PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography classes at the Center introduce students to the basics of photography, both digital and developing in the darkroom. Multi-week classes and one or two day workshops are available for both beginner and advanced students. Offsite photography workshops at locations around the Valley are also a great way to gain outdoor/on location photography experience.
Note: Click the “Sign Up” button at the bottom of a class description to register through the Center’s Mindbody registration platform. A Mindbody account is required to register for classes at the Center. Questions about registration or financial aid? Call (602) 254-3100 or email frontdesk@phoenixcenterforthearts.org to speak to a Patron Services Associate.
Prior to arriving for in-person classes, students are required to digitally sign our Student Agreement.
Intro to Black and White photography
Date: November 16, 2025 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 11/12
Description: Black, White, and every shade in between. Learn how to "see" in black and white and the skills and techniques needed to create a great black and white image. Lesson will include both camera techniques and editing techniques with adobe lightroom.
Materials: notebook or laptop with lightroom editing software (optional)
Prerequisite: No experience necessary
Duration: 3 hours
Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: $50.00
Portrait Photography
Date: November 22, 2025 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 7/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: Beginners and Advanced students are welcome to join us in creating more dynamic portrait images by using light. You will learn the basics of 3-point lighting and beyond. This is a hands-on workshop that uses live models to demonstrate the fundamentals of posing. Students will leave this workshop with the knowledge to create more interesting portraits of family and friends.
Materials: Students must provide own digital or film camera and gear to capture photographs.
Duration: 4 hours
Prerequisites: None required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.
Street Photography
Date: November 23, 2025 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 9/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Nick Milotta (He/Him)
Description: In this hands on class we will dive into the vibrant world of street photography. Class starts with a brief lecture on the origins of street photography, pioneer photographers, techniques, skills, and discussion on how to harness creativity while in an urban environment. The class will then hit the street in the Roosevelt row art district for a photo walk for some hands practice, and a lot of fun!
Duration: 4 hours
Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: $50
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.
Rediscovering Pinhole Photography
Date: November 29, 2025 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 10/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: A hands-on workshop that explores the early pinhole method of photography prior to the addition of a lens. During this workshop, students will turn a paint can into a camera. They will make black & white negatives and prints with darkroom printing paper and chemistry.
Materials: All materials included
Duration: 4 hours
Prerequisites: No experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50
Please arrive 15 minutes before class begins.
Intro to Black and White photography
Date: November 30, 2025 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Description: Black, White, and every shade in between. Learn how to "see" in black and white and the skills and techniques needed to create a great black and white image. Lesson will include both camera techniques and editing techniques with adobe lightroom.
Materials: notebook or laptop with lightroom editing software (optional)
Prerequisite: No experience necessary
Duration: 3 hours
Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: $50.00
Street Photography
Date: December 07, 2025 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 10/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Nick Milotta (He/Him)
Description: In this hands on class we will dive into the vibrant world of street photography. Class starts with a brief lecture on the origins of street photography, pioneer photographers, techniques, skills, and discussion on how to harness creativity while in an urban environment. The class will then hit the street in the Roosevelt row art district for a photo walk for some hands practice, and a lot of fun!
Duration: 4 hours
Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: $50
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.
One Day Camera Class for Photographers (Thunderbird)
Date: December 10, 2025 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location: Thunderbird Arts Center
Available Slots: 7/9
Description: This will be a condensed class for photographers who not only want to understand their camera and it's creative settings but also wish to improve the look of their photography.
Topics include;
Getting off the Auto Setting
Creative control of settings
Rules of Composition and when to break them
Post processing using Adobe Lightroom
Materials: None
Prerequisite: Should have a camera or Cell Phone
Duration: 1 day
Ages: 16+
Cost: $50.00
Capturing the Human Form: Figure Photography
Date: December 13, 2025 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor:Kirby Soderberg
Description: Beginners and Advanced students are welcome to attend. This workshop focuses on the human form and how to create interesting shapes and lines utilizing the form. All will learn the basics of 3-point lighting and other light positioning to create different moods. Each student will have the opportunity to collaborate with the models and discover the poses that best fit ones style. Students walk away from this workshop with photos of the models and the knowledge and confidence to create interesting images of the human form.
