Best Photo Shops In Washington Near Me

Gianina Lash: 100% recommend! came to them with a time-sensitive need for a battery charger for an older DSLR camera that we needed to use for an event 8 hours later. they helped us find a store that had the right type of charger in stock and charged the battery for us in the meantime. So impressed with their service and help when we were in a pinch!

Michael Sanchez: Brought in my Canon AE-1 Program to repair a jam, which they were able to do, albeit expensively (they were very transparent with costs throughout the process). The repair seems to have worked great, however the mirror is now extremely dirty, which is why I’m docking one star. Overall happy with the repair but definitely make sure to check everything before accepting your camera.

Elliott O'donovan: This is my go to camera store in DC. As a professional photographer, I always appreciate the hospitable customer service as well as the great selection of products that are competitively priced when compared to online retailers like Amazon or B&H. I would suggest supporting your local community and buying from ProPhoto!

Deltoria Gallant: I came for passport pictures for my infant and it was an excellent experience. very perfessional they knew exactly how to capture the perfect picture of my baby boy.

Benjamin Swanson: Great experience. Everything went smoothly and the staff was super nice! I definitely recommend these guys for camera needs!

Demna Devdariani: Today, I went to the store to look for a battery for my flashlight. Ken, who was sitting beside the computer, helped me find out which exact battery I needed. He was very kind, professional, and genuinely cared about finding the item even though the store did not carry that particular battery. He spent around 15-20 minutes looking for the item online for me. He was the most genuine and helpful store associate I have interacted with in recent years.

Emma K Alexandra: I’ve purchased many items from District Camera including a camera and lens. The quality of the products new and used has been fantastic. However, when I rented a lens for the weekend my experience was absolutely horrible. District camera has two account systems. One for their shop and one for rentals. Rentals require an ID, which is reasonable. This is tricky for me since I am transgender and my legal name does not match the name I use. When purchasing items I use my account with my preferred name on it. When I signed up to rent I used my legal name, so it matched my ID. I didn’t want any issues. I was able to rent the lens. But when I returned it I started to have issues. The person I returned the lens to asked if they could change the name on both of my accounts. I said no. I’d like to have my preferred name used on my store account. The person then said he was confused and it would be easier if they changed the name on both accounts and did it anyway. Despite me asking them not to. Now, I’m faced with having to use my legal name when I purchase anything from District Camera. This is awkward and embarrassing. It makes me never want to purchase from District Camera again. This experience shows that District Camera is not a trans friendly business and does not respect even the basic dignity of trans people. I tried my best to make this experience quick and simple and I came out of my rental never wanting to purchase from District Camera again. Very disappointing behavior. If District Camera wants to improve their respect for trans customers they need to allow the use of trans people’s preferred names and only require the usage of a legal name where absolutely necessary, like matching an ID. Their employees need to understand that not everyone wants their legal name used all of the time. And they certainly need to stop changing the names of trans people’s account to their legal name when specifically asked not to. Update 5/2/22: I understand that District Camera must accept an ID. That is not my issue. My issue is that my name was changed *in another account* for no apparent reason, even when I asked the person not to. I had to explain to the person I was working with my gender in front of many other customers

J F: I visited the shop today and I was greeted by the nicest employee, Ken! I was a little nervous to go in because I am quite a novice when it comes to photography. Luckily, Ken sensed my hesitation and kindly and patiently walked me through the entire process. I mean the entire process — film, shooting, and setting up my cameras. Also, Ken made sure to let me know what cameras were worth investing. I wish I could give this place 10 stars just because of Ken! I definitely will come back again !

Jon Bauer: In Washington for for a conference and found myself in immediate need of a card reader. Not the easiest thing to find. But when I googled nearby photography stores they came up. Only a couple blocks away. Not only that, I was met with most knowledgeable & friendly staff I could imagine. The store is stocked with new & used equipment. A small downtown oasis!

Alex Baughman: I am a regular customer at this location, but not one to write too many reviews. However, during my latest visit, the staff provided service that made it necessary to write a review. I was almost two months late to pick up my developed photos; against all odds, Ken and Deon found them for me after looking for about 20 minutes. To be clear: they didn’t need to do this; they simply went above and beyond. I’ll look forward to always being a returning customer, especially at a place with such knowledgeable, friendly, and committed staff.

C Davidson: Excellent shows and small gallery. Knowledgeable sales rep and they understand the Leica mystique. Helped a friend buy an M10 here with a 50 Summicron and used 28 Elmarit. The Elmarit looked brand new.

