CEPA’s photography classes and workshops cover a variety of subjects for students of all ages and skill levels, including film photography, digital photography, darkroom, photoshop, studio lighting, and more.
Photography Classes & Workshops
Due to COVID-19, Big Orbit Project Space is temporarily closed to the public.
As of August 8, 2020, CEPA Gallery (including the FLUX Gallery, the darkroom, and the digital photo lab) has reopened with restrictions.
In order to continue to serve our members and the public while adhering to social distancing and other safety guidelines during these unprecedented times, all other activities are currently online only.
-
Learn Your Digital Camera
$90.00 – $120.00A 2-Day Class
Friday, January 31st and February 7th
5:30 PM– 8:30 PM
Ages 13+A 2-Day Photography Class for Ages 13+
Designed specifically for beginner photographers, this course will walk you through the essentials of how to use your digital mirrorless/SLR camera and all the key functions. Take a deep dive and become more comfortable with your camera, perfect for someone who has recently acquired a camera but hasn’t learned it inside and out yet.
You will learn photography tips about everything from shutter speed to aperture, depth of field to ISO. You will get a primer on how to compensate for bad lighting and how to compose your shot for maximum effect and better photos. By the end of the course, you‚ will be ready to take your photography skills to the next level and continue your education with a more advanced photography course.
This class will help you:
- Learn the most essential functions of your camera
- Gain confidence in putting new features into action
- Understand basic photographic terminology including the rule of thirds and the exposure triangle
- Get a solid understanding of lighting and composition techniques
- Figure out how to position yourself and your subject for optimal results
- Learn to take great photos with the camera you have without extra gear.
Location
CEPA Learning Center
Date & Time
Friday, January 31st and February 7th
5:30 PM – 8:30 PMJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership »Check out the description below to learn more about the teaching artist for this workshop.
-
Studio Lighting
$100.00 – $120.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, February 22nd
12:30 pm–4:00 pm
Ages 16+A 1-Day Photography Class for Ages 16+
If you’re new to studio lighting, it is easy to get intimidated by the amount of stuff you have to learn. In this hands-on class, you’ll start to learn the complexities of controlling light in a controlled space. CEPA will provide studio space and equipment, introducing you to some of the most basic studio lighting equipment and terms you will need to navigate a photography studio.
A model will be on site for hands on experience working in a real studio setting.
Class is taught by one of CEPA’s veteran instructors – Piotr Meszynski (see more about Peter below). By the end of the lab session, you’ll have the skills to tackle any type of indoor shoot, whether it’s in a huge warehouse or your spare bedroom.
In this class you will learn how to:
· Set your ISO, shutter speed and aperture.
· Understand depth of field and shooting groups.
· Use all sorts of flashes, including strobes and hot shoe flashes, as well as modifiers.
· Build your studio and buy the right gear for the right price.Location
CEPA Education Center
Date & Time
Saturday, February 22nd
12:30 pm – 4:00 pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership »Check out the description below to learn more about the teaching artist for this workshop.
-
Intro to Large Format Photography
$120.00 – $150.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, March 1st
10:30am–3:30pm
Ages 16+A 1-Day Photography Class for Ages 16+
Get started with large-format photography using paper negatives, strobes and natural light.
This class will teach the basics of Large Format – how to load a film holder, how to use a large format camera, how to read a light meter, along with the basics of wet darkroom work. Paper negatives offer an affordable way to get started with large format and are much easier to work with as you can work under normal darkroom safelights.
Practice taking pictures with a 4×5 and 8×10 camera, using photo paper – which has a similar speed and appearance of 19th Cent. processes – offering participants the opportunity to practice natural light portraiture in much the same way it was done 100 years ago.
Very Limited Seats Available. All Materials Included.
Location
CEPA Education Center
Date & Time
Saturday, March 1st
10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.Join CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership »Check out the description below to learn more about the teaching artist for this workshop.
-
How to Document Your Art
$90.00 – $120.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, March 8th
10:30 AM – 1:30 PMAges 16+
Whether you’re a painter, sculptor, or mixed media artist, documenting your artwork is essential for promoting your work and creating a professional portfolio. In this studio class, you will learn:
Camera Basics: How to make high-quality images of your artwork.
