The click of film catching the spool of your first Pentax—faint, satisfying—marks the quiet thrill of capturing moments in film. Still landscapes or random shots of all your friends, for anyone from shaky novices to shadow-chasers, Los Angeles' resilient film labs turn those solo rituals into physical memories you can hold in our hands. As the old phogotraphy saying goes, "You may not be able to own that car, but you can take a picture of it!"
These community-focused film labs across Los Angeles offer a powerful foundation for learning, creating, and leveling up your photography work.
These spaces provide full-service support—from developing C-41, E-6, standard black-and-white, and even ECN-2 film, to offering high-quality scans, digital negatives, and in-house processing that helps you understand your results instead of guessing through YouTube tutorials. Many labs are also expanding into hands-on resources like darkroom access, studio rentals, and guided workshops that bridge the gap between technical skill and creative exploration.
For beginners, these film labs offer an approachable entry point: a place where you can ask questions, try new film stocks, understand film speeds, troubleshoot mistakes, and get direction from people who actually shoot film every day.
For intermediate and advanced photographers, these labs provide options to refine your craft—print your own work, experiment with cinema-based film stocks, or learn how color spaces differ between analog film and digital screens.
Many of these shops also prioritize community. They host photowalks, meetups, classes, and collaborative events that connect photographers of all backgrounds. Some even develop their own unique film stocks or offer all-inclusive packages that bundle film, development, and scanning into a single price, making experimentation easier and more accessible.
Whether you’re trying to understand your first roll or preparing for a gallery-ready print, these spaces give you the tools, guidance, and community to grow—at any level, in any direction your photography takes you.
L.A. Film Lab ~ Glassel Park
L.A. Film Lab in Glassell Park has been around for two years. A full-service shop for everything photography-related. LA Film lab processes C-41, ECN-2, black-and-white film, digital negatives, and all in-house developing. If you’re a starting out in film photography, this is definitely the place to check out since it’s right between the Valley and L.A., a good central location for anyone in this neighborhood.
They’re also dropping a currently developing studio rental program in the next couple months for anyone needing a studio space with lighting access. Also in the works is a darkroom setup so you can come in and make your own prints, which is a level up for new and seasoned photographers.
L.A. Film Lab's whole approach—very focused on helping first-time film photographers and keeping you interested in the art form.
LA Film Lab ~3131 N San Fernando Rd. Los Angeles, CA 90065
Arthouse Film Lab ~ Chinatown
Arthouse Film Lab in Chinatown is a three-minute walk from the Chinatown stop of Metro’s A Line. It’s one of five film photography locations in the area offering a unique take for entry-level film photographers and filmmakers. Arthouse Lab’s owner and operator, Sid Baptista, offers photography services to process ECN-2, C-41, B&W, and E-6 for development and scanning.
What put Arthouse on to the photography community is the unique film brand he released to the public back in 2021. Arthouse released three distinct 35mm negative cinema films, for that movie industry style and aesthetic that young photographers are looking for. Talking with Sid, one of the biggest draws for this film stock is that the skin tones are very true to life. The self-branded film comes in three film speeds that give you that true IRL colour.
When purchasing a roll of Arthouse Film, you have purchased an all-inclusive package into film photography. Development and scans are included with each purchase. No other lab in Los Angeles offers this experience. Arthouse film includes 500T, 250D, and 50D (film speed and color‑balance) film speeds to create with. If you are unsure of which speed to try, stop by and get all your questions answered. Sid has made it easy for anybody fresh to film making or image creation—with one price to jump right in, and create with their unique film stock and services.
Arthouse Film Lab ~ 818 N Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
East L.A. Film Shop ~ Boyle Heights
East L.A. Film Shop in Boyle Heights is located around the corner of Indiana and 1st Street. They have been in areas since 2020 and have grown in the last five years. The film lab started as a small two-person operation, built by Frank Ledezma and his wife Jennyfer Gramajo. Over five years they have expanded the team and this past summer, moved to a bigger location. With that expansion, the new location offers more possibilities such as an art gallery for engaging with the community.
East L.A. Film still covers all your photography needs from developing and scanning black-and-white, C-41 and ECN-2 film speeds. Their growth has been attributed to constant engagement with the photography community, hosting photo-walks all around town, and with other local film labs, by teaming up and talking with their customers.
If you are looking for a starting point in your photography journey, give East L.A. Film a follow and keep up with its offerings and expanding services.
One of the few film labs that provide the whole film photography package that you can walk into without feeling lost in the current film photography world.
East L.A. Film Shop ~ 3541 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90063
Film Scouts ~ East L.A.
Film Scouts in the East L.A. area: the second film lab and camera store in the Boyle Heights/East L.A. spot. The shop was opened about five years ago by owner operator Joseph Go Chua, manager Haley tells us. Their main focus is getting film cameras in people’s hands—new folks, older folks, whoever—and that’s how they built their niche, selling and refurbishing used cameras for the film market here in L.A.
They’re still working that angle since the film camera world is in flux between new cameras and older, tried-and-true equipment that is harder to find. That’s why importing from Japan has been part of their niche too, helping them expand into selling films and getting into development. All their processing is hand done—black-and-white and color. They don’t do ECN-2 right now, but they’ll recommend you out to other labs like East L.A. Film Shop or larger sized printing services.
