Aperture Film Lab on Building a Community Around Analog Photography in Berlin

My father used to shoot slides with a Canon AL-1 as my sister and I were kids. My childhood memories have a saturated and punchy visual reference in thousands of photos of holidays, portraits, and family moments that we used to watch using a slide projector. I guess this is quite a common experience, as Canon SLRs were, along with Nikon’s, widely available in the ‘80s.

Besides this emotional connection, I actually started shooting films relatively late. When people ask me why I shoot film, I usually talk about the process rather than the results. I returned to film photography as a form of therapy—a way to slow down, focus on the medium, and force myself to be fully present in the moment of taking a photograph.

Of course, I try to improve my photography in terms of the images I produce, but I also have to admit that, more often than not, it is the experience itself that keeps drawing me back to film: looking through the viewfinder, composing the frame, and taking the time to think about how to expose a scene for the particular film stock loaded in the camera.

We understand the needs of our clients, whether they are enthusiastic photographers or professionals. Professional photographers usually know what they want, how they want the photos to be scanned and are quite specific if some adjustment in our scanning process is needed. We speak a common language and immediately can provide the best outcome according to the look desired.

Our clients know that we take very seriously black and white development, and sometimes ask advices on film stock to use, how to rate, which developer better performs with specific films. We also love to recommend to our enthusiast clients film stocks they haven’t tried yet, films that we love and that we think could fit their way to take photos.

One of our aims is to help people improve their photography skills: analog photography can be at times frustrating, especially at the beginning, and we like providing technical tips and advice like how to expose correctly, or which film stocks better perform with flash. When people see improvements in their photography, they are immediately inclined to shoot more. 

We have some standard procedures that we constantly follow. When we opened the lab we decided to focus on high quality, aiming at providing a service for professional photographers that need a trusted lab. 

Concretely this means that we use specific chemicals and we don’t extend their life, all processes are done with fresh chemicals; we constantly clean and maintain our machines, from the developers to the scanners. We make sure that the scans are done properly, meaning that we watch and edit every single frame - there is no automation there.

Our motto is “every frame counts” and we try to be faithful to that by taking good care of every film that comes in, regardless of who shot it, being a professional photographer or an enthusiast that just started shooting film. 

Berlin is a dynamic city with many young people who are just starting out in film photography, as well as a rich and diverse artistic scene. As a result, our clients range from absolute beginners and emerging photographers—whether they are just starting their journey or transitioning from digital to analog photography—to experienced professionals with years of practice behind them.

From day one, we wanted to create a hub for this creative community: a professional film lab capable of providing high-quality services in a city where many labs were gradually disappearing or offering poor and inconsistent results.

Being located in Berlin is particularly exciting because we have the opportunity to see a wide variety of remarkable projects, ranging from experimental work to high-end fashion shoots.

I have seen first hand how things come to a grinding halt at a lab when scanning can not keep up, especially in the summer months. 

Labs simply don’t have a choice because there is no middle ground between a pro lab scanner and customer-grade equipment that may be up to 20-30x slower. With no intervention, the situation would keep worsening, and start threatening labs in case of a prolonged breakdown.

Scanning should feel like a stress-free, profitable step in the process, not like some sword of Damocles threatening your entire business if some part made 20 years ago gives up on you at the worst time.

Many people have only a vague understanding of what happens behind the scenes. We try to be transparent with our clients about our processes, particularly how we develop black and white film, which chemicals we prefer, the types of scanners we use, and how we scan. 

Running a film lab is a balance between standardized procedures, controlled workflows, and technical precision on the one hand, and attention to detail, care, and passion for the process and the films themselves on the other. We always try to explain that, even when relying on a minilab for C-41 development, there are still many factors that can affect the quality of the process and ultimately influence the final results.

The same applies to black and white development: there are numerous variables that determine how scans or prints will turn out, and people sometimes overlook the amount of time, expertise, and work involved in the whole process.