Gary Mintz: I bough a Q2M from this store - paying a premium price in the assumption that they would provide premium customer support. Wrong. Even though I was advised to call in with any questions, two days ago I was blown off by the individual who answered the phone. Not only was he "not knowledgeable," but he did not even take the time to understand my question and the advice he gave was counter productive. Hugely disappointing to say the least. Next time I will buy from Amazon or BandH and use online forums for help when needed. In fact, I got better advice from the FACEBOOK Q2M use group. Paying list price at the Leica store in DC was a waste of money.

Prakash Narayan: I have been savoring the joys of this store for many years now. Werner Paul and his team are superb -- extremely solicitous, considerate and informative, and professionals through and through. Any matter concerning my precious Leica camera or lens was considered and addressed swiftly and thoroughly -- to my complete satisfaction. A photographer could not ask for more, and I remain grateful.

Richard Burg: A great store with great products and a superb staff. Each member of the staff is an accomplished photographer who willingly shares knowledge and technique. Particularly recommended is the individual photography classes offered by David Bickley.

Francisco Lovko: The staff was amazing, their customer service was impeccable and they were great ambassadors for the brand! They were very knowledgeable about their products and photography in general. We had a great conversation about digital and analog photography.

Marcos Rego: I went in just to window shop. The two working behind the desk there were beyond helpful with my questions, so much so that I ended up buying a strap for my M3 that I had just bought (that they also generously checked out for me). It was an absolute pleasure.

Ally Aretz: This is the first time I thought it would ever be necessary to write a review. If you are getting (specifically) film developed DO NOT GO HERE. I paid $40 for two rolls which was somewhat steep, and then got to the store a week later only to pay another $20! They also said that they would call when the film was ready. I ended up calling a week and one day later to ask how it was going and they said it was ready. Anyways, I go to look at the 72 photos I thought would be developed. For some reason, 24 photos were missing. Definitely will not be going back here.

Burk Finley: I’ve had random good results in the past, but recently has a horrible print delivered that cost just shy of $200. They don’t have a calibrated profesional monitor in the shop and printing is done at the silver spring location. Silver spring has the properly calibrated monitors, so I was told after the fact. The photo came out super crushed and orange - as though the blue channel was almost eliminated. Pretty awful. After follow up questions regarding recourse they said there is none since I didn’t pay $60 to have a test print done ahead of time. I would highly recommend going to another shop that has a calibrated monitor on premise so you see what you’ll get ahead of time. At least not something radically different than what you may be looking at - as was my case. There are at least 2 such shops in DC. Not professional. Won’t be going back. Update: Within about a week of posting the above review I received a call from the owner, who in fact had looked into what happened before reaching out to me. She confirmed that the orange + red channels had been overly saturated during the printing, and offered to reprint the image. She sent a smaller test print (hard copy) to my house that matched her calibrated monitor, which looked better than what I had. It was great to hear from an owner who called out of concern that my experience did not represent her business, whether I continued to do business with them or not. She cares about accurate photo production and vowed to educate her staff on the newly calibrated monitor in the MacArthur Blvd. shop.

Faisal Mohsin: I have had the unfortunate experience of losing a full C6 black and white roll of film which was destroyed during development. I was told this was because the roll became detached from the processing rack while in the developer bath and was not discovered till the end of the processing run, after which the roll could not be salvaged. This was obviously bitterly disappointing. Staff have expressed regret and unrecoverable errors are an unfortunate fact of manual film development. Still, I have not lost a roll of film in many years of shooting on traditional formats. Skilled tradespeople and reliable equipment are becoming harder to find as film has become an enthusiasts hobby. I would recommend going to a specialist who may charge higher prices for this work but who could carry it out with painstaking care than risk immeasurable and unrecoverable loss.

Alexander Darvishian: Went in to get a few rolls of color 120 film developed and scanned. Ended up being fairly expensive but I was expecting the scans to be good given the reviews. I came back to pick up the film and was given a CD which was an annoyance since it’s such an outdated medium and good, cheap cloud sharing services exist in 2018. Once I finally tracked down a computer with a cd drive I opened the files to find either a booger or a seed or something on one of the scans... Paying about $20/roll for subpar jpegs with “things” in them is completely not worth it. For being the only game in town I would expect better. Looks like I’ll have to ship my rolls up to a lab in philly or nyc to get the job done right. Really a shame.

Ryan McArdle: Went here for an international passport photo - they made sure it met the standards perfectly and it was quick and easy. Definitely recommend.

Khoi Nguyen: Best place in the area for all your photo needs including passport. Expect great timely service

NAWAZ RESEARCH: Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, ValueAmazing photo development. Its an owner run operation and they are very patient w kids. Great passport development of photos. The mall area has some construction but there is lots of parking. Come early or late .

