Freestyle Photo & Imaging Supplies

Went for the first time today, and saw a sign that they’re closing December 19th :( This place has everything from film (stored in the fridge!), to darkroom paper, to backdrops, and various film and digital cameras! I intend to come back at least once more before they close. The girl working at the counter was kind and helpful. I’m really bummed to see this place close.

Freestyle knows what’s up in the film world! Filled with all your photo needs from film and paper to development equipment and backdrops. Plus their staff are highly knowledgeable and super down to help you out. We spoke with Josh about a Rollei color chem kit, and he offered some amazing advice about how to use the kit. The reason we came in was because the kit we purchased online didn’t come with the correct chemicals. Freestyle was super helpful in exchanging our product for the right one from the manufacturers and it made our whole experience feel like they really cared. My husband develops film for customers and he found out last minute that the kit wasn’t right. Freestyle came through! Thank you for all your help! Their store is fully stocked, plenty of free parking out front for customers and it’s a safe shopping experience during this pandemic.

We needed ICC profiles made and someone recommended Freestyle Photo. Eric was super responsive and got it done faster than he quoted me. I was very impressed with the customer service.

Great place, with countless varieties. The staff was nice and welcoming. Prices are cheaper than anyone else, especially from Sammy’s store in Pasadena. I bought a pack of 100 photographic papers HP5 for $78 ($83 original price) with student discount, where the same thing at Sammy’s was at $99! Definitely shopping here again.

They have such an underrated selection of 35mm and 120mm that I’m surprised no one writes about in this listing! I stop in when I’m in the area because they always have the best film stocks, even my favorite Psych Blues! They have a beautiful selection of cameras, quality bags and straps and accessories. The parking lot makes it easy to visit. You don’t have to develop here but I love supporting this wonderful shop for their film selection - it’s amazing!!!

Absolutely amazing place to get anything you need when it comes to photographic post production! Film and dark room, chemicals, printer, paper, and ink and mounting supplies. Just fantastic. I have bought two printers and my Photoshop monitor from this place and tens of thousands of dollars spent on papers and inks I will keep coming back because everybody here is awesome

Large choice of color and black & white 120mm film rolls, great staff, very nice, professional and helpful. They even go as far as sharing their listing of recommended professionals in town.

What a candy store for film photographers! An amazing selection of films, papers, and photographic equipment and chemicals. What a treasure, with 75 years in the business!

Stumbled upon this place yesterday. Blown away by the extensive inventory. Incredibly impressive. Old school film stock, photo paper, photo printers and a ton of accessories. Lovely to discover that places like this still exist. Pay them a visit yourself. You'll be blown away too - I guarantee it!

Huge selection of film! And to top it off the amount of supplies for all types of film is insane. With the demand of film and shortage Unfortunately they didnt have my favorite roll but bought some new brand that's popular. Thank you for the help!

Employees are amazing, not the problem. Truly great . With that out of the way--do not go here. I don't like saying this. Truly. I just moved into the area as an Angeleno and was a bit a ways from my normal developer and thought I'd give Freestyle a try. Bought two rolls, shot a roll of their stuff and then brought another 'old' roll to get developed the following week. First off, paying $55 for 5-7 day turn around on development is insane to me. I get volume but working in this industry/area for decades, 5-7 turnaround for scans of two rolls (no prints) is imo crazy. Second, no scans were sent to my email until I chased them. Called the store and spent an hour calling their useless phone tree a handful of times. I eventually texted their update number after realizing it may not be a service/bot number, of which, I got a reply. Scans were sent, and I see that only one roll has made it back to me. Checked the film report where I confirmed my suspicions. One of the rolls I shot was an expired roll from 2+ years ago. One would assumed the roll that didn't make it back was this expired one--figures, right? Nope. My old ass film comes back relatively okay. The roll I lost, was the roll I bought from them. Apparently it 'didn't expose' which, again, I find crazy. I shot a two year old roll on the same camera within the same hour I shot this roll in question. And you're telling me the new film I buy comes back unexposed? Make it make sense idk. I understand the incredibly vast world of variables that fuck up our stupid little hobby, I do! But this one doesn't sit right with me. All in all, don't waste your time. Go buy your self a development kit and get your shit done by yourself. Hate that I won't be returning :(