They’ve been hosting black and white workshops, color workshops, and getting brand-new photographers into the shop to see what they do. They offer student discounts on film processing and camera gear, which helps since they’re close to ELAC and get a lot of first-time photographers who want help outside the classroom.
Film Scouts is definitely a spot to hit for first-time photographers in that area.
Film Scouts ~ 503 N Mednik Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90022
One Stop Film Lab ~ Downtown
One Stop Film Lab, located north corner of 4th & Los Angeles. LATACO featured One Stop Film Lab back in March of 2021. Spawned from the Covid lockdowns, at the time this was the only new photo lab in the downtown LA area. Since then, co-owner Nordy has stated they have tripled their output—full development E-6, C-41, ECN-2, black-and-white film, and scanning with online deliverables.
As Downtown has gone through wild phases of development and diminished foot traffic, co-owner Raymond Delgado says they’ve stuck to their mission of being a–pun intended–one-stop film photography location for beginners and pros by creatives. This has also helped with expanding their equipment offering from new members to the team Sergio. Offering solid options for every level of entrance to the photography field.
One Stop is a curated photo lab built by artists that have pivoted and mastered their process, selling equipment, getting folks into film photography for the first time, and providing a service to the local community. In four years they really nailed their look, style, and the quality of their work, using their tools of the trade as creatives to start a film photography lab.
One Stop Film Lab ~ 341 S Los Angeles St. Unit 8006 Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tuttle Cameras ~ Long Beach
Tuttle Cameras is located in Lakewood Village, half a mile east of Long Beach City College. 2026 will mark the 80th anniversary of Tuttle’s opening and servicing the film photography community in the Long Beach area as a third generation owned-and-operated business. Since 1943, the shop has evolved and survived, reinventing itself to keep up with the new digital celluloid era of film photography.
Tuttles has everything all under one roof for creators, photographers, or videographers alike—film and digital cameras, lighting, and other photography equipment. Tuttles will also buy and sell used gear.
You can get help with new 35mm film just as fast as you can get a new light setup for your podcast. Their big push for next year centers on connecting more with the photography community: art walks, meetups, and in-person events with other camera shops, an effort it started recently with East L.A. Film Camera.
With so many levels to photography, it's humbling to know there is still a shop that can provide actual in-person training instead of being forced to drown in YouTube videos. It’s a solid offering for the photography community at 80 years old.
Tuttle Cameras ~ 5467 E Carson St. Long Beach, CA 90808
color&black&white ~ Downtown
color&black&white Film Lab owned by Nicholas Haymes offers a different take for that first-time photographer looking to actually print their negatives, color or black-and-white. Here you can rent studio time or lab time to develop your work—three hours for $40—and use either the black-and-white or color lab. They have three enlargers for color and two for black-and-white, and you can print anywhere from 4×5 up to 20×30 or 30×60.
This is for the photographer trying to get back into the darkroom, or someone in school who needs help with a project and can’t find a lab to print at. This is the place you want to hit. They’ll work with you however they can to get your print looking super clean. They also have scanning services to get your negatives digitized for printing, but the main thing is being hands-on—getting in there with your negatives, laying them down, putting them on paper, and seeing your work printed.
Philipp, the store manager, told me one of the big things they focus on is the color differences photographers come in with. A lot of the film stocks we all love have a different color space than what we see on our phone or digital screens. The folks at color&black&white Film Lab take that into account so they can teach you the correct color space and help you learn the rules before you break them.
Definitely something to look into if you need a place to print. And you never know—they might pitch you to do an exhibit of your work. This is a spot if you’re trying to get to that next level in your photography game.
color&black&white ~ 736 B Los Angeles St. Los Angeles, CA 90014
Analog Photomart ~ Little Tokyo
Analog Photomart is located in the Honda Plaza in Little Tokyo. Shop owner and operator Bryan Hong lives not far from his shop and has deep roots in the area. Talking with Bryan I could hear his appreciation for camera stores and the ties created within the community. Analog Photomart started as a pet project to emphasize how important it is for beginners to feel welcomed to find a camera store today that still teaches, guides, and keeps the physical, hands-on culture of film alive. There is a dedicated wall of first-time camera buyers with celluloid dreams.
Bryan explains that the store isn’t just a retail business—it's meant to be a community space centered on Little Tokyo and downtown LA. The gallery inside features 100-year-old prints made from glass plate negatives by Japanese American photographer Chikashi Tanaka, displayed through a connection with artist Mike Saijo.
The work photography Tanaka ties into neighborhood history, local preservation efforts, and the cultural roots of Little Tokyo. They also share their goal of creating a welcoming home for beginners—especially those intimidated by other stores—by offering simple point-and-shoots, dummy rolls for practice, hands-on loading help, and a space that encourages the physical side of film photography.
Pay a visit to Analog Photomart and contribute to their commitment to beginners, its community-driven gallery, and its real effort to keep film culture alive in downtown L.A.
Analog Photomart ~ 416 E 2nd St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