Rob Glancy: Excellent, professional, same day service for passport and visa photos. Beware: Not all passport and visa photos are the same. Many counties have specialized dimensions and the folks at MotoPhoto know their stuff and will take good care of you.

nawaz hack: Tk and Eric are fast and really know passport photos. They were courteous and super pleasant and so gentle and patient with the kids and Baby. The price is worth the product you get. You really get what you pay for. They are highly recommended. TK is the manager and Eric is the assistant manager. They work well together and can process your pic in 15 mins. Went to get some more photos. Erick was great and super patient. As usual amazing passport photos and they got it done in 15 minutes. There are lots of little stores in this area that are good to wait for your photos and kids stores to eat too. Eric is very good. Just used them this weekend. The quality of pictures is excellent!!! Great for international passport photos!!! They are very knowledgeable which saves redoing the passport packages! They continue to be great. Has spacing in the store to stand and everyone keeps 6 feet distancing. Photos remains amazing with the same owners. There is some construction so come early or later in the evening

Elie F: Overall a good experience. As advertised. I needed passport photos for a Canadian passport, they were a bit pricey but they knew what they were doing. I had gone to CVS prior, had the photos taken, mailed my application for renewal to Canada and received a call that my photos were not up to standard requirements. Thus went to Motophoto to have it done correctly.

Soraya H: I come here to develop film, it’s a little pricy but that’s to be expected. They scan your film and email pics, which you can choose to print. Also have the option to keep the negatives. Staff is always friendly and helpful.

Alex Johnson: Unfortunately, I had a encounter where I was deeply disrespected by one of the gentlemen working here. I stopped in to pick up a custom framed gift and was treated as if I didn’t exist. I immediately approached the register to pick up the item and waited for the employees to return to the register. After returning to the register, the employee called for a customer from another area of the store who was behind me to process his transaction first and asked me to step out of the way. I don’t know if it was the fact that I was dressed casually in a raincoat and sweatpants for the bad weather or if it was a matter of his perception of my racial identity, either way, someone waiting at the register should have been helped before someone approaching the line from behind me. I give the other employee from the back of the store credit for recognizing my dismay at the treatment and asking if I was okay. This was, however, not enough to allay the micro-aggression I had experienced. I highly discourage friends and colleagues in Congress and beyond from using the services of this store. If you believe in justice, equity, and fairness, I implore you to find an alternative.

Garrett Arwa: Came here to get a backlog of items framed. There was no wait time, and a few of the items I brought fit into ready-made frames which the they assembled for me on site. This option is recommended as it’s about half as cheap to do a pre-made frame as it is to do a custom with the cheapest frame/glass. But the ready-made frames come with a solid gram and glass, not cheap plastic. The custom jobs are not cheap, but probably about the same price as using Framebridge. Also used the wait time to get a passport photo.

Sam Rosenbaum: Such a great experience getting an original art piece framed here. I reached out to ~15 local vendors for pricing and got the best deal here for a very large piece. Stuart was super friendly and helpful, and the turnaround time was much quicker than I expected. So pleased with the end result!

Wendy W: This is by far and excellent place to get high quality photo prints. There’s also a large selection of reasonably priced cards and printing supplies.

bryan coxwell: I took a 50 year old newspaper here to get the front page framed. The paper was brittle and looked like it could have fallen apart under the slightest provocation, but they did an excellent job preserving it and the finished product looks great. Will definitely be going back next time I need something framed.

Holly Robertson: Waited 8 years to get my graduate school diploma framed. Worth the wait!!

Jessica Border: Who ever said the customer service was good is delusional. I went in to get my film developed. He asked me if I wanted prints or digital and I said both. He told me that he can’t do both and if I wanted it, I need to do prints first, then when I come to pick up, I can order the digital copies. He was so rude to me. I won’t ever come hear again, I was literally about to walk out from the horribleness if this experience, which is a real shame.

Mike Tike: Gary is the best. I was looking for ZV-E10 ( sold out everywhere you can check that right now) but I swore it was sold out. He told me hd actually had one and the color I wanted. He looked all over the store and finally found it. That’s customer service you won’t find at Best Buy. I’m so happy with my purchase this is the only place I’m going to for camera equipment and vlogging gear.

W Russell: I found this place by walking around Falls Church. For a photographer or anyone interested in any level of photography, this place has it all! Prices are reasonable and the customer service is 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟!! Gary, the owner, is super friendly and knowledgeable in his products. GREAT PLACE!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Keep up the great work Dominion!