went in here to have 2 disposable cameras developed. keep in mind, i am not a photo professional. they don't have clear prices listed for developing film so i was kind of shocked when they charged me $25 each. i figured this is the price to pay for better quality than just taking my prints to CVS. they tell me that it could be 5-7 business days, which i'm not exactly sure why, but i figured i'm not in a rush. they do end up turning the film around the next day, but they tell me they overcharged me (only) 2$. i also come to find out that i only paid for negatives and scans, which they did not tell me, and that prints would have cost an additional 9$ a piece. i'll take my shit to the pharmacy next time. please train the teenager who is working up front at the desk better, please.

Earlier today, I phoned this location to double-check on an item's availability. The sales associate said it was in stock. I told them I wanted the item and would leave shortly. I then drove 50 minutes across town to purchase the item, only to find someone sold it while I was in transit. I was understandably upset that the manager didn't offer to put it on hold (when I phoned earlier), nor did they didn't tell me they only had one in stock. Ultimately, there was no attempt to fix the problem... the two sales associates were kind but not helpful. On the way home, I called to complain, and the store said that there must have been confusion over the part number as I they didn't even have it in the store. That made me even more angry. Essentially, I wasted almost 2 hours in rush hour traffic for nothing. I will stick with Samy's, B&H or Amazon in the future. I know nothing was done on purpose, but they didn't handle this well.

I came here yesterday around 2ish all the way from Chino CA to simply get some film. I wanted to get a couple of rolls of Tmax 400 in 35mm and a 5 pack of Tmax 400 in 120. I immediately get in line near the film counter and have 1 person ahead of me. Since I am permanently handicapped from a vehicular accident I can't stand long or walk much. After waiting 5-6 minutes and seeing the person ahead of me had not been helped yet; I decided to grab 2 rolls of cheap 35mm film that was not behind the counter. I proceeded to the front of the store to checkout. There are 2 cashiers, one is helping a customer and 1 was ready for me. No one else was in line in ahead of me or after me. A young man I believe his name to be Raymond was my Cashier. I told him I was not able to get a 5 pack of Tmax 400 in 120 because the line never moved. I asked him if he could get it for me. He told me if I wanted film I needed to get back in that line. This was not cool. No one else was in back of me and it would have taken him 15 seconds to grab me the film I wanted. The company also lost out on a little bit of extra money. I am not sure if this was the companies policy or the Cashier just didn't care to help me. Either way it sucked! I drove for an hour to get there and got treated not so well. Needless to say, I will just buy my film online from somewhere in the future. Other places are cheaper and I already knew that but I just wanted the film now. However, I didn't get my film and wasted gas money. :(

today I called at the store to find out if an item is available to pick up at their Hollywood location. Alex the super nice guy told me, it was available but at their warehouse in Santa Fee Springs...I called the warehouse for the item, the salesperson told me I only can pick it up if I purchase t via phone...and of course I did....an about of apron 400 bucks....then I drove in traffic for an entire hour to their warehouse to be told....THE ITEM I PURCHASED IS DAMAGED !!!!! there is no apology ...no I am sorry about it...Just his freaking friendly guy who does not care about anything...so they made us drive 2 hours for nothing not even the slightest kind gesture of anything... I asked for the manager but she did not show up to give any kind of solution or apologies for having us drive across town the past 2 hour for nothing. I will never ever return there !!! this store is not professional, not friendly, very slow and I am very upset

