Richmond Professional Lab: From basement beginnings to volume photography powerhouse

Founded in 1938 by Ted Bullard’s father, Richmond Professional Lab has grown from a basement-based operation into one of the most respected professional and volume photography labs in the country. Today, under the leadership of President Ted Bullard and COO Josh Lewis, the Richmond, Virginia-based lab is a national leader in high-volume, high-quality photographic production, serving professional photographers across the United States.

Richmond’s roots trace back to the pre–World War II era, when Bullard’s father and grandfather opened Richmond Camera. Like many early labs, it processed both professional and amateur work, operating at a time when Kodak dominated the industry and bundled film processing with camera purchases. The industry changed dramatically after the 1956 federal consent decree forced Kodak to separate film sales from processing. That decision opened the door for independent labs and helped fuel the rise of professional color and black-and-white processing.

Ted Bullard joined the family business in 1972 after a near-fatal farming accident redirected his career path. After training at Kodak in Rochester, he returned to Richmond with a vision to focus exclusively on the professional market. By the mid-1970s, Richmond had shifted its attention away from amateur processing and toward serving portrait and commercial photographers across Virginia and the Washington, D.C. region.

The company’s early embrace of volume photography in the 1980s gave it a major competitive advantage. Richmond invested in high-capacity film processors capable of handling long-roll 70mm film, a format favored by school and sports photographers. That technical capability positioned the lab as a trusted partner for high-volume shooters long before digital disruption arrived.

Bullard was also an early believer in digital photography. In 1999, Richmond installed its first digital printing equipment, becoming one of the first labs in the country to abandon film entirely. By the early 2000s, Richmond had deployed Narutzu roll-to-roll printers, which combined high resolution with the speed needed for volume production. While much of the industry struggled with the transition, Richmond was already refining its digital workflow.

That commitment to innovation continued through partnerships with Canon and HP, helping push digital printing technology toward true photographic quality. Today, Richmond operates a fully dry lab built around Canon DreamLabo printers and advanced inkjet systems capable of matching — and in many cases exceeding — traditional silver-halide output in resolution, tonal range, and longevity.

Lewis joined Richmond in 2009, starting as a temporary packager fresh out of college. With a background in photography and business, he quickly moved into operations and technology development. Today, as COO, Lewis oversees a highly automated production environment powered by custom-built software that processes tens of thousands of daily orders.

“We run production in print runs,” Lewis explains. “We group orders by size and product type so we can maximize efficiency and speed.” The result is an operation capable of turning most school and sports orders in roughly two days, even during peak season.

That speed is matched by an expanding product lineup. Beyond traditional prints, Richmond now produces yard signs, big-head cutouts, graphics-driven products, and specialty items — all shipped directly to parents’ homes. The rise of ship-to-home delivery, accelerated during COVID, has permanently reshaped the school photography business model.

Looking ahead to 2026, Bullard and Lewis see continued growth in youth-focused photography: schools, sports, dance, and extracurricular activities. While the number of schools may be flat, the diversity of programs and products continues to expand. Parents want keepsakes that document every stage of a child’s life — and Richmond is positioning itself as the production engine behind that demand.

From a basement lab in the 1930s to a fully digital production powerhouse today, Richmond Professional Lab’s story mirrors the evolution of the photo industry itself. And with a third generation now active in the business, the company’s legacy of innovation appears firmly in focus.