The Light Factory Photo Arts Center

The Light Factory Photo Arts Center We engage, inspire, and empower our communities through photography education and exhibitions.

For over four decades, The Light Factory's commitment to photography and film has revealed itself in many ways: we’ve taught countless newbies how to compose a photo; we, along with our members, have gazed breathlessly at high art that has hung on our gallery walls; and we’ve steered ambitious projects within schools to spread our love of these indispensable visual arts to local students. Our love

of photography and film is close to our hearts, and we’ll never stop striving to spread our love as far and as wide as possible. While we’re proud of our past, we’re not a nonprofit that rests on its laurels. We believe that the issues affecting our local community should fuel the projects we pursue, and that the impact of those projects should extend far beyond our walls. That’s why community engagement has become a key focus of The Light Factory.

08/12/2026

A big shoutout to K Quispe for a great show opening at the Bette Rae Thomas Recreation center. Her exhibition highlights members of the Enderly Park Community right here in Charlotte NC. Congrats to you on a great exhibition.

08/05/2026

Our Darkroom Processing Class is coming up at the end of the month, and we’d love to have you. Shoot a roll, bring it in, and we’ll walk you through everything — loading film, mixing chemicals, pulling your very first prints under the safelight.

No experience? No problem. Just bring a roll of exposed film and a willingness to slow down and make something with your hands.

📍The Light Factory
🗓️ August 29 12pm-3pm
👩🏽‍🏫 Nia Cruz

07/20/2026

“I was beginning to understand that others, scholars, poets, and artists, had come before me to honor these mountain communities, but I wanted to do my part as a photographer.”
-Aluka Berry

C. Aluka Berry spent six years documenting communities across North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Affrilachia: Testimonies is the result: a stunning 11×11 hardcover collection of photographs, poems, and historical essays honoring Black communities in southern Appalachia.

Get your copy today. Link in bio.

Thanks to all that came out to The Light Factory Photography Mixer! 🎞️✨A huge shoutout to our guest speaker C. Aluka Ber...
07/15/2026

Thanks to all that came out to The Light Factory Photography Mixer! 🎞️✨

A huge shoutout to our guest speaker C. Aluka Berry. Aluka shared his powerful series Affirlachia Testimonies, spotlighting the stories of Black communities in Appalachia across Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. He’s a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow based in Marshall, NC — and his book is officially out now. 📖

You don’t wanna miss this one. Grab your copy at the link in bio 🔗

🌞 August is almost here, and so are our amazing courses at The Light Factory! 💡✨We’ve got 3 incredible classes lined up ...
07/13/2026

🌞 August is almost here, and so are our amazing courses at The Light Factory! 💡✨

We’ve got 3 incredible classes lined up for you:

📸 Intro to Darkroom: Processing Film – Get your hands dirty and learn the magic of developing your own film. Old-school cool at its finest.

📱 Intro to Digital Photography – Master your camera (or even your phone) and finally understand aperture, shutter speed, and how to stop shooting on Auto.

🎨 Learning to See: Pre-Visualization for Better Photography – Train your eye and your mind to compose stunning images before you even press the shutter.

⏰ Spaces are filling up fast! Don’t sleep on this.

👉 Click the link in our bio to register and lock in your spot. Let’s make August unforgettable! 🚀

Catch us at our Mixer this Sunday at Picasso Mediterranean with Guest Soeaker and Guggenheim Fellow Chris Aluka Berry C...
07/09/2026

Catch us at our Mixer this Sunday at Picasso Mediterranean with Guest Soeaker and Guggenheim Fellow Chris Aluka Berry C. Aluka Berry

He will be speaking on his photographic journey and his newest book Affrilachia

At The Light Factory, we love celebrating photographers in our community.We’re excited to launch our Photographer Spotli...
07/08/2026

At The Light Factory, we love celebrating photographers in our community.

We’re excited to launch our Photographer Spotlight, a weekly feature highlighting the artists who make our community so special.

K Quispe is a multidisciplinary artist, photographer, and community organizer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Working primarily with analog photography and mixed media, their practice explores home, kinship, grief, belonging, and collective memory through collaborative image-making and storytelling. Informed by their Indigenous Peruvian heritage, transgender identity, and experiences as an adoptee, K creates work that examines how personal and collective histories shape identity, place, and connection.

To submit, send us:
    •    1–2 headshots
    •    3–5 images of your work
    •    A short bio (3 sentences max)
    •    A short artist statement (3 sentences max)

Submit today! Link in bio.

At The Light Factory, we love celebrating photographers in our community.We’re excited to launch our Photographer Spotli...
07/08/2026

At The Light Factory, we love celebrating photographers in our community.
We’re excited to launch our Photographer Spotlight, a weekly feature highlighting the artists who make our community so special.

We kick off our series with K Quispe K Quispe , multidisciplinary artist, photographer and Light Factory member.

To submit, send us:
    •    1–2 headshots
    •    3–5 images of your work
    •    A short bio (3 sentences max)
    •    A short artist statement (3 sentences max)
Submit today! Link in bio.

📨 All current members are invited to submit!💳 Not a member? We’d love to have you join us.Memberships are available thro...
07/04/2026

📨 All current members are invited to submit!

💳 Not a member? We’d love to have you join us.
Memberships are available through The Light Factory website, and new members are welcome to participate in the exhibition.
💪🏾 We encourage you to bring your strongest work an image that represents where your photography is today.
🙌🏾 This exhibition is an opportunity to showcase the best work being created by members of The Light Factory community.
🏆 The exhibition will be juried with awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place.

📐 Due to gallery space limitations, accepted work
must be presented in an 11×14 maximum frame size.

Link In Bio
Scan QR to complete submission form


Congratulations to our digital content creator, Nia Cruz Nia Cruz for her first solo show at A Photographers Place. Ray ...
07/01/2026

Congratulations to our digital content creator,
Nia Cruz Nia Cruz for her first solo show at A Photographers Place. Ray Pfeiffer - Founder

Her series “The Mixed Kid Experience” is about the trials and tribulations of learning how to navigate two entirely different cultures.

🗓️ Opening July 10th 7 PM- 9 PM

📍 A Photographer’s Place 5100 Lacy Ave, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC, 27609

Address

700 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC
28205

Telephone

+17049967273

Website

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