I've had 2 instances of great customer service here. First I ordered a roll of 120 cinestill film that had a production malfunction that kind of ruined the film. I was super relieved they had sent me an email notification and refund because I definitely would have wondered if I had messed up in the developing process. I was using the roll for my own personal wedding photos also, so when it kinda started to get stuck in the camera while cranking it forward (the problem had to do with the backing paper) I was so relieved I had gotten the email bc I think I would have gotten stressed out that the wedding roll was unluckily the first roll I've messed up loading onto my camera. Then recently I ordered a 1 liter kit of unicolor developer. It arrived almost a month ago but I set it aside in my room (air conditioned!) until I had time to develop again. When I went to open it up after sitting untouched for a couple weeks I saw that that one of the chemicals had busted open and spilled all over the outer plastic bag. After sending them photos and asking if they would replace it, they did no questions asked! I was so relieved they didn't pry about the length of time between the shipment and my email because it would have been totally irrelevant. Grateful Amy helped me out!

Super knowledgeable and friendly staff. The sales person showed my kid how to load the film in his "new" 35mm camera. Seems like this place is heaven on earth for photography professionals. So glad I found this place instead of ordering from Amazon, we need to keep supporting these businesses that have knowledgeable people who can help you find what you need and suggest things you don't even knew you needed! They're moving soon a few blocks away.

Can't believe I have never been here before but sure glad I found it. Needed a light meter and some high ISO black and white film and they had it. I called first and they were super helpful and even more helpful in the store. I will be back another time to browse. Nice selection of film stuff, including darkroom materials.

Loved the shop, the staff was very educated and got us out fast. It's nice to not waste time shopping around :) def come check the spot out!

I've been to this location 3 times and each time I've had to search out help. Even when I was the only customer in the store with employees walking back and forth going about their business, I've never been greeted. Their customer service needs improvement. Also they always seem to be out of stock on the exact products I'm in need of. I must say that their prices have always been good in comparison to similar outfits though. I will continue to shop here hopefully their customer service improves otherwise I will just order online and have it shipped to me in the next city over

I wish I could give them 0 stars. Somehow they lost film I'd given them to develop. They told me their records showed it was in the building and they would find it. That turned out to be a lie. This was in February of 2018 and the best they could do was offer me 6 rolls of film in return for the ones they lost with a PROMISE they would find MY PHOTOS. I accepted this as really nice gesture for the inconvenience not as an exchange for having lost my images!! How is that a commiserate amount when I lost photos of family and friends while traveling I'll never be able to recreate. They know they are wrong but don't care. I know Cesar, one of the managers asked his two higher ups who felt that this was a fair exchange. What do you think?

I really love having this store locally for all my photo needs. I like the option to pick up at their warehouse or in-store pick up. I took down one star because their developing and scanning services are overpriced imo compared to other labs. Otherwise really recommend this place.

These people are rude. The manager was cussing out and yelling at the top of his lungs at an employee when I walked in. Girl at front register was coughing up something and spit in the trashcan. I just had to turn around and leave fast. Not going back.

This is my happy place. Photography is a pricey and time-consuming hobby. I have only purchased analog photo supplies here. #staybrokeshootfilm I find that prices are better than Samy's and Lomography Store (now closed) and they offer a student discount. There is a limited amount of toy cameras. Lomography.com definitely has a better selection. Freestyle focuses more on Holga (now discontinued) because they are the exclusive distributor in the States. My Holga is probably one of my favorite cameras to shoot with. Lenses and accessories are inexpensive and a ton of fun to use. They have a great selection of paper with examples for each. Whether you're looking for really inky blacks or desire a high grain, you will find the right paper for your needs. I've played around with every kind of film they carry. Infrared, red scale, slide, expired Arista film (their generic brand) My boyfriend and I took an experimental class and for his final, he tried chromoskedasic sabatier. The amazing staff is knowledgeable about everything in the store. One of the workers walked my boyfriend through the process for a good 15 minutes until he felt confident to do it at home. His prints yielded an awesome, rusty effect and it worked well with the subject matter. I experimented with watercolor painting on my prints for a pop of color. When we started processing rolls from home, we bought all the chemistry from Freestyle. I obtained an enlarger and started developing prints in our bathroom/darkroom. Again, everything we needed to start was all found at Freestyle. (Chemistry, trays, tongs, thermometers, canisters, reels, change bag) Take a few minutes to go through the rotating gallery pieces. I always leave feeling inspired.

