Topline:
Recently we found out LAist is full of film photography loving journalists. Here are several personal recommendations from our staff on where to go around Southern California for your film developing needs.
Why it matters: Finding the right film lab for yourself is an important part in film photography, according to Harvey Film Lab founder Kacie.
Read on:...to find your film photography home.
Before digital cameras and smartphones became ubiquitous it was film photography that reigned supreme. Back in the day that meant a trip to your local film processing store to get those negatives developed. Today a convenient alternative is the local CVS Photo Lab. They can get you scans and digital prints, but they no longer return your negatives.
So if you want those originals back, and for a chance to engage with your local photography scene – here are some independent film developing shops in L.A. and O.C. hand-picked by LAist’s photography-loving staff.
Powell Camera Shop
160 West Badillo Street
Covina, CA 91723
First up our General Assignment Reporter Destiny Torres frequents this San Gabriel Valley location.
What do they develop?
They take standard 35mm and medium format 120mm film and can use both C-41 and E-6 processing.
What’ll it cost me?
It varies depending on what you want back. Just developing the negatives will run you $9.99 before taxes. If you want color digital scans as well as prints: between $15 and 20 dollars. If you prefer black and white scans in addition to prints: between $22 and $32, according to Frankie Barron, a manager of Powell.
How long does it take to develop?
Your best bet is to go in person as Powell rarely accepts mail in negatives. It should take a week to get your photos back. The store doesn’t develop photos on site but sends them to professional developers at Swan Photo Labs in San Clemente.
Samy’s Camera
1759 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91106
If you’ve ever been interested in cameras and you’ve spent some time in Pasadena chances are you’ve heard of Samy’s Camera. This recommendation comes from AirTalk producer Lucy Copp.
What do they develop?
The shop takes various film formats including 35mm, medium format 120mm. They can also develop 4 by 5 and 8 by 10 large format or sheet film.
What’ll it cost me?
35mm film will cost you $6 a roll for color, $8 a roll for black and white. For color photo scans in 35mm and 120mm the cost is around $12 for low resolution, $18 for medium resolution, and $25 for high resolution. Adding prints? For 24 photos it'll be between $9.96 and $10.83. Thirty-six photos will cost you between $13.44 and $13.73.
How long does it take to develop?
Negatives will take two to five business days. Prints and scans will take about a week to 10 days. Samy's lets you drop off negatives in store at their locations in Santa Ana, Pasadena and Fairfax. Negatives are sent to their photo lab in the Fairfax area for development, according to Pasadena employee Dana Mooradian. All 35mm and 120mm color film development is done at the Fairfax location. Black and white and large format are sent to the Icon lab in Los Angeles for development.
Analog Photomart
416 E 2nd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Our Major Gifts Officer Malka Fenyvesi also frequents Samy’s, but recently she’s noticed a new store in Little Tokyo.
What do they develop?
The store is about a year old, owner Bryan Hong says they’re able to take color, black and white, and slide film in both 35 mm and 120mm.
What’ll it cost me?
Getting negatives developed will cost you $9. Add scans and the price goes up to $15 for low resolution, $18 for medium, and higher resolution for $23. Black and white development will cost a buck more across the board. 35mm prints will be $12 a roll. 120mm will cost the same for developing and scanning, but getting prints will only cost you $6.
How long does it take to develop?
This small neighborhood shop only accepts in store drop offs. They don’t do any business online. To get the scans to your e-mail takes 3 to 4 business days. To get negatives back it takes about a week, and up to 10 days for prints.
Berry Flash Photo Lab
11445 Jefferson Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
AirTalk Senior Producer Lindsey Wright is also a Samy’s regular, but lately she’s been going to a spot on the Westside.
What do they develop?
Berry Flash has you covered when it comes to 35mm and 120 mm, in either color or black and white. Negatives-only for 110mm. For 35mm you can choose between two different film processes, E-6 or C-41.
What’ll it cost me?
Standard color C-41 35mm processing will cost you $9.99. 120mm processing will be $14.99. Scans plus negatives for 35mm is $19.99 for “social friendly scans.” They also offer higher resolutions at $24.99. 120mm starts at $24.99, and $29.99 for high res. According to Berry Flash lab technician Natalia Delgado, if you want prints too just tack on an extra $10.
How long does it take to develop?
If you drop off your film at the main lab location in Culver City typical turnaround time is 2 to 3 business days for color negatives. Up to 10 days for black and white. You can also mail in your photos to Berry Flash Photo Lab. Their P.O. Box for mailing in film is:
Berry Flash Photo Lab
3019 Ocean Park Blvd., #370
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Tuttle Cameras
5467 E. Carson St.
Long Beach, CA 90808
AirTalk associate producer Manny Valladares loves to hit up this Long Beach location for both film developing and film gear.
