COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – In the heart of Coeur d’Alene, the Camera Corral is bringing film photography back to life. On a typical Friday morning, the shop becomes a bustling hub for film enthusiasts.
Dan Dolezal, the owner of Camera Corral for more than 40 years, likened his role to that of a bartender but instead of mixing drinks, Dolezal is usually in the back mixing photo processing chemicals to create memories for the community.
“I can do a one-hour photo. Just like the old days,” he said referring the heyday of the industry. “There used to be probably a dozen places just in CDA where you could get film developed. No more.” Now, he is the “last man standing.”
Despite the rise of digital photography, Dolezal has stayed committed to his craft for nearly 50 years.
“Things were pretty tough for quite a few years,” he said.
The convenience of digital cameras initially overshadowed the good old days of film.
“Suddenly nobody wanted to develop a roll of film under any circumstances,” he said. “I would’ve thought 10 years ago that it was going to go away and dry up and that would be it.”
But film photography is making a comeback.
“We’re making a huge resurgence,” Dolezal said.
Camera Corral’s manager, Celeste Kay-Meurlott, who has worked with Dan for about 20 years, has also seen this shift.
“This summer, easily 75-100 rolls a day,” she said regarding the amount of rolls they process in a day.
Dolezal noted the interest is coming from younger generations.
“There seems to be a resurgence of high school and college age kids who inherited grandma and grandpa’s old Canon 81 and ‘cool… you can play with it,'” he said.
Trevor Miller is one of the loyal Camera Corral customers you’ll find in the store whenever he’s running low on some film or equipment and noted the appeal of film photography.
“Film photography really slows me down,” he said, while encouraging others to explore the medium. “I want more people doing it. I want more availability… Play with it. Try it.” Fridays at Camera Corral are a social time for film fanatics to discuss trends, grab film and share a passion for this reemerging medium.
“Friendly people, I can always talk photography,” Miller said.
Dolezal is confident about the future of film at Camera Corral.
“It’s not going anywhere. We’re sticking around. Definitely,” he said.
