Film may seem archaic or old fashioned but it still has a depth of beauty that digital cannot compare. Film is tangible and visually grainy. Its history has ranged from documenting wars and cities to artistic Avant-garde. The medium of film can be expressive and raw or beautiful and soft. Most of Photoshop actions and tools were first presented in the darkroom using film and printing manipulations.
A roll of 35mm lies in a dusty desk, forgotten and exposed, or in grandpa’s camera from the 1970s. Some people may try to find a place online to develop the found film. Others may search for a place in town to develop the film only to be disappointed by the services offered around the valley. The Find Lab in Orem offers the service of developing and scanning film for around $20 a roll. Though slightly more expensive than it’s counterparts, it is worth the extra few bucks for the service of getting your film properly scanned and developed with care.
A lot of photography students still shoot film at UVU. Although most photo students can develop and scan their own black and white film here on campus, color film is not available for processing on campus, but still holds a place in the art of photography. Color film development in particular needs to be developed professionally because of stabilized temperatures and chemicals.
The Find Lab is close to campus, just off Mountain Way Drive and Fourth South. A small but productive lab, processing takes 10-business days for quality developing and scanning. To some that wait may be a bit long, but its worth the time because of the effort that’s put into the service. The Find Lab has been in business for 3 years and has a small crew of students and photographers who care about what they do. They know it’s important to scan film in our digital age using dust free equipment and careful hands.How it works: If you have or shoot 35mm or medium format 120-220 films, bring in the rolls and drop them off. Find Lab will send you an invoice via email and you pay online. The Find Lab then processes your film and sends the photos back to you through email as well. They will also either archive your film, ship it or you can pick it up. Since most of the business is conducted online, they have clients from all over the world sending in film to be developed. Jonathan Canlas, the owner of The Find Lab, lives with his family in Hawaii. He conducts a workshop called Film Is Not Dead around the world but mostly in the states. The workshop teaches attendees how to enrich their photography business, how to shoot film and learn techniques from a professional.
“The workshop exceeded my expectations,” said Hillary Sanders, an attendee of last spring’s workshop. “I knew I was going to learn about film, but I found a community of support that changed my life. I found a family of photographers that I can celebrate milestones with and learn from. Because I was in Salt Lake, I was able to go to the Find Lab and process my film and scan it frame by frame. It was a light and fun experience, they really know what they’re doing.”
You can access Find Lab at thefindlab.com and also learn more about film and workshops. You can also visit them at170 South Mountain Way Drive #107 Orem, Utah. They are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