Lighting Techniques: How to use natural, artificial, and other lighting techniques.
Framing and Composition: How to ensure your work is centered, straight, and level.
By the end of this class, you will have a basic understanding of how to document your artwork, and you will be able to produce quality images for your portfolio, website, and social media channels.
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 students
Dates & Times
Saturday, March 8th
10:30 – 1:30 PMJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership »Check out the description below to learn more about the teaching artist for this workshop.
-
Intro to Digital Negatives and Cyanotype
$100.00 – $125.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, March 29th
10:30am–1:30pm
Ages 16+A Photography Class for Ages 16+
This class is an introduction to alternative process photography. Alternative or non-silver photography offers both digital and analog photographers the ability to make unique, hand made prints using traditional methods without the need for a darkroom.
In this hybrid photography class, students will learn how to correctly set up and print a digital negative in photoshop, practice the technique for coating water color paper with light sensitive emulsion, and print their images using UV light.
Cyanotype is simple, affordable and non-toxic, serving as a cheap gateway to more advanced non-silver processes such as Platinum Palladium, Calotype, Van Dyke, and many other variations that use a contact print and UV light.
The entire process is more accessible than traditional darkroom photography and can be easily replicated at home or in a classroom.
Supplies are included. Students only need a digital image.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions.
Workshop Location
CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, March 29th
10:30am–1:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
Platinum Palladium Printing
$130.00 – $155.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, April 12th
10:30am–1:30pm
Ages 16+A Photography Class for Ages 16+
Platinum Palladium was a favorite of early Pictorial photographers, and is still one of most highly regarded fine art printing techniques for it’s delicate and wide tonal range, abilty to control contrast and warmth, and for it’s archival properties. Platinum prints are considered to be the most archival and durable of all traditional printing techniques, having been time tested, the chemistry is extremely stable and will last as long as the paper it’s printed on – for 100’s and 100’s of years.
As Platinum Palladium is a more expensive and advanced process we recommend starting with the Intro to Digital Negatives and Cyanotype class if you’re new to Alt Process photography. This is a hybrid digital/analog class and will briefly touch on many of the same steps as the Intro class, but go much more indepth for considerations specific to Platinum – controlling contrast/warmth via drop count, paper preparation and humidification, and more.
You do not need a darkroom, the entire process can be replicated at home or in a classroom.
Supplies are included. Students only need a digital image.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions.
Workshop Location
CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, April 12th
10:30am–1:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
Darkroom I
$65.00 – $75.00A 1-Day Class
Friday, April 25th
6:00 – 8:30pm
Ages 16+A Photography Class for Ages 16+
Darkroom I serves as an introduction to the basics of analog photography. Students will learn proper techniques for loading and exposing film, 35mm camera controls/technique, developing B/W film in the darkroom using a daylight tank. As any seasoned analog photographer knows, there are many easily avoidable ways to ruin your film. This course is a great way to avoid a lot of those beginner mistakes helping you get started in the darkroom quicker and easier.
Students will leave the class with sheet of negatives, as well as an understanding of exposure and basic photo chemistry. Get 15% off if ordered alongside Darkroom II.
Supplies are included. Students are welcome to bring their own 35mm cameras to the class. CEPA has a limited number of 35mm cameras available to rent.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions about your camera or to arrange a camera rental.
Workshop Location
CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Friday, April 25th
6:00 – 8:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
DIY C41 Development
$85.00 – $100.00A 1-Day Workshop
Saturday, April 26th
12:30 PM – 4:00 PMAges 16+
A Photography Workshop for Ages 16+
Darkroom legend and Caffenol aficionado, Charlie Stiffler is back at CEPA to teach the basics for developing C41 film at home. C41 is generally a lab process, but with care and attention it is possible to do at home in a daylight tank using available pre-made kits or by purchasing the stock chemistry. The class will cover the entire process from start to finish, as well as go into some of the chemistry involved in development and theory for creating your own DIY C41 kit from scratch.
All supplies included! Students will expose a test roll, load a daylight tank/reel, and develop their own color negative film.
