Oakland Photo Workshop

312 8th Street, Oakland, CA

This two-day event will feature a wide variety of items donated to us by our community members - your purchases will help support EBPCO’s activities (gatherings, workshops, gallery shows, darkroom, and more) throughout the year!

This two-day event will feature a wide variety of items donated to us by our community members - your purchases will help support EBPCO’s activities (gatherings, workshops, gallery shows, darkroom, and more) throughout the year!

This one day workshop will be held at the EBPCO Community Darkroom. Signup info at ebpco.org/workshops

Discover the time-honored technique of developing film negatives, not with conventional chemicals, but with the power of plants! This unique workshop will immerse you in the magic of alternative photography where art, science, and nature converge. In this hands-on workshop, Participants will work with developer brews made from California native and non-native plants, and are asked to bring 1-4 rolls of exposed black and white film for developing.

Join us at Oakland Photo Workshop for the closing of Raymond Cooper’s Oakland!

It’s Photo Walk Time!

We will be meeting on the first Sunday of the month, April 7th. Bring any camera you like, and be prepared to wander and shoot for up to an hour.

EBPCO’s bimonthly photo walks are a great way to connect with other photographers while exploring and photographing an interesting Oakland location.

Our photo walks are free and OPEN TO ALL! Bring your camera(s) and your creativity. All cameras welcome, including phones.

In-Person Conversation with Aja Cooper and Liam O’Donoghue

Friday, April 5 2024

7 - 8:30 PM

THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT!

Raymond Cooper lived and photographed in Oakland in the 1970s and 80s, but his archive of thousands of images was damaged by fire and then lost in a burglary. Some images were later found on the street and returned to the Cooper family. This exhibit shows over 100 of his recovered works, exploring in wonderful and colorful detail the fashion, hair styles, and street scene of the era as well as Cooper’s own experimental photographic work and family history.

Join us for a conversation with Raymond Cooper’s daughter Aja Cooper, and learn about her mission to preserve her father’s creative and cultural legacy. She’ll be talking to Bay Area writer and historian Liam O’Donoghue in his podcast East Bay Yesterday, followed by an article in SF Gate in October 2022

Theme: Lost & Found Photography, Inspired by the Raymond Cooper Archive and the current OPW exhibition, Raymond Cooper’s Oakland.

Hosted by Vince Donovan.

Sign up to present here!

Get that pile of black & white darkroom prints out of the box in your closet! In this one day workshop, an instructor will guide you through a variety of darkroom print finishing techniques. Topics covered include hand-retouching (aka spotting), pressing, and dry-mounting prints. Bring your own darkroom prints to work with for this workshop or use some of ours. All other materials for this workshop are available through EBPCO!

This one day workshop will be held at the EBPCO Community Darkroom. Signup info at ebpco.org/workshops

This one day workshop will be held at Oakland Photo Workshop. Signup info at ebpco.org/workshops

For those who own a 35mm camera and want to learn how to get the most out of it. In this course, an instructor will guide you through the basics of manual camera function and making images with black & white 35mm film, including ISO, aperture, shutter speed, light metering, focus, and more. This workshop will get you making images that can be sent out for processing or prepare you for your own processing work in the darkroom. Participants must bring their own 35mm camera.

Please join us at Telegraph Beer Garden for a low-key gathering. This is a chance to mingle and meet some fellow photographers, and talk about photography, or whatever else strikes our fancy!

Join us to celebrate the incredible archive of photographer, business owner, Black Panther, and sailer Raymond Cooper. As featured in SF Gate, this exhibition features a small selection of Cooper’s remaining archive.

Join us 6-9pm for refreshments, and music by Vinyl Richie!

This two-part series will be held at Oakland Photo Workshop on February 11th and March 3rd. Signup info at ebpco.org/workshops

Camera lenses are, at their base level, shockingly simple: A single piece of glass and a tube. As time has gone by lenses have gotten increasingly, mind-bogglingly complex. But one can still, with some very basic materials, make your own camera lenses that render surprisingly good images.

This is a two part series that will cover the basics of making your own camera lens. We will talk about the simple calculations required to combine lens elements, where to find and purchase the elements, and in class make an elementary lens out of two optical elements and a pair of dollar bills.

Theme: Your Top 10 Favorite Photographs You Made in 2023

It’s Photo Walk Time!

We will be meeting on the first Sunday of the month, December 3rd. Bring any camera you like, and be prepared to wander and shoot for up to an hour.

EBPCO’s bimonthly photo walks are a great way to connect with other photographers while exploring and photographing an interesting Oakland location.

Our photo walks are free and OPEN TO ALL! Bring your camera(s) and your creativity. All cameras welcome, including phones.

We are water, we are earth, we are sky - closing reception

At Oakland Photo Workshop on Friday, February 2nd from 6-9pm!

Join us for an opening reception for our satellite exhibition Asian Americana: Balancing Tradition and Modernity on Friday January 12th from 6-8pm.

This exhibition marries two powerful projects in a multimedia tapestry of art, culture, identity, and human connection and features the work of Paulina Hoong and Stephanie Shih

Please join us at Telegraph Beer Garden for a low-key gathering. This is a chance to mingle and meet some fellow photographers, and talk about photography, or whatever else strikes our fancy!

