This 4-week class will survey a variety of non-traditional techniques that expand artistic possibilities for darkroom photographers. In the darkroom, we’ll try altering negatives, photograms, painting with light, Sabattier prints (aka solarizition), applying chemistry with brushes, altering prints in tea and coffee, and Liquid Light emulsion. Outside the darkroom, we will discuss various films including infared and cross processing for unusual color rendition. All students with basic film processing and printing skills are welcome to enroll.

Wednesdays | 6:30-9:30p | Nov 17, 24, Dec 1 & 8
Limit: 10 students
Instructor: Audrey Jones
Tuition includes lab pass to B&W group darkroom and roll film processing.

A special workshop designed for teens, ages 13-18, to learn the foundations of traditional B&W photography. They will learn to make exposures with a 35mm camera, process film, and create prints in RayKo’s spacious B&W group darkroom. The intent of this course is to engage students through shooting assignments based on community and supervised field trips. In this course students will be given technical skills and gain an understanding of the aesthetic possibilities photography has to offer. No prerequisite.
BRING: 35mm film camera with manual controls.

Two scholarships available, call or email to inquire about details.

Thursdays | 4:30-7p | Nov 11, 18, Dec 2, 9, 16 (no class Nov 27)
Class Limit: 10
Instructor: Luis Mendoza
Tuition includes lab pass to the B&W group darkroom and roll film processing.

This 5-week class is designed for anyone with basic darkroom skills who would like to advance to the next level. Emphasis will be on creating a new body of work consisting of images that are related in a meaningful way. The bulk of class time will be spent on supervised printing with breaks for critique and demonstration of various printing techniques.
PRE-REQ: Relatively recent darkroom experience.
BRING: B&W negatives and photographic paper.

Limit: 10 students
Instructor: Barry Umstead
Tuition includes lab pass to B&W group darkroom.

This 5-week hands-on class introduces participants to basic B&W photography procedures. Students will learn how to meter for proper exposure, process their film, and print their own images, with emphasis on darkroom time and personal attention.
BRING: Film camera with manual controls (digital cameras not appropriate).

Limit: 10 students
Instructor: Barry Umstead
Includes lab pass to b&w group darkroom and roll processing room

This 5-week mind-opening course will introduce you to color materials and darkroom printing skills. Learn to create the images you desire by establishing a firm foundation in color theory and darkroom technique. Printing demonstrations and individual critique will be emphasized while covering topics that include art history, night photography, artificial lighting, alternative color processes, and more! Tuition includes lab pass to the color group darkroom.
PRE-REQ: Beginning Darkroom Experience.
BRING: Color Negatives & Color Paper.

Wednesdays | 6:30-9:30p | Oct 6, 13, 20, 27 & Nov 3
Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Audrey Jones
Tuition includes lab pass to color group darkrooms

Building on the skill set established in Color Printing I, this 2-day intensive class will heighten sensitivity to color, enable faster and more accurate color distinctions, and enhance overall print quality. Topics covered will include large printing (30×40 and mural), mixed lighting, problematic negatives, and more. We will have group critiques, look at contemporary and historical artists that use color in unique ways, and discuss color as both a formal and conceptual tool in photography. Students can expect ample one-on-one time, both for assistance with printing and for dialogue relating to their art. Students are encouraged to come with negatives and a love for the exciting, magical act of making art in the pitch black! Tuition includes 10-hour pass to private color rooms.
PRE-REQ: Color Printing, level 1.
BRING: Negatives, examples of prints from past work, idea of what one wants to focus on for the workshop. Students are strongly encouraged to email instructor prior to start date to discuss projects in order to get the most from this class

Saturday & Sunday | 10a-5p | Aug 28 & 29
Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Elizabeth Bernstein
Tuition includes access pass to group darkrooms, and limited access to color private & mural darkrooms.