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Learning Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, April 26th
1:30 PM – 4:00 PMJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
Photo Manipulation
$75.00 – $95.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, May 3rd
12:00 – 4:00pm
Ages 13+A Photography Class for Ages 13+
During this class participants will have the opportunity to experiment with different photo manipulation techniques.
This class is divided into two parts. In the first half, participants will explore and experiment with gel plate printing, discovering creative techniques and unique textures. In the second half, participants will dive into the art of Polaroid lifts, learning how to create captivating and one-of-a-kind images.
Supplies are included.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions.
Workshop Location
CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, May 3rd
12:00 – 4:00pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
Darkroom II
$85.00 – $100.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, May 10th
10:30am–1:30pm
Ages 16+A Photography Class for Ages 16+
Darkroom II covers all the basics of enlarging and printing black and white film in the darkroom. Students will learn how make a contact sheet, evaluate their negatives, use an enlarger, control print contrast, archival processing/washing, as well as creative techniques for dodging and burning. Your first steps in the 100 year tradition of darkroom printing!
Class includes 3 additional hours of Lab time to practice further.
Get 15% off Darkroom I if ordered together.
Supplies are included. Students need to bring their own negatives or take Darkroom I.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions.
Workshop Location
CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, May 10th
10:30am–1:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
Pinhole Photography
$60.00 – $80.00A 1-Day Workshop
Saturday May 10th, 2025
2:00 – 5:30 PM
All agesA 1-Day Photography Class for All Ages
For thousands of years the phenomena of the camera obscura, French for “darkened room” has been known – that light passing through a tiny aperture (or pinhole) into a darkened space will reflect an image of the outside world. This is the central principal on which all photography is built. Camera-like devices employed pinholes long before the advent of photography or even lenses. Today, making photographs using only a pinhole is a refreshing change from conventional photography, allowing those who practice it to experiment with the earliest forms of photographic image making.
In this one-day workshop, students will learn the principles of pinhole photography by creating their own working pinhole cameras from ordinary household items (oatmeal canisters, Pringles cans, cigar boxes, shoeboxes, etc.) the design of which will determine the size, quality, and effect the final image will have. Students will then shoot and process their own pinhole photographs in the black and white darkroom.
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Learning Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Date & Time
Saturday May 10th, 2025
2:00 – 5:30 PMJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
Darkroom Playground
$85.00 – $100.00A 2-Day Workshop
Thursday, May 29th and June 5th, 2025
6:00 – 8:30 PM
16+A 2-Day Photography Class for Ages 16+
This advanced darkroom class is for the truly enthusiastic darkroom lover who finds passion in the dark and hates to see the lights go on. Designed for those who know black and white darkroom printing basics but want to take their knowledge further. This class will include tools and techniques for making good prints better using contrast control and dodging and burning as well as playful techniques such as selective development, solarizing, paper negatives, and much more.
Supplies Included. Students only need to bring a set of negatives to each class.
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Learning Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Date & Time
Thursday, May 29th and June 5th, 2025
6:00 – 8:30 PMJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
Intro to Digital Photography and Camera RAW
$120.00 – $150.00A 2-Day Class
Saturday, June 7th and 14th10:30am – 1:30pm
Ages 16+A Photography Class for Ages 16+
This course serves as an introduction to the basics of digital photography. Over the two day workshop, students will learn how to set up and use their digital cameras, the basic methods for properly exposing photographs, and tips for creating compelling images with your camera. This class will also cover the workflow for uploading and editing images in Adobe Camera Raw. It is required that you have a digital camera to participate in this course.
Participants must have a digital camera with the capability to shoot in RAW. CEPA has limited cameras available to rent. Please call or email info@cepagallery.org to arrange a camera rental.
Workshop Location
CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, June 7th and 14th
10:30am – 1:30pm
Join CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership » -
Experimental Photography: Chemigram
$75.00 – $95.00A 1-Day Class
Friday, June 20th
6:00 – 8:30pm
Ages 13+A Photography Class for Ages 13+
Discover the fascinating intersection of art and science in this hands-on Chemigram Workshop! Participants will explore the unique photographic process of creating chemigrams—stunning, abstract images produced by combining photographic paper, light, and chemical reactions.
Several techniques for camera-less photography will be explored, allowing for a wide range of different effects. Unlike a lot of traditional photography processes, there is no right or wrong way, it’s all about trying out different things and letting the process unfold naturally.
