Houston Center For Photography

Houston, United States

4

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 713-529-4755
Website:
hcponline.org
Address:
1441 W Alabama St, Houston, TX, 77006
Montrose
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
By Appointment Only
No

Today

Today 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Houston) 06:49 Thursday, 22 May 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Houston Center for Photography brings together a community of people interested in photography and lens-​based work. HCP is always free and open to the public. Founded in 1981, HCP is a nonprofit organization offering year-​round exhibitions, workshops, publications, outreach programs, lectures, classes, and home to an on-​site library housing more than 3,500 books on photography as well as a state of the art digital darkroom.

HCP’s Mission

HCP’s mission is to increase society’s understanding and appreciation of photography and its evolving role in contemporary culture. HCP strives to encourage artists, build audiences, stimulate dialogue, and promote inquiry about photography and related media through education, exhibitions, publications, fellowship programs, and community collaboration.

History

Established in 1981.

HCP began as a member-​run cooperative and was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1982. The organization is membership-​based, with constituents residing all over the world. Government and foundation grants, membership fees, workshop tuition, and sales from its award-​winning critical journal, SPOT, and various exhibition publications help to support programming. HCP continues to increase its earned income capacity through annual auctions, anniversary celebrations and summer print sales.

In the 30 years since its establishment, HCP has come to be seen as a model for small nonprofit arts organizations, receiving support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Houston Arts Alliance (formerly Cultural Arts Council of Houston and Harris County), Houston Endowment, the Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, United Way Kids’ Way, and the Wortham Foundation, among others.

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20 reviews of Houston Center For Photography

