Hours
Monday - Saturday
10am - 6pm
Sunday
CLOSED
24/7 Drop Box
Always available
(It’s around the corner on Oregon Street, just past the staircase)
Location
2701 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
Contact Us
T: +1 619-501-5367 (LENS)
E: info@safelightlabs.com
Meet the Team
Safelight Labs began in 2017, when a group of friends transformed an apartment bathroom into a makeshift darkroom, developing film together as a passion project.
In 2019, co-founders Rob Cowan and Caitie Boreliz took that passion to the next level, opening a storefront in downtown San Diego. This space quickly became a hub for film photography, offering workshops and resources for the local community.
By 2023, the team expanded further by acquiring Camera Exposure, a decades-old camera shop on Adams Avenue. With this addition, Safelight Labs evolved into a full-fledged community space — where photographers can develop film, buy and sell used camera gear, access studio space, and immerse themselves in the world of analog photography.
Photo by Tim Chisham
Rob Cowan - Owner
Rob started shooting film in the 90s when that was the only choice. The first camera he ever purchased was a Canon Rebel 2000, which he still has and shoots with regularly, this time with a 50mm f/1.8 lens (aka, the Nifty Fifty). In the mid-2000s, when digital SLRs took off, Rob purchased his first Canon DSLR and shot with that for many years, doing portrait work, family photos, and everything in between.
It wasn’t until 2017, when he was gifted his grandfather’s Nikkormat EL (Nikon), that it propelled him back into shooting film. The first roll of film through it was nothing but street photography, and he was immediately hooked again. Moving on from there, Rob has amassed more than 30+ cameras in his personal collection, ranging from small, stealthy point-and-shoots (Minox 35GL) to standard SLRs to medium-format cameras made by Mamiya and Yashica.
Email Rob at rob@safelightlabs.com or find him most days at our partner business, Camera Exposure.
Caitie Boreliz - Owner
Since September 2020, Caitie has run the day to day operations of Safelight Labs. She has been the silent partner for Safelight since its inception, working behind the scenes. She has 7 years experience in small business organization from retail to nonprofit industries. While she is new to photography, she studied art, humanities, and film in college.
She is looking forward to growing Safelight Labs and continuing to create a sense of community for film-shooters in San Diego.
You can reach Caitie at caitie@safelightlabs.com.
Photo by Stephanie Rosie