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.
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Anthotypes at Groundwork Market Garden
$15.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, August 29th
11:00am–2:30pm
Ages 13+A Photography Class for Ages 13+
Join CEPA and artist Faith Mikolajczyk at Groundwork Market Garden to learn the ins and outs of anthotype printing using plants and produce locally grown at Groundwork!
Anthotype is an accessible and eco-friendly photographic process that utilizes the sun rather
then a camera to create a print. Discovered in 1839, this process utilizes the natural pigments
and photo-sensitive qualities of natural materials such as flowers, vegetables, and other plants.Participants will create several different emulsions out of natural materials, coat and prepare paper, and learn all the steps to make and finish exposing their anthotypes at home. Anthotype is a simple process, but one that requires several days of sun exposure to produce good results.
Groundwork Market Garden is an urban farm located on Buffalo’s East side in the Genesee Moselle neighborhood since 2015. They provide only the highest quality, most nutritious, USDA certified organic fruits and veggies.
Example Image by Faith Mikolajczyk
Supplies are included.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions.
Workshop Location
Groundwork Market Garden
52 Leslie Street
Buffalo, NY 14211Limited Availability
This class is limited to 15 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, August 29th
11:00am–2:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
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Polaroid Manipulation
$50.00 – $65.00Price range: $50.00 through $65.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, September 5th
10:00am – 12:30pm
Ages 13+A Photography Class for Ages 13+
The focus of this workshop is to experiment and play. Over the course of 2.5 hours, participants will explore four different creative techniques used to manipulate a Polaroid Print and create something new.
Participants will play with Polaroid Lifts, Polaroid negative reclamation, Polaroid decay, and emulsion manipulation.
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, September 5th
10:00am, – 12:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
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Intro to 35mm Photography
$65.00 – $75.00Price range: $65.00 through $75.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, September 26th
1:00pm – 3:00pm
Ages 16+A Photography Class for Ages 16+
Intro to 35mm covers all the basics of loading and using an analog 35mm film camera, as well as the basics of image control using aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. 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 with analog photography quicker.
This class is offered in connection with C41 Film Development the following week, where students will learn how to develop color film at home using the CineStill C41 Kit. Students who sign up for both classes will develop their exposed film during class the following week. Everyone else will receive their developed film and digital scans of their images 2-3 weeks after the class.
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 borrow.
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 10 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, September 26th
1:00pm – 3:00pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
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Developing and Scanning Color Negative Photography
$85.00 – $100.00Price range: $85.00 through $100.00A 1-Day Workshop
Saturday, October 3rd
1:00 PM – 4:30 PMAges 16+
A Photography Workshop for Ages 16+
While C41 is typically a lab process, thanks to a continued interest in film photography, manufactors such as CineStill have developed premade chemistry to reliably develop your own C41 film at home. This beginner friendly, one day workshop will cover all the basics of film photography, including how to develop color negative film at home using the CineStill kit, and how to scan color negative film using Negative Lab Pro.
This class is a great introduction for those new to analog photography and wet darkroom work.
Offered in connection with Intro to 35mm, recommended first for anyone who is new to film photography. Students who sign up to this class without taking Intro will be encouraged to bring a roll to develop or come early to shoot a test roll.
All supplies included! Students will expose a test roll, and learn how to develop and scan their own color negative film. Additional lab time is included for students to return to CEPA and scan their film.
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Learning Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 10 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, October 3rd
1:00 PM – 4:30 PMJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
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Photo Walk at Richardson Olmsted Campus
$40.00 – $60.00Price range: $40.00 through $60.00Saturday, October 10th
12:30pm – 3:30pm
Ages 16+Join CEPA for a photo walk at the Richardson Olmsted Campus!
This is a unique opportunity to explore and document the historic buildings of the Richardson Olmsted Campus before redevelopment plans commence.
The Richardson Olmsted Campus in Buffalo, New York, United States, is one of the city’s most iconic buildings. The site was designed by the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson in concert with the famed landscape team of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the late 1800s, incorporating a system of treatment for people with mental illness developed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride known as the Kirkbride Plan.
Over the years, as mental health treatment changed and resources were diverted, the buildings and grounds slowly deteriorated. By 1974, the last patients were removed from the historic wards. On June 24, 1986, the former Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane was added to the National Historic Landmark registry. In 2006, the Richardson Center Corporation was formed to restore the buildings.
Today, the Richardson Olmsted Campus is being converted, beginning with the now open Hotel Richardson within the Towers Building and two flanking buildings (about one-third of the Campus).
Future plans for the site include the construction of a new museum in Buffalo’s cultural corridor, known as the Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo. The museum will focus on the city’s rich architectural history and collection of now-preserved buildings.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions.
Location
Richardson Olmsted Campus
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 14 participants. No more than 2 orders per customer.
Dates & Times
Saturday, October 10th
12:30pm – 3:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
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Spirit Photography
$25.00 – $30.00Price range: $25.00 through $30.00A 1-Day Class
Friday, October 16th
6:30pm–8:30pm
Ages 16+A Photography Class for Ages 16+
Step into the mysterious world of spirit photography in this immersive, hands-on large format photography workshop.
Together, we’ll uncover the fascinating history of 19th-century portraiture and the rise of “ghostly” imagery that captivated audiences of the era. Through guided instruction, participants will experiment with the very techniques that gave spirit photography its uncanny allure—pre-exposing spectral figures onto paper film and mastering the use of an 8×10 large format camera.