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Sugar Land, TX
If you are into photography you have to check this place out for the library of books alone! A charming studio located snack dab in the middle of the museum district the center is free for photography buffs. With rotating exhibits it’s always a treat stopping by whenever we’re in the museum district! It’s located very close to the Menil collection and has its own separate parking lot. I love photography and have a fetish for vintage cameras and there are quite a few prominently displayed here at the center which makes for fine art in and of itself!
A nice way to spend the afternoon!
Place rating: 3
San Jose, CA
Meh. This place is alright. There aren’t a lot of photographs, and there are a lot of people photographs. I like landscapes more. There are a lot of books and old-​looking cameras though! Best part is this place is free — I don’t think I would pay any amount of money to come see this though. Not enough photos, and they’re not all that impressive.
Place rating: 5
Midtown, Houston, TX
Finally made it in in my effort to hit all the amazing museums in Houston. Loved the easy audio tour by call in. Looks pretty austere, but I’d bet photography is probably the most familiar, and the smallish gallery more accessible to the lay museum goer. And I nerded out seeing they have a library. Added to my top five places to hit for Houston/​Texana books. Will def return. I recommend!
Place rating: 3
Houston, TX
Houston’s museum scene is quite good. The Houston Center for Photography is a small space encompassing rotating picture exhibits from various photographers around the country and area. We happened to drive out to the area on a Saturday afternoon before the flooding started and got out in time before that took place. The admission is free which is great. One thing to note is the real estate around this area is tight and so is the parking lot. Parking lot was virtually full and yet when we walked in no other visitors in gallery, there was a photography class going on but it was very small so be weary of your ability to park. Now as far as the exhibits are concerned it was informative and showed a lot of perspective. The main exhibit was a collection of photographs depicting a Texas Death Row Prisoner’s last words. What was interesting was their blank expression along with some references to remorse to their victims, requests for forgiveness and some maintaining their innocence and putting an innocent person to death which I believe happens in Texas and all states unfortunately.
In the second gallery there was a showcase of Houston’s 5th Ward and some of the people who live there in black and white photos. Ironically most of these people were ex convicts who do what they can to survive on the streets which is sad. And a lot of these people were women who claimed they only worked the street when needed.
As a first time visitor I was moved by the subject matter but was left wanting more. I hope in the future they are able to expand and find a bigger home because this museum has a lot of potential at being great!
Place rating: 1
Omaha, NE
This really wasn’t worth parking for. There were really just some pictures printed on paper and put on the walls with thumbtacks. It was a science exhibit which wasn’t really what we wanted to see.
Place rating: 3
Houston, TX
I like this place. It has its own small parking lot out front and is free to attend. The photo displays on the day I was there showed 3 different exhibits that I thought were well done. I won’t go into them at this time because they change periodically but I believe all of the exhibits when shown would prove to be entertaining.
I recommend this place. Allow 15 – 20 minutes to cover whatever is inside.
Place rating: 5
Katy, TX
Love what this place does for the community.
Love their open talk events.
Love their displays.
Place rating: 3
Montreal, Canada
Definitely a place to drop by if you are in the area since it is quite small. I love photography so it is always fascinating to see any type of exhibit. Since ti is free you can’t go wrong.
Place rating: 3
Pleasant Hill, CA
Have you even tried to visit a place repeatedly, but they were never open at the time you arrived? The Houston Center for Photography is my White Whale.
When I come to Houston on Business, I try to break out of the work, have dinner with work mates, go back to the Hotel cycle. Houston might seem like an endless collection of strip malls, but there are actually some cool cultural offerings hidden around and especially inside the Loop. I’ve visited the nearby Menil a few times and got to see the Byzantine Chapel before it got shipped back to Cyprus.
It’s now been FIVE times that I’ve stopped by the HCP to take a look and the doors were locked. The first time was my fault as I came on a Monday when it was dark. The rest of my experiences were during the posted business hours, but unfortunately in-​between exhibits. Friday’s excuse was their preparation for the 2013 Picture This Exhibition. I’m sure I enjoy this and other Photography exhibits that I regularly enjoy. But again, I had to make do with a real life experience of looking longingly in the window and picking up Kodachrome Krumbs.
So to borrow a line from «The Wild Bride» — Look, how many times does a fellow have to ask?
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
Small little place, literally just a «center» for photography.
Exhibits were decent, but keep in mind that enjoying another’s photography is very, very subjective. Nothing there blew me away or made me think much.
Nice place to visit nonetheless, and FREE.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
This is just a tiny little place — its a nice place for a quick vist post Menil visit. As a from-​out-​of-​town tourist, this place offers constantly rotating exhibits, you never know what you will see, but its almost always interesting. I wouldn’t go out of the way to visit this place, but then again the Menil is more or less across the street.
Place rating: 4
Houston, TX
Overall: If you’re already in the neighborhood with some time to spare you should definitely check out this place. It’s a small collection. The center gives you a taste of photography which you can delve in deeper by using the books in back if you feel inspired to do so. Great place to just see and relax in.
Pro: Nice workers, clean, interesting photos with background info. Offers classes.
Cons: I’d love to see this place get bigger but that’s just because I have dreams of a Smithsonian size photography museum so really not a fault.
Tips: In addition to the Center, walk to the Menil Collection if you need that itch for more art scratched. (free) Donate if you can!
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Nestled in the heart of Montrose within a block of the Menil Collection, this unassuming building houses rotations of small but powerful photography exhibits. When I arrive here to see an exhibition, I can guarantee that I ask myself the question, «why don’t I come here more often?»
If you have complaints about crowded «touristy» art museums that are at times more stressful than inspiring (oh, you know, maybe… the MoMa in NYC), this is the complete opposite. With free admission daily and generally small, quiet audiences, the HCP feels like a haven– whether you are into photography or not.
After spending some time in the main room, you can wander over to the back library room where you can spend very pleasant afternoon browsing through photography books and other related media. Even if you just want an air conditioned place to walk into and take a deep breath and rest, the atmosphere at HCP lends itself perfectly to that, too.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I was having a seriously horrible day, driving around in traffic and dealing with the hustle and bustle that is Houston when I ended up on Alabama, and I thought to myself, I deserve to do something fun. So I stopped at The Houston Center for Photography and it made my day exponentially better.
The whole place just whispered «relax» to me. The photography was really different and not what I was expecting at all. Right now they have the Magical Realism In Photography exhibition, which was very beautiful. They had a number you could call and listen to the artists explain their work, which was really nice for me instead of sitting there wondering if there was any post production, I could hear them explain exactly what they did.
The third room back was The Master Class exhibition which was more traditional photography. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the type of work that comes out of the classes offered here. It made me really want to take one of their many classes that are offered here. The back library was really peaceful, there was no one back there. If I had more time I would have sat and looked at book or two.
The whole time I was here there was audio of crickets playing, I don’t know where it was coming from but it tied the whole mood together and made the viewing more realistic, even though the pieces were surrealistic. If you are a photographer, an art lover, or just want to escape reality for a second, stop in here. It’s truly an oasis.
Place rating: 5
Baytown, TX
The photos when we went were ok. Free to get in and an awesome library. Come and relax and check out photography books.
EDIT 8÷10÷13: Ok this is one of my favorite places in the world and I’ve only been a couple of times. The gallery images were better this time around. I think the library is the best part! Chocked full of photography books and magazines with a little chill spot to browse. It’s still free to get in, but please slip a few bucks in the donation box. How much do you spend at Starbucks a week?
Place rating: 3
Houston, TX
If you like to look at things: this is another one of those neat places you should come check out. It is free. It is near the Menil/​Rothko. It is interesting. And you just might feel like you can do better than some of the photographers and you will go buy a camera and sign up for some classes here (it did not have that effect on me, but ‘ya know, other people have reacted that way.)
Place rating: 5
Houston, TX
A fantastic and interesting gallery. It’s free and right next to the Menil. Staff are always really friendly. You can also take very reasonably priced classes in photography!
Place rating: 5
Houston, TX
This place in located in a wonderful location (right by the Menil), and always has revolving exhibitions. Its one of the few places in Houston you can find dedicated photography exhibits.
I should also mention this place has a FANTASTIC library. Sometimes I go in there and just peruse the books, doing research on a specific style or technique. They also offer classes and meetings where you can have your work critiqued by experts in the field.
Admission is free, and they gladly accept donations. You don’t even have to worry about finding a place to park, as they have a large private lot right in front of the center.
Place rating: 4
Houston, TX
After looking at paintings all day long it was a nice change to view some photographs instead.
I came here for the «Prime Years» exhibit. It showed photographs of people as they aged, pictures of people over 100, and generation pictures with the child, the mother, and the grandmother.
It’s just one big room with a library in the back. The library has many interesting books. There’s a lounge area to enjoy the books.
The best part is they have their own private lot to park in and it’s totally FREE.
Place rating: 5
Houston, TX
Tired of looking through my pictures and thinking «that could have been so much better», I signed up for the Camera Basics class here. For $ 40 I got two hours with one of their instructors and a good understanding of what all the buttons do on my little digital, no fancy cameras necessary.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg here. They offer classes for all levels of experience, and special topics such as composition or using Photoshop. Just be sure to check their website and plan ahead, because they fill up quickly. And if that wasn’t enough, their library in the back is open to the public and the Digital Darkroom is available twice a week for high quality printing/​editing/​etc.
So whether you’d like to learn about photography or just admire some, definitely check this place out.