For the film people

Yes, you get your negatives back.

 
 

Darkslide Film Lab is a full service woman owned & operated boutique film lab. Established in 2021 and located in the historic east side of Bridgeport, Connecticut, we service the entirety of the United States & beyond!

We specialize in development and scanning of photographic film as well as traditional black and white darkroom printing.

Our goal is to modernize the way lab services are preformed by blending traditional techniques with todays technology.

We want to be a part of your story as a photographer.

A resource for you to grow, learn, and fall in love with film.

Film is delicate, and should be treated as so. At Darkslide we pride ourselves on the attentive care and precautions we take to ensure your film is handled and processed properly. We are a small team of two girls who love film, and want to keep the medium alive, accessible, and fun. Each and every order means the world to us!

ACCEPTED FILM:

  • Disposable Cameras, 35mm film, 120 film, 4x5 sheet film.

  • Color Film (C-41), Black & White Film, Slide Film (e6), ECN2 photographic film

Let’s connect <3

Browse our services below, and feel free to reach out with any additional questions after checking out our FAQ page!

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Private Lessons

“If one day, all of the technology in the world stopped working, you would still have your negatives”

Featured Products

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Mystery Expired Film Roll! (35mm, 120, 220)
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Mystery Expired Film Roll! (35mm, 120, 220)
from $10.00

Mystery Film Draw! Life is like a roll of expired film, ya never know what you’re going to get until it develops! Shooting expired film is a fun way to shake up your routine and try something experimental! Whatever ISO film you receive, we recommend over exposing it by two stops to accommodate for the old age. SO if you get a roll of 400 ISO film, rate it at 100ISO. If you receive 100 ISO, rate it at 25 ISO!

One order = one mystery roll.

Once your order is placed, we will pull a roll at random from the mystery bin and send it to you to photograph with!

RESULTS NOT GUARANTEED - PREVIOUS STORAGE CONDITIONS UNKNOWN!

Develop & Scans
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Develop & Scans
from $15.00

Film will be developed, scanned, and archived in a full roll sleeve (un-cut).

E6/Slide Film processing as well as ECN2 is done once a month once we get enough rolls to meet chemistry limit.

You will receive your scans via email, ready to go!

Please make sure you properly ID your film and order the correct Film type - images have been included to help you know what type of film you have!

Consider adding a Contact Sheet to your order to keep your film properly organized.

Our turn around time varies with how busy we are. It fluctuates between 3-6 weeks with an average of 4 weeks. We are a small operation and do everything by hand. Therefore there is only so much work we can get done in one week. We are not fast, but we are good at what we do and we CARE. You can rush your order for 50% of the order total which will guarantee your scans within 5-10 business days of us receiving the film. Please reach out via email to rush your order.

ALL SALES ARE FINAL

Disposable Camera Development
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Disposable Camera Development
from $17.00

Disposable Camera Development & Scanning!

With this option your disposable camera will be developed & scanned!

If it is old and expired, please mention that so we can adjust accordingly to give you the best result!

Pro-Color Grading is available for best color results

You have the option to add prints and or a contact sheet included of each of the images you captured.

Prints will be 4x6 which optimizes them for photo albums storage! This is the perfect way to organize and store your memories.

Our turn around time varies with how busy we are. It fluctuates between 3-6 weeks with an average of 4 weeks. We are a small operation and do everything by hand. Therefore there is only so much work we can get done in one week. We are not fast, but we are good at what we do and we CARE. You can rush your order for 50% of the order total which will guarantee your scans within one week of us receiving the film. Please reach out via email to rush your order.

ALL SALES ARE FINAL

4x5 Develop & Scan
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4x5 Develop & Scan
from $17.00

Offering full service develop and scanning of c-41, E6, & black and white 4x5 sheet film.

Negatives will be archived & shipped back. If film is sent in holder, holder will be returned. Please label accordingly.

JPG Scans = 10-15mb

Tiff Scans (Standard - 8 bit) = 150mb

Tiff Scans (Premium - Pixel shift - 16 bit) = 300mb

Proof Prints are 5x7 contact prints made in the darkroom on pearl finish silver gelatin paper

Dust Removal is 80%

Our turn around time varies with how busy we are. It fluctuates between 3-6 weeks with an average of 4 weeks. We are a small operation and do everything by hand. Therefore there is only so much work we can get done in one week. We are not fast, but we are good at what we do and we CARE. You can rush your order for 50% of the order total which will guarantee your scans within one week of us receiving the film. Please reach out via email to rush your order.

ALL SALES ARE FINAL

Featured
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Silver Gelatin Printing
from $15.00

We offer silver gelatin enlargements of your negatives in sizes 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, and 16x20.

This is the traditional method of creating prints from black and white negatives. Prints are archival with a smooth even surface producing a sharp, highly detailed print. We use Ilford Multigrade RC Deluxe paper allowing room to finesse in the printing process to achieve the desired tonal result. Each print is done by hand, given the time and attention required to produce a beautiful darkroom print.

Please have a reference ready to show how you would like your final print to come out.

 

Testimonials

 
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IG: @Bellnic9le Twitter: @Bell_lati

“Not only is Emily an expert in all things photography & film, she’s kind, thoughtful, and provides amazing service! I know she handles my film as her own, I highly recommend!” -Bella Latimer

 
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Eli Holmes IG: @seasmtnsco

(Developed at Darkslide, scanned by Eli)

I met Emily through a Clubhouse room after going through a terrible experience with a lab. As someone who shoots professionally for clients, having a GOOD working relationship with a lab is ESSENTIAL. It’s everything, there aren’t re shoots for weddings.

From the very first interaction it was clear how passionate about film photography and developing Emily is. She’s thoughtful, and thorough — ensuring the process is exactly to your liking, and what you need. Having a small lab, that’s client focused, is so refreshing in such a disconnected market.