Harvey Milk Photo Center

Harvey Milk Photo Center San Francisco's Community Darkroom

The Harvey Milk Photography Center has the largest public darkroom in the United States and has been a cornerstone of arts programming in the community since the 1940s. We offer a wide variety of intimate weekly classes, Saturday workshops, and orientations in both film and digital photography for all skill levels. Additionally, we offer memberships that include full use of our darkroom, film proc

essing areas, and state-of-the-art digital lab, along with the opportunity for members to showcase their work in four exhibits per year.

Day one of our Wetplate Workshop with is off to a great start!
05/30/2026

Day one of our Wetplate Workshop with is off to a great start!

LET’S HAVE A BALL! We’re looking for bold, playful, unexpected, joyful, weird, beautiful images for our upcoming exhibit...
05/18/2026

LET’S HAVE A BALL!
We’re looking for bold, playful, unexpected, joyful, weird, beautiful images for our upcoming exhibition at the Harvey Milk Photo Center
Call for Submissions deadline:
May 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST
Opening Reception
June 20 • 6–9 PM
Exhibition runs June 20 – July 31
Bring the fun. Bring the drama. Bring the photos.
More info + submit here:
https://www.harveymilkphotocenter.org/events/lets-have-a-ball/

Last chance to experience A Fearless Eye by photographer Barbara Ramos closing tomorrow May 16 at Harvey Milk Photo Cent...
05/15/2026

Last chance to experience A Fearless Eye by photographer Barbara Ramos closing tomorrow May 16 at Harvey Milk Photo Center.

These powerful photographs, captured in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the 1970s, were tucked away for nearly 50 years before being rediscovered during the pandemic. The result is an intimate, moving glimpse into moments once hidden even from the artist’s own family.

Don’t miss this beautiful exhibition before it closes tomorrow.
Learn more:https://www.harveymilkphotocenter.org/events/a-fearless-eye/

We’re back!! Applications for our 2026 photobook fair are open— follow the link in our bio to learn more and to apply. M...
05/15/2026

We’re back!! Applications for our 2026 photobook fair are open— follow the link in our bio to learn more and to apply. Mark your calendars, we hope to see you at the fair October 17 & 18 2026!

Summer 2026 Classes Registration opens Saturday, May 16 at 10am!Whether you’re brand new to photography or ready to dive...
05/15/2026

Summer 2026 Classes Registration opens Saturday, May 16 at 10am!
Whether you’re brand new to photography or ready to dive deeper into film, darkroom, digital editing, cyanotypes, and more — there’s a class for you this summer.
Come create, experiment, learn new skills, and be part of an amazing photography community at Harvey Milk Photo Center

More info:
https://www.harveymilkphotocenter.org/classes/summer-2026-classes/

Photo: Melissa Keesor

Join us for a special Meet the Artist & Book Signing with Barbara Ramos on May 9, 2026 from 2–4 PM at the Harvey Milk Ph...
04/30/2026

Join us for a special Meet the Artist & Book Signing with Barbara Ramos on May 9, 2026 from 2–4 PM at the Harvey Milk Photo Center Gallery.

Barbara will lead a guided walkthrough of the exhibit, share insights behind the work, answer questions, and sign copies of her book. This is a rare chance to connect directly with the artist and experience the exhibit through her eyes.

Bring your curiosity, your questions, and your love of photography and art.

Learn more: https://www.harveymilkphotocenter.org/events/a-fearless-eye/

Thank you to everyone who came out for our artist talk on Saturday with our current exhibiting artist Barbara Ramos. The...
03/24/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out for our artist talk on Saturday with our current exhibiting artist Barbara Ramos. The talk was facilitated by and we were delighted to also welcome Sally Stein, who provided an essay for Barbara’s book. Thanks as well to the shows co-curators, HMPC Director Melissa Castro Keesor and HMPC staff Katherine Akey

Submit your work!
03/12/2026

Submit your work!

A Fearless Eye – The Photography of Barbara RamosOpening Reception: Friday, March 6 • 5–8pmArtist Talk & Book Signing: S...
02/24/2026

A Fearless Eye – The Photography of Barbara Ramos
Opening Reception: Friday, March 6 • 5–8pm
Artist Talk & Book Signing: Saturday, March 21 • 2pm with Makeda Best, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Oakland Museum of California
Exhibition runs through May 16, 2026
https://www.harveymilkphotocenter.org/events/a-fearless-eye/

Step inside A Fearless Eye, a stunning photography exhibition by Barbara Ramos, now on view at the Harvey Milk Photo Center in San Francisco!
March 6–May 16, 2026, the collection highlights Ramos’s fearless vision — bringing her long-hidden analog work from the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco into the light.

This show celebrates seeing with curiosity, bravery, and heart — and invites all of us to witness life through a fearless lens.

We get some real gems donated to our reference library— check out this wonderful guide to on location lighting! It’s got...
02/24/2026

We get some real gems donated to our reference library— check out this wonderful guide to on location lighting! It’s got some of the coolest diagrams and illustrations in our whole library. You can check it and our many other books out anytime the Photo Center is open by visiting the David Johnson Reference Library in our lobby.

Address

50 Scott Street
San Francisco, CA
94117

Opening Hours

Tuesday 3pm - 8:30pm
Wednesday 3pm - 8:30pm
Thursday 3pm - 8:30pm
Saturday 11am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+14155549522

Website

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