What do they develop?
Tuttle Cameras can handle 35mm, 120mm, and 110mm film. Store associate Julian Lee says they process color, black & white, and slide for all formats as well.
What’ll it cost me?
Developing your 35mm film will cost $8.25. Adding scans will be $18.50. Tuttle offers different size files. Scans larger than 12 mb will run about ten dollars more each. Prints will cost anywhere between $12 and $18 depending on the number of exposures you want.
How long does it take to develop?
To get your negative scans back it’ll take around 1 to 2 days on weekdays and 2 to 3 days on weekends. You can drop your film off or mail it directly to the store. Tuttle partners with local developer Fromex for film processing.
Bill’s Camera
6022 Warner Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Bill's an O.C. favorite that’s been around since 1971.
What do they develop?
According to lab manager Josh Ventura, Bill's can develop all color film in 35mm, 120mm and APS formats.
What’ll it cost me?
$6.50 for 35mm negatives and $7.50 for 120mm negatives. Add scans to those and it’ll be $13.95 for 35mm and $14.90 for 120mm. Including prints will cost you anywhere between an additional $13 and $16 depending on the roll and the format.
How long does it take to develop?
Ventura says the typical turnaround time for the negatives is 24 hours. 120mm will take two days. You are also able to mail your negatives into the shop. All color film development is done on site. Black and white film is sent to a third party.
The Frida Cinema/Harvey Film Lab
305 E 4th St #100
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Sticking with Orange County for our final recommendation. Why not see a movie as you drop off your negatives? The one-person development operation Harvey Film Lab has a drop box at Orange County’s only independent art house theater.
What do they develop?
Kacie from Harvey Film Lab says they can develop 35mm and 120mm film, in both color and black & white.
What’ll it cost me?
Basic scans for 35mm will start at $14.70, which includes getting your negatives back too. If you want prints it’ll be an additional $14.99.
How long does it take to develop?
Film is developed exclusively on site and takes one to 7 business days. You can mail your film to them directly, or purchase services online then head over to the Frida Cinema for drop off. For pick-up you can go in-person or have them mailed to you.
That’s it! Go forth and take your pictures! But remember to get your film developed as soon as possible for the best looking photos.
Topline:
Residents in East LA are weighing the promise of a new Metro E Line extension with concerns over construction disruptions, small-business impacts and whether more outreach is needed about the project.
What is the project: The 4.7-mile extension of the Metro E Line would connect East Los Angeles to Montebello with four new stations. The project would relocate the existing Atlantic and Pomona station underground, and include a mix of underground, aerial and street-level track transit.
Read on ... for more about the pros and cons locals see for the extension.
Residents in East LA are weighing the promise of a new Metro E Line extension with concerns over construction disruptions, small-business impacts and whether more outreach is needed about the project.
The 4.7-mile extension of the Metro E Line would connect East Los Angeles to Montebello with four new stations. The project would relocate the existing Atlantic and Pomona station underground and include a mix of underground, aerial and street-level track transit.
The $7.9 billion project is expected to open for service between 2035 and 2037, according to Metro.
Construction will begin in 2029 and last approximately eight to 10 years, pending full funding approval. It’s part of a wider plan to connect the E Line to the city of Whittier, though officials say the work will be built in two phases due to funding constraints.
While officials say the project is intended to reduce traffic congestion and ease pressure on local roads, residents at a recent community meeting focused more on the immediate impact and communication.
“Thirty days for comment on a complex issue like this is ridiculous. … We need better outreach,” said East LA resident Clara Solis about a 30-day public comment period ending June 26.
Solis and others also raised concerns about how construction could affect traffic and disrupt local commerce, pointing to past transit projects.
“How is this going to impact the businesses? When the Gold Line went through, a lot of our businesses really suffered economically. We want to see a presentation on that. You should have a presentation just on how it’s going to impact the businesses,” Solis added.
East LA resident Kristie Hernandez said community outreach for the project should also extend to people who do not necessarily live within the immediate 200-foot project radius.
“We need to understand that folks who don’t necessarily live within that close proximity also frequent that area when they drive,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez advocated for a 90-day public comment window and also called for presentations on underground infrastructure, especially in the wake of the East LA pipeline that was punctured during construction work in late May.
“We do not want that to happen again,” she said.
