Naples business looks to put film photography back in focus

Naples business looks to put film photography back in focus

In the bathroom of his apartment, a then-25-year-old Jamiel Betancourt draped a sheet over the doorframe and stuffed T-shirts along the bottom. Using a foot spa, he heated water and chemicals before unspooling a roll of 35mm film to develop.

The makeshift darkroom is where Betancourt began learning the ins and outs of developing film –– first for himself, and now for people across Florida.

Betancourt, now 30, has traded the foot spa and bathroom for a brick-and-mortar space at 2740 Bayshore Drive. He has already processed thousands of film rolls for people as the medium has seen a resurgence among younger generations.

“Sometimes it feels good, just to go back to the basics,” he said.

He thinks with the rapid growth of time spent on social media people also were searching for a way to disconnect from their increasingly online lives.

“You have your film shooters who forget about the rolls, and wait till they have five or six rolls, and then go (get them developed) and forget about what they have. Then you have people who shoot a roll and want to develop and scan that same day,” he said. “I don't think there's a right or wrong way to shoot film. I think the anticipation of not having something right in front of your eyes in that instant is what is going to like really intensify (the popularity of) film.”

But many of those that picked up a film camera likely didn’t have access to a darkroom or a way to develop what was on their rolls, creating business opportunities for those such as Betancourt who had mostly been using the analog format for years.

Betancourt’s Naples-based On a Roll Film Lab joins just one other Southwest Florida camera shop developing film in-house –– the other being Fort Myers’ Creative Photo and Digital Imaging.

“I’ve just been tackling, for the last year and a half or so, growing the business (and) not seeing anything back, but seeing a lot in myself and seeing a lot in the community,” he said. “I really want to inspire a lot of young individuals to chase their dreams. I believe that Naples is revolutionizing, it's coming to a point where anything can happen.”

In addition to his film services, which operates in the back office space of the building, the business features a stage. Betancourt has rented the space to local artists to perform or for photo shoots. He has also been in talks with other creative minds to host art shows.

“Moving to Naples at 17, I've never had the privilege of going to a place where you can do a pop-up shop, or do a photo shoot or develop your film or buy cameras or film,” he said. “So I'm bringing that to the youth.

“When people came for the soft opening, there was a lot of chitchat and people coming to me about renting the space for photo studios or events, and it gives me hope that this is actually a creative space that's solidified for artists,” Betancourt said.

Betancourt said many of those make use of his services remind them of himself as a teenager –– always documenting the moments hanging out whether it be a trip to Chick-Fil-A or posing in front of a webcam to update their photos on MySpace.

He said at the end of the night he would always have his friends reaching out for the photos he took.

“It was just that joy of being able to provide people with an image of themselves so they can identify online,” he said. “Early on, I didn't realize how big of an impact it would have.”

Betancourt remembers a friend lending him a Canon AE-1 to shoot his first roll of film. He said the creative control compared to a point-and-shoot camera, along with the distinct style of shooting film and the patience required to see the images made, made him fall in love.

“With film, I'll take this picture and send it to you in a month and you're going to remember that moment,” he said. “It's not about having 20 different images and seeing which is the best one, it's about that moment. That's what solidifies film for me is that shoot as you go and it is what it is. There's no perfect image.

“The beauty of film is that even if you get a spectacular image, it's got its personality and things. It's never perfect.”

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples business looks to put film photography back in focus