Lab / Education
As a Light Work Lab member, we want you to get the most from our facility and staff. We are proud to offer a variety of classes, workshops, and one-on-one sessions. Our goal is to give you the opportunity to go deeper with your photography, learn from professionals in the field, and meet fellow members.
Workshops & Classes
Workshops at Light Work Lab focus on a single idea or topic and take place in one day. This is an opportunity to learn, meet fellow members, and leave with a new skill. We often bring professional artists and skilled community members in to lead our workshops.
Classes cover basic to advanced topics and run once a week for four to six weeks. Our classes give you an opportunity to build up your work and ask questions over several meetings. Our knowledgeable staff run our classes. They can pass on their great technique to you.
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Light Work Lab members receive discounts on all classes and workshops. No matter your skill level, staff are here to help you go further with your photography. Begin or renew your membership today.
Scroll down to see our current line-up of workshops and classes.
One-on-One Sessions
Not seeing what you are looking for? Don’t have time in your schedule for a class? Our one-on-one sessions are a great option. One-on-one sessions allow you to pick a topic and meet directly with an expert. Please inquire about our pre-created options, or send us the topic and we can get started on crafting a session just for you.
Recent one-on-one sessions have included:
- Large format printing
- File organization
- Photoshop basics
- Lightroom
- Drum scanning
- B/W film processing
- Lighting
- Book Editing
No matter your skill level, we’re here to help you go further with your photography. Stop in, e-mail, or call us to book your one-on-one session today! If you need a disability-related accommodation to participate in any of our workshops, classes, or sessions, please inform us when booking.
lab@lightwork.org
315-443-2450
Spring 2020 — One-Day Workshops
DSLR Primer
One-Day Workshop
Saturday / February 15, 1-5pm
Instructor: Dan Boardman
Member ($25) / Non-member ($50)
Save on workshops! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Workshop Description
Did you get a new camera over the holidays and need some help getting started? Come to Light Work and together we will unpack all the important menu settings together. In this hands-on workshop, we will cover digital basics and the fundamentals of exposure. Bring your camera, manual, lenses, and questions.
Meet your instructor
Dan Boardman received his BFA in photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2008 and his MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2012. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has work in both public and private collections. In 2013, Boardman was a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellow and, in 2016, Aperture short-listed him for their PhotoBook Award. Recent exhibitions include 321 Gallery in Brooklyn, Harvard University, Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts, Musée des Beaux-Arts in Le Locle, Switzerland, The Photography Gallery at Riley Hall, University of Notre Dame, and Sad Gallery in Seattle.
Intro to Creative Studio Lighting
One-Day Workshop
Saturday / February 22, 1-5pm
Instructor: Nando Alvarez-Perez
Member ($25) / Non-member ($50)
Save on workshops! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Workshop Description
Light it up! This hands-on workshop provides an introduction to the creative use of studio-based strobe lights for still life and portraiture. We will explore foundational concepts such as light falloff, contrast ratios, and three-point lighting in practical scenarios. We’ll also cover topics such as syncing cameras with transceivers, light modifiers, and using colored gels for creative effect.
Meet your instructor
Nando Alvarez-Perez is a native of Buffalo, New York. He studied the history of cinema at Hunter College in Manhattan and received his B.A. in film studies with special honors from the Thomas Hunter Honors Program. In 2014, he graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute, receiving the Master of Fine Arts Fellowship in Photography. He has shown his work across the West Coast and was a featured artist in Salón Boricua as part of the 4th Poly/Graphic Triennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Most recently, he exhibited work at the inaugural edition of UNTITLED Art Fair in San Francisco and participated in the exhibition, Insights: New Approaches to Photography Since 2000, at Photofairs SF. He is the co-founder and co-director of The Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art and editor-in-chief of Cornelia magazine.
Do-It-Yourself Framing
One-Day Workshop
Saturday / April 25, 1-5pm
Instructor: Victor Rivera
Cost: Member ($25) / Non-Member ($50)
*Material fee: $50
Save on workshops! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Workshop Description
This is a one-day workshop to learn mounting and framing basics for photographic prints. We will provide students with materials for mounting and building a frame for one 14×18” print. We will cover topics such as best print handling practices, best mounting practices, how to cut matte board, and framing techniques. This workshop will teach you the professional skills necessary to finish your artwork to be exhibition-ready.
Meet your instructor
Victor Rivera was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in central Florida, and currently lives in Upstate New York. Rivera earned a master of fine arts degree at Syracuse University in 2014. He teaches as an adjunct instructor of photography at Syracuse University and is the exhibitions and collections manager at Light Work.
Capture One Basics
One-Day Workshop
Saturday / May 23, 1-5pm
Instructor: Dylan Nelson
Cost: Member ($25) / Non-Member ($50)
Save on workshops! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Workshop Description
Capture One is an image editing software program used in professional photographic environments. In this course we will learn the end-to-end workflow of Capture One—from file ingest to output. Through demonstration and hands-on experimentation, we will walk through the software’s various powerful tools and key components. Looking to optimize your tethered workflow? How about batch process images through multiple output recipes that also preserve your crop and metadata? What?! Come find out what all of that means—it is way simpler than it sounds.