The customer service that I received through email was absolutely outstanding and I want to give a shout out to Amy! She truly was amazing handling my issue with an item that I purchased. Quick to respond and followed through on everything. Customer Service is so important these days since it is so hard to find quality service and Freestyle Photo doesn't let you down. Thank you Amy for superb service!

For 35mm photographers! I do not get my film developed here as they are quite a bit more expensive than my place that I go to in Ktown but their prices on the actual film itself can't be beat. Normally I never ever buy film in brick and mortar stores & exclusively order online as they normally charge such high prices, but this store really does have fair prices. Are they the cheapest? No. But the prices are good enough that I don't feel bad getting it here while in between big bulk orders from eBay. The employees are super nice & very helpful. I even got the film in one roll stuck inside the canister like it was ready to be developed even though I hadn't shot it yet & one of the guys got a special tool & pulled the end back out for me free of charge. Another employee showed me photos of the various films I was unsure about getting so I could see what it looked like in action. Just so so nice. The store itself is massive & there's a big spacious parking lot! Can't recommend this spot more!

This review applies to Freestyle Photo in general - both their retail location in Hollywood and their will-call location in Santa Fe Springs ... GREAT A+. Unlike some other big camera store chain for which I just wrote a scathing review, these guys are real. At their retail location, I witnessed firsthand one of the knowledgeable salespeople advise a friend on her first film camera. The salesperson was no non-sense telling her that for her particular photography class, she did not need to spend on a more expensive camera. That is classy. We bought the more expensive camera anyway. Let me emphasize ... the great salespeople at Freestyle whether at their retail location or on the phone or at will-call, will treat you like real people. Not as if they are Ansel friggin Adams and you are interrupting their multi million dollar photo shoot. For the will-call, it is quick and super efficient. You can "shop" with them on the phone so you are sure you are getting exactly what you need. In most cases, you can pick up as quickly as it takes you to drive there. The stock is exhaustive. The most random dark room stuff (35mm film extractor anyone? LOL), they will likely have in stock ready to purchase right now. The prices are very reasonable. Definitely better than the big competitors and competitive to internet pricing. The ONLY downside?? I wish there were many more of their retail stores!!

if you want to pay the most to get photos developed this is your spot. Also if you want prints make sure you explicitly let them know. if not you just get negatives. Which is the reason my review is pretty negative.

Friendly staff, fair prices and they have a parking lot. There's not anything else you can ask for from a photo supply store in 2019.

I came here because b&H let me down for the last time. freestyle had what I wanted and sent it out without a problem. I see from reviews that they have a reputation for taking care of the customer. That's what keeps me coming back.

Check my review before u go Not even take responsibility to there customers Really bad service after I wash the film they did worse job and not fix there mistakes I would give them no star if I could

Film photography is one of my guilty pleasures and I feel quite lucky to live such a short distance from Freestyle. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Their prices and selection are fantastic. I always look forward to coming back for more. What a fun and well run business this is. Keep up the good work!

The best place to get film and development supplies. Just walking in the aisle will give you ideas! Easy parking in front lot, always has friendly staff.

Had everything I was looking for. Great selection! Came 15 min before closing and do not feel rushed or pressured to hurry up!

Really great place for Film equipment. They had pretty nice prices for films and staff was very knowledgeable. There are a nice variety of films and all equipment necessary for film photography and what seems like a pretty competitive price. I will be coming back here again soon!

