Despite what you may have heard, film photography is still relevant in today’s photography community. In fact, it is experiencing a sort of resurgence. Where new photographers, born and raised on digital equipment, are pulling out their grandfather’s camera to take it for a spin.

Professional, amateur and hobby photographers all shoot film. Yet, even with the large number of active participants, many locations in the United States lack a physical lab or business that processes and develops film.

It’s understandable, as darkrooms and film equipment isn’t exactly cheap. So, if the market for film developing isn’t strong in your city – you may be in search of a place that offers this service.

Luckily, many small businesses recognized this gap and demand in the film photography market. And, the order by mail, film developing services were born.

There are several film developing services that allow photographers to send in their film, choose their method of development and then send the negatives back to the customer once they are completed. Film developing solely by mail? Hey, don’t knock it until you try it.

In fact, we’ve done our research and compiled a list of film developing services you can use for your images. Check out our comprehensive list below and see which lab is perfect for your film photography needs.

Film Developing Services You Can Use Right Now

Indie Film Lab 

The first film developing service is Indie Film Lab. They are a lab that, “Loves the art of film photography. We are creators, makers and artists.”

Based in Alabama, they offer developing services by mail. Uncorrected 35mm color process and scan prices start at $11. To have your film developed by Indie, you will need to:

• Fill out an order form
• Add your payment details
• Send to their lab
• Wait for your photos to be developed

To contact them you can connect by email at orders@indiefilmlab.com or find out more on their website here. 

Richard Photo Lab

The second film developing service is Richard Photo Lab. This photo lab is based in Los Angeles. According to their site it is a lab that is, “Trusted by imagers from across the country as a partner in realizing their creative and professional vision.”

The starter price for 35mm, C-41 processing and scan is $18.78 for small scans, $21.28 for medium scans and $25.28 for large scans.

To order from Richard Photo lab, you need to:

• Create your order online
• Package your film for shipping
• Send to their lab

They will then develop, scan and send you back your negatives. To read more about the services they offer, you can reference their website here. 

MPIX

The third film developing service is MPIX. They offer developing and scanning services that will get you the images online within 24-48 hours of your delivery.

To have your film processed, you will need to:

• Sign up for an Mpix account
• Request a Film Mailer. It will take 2-7 days to receive the mailer via US Mail.
• Send your film to their lab. They only process 35mm film (C-41) and single use disposable cameras.
• They will notify you by email when your images are ready.
• Finally, order prints of images you want in physical form.

Although they only process 35mm, this is a good option for many film photographers. The price of the service includes processing, scanning and shipping your film back to you.

To read more about their film services, check out their website here. 

The Darkroom 

The fourth film developing service is The Darkroom. This lab has been in the film developing and scanning business for over 40 years.

They offer 35mm developing and scanning to a CD for just $12. They develop color print, slide and true black and white film.

Plus, they develop 110, 120, C-41, E-6 and more. All you need to do is fill out their online service form with scanning options, type of film, choice of prints and pay. They will provide you with a postage label to send in your film.

They are an effective and affordable choice for film development.

You can read more about their services here. 

The Photo Place INC.

The fifth film developing service is The Photo Place Inc. This shop specializes in film and negative processing.

They will take your images, develop them, scan and save them to your choice of CD, DVD or upload them to Dropbox. They scan your film at 2000 dpi and save images as a 3.5 MB jpeg file.

When you download the film order form, you will receive – free postage paid label to send them the film, next business day service for most orders and volume discounts up to 20%.

They develop 35mm, 120, 220, 110, 126 and more formats.

For more information on their services, you can access their website here. 

Old School Photo Lab 

The sixth and final film developing service is Old School Photo Lab. They have been in business for 38 years, processing film and creating pictures for their clients.

They use a mixture of processes of the past along with newer technology. According to their site, “We’re here to make shooting film in the digital age easy, affordable, seamless and fun.”

To send in your images, shipping is always free both ways on new rolls of film to develop. You just need to fill out an order form and include your film to be developed.

They process film formats of 35mm, 120, 220, disposable cameras, APS, 4×5 sheets, 110, 126 and more.

To contact them, you can reach out by phone or through their website which can be found here. 

—

Developing your film can be a simple process by using one of these labs. So, if you’re searching for a place to have your film processed and scan, be sure to check out one of the shops mentioned above for quality, affordable and fast developing.