By Molly Tolson
As of this fall, St. Petersburg photographers will no longer have to travel across Tampa Bay or ship their film across the country to get their photos developed. A second Lakeland Film Lab location opened earlier this month in St. Pete’s Grand Central District, bringing film development and a new co-working space complete with craft coffee for local creatives to downtown.
The new storefront, located at 2821 Central Avenue, offers various kinds of film development and scanning, photography equipment for rent, a community darkroom, and educational workshops to local photographers looking to connect with others in their community and develop their work.
Nick and Elizabeth Buttrey, husband-and-wife owners of Lakeland Film Lab, originally opened their first location in downtown Lakeland in 2025. Since then, the lab has skyrocketed in success and even developed film for musicians such as SZA, Snoop Dogg and Coi Leray, according to St. Pete Rising.
Nick took an interest in photography in high school and went onto college to study photojournalism. It was then his love for darkroom techniques and film processing was born.
“I was processing at home for myself, and then I started doing it for other people,” Buttrey said. “It just kind of snowballed into opening this thing up.”
Buttrey’s home processing eventually inspired Elizabeth to gift him the company’s limited liability company as a Father’s Day Gift. Together, they opened the first Lakeland Film Lab location.
“Before Lakeland Film Lab, there was no film processing in Polk County,” Buttrey said. “People were either having to drive or mail it off.”
The same issue affected photographers in St. Petersburg – accessing film development services often required long drives across Tampa Bay or shipping rolls to another lab. The couple recognized the need for local film development in St. Petersburg and were inspired to open a second location.
“I felt like St. Pete was a natural fit for us,” Buttrey said. “It’s very artsy and creative, which is perfect for us, and most people here don’t like to drive across the bridge to Tampa just to develop film.”
Buttrey said that the future of Lakeland Film Lab lies in the opportunity to create connection with the local creative community.
“We just want to continue to do classes and education,” Buttrey said. “The idea is to get as many people in here as possible at all times.”
Making film accessible to locals
For local photographers, having a local film lab in the city provides both convenience and opportunity to grow and connect with other creatives in the industry.
For Sofia Modica, a St. Petersburg wedding and elopement photographer, having a local film lab
is necessary for her business. Modica said that film became a part of her work after she noticed an increase in couples looking for photographers who offered it.
“People really appreciate the nostalgic vibe of film,” she said. “To me, it feels like it adds to the feelings that the image evokes.”
Modica said that she believes the increased interest in film is connected to a larger shift within the wedding photography industry – rather than heavily posed photos, she believes people are leaning toward more candid, emotional images through traditional photo technique.\
“Particularly right now in the age of AI, people are looking to bring back mediums that have maybe been lost to time and technology, and film photography is one of those things,” Modica said.
Chris Campbell, University of South Florida St. Petersburg multimedia specialist and adjunct instructor, said he understands the appeal of film photography, especially for photographers looking for a simpler, hands-on experience. Digital cameras offer a plethora of settings, buttons and features, but film cameras often require photographers to focus on only essential controls.
“With film, everything is stripped away,” Campbell said. “You’re going back to the roots of photography.”
Campbell explained that while the product of film and patience required by it can be extremely satisfying to photographers, turning profit from film photography can be difficult due to high costs of materials and national shortages of materials.
A space for local creatives
In addition to providing accessible film development, Lakeland Film Lab includes a gallery showcasing work developed at the lab and flexible space for workshops, classes, and events. Buttrey said that he hopes Lakeland Film Lab will become a space for community and encourage connection within the photography community.
For Modica, the location offers both convenience and opportunity to grow within the local community. Prior to the lab’s opening, she had to drive to Tampa or mail her film to a lab in Portland, Oregon to get developed.
“Having a film lab right here in St. Petersburg makes a world of difference to me and my business,” Modica said.
With years of experience within the photography industry, Campbell said that the connections made simply by starting a conversation with someone are extremely important.
“Collaboration is everything,” Campbell said. “In this business, you do not get jobs if you don’t know someone.”
For Buttrey, creating those opportunities for photographers and other creatives to meet and easily share their work is essential and part of the lab’s larger goal: making film photography accessible and enjoyable to the community built around it.