Materials: Students must provide own digital or film camera gear for taking photographs.
Duration: 4 Hours
Prerequisites: No experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.
Street Photography
Date: December 21, 2025 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Nick Milotta (He/Him)
Description: In this hands on class we will dive into the vibrant world of street photography. Class starts with a brief lecture on the origins of street photography, pioneer photographers, techniques, skills, and discussion on how to harness creativity while in an urban environment. The class will then hit the street in the Roosevelt row art district for a photo walk for some hands practice, and a lot of fun!
Duration: 4 hours
Ages: All ages welcome
Cost: $50
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.
Beginning Digital Photography
Date: January 05, 2026 10:00 am - February 23, 2026 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: This course introduces the student to the basics of digital photography. This is a hands-on course that focuses on how to get the most out of one’s digital camera, from both a technical and artistic perspective.
Materials: Digital camera with manual (M) mode option.
Duration: 8 weeks
Prerequisites: no experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $280.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class.
Beginning Digital Photography
Date: January 05, 2026 6:00 pm - February 23, 2026 9:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: This course introduces the student to the basics of digital photography. This is a hands-on course that focuses on how to get the most out of one’s digital camera, from both a technical and artistic perspective.
Materials: Digital camera with manual (M) mode option.
Duration: 8 weeks
Prerequisites: no experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $280.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class.
Advanced Digital Photography
Date: January 07, 2026 6:00 pm - February 11, 2026 9:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: This course is a continuation from the basics of digital photography. This is a hands-on course that focuses on how to get the most out of one’s digital camera, from both a technical and artistic perspective.
Materials: digital camera with manual (M) mode dial option.
Duration: 6 weeks
Prerequisites: Knowledge of digital camera basics or have taken the beginning digital course at PCA.
Ages: 18+
Cost: $220.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class.
Studio Portrait Photography
Date: January 10, 2026 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: Beginners and Advanced students are welcome to join us in creating more dynamic portrait images by using light. You will learn the basics of 3-point lighting and beyond. This is a hands-on workshop that uses live models to demonstrate the fundamentals of posing. Students will leave this workshop with the knowledge to create more interesting portraits of family and friends.
Materials: Bring your own camera, digital or film and be ready to shoot!
Duration: 4 hours
Prerequisites: no experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.
Getting a Grip on your Digital Camera (Thunderbird)
Date: January 27, 2026 6:00 pm - February 10, 2026 7:30 pm
Location: Thunderbird Arts Center
Available Slots: 9/9
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Description: If your digital camera has been the bane of your creative expression or you just want to start taking better images, then this class is for you. Bill will help you understand both the creative settings of your camera and show you how to create better images. You are encouraged to bring a camera to class and Bill will help in getting your camera set up for getting the shots you want. This class will also help you get better photos even with your cell phone.
Materials: Should have a camera or cell phone for photos
Prerequisite: None
Duration: 3 weeks
Ages: 16+
Cost: $55.00
Please arrive 15 minutes before class begins.
Rediscovering Pinhole Photography
Date: January 31, 2026 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Registration ends 2 days prior to the first class.
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg (He/Him)
Description: A hands-on workshop that explores the early pinhole method of photography prior to the addition of a lens. During this workshop, students will turn a paint can into a camera. They will make black & white negatives and prints with darkroom printing paper and chemistry.
Materials: All materials included
Duration: 4 hours
Prerequisites: No experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50.00
Please arrive 15 minutes before class begins.
Advanced Landscape Photography (Thunderbird)
Date: February 02, 2026 5:30 pm - March 23, 2026 7:30 pm
Location: Thunderbird Arts Center
Available Slots: 9/9
Description: Have you ever found yourself gazing upon the most beautiful of sunrises or sunsets and started snapping away only to be disappointed with what showed up on your computer screen? "That is not what I saw!" is a common refrain of photographers new to landscape photography. In this class, you will learn photo composition, optimal manual settings, and post-production using Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. (The class is timed to match the expected sunset times for February and March). The class will end with a gallery walk of your best photos taken during the class.