Lucia Martinez spoke favorably about the extension plans, considering that she relies on buses to get around East LA to do her shopping. She said she looks forward to using the Metro to travel to the Citadel as well as to the hospital in Pasadena.
“As an older woman who became aware of this project, I think it is amazing because I am someone who does not drive,” she said.
LA Documenter Rafael Cazzorla contributed reporting for this story. LA Documenters trains and pays LA residents to take notes at local government meetings around Los Angeles. You can find meeting notes and audio at losangeles.documenters.org
Topline:
For the first time in nearly three decades, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new chemical UV filter for use in sunscreens sold in the U.S. And that has many dermatologists cheering.
Why it matters: The new ingredient is called bemotrizinol, and it has several advantages over the chemical sunscreen ingredients previously available in the U.S., says Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The backstory: In the U.S., sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs rather than cosmetics, as they're classified in Europe. That means ingredients need to undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy before they can be approved for use in the U.S.
Read on ... for four key things to know about this coming change.
For the first time in nearly three decades, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new chemical UV filter for use in sunscreens sold in the U.S. And that has many dermatologists cheering.
"This is a very big deal," says Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The new ingredient is called bemotrizinol, and it has several advantages over the chemical sunscreen ingredients previously available in the U.S., Rogers says.
"It hits like really every box for us that we have been waiting for as dermatologists and consumers," Rogers says.
Here's what you need to know about this new ingredient and how it could lead to better sunscreens sold stateside.
Rogers says in general, you want to use sunscreens that are broad spectrum, meaning they protect against both UVA rays — the longer wavelengths that cause premature aging and wrinkles — and UVB rays, which lead to sunburns. Both types of UV rays can cause skin cancer.
She says the sunscreens currently sold in the U.S. do an excellent job of protecting against UVB rays, but the chemical UV filters available in sunscreens in the U.S. until now aren't as good at blocking out UVA rays.
In general, chemical sunscreens sold in the U.S. rely on an ingredient called avobenzone to block out UVA rays, says Kelly Dobos, a cosmetic chemist who teaches at the University of Cincinnati.
But avobenzone by itself isn't photo stable, meaning its protection can start to break down rapidly when exposed to sunlight. And as avobenzone breaks down, it can release molecules that lead to skin irritation, says Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, or EWG.
By contrast, bemotrizinol offers protection against both UVA and UVB rays all on its own, and it is photo stable, so it breaks down more slowly, offering better protection, Rogers says.
"So if you go a little longer than two hours to reapply your sunscreen, there will be more protection left," Rogers says. However, she says you should still reapply sunscreen every two hours.
Bemotrizinol has been widely used in European and Asian sunscreens for decades. But it has taken 20 years for the FDA to approve its use in this country.
That's because in the U.S., sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs rather than cosmetics, as they're classified in Europe. That means ingredients need to undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy before they can be approved for use in the U.S.
"It's really expensive and time consuming," Dobos says. The European company DSM-Firmenich spent at least $18 million over more than two decades in its push to gain FDA approval for bemotrizinol.
However, all that testing means bemotrizinol has more safety data to back it up than any other chemical sunscreen ingredient currently approved in the U.S., says Friedman of EWG.
"This ingredient is exciting because we have that data to support its safety," Friedman says.
Friedman says animal testing showed bemotrizinol doesn't lead to concerns like reproductive harm, while clinical testing on humans found that it does not irritate the skin, even after repeated application over time, "which is hopefully how people are using sunscreens."
And because bemotrizinol's molecules are larger, it's not readily absorbed by the skin and into the bloodstream, she says.
That's important, because studies have shown that some of the other chemical sunscreen UV filters sold in the U.S. can be absorbed in the bloodstream, prompting calls for more safety data and leading to a backlash against sunscreen on social media fueled by misinformation. Rogers says that trend is concerning because skin cancer is the most common form of cancer.
"We just need to have sunscreen that people will use, that they'll trust," Rogers says. "And this ingredient is going to allow that to happen. And that is very exciting."
And bemotrizinol is also considered to be non-irritating, Friedman says. That should be welcome news to people who've been put off by chemical sunscreens in the past.
Until now, Rogers says, the only sunscreen ingredient available in the U.S. that offered the aforementioned advantages of bemotrizinol — photo stable, non-irritating, minimally absorbed into the skin and with good broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays — was zinc oxide.
Both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are mineral UV filters. Both chemical sunscreens and mineral sunscreens work by absorbing UV rays from the sun. Mineral sunscreens also reflect some UV rays. The bigger difference is that mineral sunscreens sit on the surface of the skin, while chemical sunscreens get absorbed into the skin, Rogers says.