Meet your instructor
Dylan Nelson is an artist with a day job living and working in Minneapolis. His book Amber Gambler is in the collections of Pier 24, St. Olaf College, and The Walker Art Center. His works are in the private collections of literally two people and one was a family friend so it sort of doesn’t count. He has exhibited work at Aperture Gallery, the University of Minnesota, Yeah Maybe Gallery, and a bunch of other ones. During the day he is a re-toucher and digital tech working with a wide group of commercial clients including Levi’s, Puma, Target, and Wal-Mart.
Spring 2020 — Four & Six Week Classes
Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
Four Week Class
Mondays / February 3-24, 6-8pm
Instructor: Kendra Ward
Member ($110) / Non-member ($150)
Save on classes! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Class Description
Learn the foundations of adjusting and manipulating your images with Adobe Photoshop. This course will introduce workflow techniques and concepts for adjusting color and tone, resizing, saving and printing your photographs through Print Tool. The first two hours of this course will be instruction followed by one hour of open.
Meet your instructor
Kendra Ward is a photographer originally from Texas and currently living in Syracuse, New York. She earned a BFA in Art Photography from Syracuse University, and is currently working as a Lab Assistant at Light Work.
Advanced Adobe Photoshop
Four Week Class
Tuesdays / March 3- 24, 6-8pm
Instructor: Becky Marris
Member ($110) / Non-member ($150)
Save on classes! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Class Description
Become a retouching master in this advanced level of Adobe Photoshop. This course will give you all the tools necessary to make complex layer masks, composites, and do difficult retouching work. This workshop will make you an expert in seeing color and tone, understand sharpening, and prepare files for print. The first two hours of this course will be instruction followed by one hour of open studio time.
Meet your instructor
Becky Marris is an artist working primarily in photography. She received a BFA from the School of Art and Design at Alfred University, where she had a concentration in Photography. Her work deals with the brain’s ability to subconsciously record information, and how it ambiguously recollects those memories. She is currently a printmaker at Light Work.
Lightroom
Four Week Class
Thursdays / March 5- 26, 6-8pm
Instructor: Dan Boardman
Member ($110) / Non-member ($150)
Save on classes! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Class Description
Learn the ends and out of this incredibly versatile software. Lightroom is a great way to edit and develop your images. In this course you will learn the fundamental elements of Lightroom and discover ways to integrate Lightroom into your workflow
Meet your instructor
Dan Boardman received his BFA in photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2008 and his MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2012. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has work in both public and private collections. In 2013, Boardman was a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellow and, in 2016, Aperture short-listed him for their PhotoBook Award. Recent exhibitions include 321 Gallery in Brooklyn, Harvard University, Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts, Musée des Beaux-Arts in Le Locle, Switzerland, The Photography Gallery at Riley Hall, University of Notre Dame, and Sad Gallery in Seattle.
How to Make Great Prints
Four Week Class
Mondays / April 6 -27, 6-8pm
Instructor: Ryan Krueger
Member ($110) / Non-member ($150)
Save on classes! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Class Description
This class is all about making the best possible prints. We will learn the ins and outs of photoshop, color management, and printer specific settings. We will play with scale and experiment with making large and small prints. Beyond just learning the best techniques, we will build up our knowledge of printing by looking at prints from the Light Work collection.
Meet your instructor
Ryan Krueger is originally from New Jersey and has lived for the past decade in Portland, OR, where he received his BFA in Photography from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. He has exhibited his work over the years at Blackfish Gallery and HQ Objective (both in Portland), and at Lethal Amounts Gallery in Los Angeles. Outside his art practice, Ryan also engaged with Portland’s arts community through his work as a photo technician. His years of specializing in film processing and photographic digital printing has informed his practice through commercial and community-based labs as well as a self-directed Do-It-Yourself printing practice from his own home.
Shooting Film
Six Week Class
Tuesdays / May 5 – June 9, 6-8pm
Instructor: Victor Riveria
Member ($165) / Non-member ($225)
Save on classes! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Class Description
The six-week class covers basic technical skills needed for shooting and processing black and white film, negative scanning, and printing. We will also consider photographic history as it relates to art photography and basic theory in a casual, nonacademic environment. As much as possible, we will tailor the course to each participant’s skill level and individual motivations for taking the course. We will focus on the unique workflow associated with film. Each student will leave with two finished prints. *The course requires an analog 35mm camera. This class is open to photographers of all levels.
Meet your instructor
Victor Rivera was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in central Florida, and currently lives in Upstate New York. Rivera earned a master of fine arts degree at Syracuse University in 2014. He teaches as an adjunct instructor of photography at Syracuse University and is the exhibitions and collections manager at
Shooting Digital
Six Week Class
Thursdays / May 7 – June 11, 6-8pm
Instructor: Ryan Krueger
Member ($165) / Non-member ($225)
Save on classes! Become a Light Work Lab member today!
Class Description
The digital SLR can be a maze of menus and choices. It can be hard to know where to start or whether you are getting the most from your camera. This six-week class invites you to explore all the functions of your dSLR. We will learn the basics and advanced settings that will help you develop creativity. Each student will learn how to get the most from these amazing cameras and leave with two finished prints.
Meet your instructor
Ryan Krueger is originally from New Jersey and has lived for the past decade in Portland, OR, where he received his BFA in Photography from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. He has exhibited his work over the years at Blackfish Gallery and HQ Objective (both in Portland), and at Lethal Amounts Gallery in Los Angeles. Outside his art practice, Ryan also engaged with Portland’s arts community through his work as a photo technician. His years of specializing in film processing and photographic digital printing has informed his practice through commercial and community-based labs as well as a self-directed Do-It-Yourself printing practice from his own home.