What is WhereToBuyFilm.com? — A free, community-maintained directory of places to buy photographic film and get it developed – shops, labs, camera stores, and more. It's a personal project, not a business.
How do I find a lab near me? — Use the search bar on the homepage or browse the map. You can filter by services (C-41, E-6, B&W development, scanning) and film format.
Is the information accurate? — We do our best. All listings are manually reviewed before publishing, and we update them when we hear about changes. That said, businesses close and services change – always confirm directly with a location before making a trip.
How often is the directory updated? — Continuously, as new suggestions come in and as we find things that need correcting. There's no fixed update schedule.
How do I add a location? — Use the Suggest a location link in the navigation. Fill in as much detail as you can – name, address, website, what services they offer. We review all submissions before publishing.
Can I suggest a correction to an existing listing? — Yes; use the suggestion form on the Contact page with the location name and what needs fixing.
How long does it take for a suggestion to appear? — We aim to review submissions within a few days. We're a small operation, so it occasionally takes longer.
Can I add a location I run myself? — Yes, as long as it's genuinely relevant to film photographers. We may edit the listing for consistency.
Does the site have an API? — Not a public one currently.
Can I scrape the data? — Please don't. If you have a legitimate use case – a research project, a related community tool – get in touch, and we can talk about it.
The site seems broken / something isn't loading. — Drop a message on our Contact page with the URL and what you're seeing. Or find us on social media. Screenshots help a lot.
Do you track me? — No third-party analytics, no advertising, no user accounts. We keep standard server logs for 30 days. See the full Privacy Policy for details.
Do I need an account to use the site? — No account needed to browse or search. You don't need one to suggest a location either.