D.C. Filmmaker Uses ‘70s Archival Footage for Dominion Camera Documentary

Following our last post celebrating The Falls Church Independent’s “first 100 articles” and highlighting a few of our stories since we launched in February, we were delighted to hear the following from one of our readers: 

“I saw your article/interview about Dominion Camera’s closure. My name is Mo Salih, and I’m a D.C.-based filmmaker and longtime customer. I was inspired to create a short documentary when I heard [the store] was closing, to honor its legacy and preserve a piece of local history.” 

Our July 3 article on Dominion Camera’s closure began: “Sad news in the photography world – for the City of Falls Church as well as the entire D.C. Metro region – Dominion Camera at 112 West Broad Street will be shuttering their doors in September, after 56 years in business. News of the closing was announced on the store’s Instagram account Monday, July 1, ushering flocks of area photogs to the old-time camera shop for browsing, purchases and reminiscences.” On Sept. 7, Dominion Camera shuttered its doors permanently.

Now, however, Salih’s seven-minute, fifty-one second documentary, “DC-Area’s Largest In-House Film Lab Closes After 56 Years,” provides a heartwarming, nostalgic, and informative look at what made Dominion Camera so special to so many area photography buffs for over half a century. His film also provides insights into some of the economic and market factors that have doomed many specialty local camera shops around the country in recent years.

Filmed “over the final week of operation, it’s a visual tribute to the largest film lab in the D.C. area and the people who made it special,” Salih said. The documentary was “shot on an ARRI Alexa using external recording, [and it] features never-before-seen archival photos of the store from the 1970s… a behind-the-scenes look at the film lab, and heartfelt reflections from [Co-Owner Gary Henry], employees, and loyal customers,” Salih wrote. Directed by Salih, the film is also credited to Cinematographer Jack Darby, Archival Photo provider, Gary Henry, and the Creative Studio, “Dank’s Deli.”

With a slow, nostalgic jazz backtrack, the documentary cleverly mirrors the pacing a customer might feel as they enter Dominion Camera to explore the fine-crafted and carefully articulated world of high-performance photography. The world slows down as one concentrates on the complexity of factors that go into the production of high-quality photographs, and the imagination takes flight while browsing all the exotic gear.

“So, it means way more than a job,” Lab Manager, Martin Brotsky says with an Italian accent, as he prints out high-resolution family photos from a customer and then settles back for a thoughtful interview. “You know, it’s kind of like my home. The colors are absolutely fantastic. Yeah, it really looks very pure. I mean, it’s hard to put in words, but they look beautiful.”

“Many people, especially young people, don’t know at all what film is. It’s sad that people have less exposure to film,” Brotsky says. “And of course it’s much easier to use digital, but again, the quality of the colors, the purity of the colors in well-developed film, I think there’s no match for that.” Brotsky had worked in the store for the last 23 years. 

In the film, Co-Owner Gary Henry reflects on why having one of the best film labs on the East Coast helped secure Dominion Camera’s market niche. “I think the rise of film is really a nostalgic thing. There’s definitely a look of film that you can’t get in digital,” he said. “A couple of camera manufacturers tried to replicate it, but [they] only tried. With film, there’s definitely a look. You are limited in what you can do and how you can do it and you make the best of it with film, but a lot of people like that look.” Dominion was one of the only camera stores that could consistently produce customers’ high-quality prints three times a-week. “So, that’s what made us unique,” he said. The store’s exemplary photo lab service had also been serving the region since 1971.

Henry describes the market forces undercutting camera shops such as Dominion Camera. "In three-to-five years, we won’t be able to sell manufacturers’ equipment. One camera manufacturer, Leica, for example, has opened their own boutiques and have their own stores and sell their own equipment themselves and it’s very hard for us to get Leica gear, even though we were one of the largest Leica dealers in the United States, or on the East Coast before that happened,” he says. “So, I think that’s where the change is. I think our shift will be – if camera stores want to survive – moving more toward services, moving more to helping the customer in capturing those memories and making sure those memories are secure for life.” 

“I just got back from a trip to Iceland and Greenland and I wanted to get some pictures uploaded and then saw this sign here ["Closing: Last Day, September 7, 2024"] and I feel badly that they’re not going to be a neighborhood store,” said customer Steve Gershman. “The people behind the counter are extremely helpful and they helped me pick out my best photos and get them developed. I wound up having one photo on the wall over there [points] — you know, on the ‘Wall of Best Pictures’ — So, you know that was a good thing and I was happy about that.”

For Co-Owner Henry, nothing was more important to the store's success than customer service. “... That we’re here to help – That’s what it’s all about to me. You know, camera sales and processing and lab and printing are all pieces of the puzzle, but helping the customer walk out and feel good is what it’s all about.”

From the early 70’s under the store’s original owner, Tony Socarras, to 2024, the store’s continuing commitment was simply to help customers capture and keep their cherished memories, Henry emphasizes. “Tony, before he left the store, told me that was his vision, helping customers with their memories and ensuring that their memories are preserved. And that was my vision from the very, very beginning. Selling cameras is great, I mean, certainly helping customers find the right tool to capture their memory is really important. But, memory is the most important thing. And making sure that that memory is preserved for as long as it can be.”

Thank you to Dominion Camera for your over-half-century of service and thank you, filmmaker Mo Salih, for helping preserve the cherished memories of such a unique and longstanding local camera shop.

By Christopher Jones