The Weston Collective Youth Programs
Aromas School, 100 Clock Tower Place, Ste 120, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93923
About
Weston Collective Youth Programs focus on learning photography through both analog (film) and digital photography. Youth take part in photography classes that include traditional black and white film photography, printing and developing black and white film photographs, and using open darkroom hours. Participants can also enter a portfolio competition that involves submitting five hand-printed black and white film photographs, with selected work framed and displayed in a local museum or gallery.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Community Darkroom hours of operation are by appointment; families are asked to call to inquire about times and days.
• Price: The Weston Scholarship offers cash scholarships for photographic excellence ranging from $200–$1000.
The Weston Collective was founded in 2004 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Monterey County. It teaches elementary through high school photography classes, offers classes and open darkroom hours to adults, and hosts exhibitions and artist-in-residency programs. The Weston Collective is committed to teaching analog (film) and digital photography to students on the Central Coast of California, primarily in Monterey County, and its Youth Programs engage and mentor youth through in-class and after school photography programs.
The Weston Collective’s community darkroom includes 7 enlargers, two eight foot sinks, stocked chemistry, drying racks, and an additional developing room that is separate from the darkroom, which enables printing and developing to occur simultaneously. If a student needs a camera, mat board, tripod, or darkroom time to submit a portfolio to the Weston Scholarship, The Weston Collective can provide these tools. School partners include Martin Luther King Jr. School of the Arts, The Dual Language Academy, Monte Vista Elementary, San Juan School, and Aromas School.
The leadership team includes Executive Director Zach Weston, Head Curator and Educator Jalena Jampolsky, and Educator Nadia Gutierrez. Zach Weston is a fourth generation fine art film photographer from a family described as one of the most influential and creative families in American photographic history. Jalena Jampolsky received her M.A. in the History of Art and Archeology from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts and her B.A. with honors in the History of Art and Visual Culture from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and she has held research and curatorial roles at the Newark Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nadia Gutierrez recently graduated from Monterey Peninsula College with an AA in Fine Art Photography and Art History and is working on a BA in Visual and Public Arts at California State University Monterey Bay.
The Weston Collective shares the quote, “Through this photographic eye you will be able to look out on a new light-world, a world for the most part uncharted and unexplored, a world that lies waiting to be discovered and revealed,” by Edward Weston.
Last updated June 10, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Community Darkroom hours of operation are by appointment; families are asked to call to inquire about times and days.
• Price: The Weston Scholarship offers cash scholarships for photographic excellence ranging from $200–$1000.
The Weston Collective was founded in 2004 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Monterey County. It teaches elementary through high school photography classes, offers classes and open darkroom hours to adults, and hosts exhibitions and artist-in-residency programs. The Weston Collective is committed to teaching analog (film) and digital photography to students on the Central Coast of California, primarily in Monterey County, and its Youth Programs engage and mentor youth through in-class and after school photography programs.
The Weston Collective’s community darkroom includes 7 enlargers, two eight foot sinks, stocked chemistry, drying racks, and an additional developing room that is separate from the darkroom, which enables printing and developing to occur simultaneously. If a student needs a camera, mat board, tripod, or darkroom time to submit a portfolio to the Weston Scholarship, The Weston Collective can provide these tools. School partners include Martin Luther King Jr. School of the Arts, The Dual Language Academy, Monte Vista Elementary, San Juan School, and Aromas School.
The leadership team includes Executive Director Zach Weston, Head Curator and Educator Jalena Jampolsky, and Educator Nadia Gutierrez. Zach Weston is a fourth generation fine art film photographer from a family described as one of the most influential and creative families in American photographic history. Jalena Jampolsky received her M.A. in the History of Art and Archeology from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts and her B.A. with honors in the History of Art and Visual Culture from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and she has held research and curatorial roles at the Newark Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nadia Gutierrez recently graduated from Monterey Peninsula College with an AA in Fine Art Photography and Art History and is working on a BA in Visual and Public Arts at California State University Monterey Bay.
The Weston Collective shares the quote, “Through this photographic eye you will be able to look out on a new light-world, a world for the most part uncharted and unexplored, a world that lies waiting to be discovered and revealed,” by Edward Weston.
Last updated June 10, 2026.
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