It helped restore precious memories damaged in the 2003 bushfires and at the height of business would develop up to 200 rolls of film a day.
But like many photography businesses before it, technology has taken its toll on Bica Photographics - better known as Bica Prolab. Once one of Canberra's biggest and best-known photo labs, the shop will put its last rolls through the processor at the end of the month.
![BICA lab co-owner David Foxwell.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170916065127im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/g/5/9/s/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxgai5.png/1500632160576.jpg)
The business will close down at the end of July due to the redevelopment of its building in Green Square, Kingston.
After moving locations three times and merging with other businesses, Bica Photographics has processed photos for all types of local businesses including government departments and The Canberra Times.
Co-owner David Foxwell said that in their peak they used to offer multiple services to the community.
"We used to do E6 film processing, black and white film processing, C41 film processing, large format prints and duplicating slides," he said.
In 2003, the business started redeveloping people's treasured photos that were ruined in the bushfires.
Mr Foxwell said it had been a privilege to restore Canberrans' treasured photos and essentially recreate some of their memories from that difficult chapter in the city's history.
"People used to bring us their fire-damaged photo albums in the hope that we could recreate them. At times it was tough because some the photos were practically destroyed, but most of the time we were able to do it which we took great pleasure".
Mr Foxwell also said the company started the digitisation processes in the late 90's, which used to be quite intricate.
"We used to have a dedicated dark room, which had 7m wide exposures and a big horizontal enlarger which was on a train track and went backs and forwards automatically".
Mr Foxwell said that when digital came out it killed the process with the easier, cheaper inkjet prints and endless length options.
Despite the rapid improvements in technology making it easier for everyday photographers to take and store great photos, Mr Foxwell said there was still a demand for analogue processing.
"Some people will come to us with old photos which they have found in the shed or in the cupboard and we would develop it for them. Right now we are still managing to process up to 20 rolls a day".
Mr Foxwell said after 35 years of serving the Canberra community he and his fellow staff, who have been with him since the late 1980s, would be all moving on and looking to the next phase of their lives.