No prior photography or chemistry experience is necessary—this workshop is perfect for beginners and seasoned artists alike. Leave with your own one-of-a-kind prints and a deeper appreciation for experimental photography.
Join us to unleash your creativity and experiment with the unpredictable beauty of chemigrams!
Supplies are included.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions.
Workshop Location
CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Friday, June 20th
6:00 – 8:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
Learn about CEPA Membership »
Basic Tutorials
CEPA is now offering one hour tutorials covering basic and commonly requested topics. These are brief introductions, designed to get you started on your journey with photography quickly or to help refresh those looking to get back into it.
For more in depth instruction, see our workshops above or arrange a one on one lesson.
Tutorials are by Appointment Only. To book a tutorial, purchase a tutorial product and then email nate@cepagallery.org or call 716-856-2717 to arrange an appointment.
-
Intro to Photography and Image Control – Tutorial
$100.00Basic Exposure and Image Control
Learn about the basics of Photography! This one hour tutorial covers the fundamentals of exposure and image control through Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed, as well as basic camera control for either digital or film.
Once your order is placed, CEPA will reach out within a few days to schedule a time.
-
Basic B/W Film Development – Tutorial
$100.00Basic B/W Film Development
New to the darkroom? This tutorial covers the basic process for loading, exposing, developing and processing your film by hand. Learn about film exposure, chemistry, how to load a daylight tank, as well as some tips and tricks to avoid common beginner mistakes. Includes a roll of 35mm film to practice.
Recommended to take prior to Basic Darkroom Printing. Receive a 15% discount when ordering both.
Once your order is placed, CEPA will reach out within a few days to schedule a time.
-
Basic Darkroom Printing – Tutorial
$100.00Basic Darkroom Printing
New to the darkroom? This tutorial covers the basic process for enlarging film in the darkroom, including how to use an enlarger, control contrast and exposure, archivally process and wash prints, dodging and burning, plus other techniques to get you up and running in the darkroom quickly. Students need a developed roll of B/W film, other materials provided. Includes 1 hour of instruction and 3 hours of lab time to get you started.
This tutorial is recommended to follow B/W Film Development. Receive a 15% discount if purchasing both.
Once your order is placed, CEPA will reach out within a few days to schedule a time.
-
Basic Digital Workflow in Lightroom – Tutorial
$100.00Basic Digital Workflow in Lightroom
This tutorial covers a basic workflow in Lightroom. Learn about the RAW file format, as well as how to import, organize, edit and export your digital images.
Once your order is placed, CEPA will reach out within a few days to schedule a time.
-
Basic Digital Printing – Tutorial
$100.00Basic Digital Printing
Learn how to print your digital images! This tutorial covers resolution, cropping/resizing for print, as well as color profiles and proofing.
Once your order is placed, CEPA will reach out within a few days to schedule a time.
Youth Summer Classes
CEPA summer art programs are a blast! Students learn the art and science behind photography, experimenting in both the darkroom and computer lab.There are classes for 8-12 year olds as well as teenagers and they run for a full week, half day. There is something for everyone, beginners as well as advanced.
Don’t see what you’re looking for?
We can create a custom class for four or more people, and we also offer one-to-one tutoring. To discuss, contact Nate Ely, our Education Director:
- By e-mail at nate@cepagallery.org
- By phone at (716) 856-2717
Darron Whitsett
Featured CEPA Graduate
A former student of one of CEPA’s many art programs in schools, Darron Whitsett participated in a photojournalism program where students created a newspaper from the ground up. He later joined ArtWorks!, one of CEPA’s after school programs. During the year-long advanced photography course, students worked with all of CEPA’s artists in residence—learning and working in their style, exhibiting their work throughout Buffalo, and producing a personal catalogue at the end of the program.
“CEPA’s art programs helped shape my life in so many positive ways. The things I learned then are the foundation of what I do today. They have afforded me the chance to travel and be creative, a dream I have had since I was a child . . . a dream that CEPA’s program gave me a framework for. For that I will be forever grateful.”
Darron is a professional photographer, designer, and artist. Learn more about him at darronlw.daportfolio.com.