Nation Photo

What Nation Photo does

Nation Photo is a French analog film photography lab and retailer founded in 2003, headquartered at 26 Place de la Nation in Paris. The company operates five physical retail locations (four in Paris and one in Lyon) alongside an e-commerce storefront (nationphoto.com) that together serve customers in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Its core offering is end-to-end analog photography services: mail-order film development using C41, E6, black & white, cross-processing, and ECN-2 processes; professional digitization via Noritsu HS 1800 and Aura 35 scanners at multiple resolution tiers up to 6770 DPI; reprints and enlargements including Fine Art prints; and ANTS-compliant ID/passport photography. The retail assortment spans films in formats from 110 through 8x10 sheet film (including own-brand products such as Nation Photo 250D, 500T, and 400BW), new and refurbished cameras, instant film, expired stock, Super 8, and a full accessories line.

The business monetizes through a mix of one-time retail sales (films, cameras, prints, accessories), per-roll professional services (development and scanning with a 48-72 hour standard turnaround and a 48-hour express option), and a recurring annual subscription (€24/year) for unlimited online storage of scanned analog photos. Go-to-market is hybrid: physical retail stores that handle walk-in film processing, scanning, and ID photos combined with a mail-order development workflow that provides free shipping within metropolitan France and UPS pickup options across Europe. Target customers include individual analog photography enthusiasts (primary), professional photographers, film photography beginners, and general consumers seeking photo prints and ID photos.

The company is privately held as a SARL with a registered capital of €8,432 and no disclosed external funding or parent company. Operations are supported by proprietary tooling including an online "Virtual Photo Counter" ordering wizard and a content marketing engine (78+ blog articles, 16th annual photography competition). Leadership disclosed in legal filings comprises Maximilien Steinberg as Director of Publication and Ophélie Lerat as Data Controller; headcount stands at 27 employees.

Name

Nation Photo

Legal name

NATION PHOTO SARL

Website

https://nationphoto.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nation Photo is a French analog film photography lab and retailer (founded 2003, 27 employees) operating five retail stores in Paris and Lyon plus a mail-order film processing service for France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, serving hobbyist, professional, and beginner analog photographers with development, scanning, film/camera retail, and a photo storage subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Photofinishing Laboratories (except One-Hour) (812921), Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861), Services-Photofinishing Laboratories (7384)

akta.pro primary industry

Photo Printing & Imaging Supplies Retail (Printers, Paper, Ink, Darkroom) (CRACAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Camera & Lens Retail (Photo Cameras, Lenses & Optical Accessories) (CRACAHAA), Photo Printers & Dedicated Imaging Printers (HDACAEAG)

Keywords

• Analog film processing
• Film photography lab
• Mail order film development
• Professional film scanning
• Photography retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Film Sales: One-time sale of various film types including 135, 120, 110, 4x5, 8x10 formats; color, black & white, instant, and expired films. Revenue from established brands (Kodak, Ilford, Fomapan) and own-brand films.
2. Film Development Services: Core service processing customer-submitted films using various methods (C41, E6, B&W, cross-processing, ECN-2). Standard service 4 business days with express 48-hour option available.
3. Scanning and Digitization: Professional scanning services using Noritsu HS 1800 and Aura 35 scanners at multiple resolution levels (HS1800 L, HS1800 XL, HD custom, various DPI options up to 6770 DPI)
4. Print Sales: Physical photo prints in various formats (6x6, 6x7, 5x7, etc.) with matte or glossy finish options
5. Online Photo Storage Subscription: Annual subscription at €24/year providing unlimited secure storage of scanned analog photos with 24/7 access via customer account and high-quality download capability
6. Camera Sales: Sale of film cameras including point-and-shoot, reflex, instant, disposable cameras, and reconditioned cameras with 2-year warranty
7. Accessories: Sale of photography accessories including film paper, chemicals, batteries, memory cards, books, magazines, and photo albums

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Nation Photo operates an analog film photography lab and retail business, offering mail-order film development (C41, E6, black & white, cross-processing), professional scanning using Noritsu and Aura 35 scanners, and photo printing (standard and fine art). The company complements these services with retail of film stocks (135, 120, 110, 4x5, 8x10, instant, Super 8, expired), film cameras (new, refurbished, and disposable), photography accessories, ID/passport photos, and an annual online photo storage subscription priced at €24/year.

Product overview

Nation Photo is a French film photography lab and retailer offering a comprehensive analog photography ecosystem. The core offering centers on mail-order film processing services (including development, scanning, and printing) combined with retail of film stocks (135, 120, 110, 4x5", 8x10", instant, Super 8, and expired films), cameras (point-and-shoot, reflex, instant, disposable, and refurbished), and photographic accessories. The company operates five physical stores in Paris (Nation, Les Halles, Monge, Lamartine) and one in Lyon, providing in-store services including film development, digitization, prints, and ID photos. Additional offerings include a 1-Year Online Photo Storage subscription for digitizing and archiving scanned films, Gift Cards, and Fine Art printing services. The product portfolio spans from commodity consumables (film rolls, batteries, chemicals) to premium services (professional scanning, Fine Art prints) to hardware (cameras, scanning equipment).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Standard film development turnaround of 48-72 hours
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Richard Photo Lab: US-based professional film lab offering high-quality scanning and development with mail-order service. Comparable premium lab tier to Nation Photo's Aura 35 scanning offering.
• The Darkroom: US-based mail-order film processing lab offering development, scanning, and printing across multiple formats. Most comparable US analogue to Nation Photo's mail-order lab service model.
• Dwayne's Photo: Long-standing US mail-order film processing lab (notably one of the last K-14 Ektachrome processors). Comparable mail-order analog development and scanning services.
• Argentic: French analog photo lab offering film development, scanning, and printing services. Closest direct French peer competing in the same national market.
• Megaperfect: Mail-order film development and scanning lab focused on hobbyist and professional analog photographers. Directly comparable mail-order lab model serving the same enthusiast customer segment.
• Carmencita Film Lab: European-based film development and scanning lab serving the analog revival community. Comparable mail-order lab model with similar hobbyist and enthusiast focus.
• Kamerastore: European online retailer of film cameras, film stock, and accessories with strong analog community presence. Comparable retail and community-building model in film/camera sales.

Broad incumbents

• Adorama: Large US-based photo/video retailer offering cameras, film, and accessories. Broad incumbent comparable on retail offerings, but not a lab service specialist.
• B&H Photo Video: Large US-based retailer of cameras, film stock, and photographic equipment. Broad incumbent with overlapping product categories but much wider scope and not specialised in lab services.

Emerging players

• Lago Film Lab: Emerging European film lab with mail-order development and scanning. Partial overlap with Nation Photo on lab services but smaller scale and geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nation-photo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nation Photo