Join us to celebrate EBPCO’s creative and amazing members! We are water, We are earth, We are sky is a photographic celebration of humanity’s interconnectedness with nature, curated by EBPCO member and OPW volunteer, Amanda Bensel. Light refreshments, music, and good times will be provided!

Theme: We Are Water We Are Earth We Are Sky

It’s Photo Walk Time!

We will be meeting on the first Sunday of the month, December 3rd. Bring any camera you like, and be prepared to wander and shoot for up to an hour.

This month’s walk starting location: The EBPCO Darkroom!

EBPCO’s bimonthly photo walks are a great way to connect with other photographers while exploring and photographing an interesting Oakland location.

Our photo walks are free and OPEN TO ALL! Bring your camera(s) and your creativity. All cameras welcome, including phones.

Do you have a film camera sitting in your closet or collecting dust in an attic, inherited from a relative or borrowed from a friend, or recently purchased at a yard sale or on eBay? Bring your cameras and question to this informal workshop where we will share with others and with EPBCO member and film camera obsessive Philip Krayna (aka “Dr. Philm). Philip will test and assess your camera, if possible help with minor repairs, and explain how to use it, so you can start enjoying the magic of film photography.

This workshop is free to attend but advance registration is suggested, sign up here.

This workshop is hosted at Oakland Photo Workshop.

Join us Friday November 17th from 6-9pm for the closing reception of The Gun Next Door, Judy Dater’s series of carefully crafted portraits of Bay Area gun owners. Featured in the East Bay Times, SF Gate, and Alta Magazine!

Theme: Story of a Place

Please join us at Telegraph Beer Garden for a low-key gathering. This is a chance to mingle and meet some fellow photographers, and talk about photography, or whatever else strikes our fancy!

The Zone System was designed as a method for enabling the (analog) B&W photographer to control the technical aspects of exposure, development and printing. It starts with what Ansel Adams called “Pre-visualization” or more specifically the visualization of the subject as a finished black and white print, before the shutter is tripped.

Starting with an introduction of how we transcribe into shades of grey, from deepest black to whitest of white, we will explore how to realize that abstraction of reality into a finished print. We will learn about the characteristics of the materials (film, development and print) and both the possibilities and limitations of how these materials can be manipulated to most closely realize the artists’ (pre)visualization of their subject.

Most importantly, we will emphasize that the technique itself is not the work of art, but rather a means to that creation. In my own experience, an early fascination and preoccupation with the technique led to losing sight of the art of the photograph. Once the photographer understands the full possibilities and limitations of the media, then they may freely view their subjects through the prisms of lens, film and print.

This workshop will be lecture only. No darkroom demonstrations. Participants are encouraged to bring in one or two prints with negatives to ask any questions they may have. This part will not be a critique, rather a chance to assist in understanding how to control the materials.

Purchase a ticket here.

Art, science, and nature converge in harmony in this extraordinary workshop. In this hands-on experience, you will discover the time-honored technique of developing film negatives, not with conventional chemicals, but with the power of plants.

Led by Beatrice Thornton, this unique workshop will immerse you in the magic of alternative photography. Learn how to harness the organic properties of various plants to reveal stunning images from your film rolls. Witness the beauty of chemistry in action as natural compounds transform your negatives into captivating masterpieces.

Participants will work with developer brews made from California native and non-native plants. Before coming in for the workshop, participants will receive instructions on making suggested brews from foraged plants. Participants should bring 1-4 rolls of exposed black and white film for developing. A set of instructions for making the brews in addition to suggested film stocks will be provided 2 weeks before the workshop date. While it is not required to prepare a brew in advance or shoot with only the suggested film stocks, this is encouraged.

This workshop has sold out. Stay tuned for news on upcoming workshops!

EBPCOFest is more than just a celebration; it's an ode to the spirit of creativity and community fostered by the East Bay Photo Collective!

This event is your chance to contribute to a cause that brings together the power of art, culture, and community. Proceeds from EBPCOFest will directly support the EBPCO's efforts to provide resources, education, and opportunities for the community.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to revel in the joy of photography, connect with like-minded individuals, and make a positive impact. Secure your tickets early and be part of an evening that promises inspiration, entertainment, and the magic of shared artistic experiences.

Tickets are $10. Purchase a ticket online or at the door.

Are you a film enthusiast who wants to preserve the magic of your film in a digital format? Then, join us for an immersive workshop that will teach you the art of digitizing your negatives using a DSLR camera. Led by Dave Tau, this hands-on session will equip you with the knowledge and equipment you need to capture high-quality digital photographs of your negatives. From understanding essential equipment needs to mastering the fundamentals of negative scanning, this workshop will give you a solid foundation in digitization.

All equipment, except for your negatives, will be provided. Don't let your precious film negatives fade into obscurity. Join us for "Digitizing Your Negatives" and unlock the potential of your analog treasures in the digital age.

Purchase a ticket here.

Since the invention of photography, there has been one specific constant: The lens. Every camera, regardless of its form factor or medium, has one. This means that today every single photographer has well over 100 years of camera lenses to choose from, but only if they know how.

In this class we will cover how to find, choose and use some of these pieces of camera history on your modern DSLR, talk over the basics, and have some hands-on exercises.

Join us Friday September 15th from 6-9pm for the opening of The Gun Next Door, Judy Dater’s series of carefully crafted portraits of Bay Area gun owners.