Copyright © 2024 Montclair Photo. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2020 Montclair Photo.
All rights reserved.
1979 - Location opened in Down Town Oakland where we provided developing and printing for commercial business and hospitals.
1981 - Opened Montclair Village store front and offered 1-hour photo finishing to the public. Montclair 1-Hour Photo was the FIRST photo lab in the bay area processing C-41 color film.
1982 - Started to process and print Black and White film in-house.
1983 - We got an enlarger - Now we were able to make large prints up to 11x14
1984 - We used a copy stand (vacuum base with camera stand) to photograph prints so we can reproduce the prints by creating negatives.
1984 - Prints from Slides - sort of... we were now able to make an interneg (a negative from slide film) so we can make photo prints with the analog chemical printer.
1985 - Started to process E6 Slide Film in-house
1986 - With our Film Recorder, we started to image PowerPoint presentations onto slide film.
1987 - We started doing photo restoration. It involved scanning the photo, using Photoshop to repair the damage, export the image back onto film, develop the film, then make new prints of the restoration work.
1988 - Got our first poster printer that made prints up to 24"x36".
1988 - Started doing passport photos.
1989 - For the next ten years nothing really changed.
1995 - Closed the Down Town lab and merged services and employees under one roof.
1999 - Montclair Photo changed hands to new owners.
1999 - Built our frame wall and started to sell ready made frames.
2000 - First jump into the digital world with film scanning to a floppy disk.
2000 - We built our first website and registered our domain name.
2001 - Became one of the first labs in the Bay Area to get a digital printer. Oh those 1 mega pixel cameras were horrible.
2001 - Used our new digital printer to scan film to photo CD. We were now able to make prints from slides directly without making an interneg.
2002 - Created our first online ordering system and 3mb pixel cameras finally had enough pixels to make a decent 4x6 print.
2002 - Installed our first digital ordering kiosks for customers to place orders from digital cameras. There were so many digital media types for digital cameras and most of them didn't survive 10 years... Floppy Disc, Smart Media, Memory Stick, XD Card, Secure Digital (SD), and Compact Flash (CF). SD and CF were able to keep up with technology.
2003 - Goodbye analog printing - we replaced our analog film printer with a second digital printer.
2004 - Our best film developing year with record numbers - after this it was all downhill for film.
2004 - Got our first POS (point of sale) and order tracking system.
2005 - Another upgrade - our 3rd digital printer.
2006 - Started to offer mounting and laminating services.
2007 - Got into digital press printing and started making business cards, postcards, and folded greeting cards in-house.
2007 - Started to produce photobooks in-house.
2008 - Got into dye sublimation printing for photo gift products (mouse pads, mugs, t-shirts)
2008 - Many photo labs and camera stores started to go out of business. Sad to see them all go.
2008 - Due to lower demand on paper and chemicals prices started rising causing us to raise our prices for the first time in our history.
2009 - Upgraded all our film processors - well downgraded to smaller machines because of lower volume.
2010 - Upgraded to a medium size digital press.
2011 - We now make Flipbooks from video files - little books where you fan the pages and watch the motion.
2012 - Started to offer Video Transfer services in-house.
2013 - Upgraded to a 44" wide format printer.
2013 - Upgraded to a larger digital press.
2013 - We got WiFi.
2014 - We expanded our Video Transfer department.
2016 - 2nd time in our history we had to raise prices due to cost of paper and chemicals that were slowly rising for the past 5 years.
2016 - Film sales and film developing started to increase and become trendy with teenagers finding their parents old cameras.
2016 - Upgraded to an HD digital chemical printer.
2017 - Upgraded our Kiosks - now you can Wi-Fi transfer selected images to our ordering station from you phone.
2018 - Upgraded our POS system - started from scratch since we couldn't import any data from the old system.
2019 - Started playing with Lenticular 3D photo printing.
2020 - Closed for 2.5 months due to Covid-19 and during this time launched our new website.
2020 - Upgraded our C41 color film processor.
2022 - Upgraded our 44" wide format printer.
2023 - Partnership broke up. The Photo Place is doing business as Montclair Photo.
