Lab Profile: by Lou Jacobs Jr.
BWC Photo Imaging

Top images from around the world come through BWC. This is an image of Lance Armstrong is by top pro photographer Joe Patronite. Image © Joe Patronite.

On page one of BWC’s web site is an eye-catching photograph of visually intertwined zebras. At right on the site is “News Events,” a smorgasbord of details about the lab, including a page about founder Lou George. On her page she is pictured on her huge American Ironhorse bike named Heart Throb (see opposite page). Lou started her career as a portrait and commercial photographer, worked at Newell Color Lab in Los Angeles and started BWC in 1975 with a partner. Theirs was a black-and-white lab at a time when other labs concentrated on color. Clients enjoyed three-hour service in an era when all film was hand-processed. Today BWC is a full-fledged digital and film service lab where Lou George still retains hands-on management.

Since 1978 BWC has thrived in its Dallas Main location and E6 processing clients also enjoy fast service from its two 307 Refrema film processors. Fourteen miles away in Richardson, TX, is BWC’s corporate commercial and creative division that can take clients’ ideas from discussion to final printed products. Their Dallas and Richardson divisions are connected with a high-speed network, and their drivers are on the road, making constant pick-ups and deliveries throughout the area. Chuck Drobena, BWC’s general manager, says “The Richardson division specializes in display, tradeshows, point-of-purchase products and museum exhibits. Our creative and display artists are second to none.”

The Dallas main lab is responsible for service to professional photographers. From commercial to portrait and social, this Signature Digital Portrait division is responsible for film and digital portrait services. Chuck Drobena explains, “The SDP division provides traditional color prints, but the majority of the workflow is digital, from wallets to 40x60 Master canvas-mounted studio prints. No matter where customers are located, we can give them personal one-to-one service plus, in many cases, overnight shipping and delivery.”

Film processing is done with the Refrema Dip and Dunk equipment by film technicians who can boast over 100 years of combined experience. Chuck says, “Most of our C-41 and some of our E6 films are scanned at the time of processing. We combined the reliability of traditional film photography with the benefits of digital by offering volume scanning that we call BWC First Look Scans. This provides photographers with a CD of each roll with color-corrected 20Mb image files of all images, ideal for prints 16x20 and smaller. Shooters have the advantage of digital retouching Photoshop capabilities, plus software like BWC Preview Pro or Fuji StudioMaster Pro presentation and ordering tools that enable photographers to use fast FTP services.

“For photographers who want to sell images on the Internet, BWC offers uploads to their sites within 72 hours after film is received. We call this StoreFrontPhoto.com, where hosting and print fulfillment are made available. Digital photographers sell and promote events on this site and their images may stay up as long as they wish.” Also among BWC clients are art directors, marketing specialists, corporation sales personnel, display designers and museums.

The lab prints on both Durst Lambda and CSI (Cymbolic Sciences International) Lightjet devices, and their high-quality work is on display in some fine museums. Lightjet prints go to 40x60, and larger images and photo wall-size prints are made on the Lambda. Most BWC portrait and social images are printed on luster finish Fuji Professional Portrait paper, though “N” surface and high gloss are also available. Giclée premium inkjet art prints are made with long-lasting inks on archival Crane Fine art heavy-weight papers. BWC also provides Duratrans and specialty display photo materials. Black-and-white prints 20x24 are enlarger/handmade and larger black-and-white images are done on black-and-white photo paper on the Lambda.

Because of its long-term reputation and services, BWC reaches all levels of clients. EZ Pics is designed for the “prosumer,” the sophisticated digital consumer, who wants their digital camera images to be printed by a professional lab, quickly and at competitive pricing. The BWC 15,000-square-foot pro and portrait facility is at 4930 Maple Ave., Dallas, TX. The 10,000-square-foot creative imaging plant is in North Richardson, TX. Discover more about this classy lab at www.BWC.net/.

Lou Jacobs Jr. is the author of 25 how-to photography books, the latest of which, Photographer’s Lighting Handbook (Amherst Media) was recently published. He has taught at UCLA and Brooks, is a longtime member of ASMP, and enjoys shooting stock during his travels in the U.S. and abroad.