In addition to creating hauntingly beautiful portraits, you’ll gain a solid introduction to large format photography, darkroom processes, and the artistry behind historical photographic methods.
To heighten the atmosphere, participants are invited to come dressed in period-inspired costumes—perfect for adding an extra layer of authenticity (and spookiness!) to your images. Everyone will leave with a collection of one-of-a-kind spectral portraits, along with new technical skills and a richer appreciation of photography’s haunted past.
Example Image by Sara Kow-Falcone
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 10 participants.
Dates & Times
Friday, October 16th
6:30pm–8:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
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Fall Foliage Photowalk at Griffis Sculpture Park
$20.00 – $25.00Price range: $20.00 through $25.00Saturday, October 17th 2026
3:00pm– 6:30pm
Ages 13+Experience the beauty of autumn through your lens at our Fall Foliage Photowalk at Griffis Sculpture Park, offered in collaboration with CEPA.
Join fellow photographers, artists, and nature enthusiasts for a docent led photographic exploration of one of Western New York’s most inspiring landscapes. As vibrant fall colors surround the park’s monumental sculptures, you’ll have the opportunity to capture the unique interplay of art, light, texture, and seasonal scenery.
Bring your camera or smartphone, comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and a sense of curiosity.
Following the photowalk, participants are invited to stay and experience NIGHT LIGHTS at Griffis Sculpture Park, where the landscape and sculptures are dramatically transformed after dark. Admission to NIGHT LIGHTS is included with your Photowalk ticket.Come for the fall colors. Stay to see the park in an entirely different light.
Location
Griffis Sculpture Park
6902 Mill Valley Rd
East Otto, NY 14729Date & Time
Saturday, October 17th
3:30pm – 6:30pmJoin CEPA Today and Save!
Membership starts as low as $40/year for individuals—and even lower for students at only $25/year!
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Architectural Photo Tour at the Martin House
$65.00 – $80.00Price range: $65.00 through $80.00A 2-Day Class
Friday, November 6th
6:00 – 8:30pm
Ages 16+A Photography Tour and Workshop for Ages 16+
Join CEPA and the Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House for a unique two day collaborative workshop and photography tour!
The class will meet at the Martin House for a brief conversation about design and composition, taking cues from Wright’s design principles illustrated at the Martin House, followed by a guided tour and the unique opportunity to photograph the interior of the House.
Class size is very limited, book now to reserve your spot.
Please call or email info@cepagallery.org if you have questions.
Photo taken by Sara Kow-Falcone
Workshop Location
The Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House and CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 10 participants.
Dates & Times
Friday, November 6th
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!
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Intro to Wet Plate Collodion
$130.00 – $150.00Price range: $130.00 through $150.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, December 5th
12:00pm – 5:00pm
Ages 16+A 1-Day Class for Ages 16+
Join wet-plate photographer, James Abbondanza in his studio at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center in Niagara Falls to learn the basics of the Wet Plate Collodion process. Wet Plate, also commonly referred to as tin-type or ambrotype, is an 19th century photography process, famous for its use during the Civil War. The process is sustained by a strong following of contemporary practitioners who are drawn to its charming imperfection, hand made nature, as well as its striking clarity and tonal range.
Each attendee will learn about the collodion process, how to use a large format camera, and get hands-on experience pouring and creating their own plate. Each participant will leave the workshop with their own 4×5″, large format wet-plate portrait.
Very limited space! Collodion is an expensive process to learn or to commission a portrait in. This is a unique opportunity to learn the basics of the historic collodion process for a very affordable cost.
This is an off site workshop which will be conducting at James’ studio at the NACC, in Niagara Falls.
All materials and supplies included.
Location
The Niagara Arts and Cultural Center
1201 Pine Ave Niagara Falls, NY 14301
Date & Time
Saturday, December 5th
12:00 pm – 5:00pm
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.
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Cyanotype Holiday Cards
$10.00 – $15.00Price range: $10.00 through $15.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, December 12th
10:00am–12:00pm
Ages 13+A Photography Class for Ages 13+
Looking for the perfect holiday activity? Join us on December 12th to make your very own Cyanotype Holiday Card!
What is a cyanotype?
Cyanotype is an early non-toxic, beginner-friendly, family-fun form of analog photography. The process uses UV light or the Sun, and water to create a permanent, characteristically blue handmade print.
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 10 participants.
Dates & Times
Saturday, December 12th
10:00am–12:00pmJoin 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 »
Basic Tutorials
CEPA is now offering two hour tutorials covering basic and commonly requested topics. These are introductory lessons, 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 call to arrange a one on one lesson.
Tutorials are by Appointment Only. Once you place your order, someone will reach out within a few days to schedule your lesson. You can also email nate@cepagallery.org or call 716-856-2717 to arrange an appointment.
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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.
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Basic B/W Film Development – Tutorial
$120.00Basic B/W Film Development
New to the darkroom? This roughly two hour 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.
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Basic Darkroom Printing – Tutorial
$150.00Basic 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.
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Basic Digital Workflow in Lightroom – Tutorial
$120.00Basic Digital Workflow in Lightroom
This two hour 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.
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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.
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Intro to Alt Process – Tutorial
$150.00Intro to Alternative Process
New 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.
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.
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 an image using UV light.
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.