“The look” is critical to get right, as it is what gives film images so much character. This look has become embedded in us from our childhood pics just as well as iconic pictures, and it is what people rightfully expect from film scans.

It took us more than two years of work to get it right where we wanted it. It starts at the film capture itself, ensuring that the way it is scanned is very consistent and tailored to film.

From there, we make sure to work with the image data in a way that stays true to film. We have built smart tools like a smart color balance that is there to help with faded or unconventional films, but never takes away from the intended character, and keep a visible difference between film stocks. Essentially, our job is to make sure that the colors look good and are consistent.

It definitely took a lot of work, but I can confidently say that process efficiency is not at odds with great, consistent results when all steps are done right !

This is a tricky question.

Scanning film is a process of interpreting the negatives and translating it into a digital file. There are technical aspects of it, from the type of sensor or the type of light source your scanner is using, that are less relevant to most people than the final results; yet, the technical part of it is of course extremely important - the scanner you are using and how you are using it makes a huge difference.

Having said that, our starting point is the idea of having a correctly exposed negative - we could debate on what this means, but let’s assume that you have a properly exposed negative when there are enough details both in the shadows and in the highlights. While scanning, we adjust the density of the negative, trying to correct possible accidental over- or underexposure: this helps the scanner to correctly interpret the negatives and translate in better final colors.

Of course... the scanner is also set up in a way that allows us to get the kind of contrast and details that we, as photographers, would like to get for our own photos. At the same time, we also try to understand and respect both the photo and the photographer: if we know the client won’t further edit the scans, we may go for a final look in terms of contrast; on the other hand, many professional photographers ask for scans that will allow easier post-editing, and with that in mind we provide flatter scans.

The lab also has a gallery, a space that we keep open for the community and that we use to showcase the work of emerging or already established photographers that we love.

When we opened four years ago we had our first vernissage, which brought together a young Kenyan artist, Ian Wainaina, and a German photographer, Sabrina Weniger; their works are quite different regarding the themes but share a similar sensibility.

Seeing the photos together in the room and talking with the amazing people that joined for the event we realised how powerful it can be having a space that works as a meeting point for photographers, as a place to exchange and share knowledge and practices. 

We try to be welcoming and supportive of photographers who are just beginning their journey with film. As mentioned, we are always available to offer advice on a range of topics, from choosing the right film stock for specific situations to learning how to expose film correctly. Most of the common mistakes that we see can be easily corrected. Many photography enthusiasts are eager to improve their skills, and when asked, we are happy to explain how to better understand both their camera and the film they are using. Some technical aspects that may seem like common sense to experienced photographers can often be counterintuitive to beginners and need to be clarified.

On the other hand, professional photographers usually have specific requests, ranging from greater flexibility in editing the scans they receive from us to more technical requirements, such as having certain films developed with one developer rather than another. We encourage them to communicate any specific needs so that we can easily meet their expectations.

Once we met Alec Soth at a book signing and talking about the newly opened lab he told us to “keep film physical”.

Of course scanning films goes in the opposite direction, but we still think that scanning is only a part of it: we try to communicate the love for negatives and prints also as objects. We do encourage people to learn the technical aspects of the process, from developing black and white films to producing silver gelatin prints in the darkroom. We think that archiving the negatives and printing the photos are important parts of the experience of using film as a medium.

There is a huge difference between watching a photo on a screen and having that photo printed in your hands. 

We hope people will remember the love and care we put into our work.

Aperture Film Lab is more than a business; it is a project dedicated to serving a community of photographers who shoot film not as a passing trend, but out of a deep passion for the process and the medium itself.

We are playing our small part in keeping film alive through a constant day-to-day effort to share not only our love for film, but also the experience and knowledge we have gained, passing them on to younger generations.

Be sure to give them a follow and check out their website to ship and send your film scans!

• Follow on Instagram!
• Check out their website!