Cool little photoshop. My first coming here but came bcuz my fren wanted to experience the impossible project. That was actually pretty cool.. I'm a photography hobbiest, i first learned photography with 35mm pextax k 1000 from 1987. Now i mainly use DSLR'S but nothing beats film! More fun! Check out this shop its worth the visit I shud noe, i drove all the way from Anaheim bout over an hour just to see this shop. Hi Rachel ^_~ - PJ

I have been buying from Freestyle online, mostly because of their large selection of black and white film and chemistry. Recently, I bought some large format film from them and after developing 2 boxes of film, discovered that every sheet of film had streaks running through it because of uneven coating of the emulsion. I called customer service and they admitted that there had been problems with film coating and that the film was likely defective. After some back and forth with the company, the issue was finally resolved and they refunded me for the cost of the film. Thank you Freestyle

I'm writing this as much for the owners as the customers. Been patronizing Freestyle off and on since the 80's. Film, printing paper, processing chemistry. Back in the day they used to carry an incredible range of unique and obscure film (still do, to the extent available today). About half of the employees today seem to have some attitude issues (though there are some cool people too), which seems common at many photography supply/camera shops. One in particular is a real jerk! (Joe). Couldn't find my bottle of LFN to treat film after processing (reduce spots/streaks), so I picked up a bottle of Arista Flow ($4.19). Before I could use it I found the LFN, took the Arista Flow back to freestyle (without receipt) on my next trip to buy film and a new inkjet printer. Joe was a first class a-hole, both in behavior and word. All I wanted was credit towards my next purchases, but Joe would not allow it. I walked out, went straight to Samy's where I bought my film and a printer. Freestyle's cost on this "Arista Flow" is probably in the range of $1-$2, it last FOREVER, under almost any condition. So for the expense of a return ($1.) not only did Joe alienate a customer of 30 plus years, but also lost Freestyle $600. - $700. in sales. Way to go, Joe! :D

Place is awesome for Photography students. Great prices, helpful and informative staff. So glad they're here in LA since it's getting harder to find labs that can help develop film or that is not insanely expensive. They sell the materials and chemicals like silver bromide for someone to be able to develop a roll of film by yourself in your own house. Different types of photo paper for a specific style, many choices of b&w film that you can't find in Target or CVS. And if you don't want to process your own black and white film they'll ship it out to a professional lab much cheaper than other places. They sell Holgas here too. Place has their own free parking lot which is a plus in a city like LA.

These guys are fantastic- fast, knowledgeable and affordable. Came here with some questions and found what I was looking for. They have a wide selection of Insta cameras as well. Very unique store. You can find tripods, photo lighting, developing materials, tools, other equipment. Very rounded place!

A little bit of a drive for me but well worth it. The large, clean and organized store is staffed with knowledgeable employees willing to help. The main reason I went is I'm having a photo shoot done for a present to my boyfriend. One of the photographers I'm interviewing said the paper the images are printed on are personal taste and there are many options. Freestyle has a display room with literally a 100 types of papers on display for comparison. After seeing all the options.. I have to agree, the paper will make a difference. I can't wait to see the final product!!!

Super knowledgeable staff! I brought my film camera here because I couldnt figure out an issue I was having. The guy in the front was really helpful and helped me figure it out within a few seconds. The other staff member helped me in choosing film and gave a lot of great suggestions based on his personal preferences. Since simons camera closed this is my new go to!

The best photography supplies stores in LA especially for film shooters! Great selection, very neat and clean store, friendly and knowledgeable staff. What's best is that they have everything I want and need. Can't get much better than that!

With Mel Pierce Camera closed on Saturdays, I thought I would give Freestyle Photo a try. I was not disappointed. Friendly and engaging staff that was also very knowledgeable. A much more positive experience than the competition. Freestyle is now my "go-to" store for all my photographic needs.

Great little spot to grab film, paper, batteries and a variety of other photo supplies. They have a small holga section but other than that, limited body/lens sale options, mainly a supply store. Service was pleasant and helpful, prices were very good and they have a big easy parking lot in Hollywood. Good spot.

As a fine art photographer who does all of my own digital archival printing, Freestyle is the Mecca for papers, ink and printers. Eric Joseph the resident guru/yoda is extremely knowledgeable and more importantly very accessible and extremely helpful. If you can't see in in person (as is the case currently) he will make a video house call. This organization and their staff has my absolute highest recommendation.

