour in small groups on what I hope will be a lovely still spring evening. We'll meet back at Tiber Park to discuss our experiences.

Please bring your patience and cooperation, Remember this is an exercise, please do not overly frustrate yourself. The spin results in a technique you are uncomfortable with, spin again... Make this an enjoyable experience.

Submit up to 5 images from this challenge.

CMPG-2026-JUNE-Handson-LastName-FirstName-01.jpg

What to bring:

• Camera

• Favorite walk around lens

What to prepare:

Review composition elements.

Reference:

1. Oscar Wilde, Intentions -- The Decay of Lying: An Observation. (Methuen & Co. LTD.1891)

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