Claire A. Warden © Ryan Thiel

David Emitt Adams © Claire A. Warden

professional practices workshop

Saturday, august 9, 2025

COMO is pleased to announce two dates for the Professional Development workshop - one in June held in-person and one in August hosted online. Join Claire A. Warden and David Emitt Adams in this workshop focused on fine-tuning application materials. In this workshop, participants will gain insight into application processes and what jurors look for. This workshop is geared towards artists who would identify as emerging. The June and August workshops will be the same course so please only sign up for one.

Claire A. Warden is an artist and educator. She received a BFA and BA from Arizona State University and a MFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Warden’s work has been exhibited in the United States and abroad and she has received the Artist Research and Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Puffin Foundation Grant, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center Contemporary Photography Exhibition award and the Ed Friedman Award from the Griffin Museum of Photography. Her work has been featured in publications, including Harper’s Magazine, Real Simple magazine, Der Greif Magazine, Strange Fire Collective, Prism Magazine, Lenscratch, Diffusion Magazine and Light Work’s Contact Sheet. Warden was awarded artist residencies through the Alfred and Trafford Klots International Program for Artists, Art Intersection, the Center for Photography at Woodstock, LATITUDE, ACRE, and Light Work. She currently teaches at Mesa Community College and has been invited as a juror on several residencies and exhibitions.

David Emitt Adams is a contemporary photographic artist known for his innovative photo-sculptures and installations. His artwork addresses the human influence within the natural world, creation and consumption of energy, construction and destruction of land, as well as time and photography itself. Adams’ photographs have been exhibited nationally and internationally including museum exhibitions at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Phoenix Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, among others. He is a recipient of the Arizona Commission on the Arts Research and Development Grant, the Clarence John Laughlin Award, and the Puffin Foundation Grant. His work is in the permanent collection of the Center for Creative Photography, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum of Photographic Arts San Diego, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, George Eastman Museum, and the Worcester Art Museum as well as numerous private collections. Adams obtained his Bachelor of Fine Art from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Fine Art from Arizona State University.

Online: August 9, 2025, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Arizona MST

Need a scholarship to attend? Thanks to generous support, we are offering two scholarship opportunities - one to a student at a local college or university and one to a non-student emerging artist. Deadline is June 20 - Apply here.

Wetplate workshop

december 12-14, 2025

Join David Emitt Adams for this introductory three-day workshop on the collodion process with metal as a substrate. In this workshop participants will work with large-format cameras using studio and natural light to create unique images in the traditions of portraiture, still life, and landscape. Participants will gain in-depth knowledge of the chemistry (mixing, replenishing, and caring for it), coating and sensitizing plates, exposure, and development. Participants may bring their own camera otherwise cameras and equipment will be supplied by COMO. All levels, no prior experience needed. 

December 12-14, 2025, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. each day

Lunch is provided.

Workshop gallery

One-on-one appointments

COMO offers one-on-one appointments for those interested in getting started with photography or to dive deeper in to a particular topic or process. Current offerings focus on SLR (analog), DSLR (digital), or mirrorless camera use. These one-on-one appointments are perfect if you have a camera and want to better understand your camera settings and functionality.

Have a suggestion for a one-on-one appointment? Send us an email and we can customize one for you!

General info

  • COMO is such a treasure. I encourage anyone curious about learning alternative photography processes to make their way to learn from David and Claire. The workshop feels more like an artist retreat—where you can learn, make pictures, eat good food, and explore life with other makers. Can’t wait to go back.

    -Jamaica

    David Adams is not only an expert in wet plate techniques but also an amazing educator. His patience and clarity during workshops create an engaging learning environment, making every session such a rewarding and inspiring experience for everyone.

    -Beihua

  • Payments are available through the website registration. Payments in advance of the workshop guarantees your spot. Payment plans are available, please get in touch.

    Cancellations: We understand that life happens. If you have a serious reason to cancel, please allow us time to fill your spot. If it’s too late, we may not be able to return the deposit.

  • COMO is based in Phoenix, Arizona located in the Sonoran Desert within the homeland of the O’Odham and Piipaash peoples and their ancestors.

    Find us in downtown Phoenix at 1322 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007

  • Reach out to us here.