A 5-week class that explores the questions all photographers ponder. What makes an effective photographic composition? Why is one picture better than another? We see so many images every day, what makes a photograph stand out? In order to answer these questions and many others, we will examine the principals of composition and look at photographs that have withstood the test of time. Students will be given assignments and learn to edit, sequence, and critique their own work as well as their classmates’ work.
BRING: 35mm or Medium Format camera (digital or film) and 5-10 prints/examples of your work.

Mondays | 6:30-8:30p | Nov 15, 22, 29, Dec 6 & 13
Limit: 10 students
Instructor: Meghann Riepenhoff
Tuition includes lab pass to group traditional darkrooms or computer workstations.

Do you want to make your photographic images large, but don’t know how. Our workshop serves as an introduction to making large-scale B&W mural prints. You will get a demonstration and print in our lovely B&W mural darkroom during this 5-hour workshop. Learn to achieve professional looking results with tips and tricks from an experienced professional.
PRE-REQ: Intermediate B&W darkroom experience
BRING: B&W negatives

Sunday | 10a-3p | August 22
Limit: 4 students
Instructor: Johanna Case-Hofmeister

Albumen printing is a contact-printing process that dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. Albumen prints are made by hand-coating Albumen (egg whites) then recoating with silver for contact-printing B&W negatives under a UV light-source. Albumen prints are capable of rendering a spectacular range of tones and detail and are considered by many to be the pinnacle of silver-based printing. In this workshop, students will learn the chemistry and techniques behind this printing method from beginning to end, as well as scanning and digital negative creation and reproduction. Topics to be explored include processing solutions, paper types, coating paper, exposure, processing and toning of prints. Each participant will have the opportunity to make multiple prints and/or time to refine and experiment. RayKo will provide chemistry and some paper for all classes, but if students want to experiment with other papers, toners, or ideas, be prepared to buy more materials.
PRE-REQ: Traditional B&W experience, basic understanding of Photoshop.
BRING: Two images, RAW digital files, or B&W film.

Mondays | 6:30-9:30p | Dec 6, 13 & 20
Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Carlos Arrieta
Tuition includes lab pass to computer workstations.

A 3-week, hands-on course in which we take our traditional silver print cues from 1889 while utilizing modern technologies to create magnificent Kallitype, (Comparable to Platinum Palladium) prints. We will cover scanning film, maximizing digital capture, and post-processing techniques in order to create robust digital negatives specifically to contact print Kallitypes. In the dark room portion, students will learn about appropriate materials, coating papers, UV light exposure strategies, and possibly experiment with toning options. Learn how to merge the newest digital techniques with one of the oldest photographic processes out there.
PRE-REQ: fundamental B&W traditional print experience, basic understanding of Photoshop.
BRING: digital or film images

Sundays | 6:30-9:30p | Dec 5, 12 & 19
Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Carlos Arrieta
Tuition includes lab pass to computer workstations and partial access to B&W private darkrooms.

This four-session course will introduce you to the world of taking your digital files from scans or digital camera images and outputting them onto transparency film for traditional silver gelatin darkroom printing. Lecture will cover scanning, post processing, digital negative creation, and printing. In the lab portion we discuss basic darkroom techniques that can still be applied to this process despite being a contact printing process.
PRE-REQ: Basic understanding of Photoshop Curves & Layers
BRING: Film negatives and/or RAW files, B&W paper of your choice, and a notebook.

Tuesdays | 6:30-9:30p | Oct 26, Nov 2, 9 & 16
Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Carlos Arrieta
Tuition includes lab pass to computer workstations and B&W group darkroom.

This 3-session class will introduce photographers to the plethora of possibilities available when hand processing color film. Students will learn various techniques of processing negative or positive color film in 35mm and 120 formats. Techniques that will be covered include C41 processing, cross processing, and push/pull processing, all resulting in negatives ready to be scanned or printed. These techniques are invaluable at saving money and cutting out the need to send film to a lab. Upon completion, students will have gained the knowledge and skills necessary to process their own film at home, as well as the safe handling and disposal of color chemistry. Students will be required to purchase chemical gloves, safety glasses, and an OV/P100 respirator, details will be given at first class.

