Light Waves Imaging

Excellent pro lab, the only one left, frankly. E-​6, C-​41, digital and analog printing – the whole deal. Service cannot be faulted. Lightwaves is a critical resource for the Bay Area photo community: Treasure it and support it.

Four stars for the customer service– and if my picture turns out well, up to five! The two people working there (one man and one woman) this morning when I dropped off my pic to be enlarged were uncommonly helpful & professional– and suggested small hints to improve my finished product that I really appreciate.

I love this place! I always get medium-​format film processed here, it’s always ready when they say it will be and comes out beautiful, and usually the turnaround is just a day.
The best part is the warm and friendly service, they’re always very patient and caring toward my needs. I dunno what the other review was saying about the blue-​eyed guy but I think he’s awesome. Both him and the lady have always been extra friendly to me. He seems to have a different job than primarily front counter, he is often working on projects behind the front area, but he still comes to the front with a smile every time and will help at the counter if there is anyone who hasn’t been helped yet.
I also love that they sell almost any type of film you can find now, and last I checked they are less costly for 120 and 35 mm film than Camera West or Gassers. Also, they do a student discount which really helps me out.

I’m excited to see this SF based lab here in Oakland. And now they also sell film. 120, 35, and 4×5. Yippee. No more trips to San Francisco. They’re known for their beautiful enlargements, processing and film. In every medium. Digital and Film. The best of everything. Yippee!

The dude with the blue eyes is way too stressed out to be dealing with customers. The girl named Mae that works at the front is a sweetheart and provides helpful service. The actual printing and other services this company provides are great, just steer clear of ol’ blue eyes — he’s seriously not worth your time.

Being able to get all my film processed without having to cross the bay and go into SF is great. Being allowed to bring my bike in instead of having to lock it up for a one minute visit is a great consideration too. Heading there this morning to drop off a roll of slides.

I have literally gone to every lab in the bay area and my favorite is Lightwaves. From the well-​executed contact sheets to the attention to many (oftentimes) challenging details, they are thorough, diligent and very easy to deal with. Plus they are in Oakland, which makes delivery and pick-​up very easy.

i’ve been a busy commercial, editorial & fine art photographer in the bay area for 10+ years and wouldn’t trust my film with anyone else.

Had some 4×5 chromes processed there recently, which turned out great. Very friendly people and quick turnaround (2 days, I think?). Recently spoke with Jason about getting a number of pieces mounted and he was quite helpful. Prices are much better than those at General Graphics for mounting. Definitely recommended.

Got a fading family photo restored, enlarged and duplicated. Great results.

I’ve used many other labs in NYC and LA and Light Waves is definitely more professional than the rest. Ryan is super professional and answered all of my lame questions. I get film processed and scanned and the images quality is spot on. Depending on the film I use, the skin tones are exact.

aka, Lamewaves…
Had to take my 4×5 color film here for a class — it was the one place I knew of that processes 4×5 (recommended by classmates and instructors) and on that job, they scratched the bejebus out of my negatives and the guy seemed like he was on his period.
But whatev… everyone has bad days…
I went back last week to have some b&w 4×5 processed and a roll of 120. The day I dropped off the guy was actually pleasant — how refreshing! The day I picked up, he was back on his period.
Then I saw that even though I’d repeated a few times that the b&w film was Kodak TXP, on the slip they’d noted that it was processed as Ilford HP5. Maybe no biggie, but not inspiring confidence. It’s also super expensive and they’re closed on weekends.
This past weekend I dropped off my 120 film at Sarber’s in Montclair — a favorite standby (though they don’t do 4×5) and they are *always* nice, do a great job with my film and I can get it back in 30 minutes if I need it. And they’re open on weekends.
Will never go back to Lamelightwaves, ever. Maybe it’s good on the days when someone else is working there, but every time I’ve gone it’s Mr. Period and questionable service.

I’ve never had any problem with the timing or quality of Lightwaves’s processing. I give them hundreds of dollars of work a year and I have high standards.