Join the Flagpole Photographers for an insightful evening focused on photography composition, presented by our very own member, Rhonda Cullens, NECCC VP & HonNEC!

Composition is the art of arranging elements within your frame to create a visually compelling photograph. It’s how you tell a story and expertly guide the viewer’s eye to your subject. This event is free and open to the public.

Rhonda Cullens serves as a New England Camera Club Council (NECCC) Vice President. She received the Honorary Member (HonNEC) award from NECCC for her significant contributions to the Council and the broader photographic community. She coordinates the online Club Services Packet for NECCC and served as the Chair of the Honors Committee. She is also a very active board member of the Flagpole Photographers Camera Club of Newtown, Connecticut and serves as their Exhibit Chair.

Rhonda and her husband, Chane, compete and exhibit regularly with their local camera club in addition to holding their own solo exhibits. Their largest solo exhibit consisted of over 300 photos at their town’s Municipal Center.

Rhonda has given many photography presentations and workshops to a variety of groups and has produced several coffee table books filled with photos. Her work has received many awards, among them inclusion in the Connecticut Association of Photographers “Tops in Connecticut” and she is the recipient of the recent NECCC Individual Print Competition Spring 2025 Best of Show – Color Award for her image “Fire and Ice”.

Agenda

6:45 PM – Arrival: Chat with fellow members.

7:00 PM – The Flight of the Bald Eagles by Adam Bowditch: Begins

7:30 PM –  Directing Eyes: A Composition Program by Rhonda Cullens: Begins

• Getting to the Subject:
  • Center of Interest or Subject
  • Compose to Tell a Story
• Composition “Rules”:
  • Leading Lines & S-Curves
  • Rule of Thirds vs. Centering
  • Rule of Odds
  • Fill the Frame vs. Breathing Room & Negative Space
  • Golden Ratio
• Positioning:
  • Direction & Perspective
  • Reflections & Symmetry
  • Framing
• Setting the Scene:
  • Colors, Contrast & Light
  • Foreground, Middle Ground & Backgrounds
  • Camera Depth of Field
• Things to watch for:
  • Mergers, Corners, Horizons, Ankles & other joints
  • Simplify
• Finishing Touches & Tips:
  • Cropping & Vignettes
  • Try Something Different!
  • Have Fun with Post-Processing
  • Words & Still Life Tips

9:15 PM – Pack Up & Farewell

Where

Attending In-Person

At the Newtown Senior Center

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• 8 Simpson Street, Newtown, CT.
• Please use the Senior Center Entrance.

Directions

Attending Online

Using Zoom

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Click to Join Meeting

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