Materials: Please have your camera memory card or a thumb drive for sharing photos in class. A tripod is extremely helpful for this class, but one can be shared in the event that you do not have one.
Prerequisite: Must have a DSLR or Mirrorless camera with a Manual (M) button. It is helpful to already have an cursory understanding of the Manual function on your DSLR or Mirrorless cameras, however, their will be enough additional instruction to help solidify your understanding.
Duration: 7 weeks
Days Off: President's Day
Ages: 18+
Cost: $250.00
Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for Photographers (Online)
Date: February 12, 2026 6:00 pm - March 05, 2026 8:00 pm
Location: Thunderbird Arts Center
Available Slots: 9/9
Description: Adobe Lightroom has become the go-to program for digital photographers. It allows us to do all the enhancements and more with just a few clicks or adjustment of sliders. Photoshop remains the program of choice for complex designs and pixel level control. However both programs are made to work together for photographers to enhance and improve their images. This is what the class is all about. For the new user Bill will show how to import and start working with images right at the first class in Lightroom. If you have been using Lightroom but are finding it frustrating, Bill will show you how to setup your folders and work with collections for a more effective workflow. He will also show how to use Presets, create beautiful Black and White images from color files, and create prints from your images. If needed he will show how to send your image to Photoshop for that final touch of creativity. If you are a pro or just want to work on all of your images from your camera then this class is for you.
Materials: Computer with Zoom. Camera and Mike is also helpful
Duration: 4 Weeks
Prerequisites: Computer Link with Zoom
Ages: 18+
Cost: $100.00
Advanced Digital Photography
Date: February 18, 2026 6:00 pm - March 25, 2026 9:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: This course is a continuation from the basics of digital photography. This is a hands-on course that focuses on how to get the most out of one’s digital camera, from both a technical and artistic perspective.
Materials: digital camera with manual (M) mode dial option.
Duration: 6 weeks
Prerequisites: Knowledge of digital camera basics or have taken the beginning digital course at PCA.
Ages: 18+
Cost: $220.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class.
Master Photography
Date: February 19, 2026 6:00 pm - March 26, 2026 9:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Description: This class is a creative and inventive course leading students to ultimately hang works in the PCA gallery.
Materials: digital camera with manual (M) mode dial option.
Prerequisite: familiar with digital camera
Duration: 6 weeks
Ages: 18+
Cost: $220.00
Capturing the Human Form: Figure Photography
Date: February 21, 2026 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg (He/Him)
Description: Beginners and Advanced students are welcome to attend. This workshop focuses on the human form and how to create interesting shapes and lines utilizing the form. All will learn the basics of 3-point lighting and other light positioning to create different moods. Each student will have the opportunity to collaborate with the models and discover the poses that best fit ones style. Students walk away from this workshop with photos of the models and the knowledge and confidence to create interesting images of the human form.
Materials: Bring your own camera (digital or film) and be ready to shoot!
Duration: 4 Hours
Prerequisites: No experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.
Beginning Digital Photography
Date: March 02, 2026 6:00 pm - April 20, 2026 9:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: This course introduces the student to the basics of digital photography. This is a hands-on course that focuses on how to get the most out of one’s digital camera, from both a technical and artistic perspective.
Materials: Digital camera with manual (M) mode option.
Duration: 8 weeks
Prerequisites: no experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $280.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class.
Getting a Grip on your Digital Camera (Thunderbird)
Date: March 10, 2026 6:00 pm - March 24, 2026 7:30 pm
Location: Thunderbird Arts Center
Available Slots: 9/9
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Description: If your digital camera has been the bane of your creative expression or you just want to start taking better images, then this class is for you. Bill will help you understand both the creative settings of your camera and show you how to create better images. You are encouraged to bring a camera to class and Bill will help in getting your camera set up for getting the shots you want. This class will also help you get better photos even with your cell phone.
