When did you last hand a roll of film across a counter to someone who knew exactly what to do with it?
For a lot of us, that place vanished years ago. Nick and Elizabeth Buttrey are bringing it back with a modern community twist. The husband-and-wife team started Lakeland Film Lab in Lakeland, and this week they opened a second location in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District.
This one’s personal for me. St. Pete’s my hometown, and photography is my passion. Seeing the two come together on Central Ave gets me excited for the whole area.
A Place to Hang Out
Nick and Elizabeth built a clubhouse with a lab inside it. The new shop at 2821 Central Avenue sits next to Cheeky’s Fish & Raw Bar, and Grind, a coffee pop-up, that pours a cup for anyone dropping off film or lingering in the gallery.
Their grand opening came with free flash tattoos for the first ten people through the door.
You can grab a coffee, talk film stocks with a stranger, and maybe you’ll even leave with some new ink.
That’s the culture they’re building. Make something, learn something, share it, come back and make more. Even their merch gets it, with a “Friends & Film” hoodie and a t-shirt mourning Portra like a lost friend.
What’s Inside
- In-house film processing and scanning
- A community darkroom where local shooters can learn and work on their own projects
- Classes, building on the intro film and darkroom workshops they already run in Lakeland
- A gallery wall for local work
- Film and photography supplies
Film on the Shelf and Online
The film selection covers the classics in 35mm and 120.
- Kodak Portra 160, 400 and 800, plus Ektar 100 and Gold 200
- Kodak Tri-X and T-Max for black and white
- Ilford HP5 Plus and Delta 100
- CineStill 800T, 50D and 400D
- “Fun film” from Street Candy and BKIFI for anyone who likes surprises in the developer
A 35mm roll runs from about $11 for HP5 to about $21 for Portra 800.
You can order through lakelandfilmlab.com too, which helps if you live far from Florida.
The Gear Behind the Scans
The lab scans on Fuji Frontier SP3000 and SP500 systems, the machines behind the look of a generation of lab prints. They’re adding a Noritsu HS-1800 to keep quality high and prices fair. That’s a big commitment for a young shop. Both scanner lines are long out of production, so every working unit takes a lot of care, parts and know-how to keep running.
Florida Through Local Eyes
The opening also launched the space’s first gallery show. The lab put out an open call on Instagram asking area film photographers to show Florida from their own point of view.
The result is a Florida wall built by the community.
Why This Is Cool
Many of us learned in a shared darkroom, at school or a camera club, shoulder to shoulder under the safelight, and maybe we walked a gallery show.
This community space gives a new generation the same start, with the enlargers, tanks and chemistry already in place. In a world that needs community and art, this place warms my heart.
I’m hoping to stop by over the holidays. If you’re anywhere near Tampa Bay, go say hello.
Follow along at @lakelandfilmlab or lakelandfilmlab.com.
Sources
- Lakeland Film Lab
- Lakeland Film Lab on Instagram
- Lakeland Film Lab Opens St. Pete Gallery With Grand Opening and Community Darkroom Launch, 995qyk.com
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