The downside of mineral sunscreens is that they can leave an unattractive white cast on the skin — think of lifeguards with white paste on their noses. "Particularly if you're a person of color, zinc is going to make you look pale, white or ashy, which really makes it hard to use on a regular basis," Rogers says.
Bemotrizinol, on the other hand, is transparent on the skin, and because it protects against both UVA and UVB rays on its own, it doesn't have to be mixed with as many other chemical filters and stabilizers to achieve broad spectrum protection, Dobos adds. She says that should lead to more aesthetically pleasing, less greasy sunscreen formulations in the near future.
"I think it's a real win for public health," Dobos says. "If we can make a sunscreen that consumers like to use and want to use and apply in the proper amounts, I think that's something that's really going to be a win for consumers."
DSM-Firmenich has exclusive rights to market bemotrizinol in the U.S. for 18 months. It will be sold under the brand name Parsol Shield. The company says the first sunscreen products containing the ingredient should start hitting American store shelves around September.
Topline:
The Justice Department yesterday approved Paramount's proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
How we got here: The decision came after the DOJ concluded its antitrust investigation into the pending merger. The department said in a statement that it found that the deal posed no threat to competition or consumers of film, broadcast television or streaming.
What's next: The decision clears the way for a merger of two rival Hollywood studio titans: Paramount, the owner of CBS, including CBS News, will swallow the much larger Warner, which includes HBO and CNN. But several states, including California, have raised antitrust concerns. The European Union is investigating as well.
The Justice Department on Friday approved Paramount's proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
After concluding its antitrust investigation into the pending merger, the department said in a statement that it found that the deal posed no threat to competition or consumers of film, broadcast television or streaming.
The decision clears the way for a merger of two rival Hollywood studio titans: Paramount, the owner of CBS, including CBS News, will swallow the much larger Warner, which includes HBO and CNN.
The DOJ''s Antitrust Division concluded that a union of two studio giants isn't anti-competitive because the streaming market has expanded the competition for conventional Hollywood studios, which includes Netflix, Apple and Amazon, as well as smaller streamers. The Justice Department's view is that, for the same reason, consumers won't lose out because there are plenty of other places to get entertainment.
Several states, including California, have raised antitrust concerns. The European Union is investigating as well.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who has been investigating the deal for antitrust violations, said in a post on social media following the Justice Department's approval: "The merger of Warner Bros and Paramount is not a done deal and remains under investigation by my office."
In a statement following the decision, Paramount described the deal as "pro-competitive," and would result in "a stronger company better positioned to compete against dominant technology platforms in an industry increasingly defined by intense competition for audiences, talent, technology, and investment."
The company said it planned to complete the merger as soon as possible, "delivering its benefits to consumers, creators, and the entertainment industry as a whole."
The consolidation will put media mogul David Ellison — son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison — at the helm of Warner Bros. studio as well as its cable and streaming properties, including CNN and HBO. The Ellison family took over Paramount and CBS last summer.
In the months leading up to the regulatory approval, critics in Hollywood feared the deal would consolidate an already concentrated media landscape and lead to fewer jobs and less creative content.
In April, thousands of directors, actors, writers and other industry talent — including Kristen Stewart, Pedro Pascal and Javier Bardem — signed an open letter opposing the merger.
The elder Ellison is also a financial backer and adviser to President Trump on artificial intelligence. Critics of recent changes at CBS under the Ellisons' control are concerned that, as they say has happened with CBS News, the acquisition would make CNN more friendly to Trump.
NPR's Carrie Johnson and Mandalit del Barco contributed to this story.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
Countless soccer fans will stream into SoFi stadium in the coming days, or maybe catch a match at a neighborhood watch party. At LACMA, a series of miniature face-offs are also happening, thanks to a local artist who’s captured some big moments with the tiniest of soccer players in the exhibition, Fútbol Is Life.
'Sportraits': Artist Lyndon Barrois, Sr. crafts chewing gum wrappers — little strips of foil and paper — into art: one inch-tall, lifelike sculptures of humans in kinetic poses. Oftentimes, that means capturing his favorite moments from sports games with what he calls ‘sportraits.’
The backstory: The story goes that Barrois began making his miniatures at the age of 10, back when he was living in New Orleans and wanted to make drivers for his Hot Wheels cars.
Read on ... to find out more about the exhibition ...
Countless soccer fans will stream into SoFi Stadium (temporarily renamed Los Angeles Stadium) in the coming days, or maybe catch a match at a neighborhood watch party.