Mondays | 6:30-9:30p | Oct 18, 25 & Nov 1
Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Sam Manera
Tuition includes in class use of color film chemistry and a lab pass to the color group room or Nikon scanning stations.

This is a hands-on workshop to demonstrate the use of strobe lighting equipment and show you how to create basic lighting set-ups in the studio. We will cover the basic principles of studio lighting which include metering, color temperature and light ratios. This workshop is applicable to both digital and conventional photography. Participants will gain experience using strobe equipment and learn how to shape light to create the effects they desire. All demonstrations will be done with a professional level DSLR camera to show immediate results.
BRING: A basic understanding of manual camera exposure including F-stops and a notebook.

Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Cody Williams

A 3-day class where you will experience what you’ve been missing! Large format photography offers a level of control and image quality that far surpasses smaller formats. This workshop will demystify the workings of the view camera and reveal the basic optical principles by which all cameras operate. Learn about camera operation, perspective, focus control, film holders, and more. 4×5 camera rental available for $50/week.

Sundays | 11a-4p | Oct 17, 24 & 31
Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Johanna Case-Hofmeister
Tuition includes lab pass to sheet film processing room and group B&W darkroom.

This comprehensive workshop will be held over 3 nights both at RayKo Photo Center and photographing in the South of Market area.  Emphasis of the class will be on evaluating existing lighting situations and exposing specific films accordingly.  Supplemental lighting possibilities will also be demonstrated.  B&W, color negative, and slide films will be compared.  Students will return the following week to discuss their work.
BRING: 35mm, medium format film camera, or D-SLR with full manual control & bulb or time setting (no point & shoot or auto cameras), sturdy tripod, digital watch or timer.  Instructor will email student list in full detail.

Thursday | Aug 12 & 19 | 6:30-11p AND Thursday | Aug 26 | 6:30-9:30p
Limit: 8 students
Instructor: Tim Baskerville

Photogravure, an intaglio process developed between 1850 and 1880, was one of the first successful techniques for editioning photographic images. Its tonal and archival qualities are so superb that even after it had been supplanted by more commercially viable processes in the early 20th century, photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Curtis, and Paul Strand selected it to edition some of their most important works. Fine art presses and book publishers still use the process today. This 4-day intensive workshop covers the process from start to finish. You’ll create transparent positives by hand, and in the wet and digital darkrooms, sensitize, expose, and affix the carbon tissue to a copper plate. This plate will be rosin aquatinted and subjected to a seriesof ferric chloride baths before printing. Expect to work hard and finish the workshop with at least one proofed plate! Prior knowledge of printmaking and photography is very helpful. BRING: Digital files at 300 dpi or B&W Negatives

Oct 30, 31, Nov 6 & 7
Saturday & Sunday | 10a-5p | Limit: 6 students
Instructor: Unai San Martin

An intensive hands on workshop where students learn the 19th century Tintype process. Get an overview of the specialized chemistry needed, samples of Tintype photographer’s work, projection in a darkroom vs. in-camera shooting techniques, and the fundamentals of coating, processing, and proper varnishing techniques to finish one-of-a-kind silvery plates. A variety of shooting and processing options will be available for students to work with including darkroom enlarging, studio portrait & tabletop stations. Students can also choose to shoot natural light portraits and urban landscapes, right outside our building. All equipment and chemistry is included.
BRING: Properly exposed 35mm slides, 2-3 small objects to be photographed, and wear clothing that can be stained.

Limit: 6 students
Instructor: Connie Begg

A one day workshop in the glorious Marin Headlands, starring the RayKo Photo Center Tintype Trailer. Come off-site with us, and choose to photograph vast ocean views, rolling hills, or hunt and find the hidden military bunkers and silos peppered throughout the Headlands. Feel free to bring models to photographs, and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. 4×5″ cameras, plates, and chemistry are included.
BRING: Lunch

Sunday | 8:00a-6:00p | Aug 28
Limit: 6 students
Instructor: Connie Begg