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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Archival Methods
$100.00 – $120.00A 1-Day Class
Friday, April 26th5:30pm–8:30pm
Ages 13+A Photography Class for Ages 13+
For those interested in archiving their family history, our Archival Methods Workshop offers an opportunity to learn basic preservation techniques that can be used on your collection at home. Overall, this workshop promises to demystify archiving and provide you with the practical knowledge and skills to preserve your materials effectively. Whether you’re new to archiving or looking to enhance a pre-existing skillset, this workshop offers a comprehensive and hands-on learning experience. Don’t miss the chance to take your archiving expertise to the next level and contribute to the preservation of prized family photographs!
The workshop aligns with the exhibit by equipping participants with the tools to preserve the physical ephemera of their family history. This is a workshop about remembrance and preservation, which fits well with the themes of the exhibition.
Workshop Location
CEPA Learning Center
Limited Availability
This class is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
Friday, April 26th
5:30pm–8:30pm
Join 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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Tunnel Book Workshop
$40.00 – $75.00A 1-Day Workshop
Saturday, May 25th, 2024
2:00 – 5:00 PM
All agesA 1-Day Workshop for All Ages
The Tunnel Book Workshop is about the potential for expressing personal narratives and creative stories in a connected series of stacked and layered frames. Participants will be guided by a series of prompts to create a scene through several art pieces on translucent photo frames. These pieces will be joined together into a final art object that provides the illusions of depth and movement within a diorama. These works will be motivated by exploration of identity and will present interesting juxtapositions of images that illustrate the complexity of human stories. The frames will come together to form a final, cohesive image, reflecting the diverse aspects that make up the self.
All Materials and Supplies are Included.
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Learning Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Date & Time
Saturday, May 25th, 2024
2:00 PM – 5:00 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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Learn Your Digital Camera
$90.00 – $120.00A 2-Day Class
Friday, May 24th and June 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, May 24th and June 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.
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Studio Lighting
$100.00 – $120.00A 1-Day Class
Saturday, June 1st
10:30am–1:30pm
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.Follow up what you learn in this class by signing up for Piotr’s advanced class – Conceptual and Creative Portraiture. Purchase both classes and receive a 15% discount (refunded when your order is processed).
Location
CEPA Education Center
Date & Time
Saturday, June 1st
10:30 a.m.–1:30 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.
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.
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Basic Exposure 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.
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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 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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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All Things Photography – Summer 2024
$225.00A Week-long Summer Class
July 8–12 @ 9:00am–12:00pm
Ages 8 to 12This class is jam-packed with all sorts of fun photo activities, including darkroom, digital, and experimental photography. There’s something for everyone, with many opportunities for students to get hands-on with photography.
Cameras are available for use, or students are welcome to use their own.
For ages 8-12
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Learning Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
July 8-12, 9:00am-12:00pm
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The Nature and Science of Photography – Summer 2024
$225.00A Week-long Summer Class
July 8 – 12 @ 1:00pm–4:00pm
Ages 8 to 12Learn about the nature and science that underlies photography in this STEAM class. Students will spend the week experimenting with some of the earliest traditional photographic processes while they get hands on with the science of light and photochemistry.
Offered in partnership with the Coalesce Bio Art Lab at the University at Buffalo. Students will take a field trip to UB to collect plants and natural material, which they will process in the Biolab at Coalesce and use to make photographs – Art made of Nature and from Nature!
Techniques explored include Pinhole Photography, Macrophotography, Anthotypes, and Cyanotype.
All materials included. For ages 8-12.
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Learning Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
July 8 – 12 @ 1:00pm–4:00pm
Ages 8-12 -
New Vision Photography – Summer 2024
$225.00A Week-long Summer Class
July 15-19, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Ages 13 to 17In this class, inspired by the New Vision photography movement, students will practice a number of different analog hands-on techniques while learning a little art history. New Vision was a photography movement that briefly existed between WWI and WWII. Despite being short-lived, this moment greatly shaped our modern sense of photography, producing many of the pictorial conventions familiar to us today.
Techniques students will experiment with include 35mm Photography, Double Exposure, Photograms, Collage/Typography, Cliché Verre, and Collage.
All materials included. Students are welcome to bring their own film cameras if they have one or will be provided with CEPA film cameras to borrow.
For ages 13-17
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Education Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
July 15-19, 1:00pm-4:00pm
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Creating a Photo Journal – Summer 2024
$225.00A Week-long Summer Class
July 15 – 19 @ 9:00am–12:00pm
Ages 13 to 17This class is centered around photography’s ability to document and preserve. It will provide an outlet for students to explore the personal narratives of their present experiences while creating objects of great personal significance. Students will have the opportunity to use a wide variety of photographic materials – including different kinds of instant photography, film photography, and other alternative/experimental processes to create their own photo journals.
Students will be given prompts and assignments that encourage them to constructively write and create photographs. Classes will introduce photographic artists and techniques that explore photography’s role in making memory and sharing narrative.
All materials included. For ages 13-17.
Workshop Location
CEPA Gallery Learning Center
Limited Availability
This workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Dates & Times
July 15 – 19 @ 10:00am–12:00pm
Ages 13-17
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.