Materials: Should have a camera or cell phone for photos
Prerequisite: None
Duration: 3 weeks
Ages: 16+
Cost: $55.00
Please arrive 15 minutes before class begins.
Studio Portrait Photography
Date: March 14, 2026 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg
Description: Beginners and Advanced students are welcome to join us in creating more dynamic portrait images by using light. You will learn the basics of 3-point lighting and beyond. This is a hands-on workshop that uses live models to demonstrate the fundamentals of posing. Students will leave this workshop with the knowledge to create more interesting portraits of family and friends.
Materials: Bring your own camera, digital or film and be ready to shoot!
Duration: 4 hours
Prerequisites: no experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.
Raising the Bar with your Photography (Thunderbird)
Date: March 26, 2026 6:00 pm - April 16, 2026 8:00 pm
Location: Thunderbird Arts Center
Available Slots: 9/9
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Bill Guy (He/Him)
Description: If you have already advance past the Auto Setting on your camera and are looking to be more creative with your images then this class is for you. This 3 week class will help you improve on your photographic vision and work. Knowing the difference between Auto and Priority settings is the first step. Now let's understand how a lens choice can completely change the look of your image. Add to this understanding the rules of composition and when to break them. This course also includes using some basic Lightroom and Photoshop tips to enhance your images. Plus Bill encourages you to bring in your images for review and comment (no ridicule just positive critiques and suggestions) and, with your permission, he will do an edit in real time. You should have a good understanding of your camera for this class.
Topics
Long vs Wide angle
Time of day
Mood vs feeling
Color vs Black and White
What is at the edge of your image
What are the rules of Composition and when to break them
Materials: Camera or Cell Phone
Prerequisite: Should have some basic understanding of your Digital camera and settings
Duration: 4 weeks
Ages: 16+
Cost: $100.00
Please arrive 15 minutes before class begins.
Rediscovering Pinhole Photography
Date: April 18, 2026 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Registration ends 2 days prior to the first class.
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg (He/Him)
Description: A hands-on workshop that explores the early pinhole method of photography prior to the addition of a lens. During this workshop, students will turn a paint can into a camera. They will make black & white negatives and prints with darkroom printing paper and chemistry.
Materials: All materials included
Duration: 4 hours
Prerequisites: No experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50.00
Please arrive 15 minutes before class begins.
Getting a Grip on your Digital Camera (Thunderbird)
Date: April 21, 2026 6:00 pm - May 05, 2026 7:30 pm
Location: Thunderbird Arts Center
Available Slots: 9/9
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Description: If your digital camera has been the bane of your creative expression or you just want to start taking better images, then this class is for you. Bill will help you understand both the creative settings of your camera and show you how to create better images. You are encouraged to bring a camera to class and Bill will help in getting your camera set up for getting the shots you want. This class will also help you get better photos even with your cell phone.
Materials: Should have a camera or cell phone for photos
Prerequisite: None
Duration: 3 weeks
Ages: 16+
Cost: $55.00
Please arrive 15 minutes before class begins.
Capturing the Human Form: Figure Photography
Date: May 09, 2026 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Phoenix Center For The Arts
Available Slots: 12/12
Students or Guardians must bring ID to the first class.
Instructor: Kirby Soderberg (He/Him)
Description: Beginners and Advanced students are welcome to attend. This workshop focuses on the human form and how to create interesting shapes and lines utilizing the form. All will learn the basics of 3-point lighting and other light positioning to create different moods. Each student will have the opportunity to collaborate with the models and discover the poses that best fit ones style. Students walk away from this workshop with photos of the models and the knowledge and confidence to create interesting images of the human form.
Materials: Bring your own camera (digital or film) and be ready to shoot!
Duration: 4 Hours
Prerequisites: No experience required
Ages: 18+
Cost: $50.00
Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of class to check in.