To date I have spent about $600 at freestyle, but I have noticed the staff could care less about what I bought, it's quite funny especially considering Moab has a swatch that tells you at the very least which paper type is good for the different print types, something a staff member couldn't be bothered to do, except to tell me it was all personal preference. It's as I'm inconveniencing them. Maybe the management needs to treat their staff better. Well I have some news I'm going to take the remaining $10,000 that I would have spent at freestyle to someplace else that cares about recommending the right products, and at the very least treats me with respect and greets me with a smile.

Totally called thinking they do camera repair, but they don't. The gentleman I just spoke with was super kind and recommended camera repair places nearby. Great customer service!!

Coolest store ever. Everything inside is all film and film equipment. They have a great selection and the staff was very helpful! It's pretty chill and the people who come in are photographers who know what they want. I hope this store stays for the long run and film comes back into production.

I love this place! The people here are friendly and open to talking about film. For example one time I had some streaking on my negatives or so I thought. Josh didn't hesitate to fire up the light table grab a magnifier and investigate. We discovered it was something else related to the film maker. But knowing that the staff is willing to dig in and help solve problems makes this my go to store. The film selection is the best in town. Whether it's artsy double layer film you want or fine grain Rollei RPX black and white. Maybe you like tungsten 800 by Cinestill they got that too. Everything from Polaroid, 4x5, 120, 35, 110. If you go don't be afraid to strike up a conversation or ask a question they are very knowledgable. I have come for everything from film and film development, to rare batteries for old cameras, archiving negative supplies and if I ever get back into developing at home I would come here for those supplies too. They have 8mm motion picture cameras, toy cameras and accessories too.

I have ordered film supplies from this company before. When we found out that we would be staying in LA for the weekend, we decided to stop by this store. The staff is really helpful. We found that they have lots of different Ink Jet printing papers and supplies. They have anything you need for black and white film photography.

tonight i went to freestyle for the first time. my receipt says the cashier, Joe O., in glasses, was who helped me tonight. Joe O., you're awful. you're a smart alec, Joe O. you're rude, Joe O. photography is cool and i like it and i get that you know more about photo than i do, but i don't think you have to have a bad attitude to subscribe to photo being cool. sorry, freestyle, you should start hiring. :(

Prices are not competitive, make sure you check online before purchasing from there. Their JTL TL-2250 is priced around $399 but on Adorama it's $288. Their wrinkle free backdrops are $59.99 and their backdrop paper is $40 each. The prices aren't terrible but you could definitely find better deals elsewhere.

I love this place, the staff is actually friendly and into photography. I just started developing my own black and white film thanks to Freestyle. I got my developer, stop bath, and fixer all at a fair price. I recommend the Arista brand, I'm not sure if it is their in house brand, but its cheap and works across a wide range of films. They offer a lot of 35mm and 120mm film and development. Lots of parking and all the supplies you need. P.S. Holga cameras for sale.

I conveniently drove to the store three times in one week. I checked online on numerous occasions to purchase C 41 chemicals. When I checked the website it said it was in stock when I arrive at the store it was not a stock it was on back order for a month and a half. I went back to the store a week and a half later ironically to buy film and there it was, fresh shipment. Drive home just to realize that the mix inside the box was incorrect. Now after driving all the way back to return it, the store was closed for the holidays but my iphone said open today..thanks Freestyle photo

Helpful staff and plenty of supplies for photography, especially film. They have a parking lot for the store which is a huge plus because they're located pretty close to Hollywood. Additionally, the store is very clean! It is organized, but was a little tricky finding things on my own; signs for different sections (dark room, bags, etc) would be great. Regardless, this is a great store for photography needs.

I buy film at Freestyle at least a few times a month, they almost always have what I need in stock; the staff is always so kind and helpful. Love this place.

Perfect place to go for your film supplies. The staff seems pretty knowledgeable about anything film related and are willing to answer any questions you may have. Pricing is on the average side but they do have a wide array of suuplies if you do a lot of film shooting and processing. Would definitely recommend for anyone wanting to get started with buying film and/or chemicals.