But right here in Los Angeles — at LACMA’s Resnick Pavilion to be specific — are a series of miniature face-offs too, thanks to a local artist who’s captured some big moments with the tiniest of soccer players in the exhibition, Fútbol Is Life.
Artist and animator Lyndon J. Barrois Sr. gave me a tour of his home studio in Mid-City on a recent Friday. Tools of his trade are scattered throughout, including a glue gun, paint brushes and a life-sized recreation of a human skeleton.
And inside an orange, Halloween-themed Utz pretzel barrel, thousands of pieces of a material that sets Barrois apart: chewing gum wrappers.
“I find them around the world,” Barrois said. “When we travel, I see them on the ground and I pick them up. One trip we took to New Orleans... I must have come back with maybe two dozen. I found some in Lisbon, I found some in Marrakesh, I found some in Nairobi.”
Barrois crafts these little strips of foil and paper into art: one inch-tall, lifelike sculptures of humans in kinetic poses. Oftentimes, that means capturing his favorite moments from sports games with what he calls ‘sportraits.’
“All my life I was just making toys,” he said. “These are all my toys. Because I would play with these things like action figures.”
Barrois began making his miniatures at 10 in New Orleans, starting with the tiny drivers he made for his Hot Wheels cars.
Many of those original creations he’s held onto for five decades. Now they overflow from a Hershey’s Chocolate tin.
There are hundreds and hundreds of his tiny gum wrapper figures in Barrois’ studio: soccer players and boxers and football players with helmets so small he crafts them on pin heads.
It was while he was studying graphic design at Xavier University in New Orleans that Barrois says he realized his craft could be more than just a childhood hobby. One of his professors encouraged Barrois to take his miniature for what it really was: sculpture.
Barrois went on to get his master’s degree in film and video from CalArts in 1995 and has worked in animation and visual effects ever since, with credits on films like The Matrix Reloaded, Night at the Museum and Terence Malick’s The Tree of Life.
“It’s weird what things take you where,” Barrois said. “I always loved movies and wanted to do it in some capacity. I just didn’t know how. And to say that this is what led to all that, a childhood hobby, I don’t even know how to describe the feeling. Or how humbling it is,” he said.
Ravi S. Rajan, president of CalArts, said that whether Barrois is animating a monologue by author Ta-Nehisi Coates or creating special effects for a Matrix film, he makes his subjects more human and relatable.
“And I think that’s the magic of what he does as an artist,” Rajan said.
Barrois’ mastery in making his lilliputian figures has brought him into plenty of fine art spaces. Just a couple of miles from his home, Fútbol Is Life meticulously recreates historic moments from men’s and women’s soccer in a sizable space inside the Resnick Pavilion.
“You can imagine when they showed me this room, I was like: I gotta fill this room with little people!,” the artist said on a recent visit to his show.
And fill it he did. Inside clear cases there are dozens of scenes from soccer history spanning nearly a century of World Cup matches. That includes Brazilian footballer Marta Vieira da Silva celebrating a goal during a 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup match.
“One of them that really gave me the most joy is probably the game where Marta kisses her foot after she scores. Because just the flex of that whole moment. I can’t kiss my foot, man,” Barrois said with a chuckle.
But there are less celebratory moments, too, like when German players gave a pre-kickoff Nazi salute before facing off against the Swiss team, foreshadowing a world that would soon be at war.
It’s a dark moment in history captured in a playful way that makes you look twice.
“That was the German team in 1938. Pre-World War II, but it was the rise of Nazism. And so that’s how the team saluted when they came out on the field,” Barrois said. “The importance of this was to also contrast what the same German team did in 2022. They wore ‘human rights’ on their T-shirts.”
As museum visitors look in wonderment at the minuscule scale of Barrois work, they are also drawn into some of these past realities.
“It makes the subject matter easier to digest. Because there’s a lot of tough subject matter here. But still, you pay attention to it,” Barrois explained.
Each vignette is a different conversation starter: from on-field protest moments, to celebrations of underdog victories to prisoners of war playing their beloved game on a dirt field.
Barrois said his exhibition is a deep dive into the history of the game. That includes “the players, the personalities, and the politics.”
“Because it’s countries. It’s bragging rights. It’s unification. It’s division. It’s all that,” he said.
And discourse arising from the current World Cup isn’t lost on Barrois. The Iran men’s team is scheduled to play two matches here in L.A., even as the U.S. war with their country looks like it will continue.
“This game is already writing history before it even begins with all this political stuff happening,” Barrois said.
“So it’s going to be interesting to see all the stories that get told out of this one.”
Maybe a job for some skilled hands... And a few humble gum wrappers.
Exhibit: Fútbol Is Life
