I recently received a Nikon F film camera, and at first, I didn’t think much of using it, since I already had a digital camera. Still, curiosity got the best of me. So I bought a roll of Kodak Portra 35mm film, loaded the camera, and started capturing. After finishing the roll, I searched for a nearby film lab and came across J&F Photo Lab.
After dropping off my film, I received the scans by email. Seeing them evoked a surprising sense of nostalgia. The images looked like a distant memory, even though they had been taken only days earlier. With their warm colors and subtle grain, I felt more connected to the photos. They just felt real. I found myself wondering: how can a photograph evoke that kind of feeling?
This curiosity and feeling about film aren’t unique to me; they reflect a growing trend among photographers, a newfound interest in film and in finding its place in the digital world. Today, we’re accustomed to taking photos with our phones or digital cameras. In the past, film photography was not as intuitive as simply pressing a button and sharing it instantly.
As the resurgence of film continues to grow, J&F Photo Lab, a local Hispanic-owned photo lab in the Pico-Union neighborhood, is experiencing the impact firsthand. Jonathan and Evelyn Fuentes, of Salvadoran and Guatemalan descent, started the business in 1992 while they were dating. The couple began the lab with an entrepreneurial mindset and a passion for film photography. Today, that passion has only grown, and the business remains a family-run operation, now co-run by their daughters, Ashley and Angie.
For over 30 years, the lab has served the community by helping develop film photos of events ranging from weddings to quinceañeras. Since its inception, it has primarily supported the Pico-Union community, especially Spanish-speaking families. Ashley Fuentes started working at her parents’ lab while she was at UC Riverside and stepped in to help with the family business.
“To be honest, it happened very naturally. My parents never expected or pressured us to join the business. From there, it just grew into something I genuinely love. Now, my sister Angie and I work alongside our parents, and the four of us run the business together.” Ashley said.
As she became more involved with the lab, she noticed it had grown, serving beyond its neighborhood and seeing more diverse groups coming in to use its services.
“Now, our community includes not just our local customers but also creatives, students, and photographers from all over. Through word of mouth, social media, and the relationships we’ve built, we’ve been able to connect with a really diverse group of people, but that same sense of care and familiarity is still there.”
Ashley also noted that the resurgence of film development began during the 2020 pandemic. Serrano Rey, a film wholesale distributor, supports her observation, reporting that film sales have seen a 127% increase since 2020.
“People were at home more and looking for creative outlets and new hobbies, and film photography became something meaningful for them to explore. Since 2020, we’ve seen a significant increase in both film sales and development. Thank God, we’re truly grateful for that growth, especially as a small family business. It reinforces what we’ve always believed, there’s nothing like film.”
This rediscovery of film has led to a new wave of amateur photographers trying out film. Through this process, many begin to realize that the limited shots per roll and the uncertainty of the outcome until development give each shot purpose and significance.
“The experience is completely different; you’re more present and intentional with every shot. It’s not instant like using a phone, and that’s what makes it special. The results have so much character, they feel more authentic, more tangible, and just different in the best way.” Ashley said.
Beyond its popularity, film offers a depth that digital media lacks. Its unpredictability creates a unique, life-mirroring aesthetic that, one could say, perfectly captures imperfections. Its limitations encourage more intentional shooting.
This growing interest among millennials and Gen Z can be attributed mainly to a resurgence of physical media, such as vinyl records and CDs. Jon Wingo, a photo lab technician from the USC Roski School of Art and Design, shared that physical media is making a comeback.
“I think physical media itself is pretty popular with Millennials and Gen Z, just because you see physical records being sold all the time. I think there’s a different kind of comfort and attachment to images that are physical and occupy physical space as well.”
He also believes that, in film, its unique characteristics and feelings are hard to replicate with a digital camera.
“I think a lot of younger generations love the look of film grain because it’s the opposite of what they’re used to seeing in their cell phone cameras and everything else,” Wingo said.
Film is also immune to data loss because the pictures are physical objects. Many people have lost precious memories due to hard drive data corruption. As Wingo points out,
“This generation and my generation, too, have lost a lot of stuff through data loss, where it’s just like you have a hard drive, a computer that had some of your favorite photos, something happens to it, and then your photos are kind of gone forever if you haven’t backed them up. So I think there’s a different kind of comfort and attachment to images that are physical and occupy physical space as well.”
Is this revival going to last? Can’t say for sure, as Wingo mentions, “I do see a resurgence as well. And I think it would be a true resurgence if it’s sustained over a longer period of time.”
Ashley also noted, “We don’t think film is dead, and we hope it never is. There’s something timeless about it. We love seeing more people discover it, fall in love with the process, and appreciate both the experience and the final images.”
If you’re curious about film and want to start exploring, try it for yourself. J&F Photo Lab sells 35mm and 120mm film, ranging from black-and-white to color. The lab develops, scans, and prints. J&F Photo Lab is located at 2692 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90006. They’re open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The lab also offers a film drop box inside Café Dulce at USC. Customers place their film in a baggie, write their first and last name and phone number, scan the QR code on the box, fill out the form, and drop it in.
If you’re a USC student and are interested in learning more about film photography, the USC Roski School of Art and Design offers courses open to all students. The courses are ART 149: Basic Darkroom, ART 451: Large Format, and ART 350 and 450, which are the advanced-level courses.