2024 - We opened a 2nd location in Orinda where we do digital press printing and archiving (scanning and video transfers)
1981 - Opened Montclair Village store front and offered 1-hour photo finishing to the public. Montclair 1-Hour Photo was the FIRST photo lab in the bay area processing C-41 color film.
1982 - Started to process and print Black and White film in-house.
1983 - We got an enlarger - Now we were able to make large prints up to 11x14
1984 - We used a copy stand (vacuum base with camera stand) to photograph prints so we can reproduce the prints by creating negatives.
1984 - Prints from Slides - sort of... we were now able to make an interneg (a negative from slide film) so we can make photo prints with the analog chemical printer.
1985 - Started to process E6 Slide Film in-house
1986 - With our Film Recorder, we started to image PowerPoint presentations onto slide film.
1987 - We started doing photo restoration. It involved scanning the photo, using Photoshop to repair the damage, export the image back onto film, develop the film, then make new prints of the restoration work.
1988 - Got our first poster printer that made prints up to 24"x36".
1988 - Started doing passport photos.
1989 - For the next ten years nothing really changed.
1995 - Closed the Down Town lab and merged services and employees under one roof.
1999 - Montclair Photo changed hands to new owners.
1999 - Built our frame wall and started to sell ready made frames.
2000 - First jump into the digital world with film scanning to a floppy disk.
2000 - We built our first website and registered our domain name.
2001 - Became one of the first labs in the Bay Area to get a digital printer. Oh those 1 mega pixel cameras were horrible.
2001 - Used our new digital printer to scan film to photo CD. We were now able to make prints from slides directly without making an interneg.
2002 - Created our first online ordering system and 3mb pixel cameras finally had enough pixels to make a decent 4x6 print.
2002 - Installed our first digital ordering kiosks for customers to place orders from digital cameras. There were so many digital media types for digital cameras and most of them didn't survive 10 years... Floppy Disc, Smart Media, Memory Stick, XD Card, Secure Digital (SD), and Compact Flash (CF). SD and CF were able to keep up with technology.
2003 - Goodbye analog printing - we replaced our analog film printer with a second digital printer.
2004 - Our best film developing year with record numbers - after this it was all downhill for film.
2004 - Got our first POS (point of sale) and order tracking system.
2005 - Another upgrade - our 3rd digital printer.
2006 - Started to offer mounting and laminating services.
2007 - Got into digital press printing and started making business cards, postcards, and folded greeting cards in-house.
2007 - Started to produce photobooks in-house.
2008 - Got into dye sublimation printing for photo gift products (mouse pads, mugs, t-shirts)
2008 - Many photo labs and camera stores started to go out of business. Sad to see them all go.
2008 - Due to lower demand on paper and chemicals prices started rising causing us to raise our prices for the first time in our history.
2009 - Upgraded all our film processors - well downgraded to smaller machines because of lower volume.
2010 - Upgraded to a medium size digital press.
2011 - We now make Flipbooks from video files - little books where you fan the pages and watch the motion.
2012 - Started to offer Video Transfer services in-house.
2013 - Upgraded to a 44" wide format printer.
2013 - Upgraded to a larger digital press.
2013 - We got WiFi.
2014 - We expanded our Video Transfer department.
2016 - 2nd time in our history we had to raise prices due to cost of paper and chemicals that were slowly rising for the past 5 years.
2016 - Film sales and film developing started to increase and become trendy with teenagers finding their parents old cameras.
2016 - Upgraded to an HD digital chemical printer.
2017 - Upgraded our Kiosks - now you can Wi-Fi transfer selected images to our ordering station from you phone.
2018 - Upgraded our POS system - started from scratch since we couldn't import any data from the old system.
2019 - Started playing with Lenticular 3D photo printing.
2020 - Closed for 2.5 months due to Covid-19 and during this time launched our new website.
2020 - Upgraded our C41 color film processor.
2022 - Upgraded our 44" wide format printer.
2023 - Partnership broke up. The Photo Place is doing business as Montclair Photo.
2024 - We opened a 2nd location in Orinda where we do digital press printing and archiving (scanning and video transfers)
Our History
Montclair Photo went through so many changes and always kept up with the latest technology. We are the oldest lab in the Bay Area.
