For several years Analogue Wonderland has been providing a wealth of film stocks to analogue photographers across the UK and beyond, from 35mm to rare specialist films, as well as home developing kits, cameras and related accoutrements, all available through their accessible website. But it has recently been announced that the company will be going one step further with the upcoming launch of WonderLab - a mini film developing lab in the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire area. The minilab is being headed by film-developing maestro Marina Llopis of IfWeFilm, whose career in film developing has seen her work in Japan, Mallorca and Bristol. The team at Analogue Wonderland have made clear that they intend the lab to be ‘the most efficient minilab in the world’ while building a sense of community with both sets of photographers: those who may develop their films at home and those who wish for their films to developed at the lab. Above all, the lab aims to be sustainable, working towards ensuring the lab’s impact on the environment has been minimised where possible.
As something of a one-stop-shop for everything film-related Analogue Wonderland had received countless requests over the years for film development, and with this announcement it seems that request has been granted. Now, not only will analogue photographers be able to buy their film from Analogue Wonderland, they’ll be able to have their films developed with them too. Watch for more updates about the lab on AW’s instagram page here.
While Analogue Wonderland does ship to the US, the company is based in the UK, so our American readers may be pleased to hear about Filmstock - a free database of film and film camera retailers across the United States. The website was built to make it easier for analogue photographers to locate and order particular film stocks and cameras from anywhere in the US. The website allows users to input any item they’re on the lookout for, then the system searches the inventories of numerous stores across America to not only find the particular product but where that product can be found the cheapest. There is also the option to set up an email alert if, for example, you’ve been searching for a particular model of a camera that has not yet gone on sale or is yet to be restocked - Filmstock will send you an email notification once that camera becomes available. The service is free to anyone and, though it currently only serves the United States, there are plans to make it international in the future. Read more about it or make a search of your own at the Filmstock website here.
For more analogue photography news, tips and information, visit the RPS’ Analogue microsite, the Analogue Group’s Facebook page or Instagram page.