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)