Michael Ryan: Really good experience over several visits to Dominion Camera. The team, especially Gary, are really knowledgeable and helpful. Some highlights: - Fixed my film camera for free after taking it in - Good film development and quick turnaround - Spent several days and hours going over a new camera to purchase. They were helpful and patient to make sure I got what would fit my needs. Highly recommend.

sahra ahmad: I’ve been meaning to write this review for a while now. I love supporting small businesses, and this one is one of my favorites. It is right near my office and taking my film to get developed and print is so nice. I appreciate that unlike the big corporations (CVS, Walmart, etc) they only make you pay for the photos that they found, so if a piece of film was bad, they don’t charge you for a print of that. I also enjoy that it is so quickly done! Unlike the big corporations that take up to like 2 weeks, they took only a fraction of that time. The quality of the picture paper was nice too- I always go with a matte finish. Nicest people ever work there, and overall I would highly recommend! I know this sounds like a fake review, but I promise this is 100% legit. I can’t wait to take more of my film to get developed.

Arif MC: One of the only place where you can get picture according to Canadian passport requirements. American passport picture were 10.99. And Canadian 15.99

Ibrahim Imam: Excellent service. I went to get passport photos and was in and out in 10 minutes.

Heidi Yazdani: Came in to get my film developed, they came out great and super fast compared to all the other stores I have been to. Will definitely be returning and I recommend this store to anyone looking for the same thing!

Thai Hung Nguyen: While there are plenty of choices for photo printing service providers you can come to, this one is unique and special. Your photos are always customized and made beautiful to your preferences. John is excellent and experienced at what he is doing. This store has been here for 30 years and they always provide great services and quality products. They are very prompt and accurate as well. What a rare find in this technology era.

Abhilash P: I called to check if they were open. Came here in the evening for passport photo. They saw the photo specifications required. He allowed some time to set the hair. he clicked the photo in his setup and gave the 2 photo copies quickly. In and out within 10 to 15 mins.

Margie Dwight: Damon Bowe is an incredibly talented photographer! I arrived for my headshot session and he was friendly, accommodating and explained the whole process to me as this was my first headshot experience. Although admittedly self conscious, Damon talked me through as he was taking photographs. We looked at photos together and decided whether to take more or whether we had winners. He was encouraging and enthusiastic. He captured my image and most of all, captured my essence. I felt really good after the session and felt confident that the photo we decided upon was the best to present to the world. I cannot recommend Damon highly enough. I will definitely call upon his talents in the future. He also couldn’t have been nicer! You are in very capable, experienced and gifted hands with Damon!

Lauren Vorisek: Although I was initially a bit skeptical about getting professional headshots taken as I embarked on a career change, I quickly realized how valuable a good photographer is. Damon was not only friendly and professional, but he has great advice about angles and how to pose. He was able to help me pull off that illusive mix of appearing confident without seeming cocky, and serious yet approachable. Damon has a great eye for detail and he has the patience to help steer you to the perfect look. I couldn’t be happier with the results. The hardest part was picking my favorite look.

Mike Litters: Friendly staff, very helpful. Great selection of new and used cameras and lenses. A little pricey... But so are cameras and lenses

C Davidson: Super crowded store. Looked around for quite a while to find a couple of items - was never approached by a sales person. They have good stock and prices. I left without buying anything.

Ann Esther: If you need to get your film processed this is the place!! Everything was done quick and on time and the results had me flabbergasted. This is the place for all things photo.

Yvonne Marbury: This place was so much fun. I took my daughter here as part of her sweet 16 celebration. This was her element for sure, we took a ridiculous amount of pictures and just had fun being silly as a family. This place is fun for teens and anyone wanting great fun little backdrops.

Colleen Brown: Had my daughters 17th birthday party here and I must say it was such a great time. The girls really enjoyed taking pictures in the many different themed rooms. The staff were all so friendly and helpful, they kept good music playing the entire time and honored request. Will definitely be going back with the family.

Prpleink Dixon: This place was an absolute blast! There are tons of rooms and Idk how you can even get it done in an hour. The stage is friendly and very chill and the music is bumping. They have stands and photo clickers so you can do this on your own or take large photos with friends. They even have rooms if you wanted to cha he your outfit. Expect to take more than one photo and even make jokes to get the best photos.

Pradip Hayu: Found this place via TikTok. They provide you a selfie stick stand and a clicker which you will utilize to take pictures. They have so many unique, colorful, well-thought backgrounds. We loved the pictures that came out. They give you an hour to spend there and trust me that hour will fly. We will definitely be back once they bring new backgrounds. A perfect date spot. Check it out guys!

LaTosha Greene: This is a fun place to come to with family or friends.

Justin Markey: This place is is unique, fun and different than anything else we’ve ever done. Staff is super friendly. There was a tall guy that worked there and he was super helpful. I went here with four kids (6,8,10 & 13) and the kids all had fun. I didn’t know if they would have a Christmas background and they totally did, 3 in fact! I could see this place being great for a date night, something to do for an hour before you hit dinner at one of the restaurants next door or before you catch a movie.