Rangefinder Magazine
March 2005
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Lab Profile: Chromatek Imaging by Lou Jacobs Jr.
 In 1987 when Chromatek was established in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the original founders built a very devout professional following built on consistent quality. The current president, Allen Evans, came to Chromatek from a position as senior vice president for an international retail company. He traveled widely and often, but in 2003 a drunk driver struck the car he was driving with his wife and four children aboard. His wife was severely injured, and Allen stopped traveling to aid in her recovery and be there for their kids.
“I began looking for an interesting business I could buy,” he says, “since I enjoy photography, Chromatek Imaging was a natural fit. Happily, during 2004, with a plan to grow the business, we have doubled sales.”
Portrait photographers are a large part of the lab’s business, and Fort Lauderdale is the yachting capitol of the world, so many lab clients specialize in interior and exterior boat photography. They also have clients who are landscape architects, aerial photographers, and fashion and products photographers.
 At its beginning Chromatek handled a lot of black and white, but color dominated as more versatile machine processing became standard. “However,” Allen states, “our lab is one of a handful that still do true black and white processing, and we’re getting more black-and-white work. The lab also offers all kinds of film processing and full digital services. From our Refrema E-6 processors to our Frontier and Lightjet digital printers, we have the very best technology available in our industry.
 “Our talented and experienced staff performs to the highest professional standards to make working relationships with photographers a pleasurable experience. Whether customers need traditional custom photo lab services or high-resolution digital applications, Chromatek has the right expertise and equipment.”
The lab began digital service about six years ago. Allen states, “Most photographers were just getting deeply into digital and many were frustrated and went back to film, then came back to digital. We purchased an ICE Lightjet, which prints digital files as large as 48 x 96 inches. And we currently employ digital designers and artists that work with customers to be sure they get the images they want. To keep abreast of the marketplace we rely heavily on publications, industry associations and trade shows.”
The lab receives many scanning and retouching requests, and by maintaining competitive rates they attract new clients. Allen enjoys being involved in the digital world that provides enhanced images customers can be excited about.
About 80 percent of Chromatek’s customers are from South Florida, though they ship work all over the country, and even internationally. Services and images provided to clients in foreign countries excite Allen “because of my previous background, and the lack of quality labs in many other countries.”
Chromatec owns its current building in a retail strip center, and during their growth they’ve added more space, but Allen declares, “If we continue to get bigger as we did in 2004, we will need to move again. We have 13 employees in film processing, digital processing, optical printing, finishing, sales and customer services. If we had a slogan, it would be Quality, Quality, Quality.”
Since Allen Evans has owned the business, the company has redone its corporate image to be more youthful. “We also stress deadlines a lot,” Allen states, “and another of our big selling points that keeps clients coming back is consistency.” Name brand clients Chromatek serves include Estée Lauder (DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Aramis, Clinique) and Proctor and Gamble (Hugo Boss, Lacoste).
Seventy percent of Chromatek’s clients still use traditional film and negatives. Of these 30 percent have negatives scanned and burned to a CD, about which Allen observes, “The quality of these files is amazing. We stress using high-res scans for printing in large format.”
Check the Chromatek web site to discover their large variety of services offered from digital prints, to film dupes, to backlit display transparencies: www.chromatekimaging.com/.
Lou Jacobs Jr. is the author of 28 how-to photography books, the latest of which is Studio Lighting (Amherst Media). He has taught at UCLA and Brooks, and his photographs and stories have been published in numerous magazines. He is a longtime member of ASMP and enjoys shooting stock during his travels in the U.S. and abroad, which is leased through several agencies.
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