Like numerous images buffs, Rob Cowan purchased a electronic digital camera as soon as they arrived out a pair many years ago. He liked its instantaneous success and the independence it gave him to shoot unlimited visuals until finally he achieved the perfect shot.
Then about six yrs in the past, the 39-year-outdated San Diego resident obtained bored with digital images for the quite very same causes. Wherever was the problem, the assumed procedure and the artistry? So he returned to classic film photography and hardly ever appeared back.
“It has its possess sensation,” he stated. “It’s tangible. You can maintain on to it and see it in front of your eyes.”
Cowan is not on your own. About the previous five years, hundreds of thousands of Us residents have re-embraced or freshly found out the old-college artwork of film photography. Profits of Kodak roll movie doubled from 2014 to 2019 and the price of made use of movie cameras has skyrocketed. Now Cowan and his wife and enterprise associate, Caitie Boreliz, are hoping to feed that escalating community with their freshly expanded North Park organization, Camera Exposure & Safelight Labs.

Camera Publicity & Safelight Labs co-proprietor Rob Cowan, still left, stands in the retail outlet whilst income associate Diego Jimenez helps consumer Tobi Gary, at correct.
(John Gastaldo/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The hectic store at Adams Avenue and Oregon Street sells movie, cameras, lenses, chargers, enlargers, flash attachments and conditions. It also delivers film building services and digicam repairs. But the couple’s dream for their enterprise will not be recognized right until next summer months, when they prepare to open a do-it-your self neighborhood darkroom and workshop, photography studio and community gallery exactly where aspiring movie photographers can just take courses, study lab procedures and have their very own exhibitions.
“We want to be an integral part of the group, the artwork community, the film community, the images group. It doesn’t issue what you shoot, what your cup of tea is, we want to be right here to support artists, even so they’re heading to make their artwork,” Cowan reported.
On Tuesday afternoon, the store was bustling with buyers ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s procuring for cameras and lenses. Boreliz stated she has experienced parents occur in with their 11- and 12-year-aged children to get them their to start with film digicam. Other clients dusted off their aged 35 mm cameras for the duration of the pandemic and commenced taking pictures once more to fill their solitary time. And another segment of customers are curious young men and women in their 20s and 30s who just lately inherited their grandparents old cameras and have hardly ever explored movie images right before.
“The more youthful era grew up with iPhones and the Online. They’re hunting for a thing diverse, with a a lot more classic really feel. They reside in these kinds of a speedy-paced atmosphere. This is a way to slow them down,” Cowan mentioned.
Cowan and Boreliz achieved 10 a long time in the past when functioning jointly at a Starbucks in Northern California. Six many years ago, they moved to San Diego, which was about the exact time Cowan rediscovered film. He prefers to shoot only in black and white. As his enthusiasm grew, he questioned Boreliz to assistance his desire of opening a community photography shop and darkroom, as there are only a handful of places in city exactly where photographers can build their own movie.
With her guidance, Cowan introduced Safelight Labs in their San Diego condominium in 2018. A protected gentle is the purple bulb applied in darkrooms that won’t expose undeveloped movie. A year afterwards, he opened a retail space, darkroom and gallery in downtown San Diego. Then in March 2020 the pandemic strike, forcing him to near the retail and gallery aspect of the business enterprise and changeover to no-get in touch with creating providers.

Digicam Publicity and Safelight Labs co-operator Rob Cowan reveals off the digicam tattoos that mirror his enjoy for pictures. From left they depict a pace-graphic, a rangefinder, a one-lens-reflex and a point-and-shoot digicam.
(John Gastaldo/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Then in the summer season of 2020, Cowan started performing movie processing for Kenneth Kahan, the longtime proprietor of the Digital camera Exposure store at 2701-03 Adams Ave. Kahan acquired the keep in 2008 from its authentic proprietor, who opened the doors in 1988. Kahan reported when he took about the small business 13 many years in the past, electronic photography experienced already wiped out considerably of the movie digicam enterprise. But ultimately gross sales started creeping back up.
“I guess it was about five or 6 several years ago that I noticed film photography started off using off once more. I’d have 300 cameras in listed here prepared for repairs,” Kahan explained.
Then in slide 2020, Kahan resolved to retire and asked Cowan and Boreliz if they would contemplate getting above the shop’s lease. Cowan stated it wasn’t a challenging choice. The 3,000-square-foot 1920s-era developing has a 33-12 months background as a camera shop, a great deal of space for all of their programs and the pedestrian-pleasant neighborhood has a lot of foot targeted visitors.

A drawer loaded with roll movie for sale at Digicam Exposure & Safelight Labs in North Park.
(John Gastaldo/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A handful of months in the past they renovated and reopened the corner house as their new Digicam Exposure retail, mend and growth companies lab. In the coming months, they will relaunch Safelight Labs with a significant darkroom and workshop spot for do-it-oneself establishing and courses. And by following summer season they hope to open up a studio and gallery exactly where Cowan explained he hopes to give quite a few area photographers their to start with general public demonstrates.
Enterprise has been so excellent in new months that Cowan and Boreliz have employed various personnel, including Caiti Borruso, who operates the establishing lab, and Kahan, who came out of retirement to support with digicam repairs. Their greatest challenge these days is an industrywide scarcity of shade film.
Boreliz, who operates the retail aspect of the business enterprise, reported she is still comparatively new to movie photography herself, but she enjoys how it has altered her standpoint on lifestyle.
“There’s just a thing I really like about the process of photography, where by you just take your time to frame the shot and emphasis on what you are carrying out. It’s a total practical experience,” she stated. “And I also like how pictures brings men and women with each other.”

Camera Publicity & Safelight Labs co-operator Rob Cowan and Caitie Boreliz, remaining, with lab supervisor Caiti Borruso and profits affiliate/lab tech Diego Jimenez outside the house the North Park shop.
(John Gastaldo/The San Diego Union-Tribune)