Valentine's Day was a moment of photographic love in San Francisco when Hamburger Eyes, the collective and triannual magazine led by O'ahu brothers Ray and David Potes, married Colorarts Photographics to create a photo center in the Mission District.

"We're really excited about it — it all kind of happened in the last couple months," Ray Potes said by phone in the midst of final-touch-making just hours before the grand opening on Wednesday. "We didn't come back from vacation in Hawai'i until Jan. 11th, and we got the keys to this place on the 12th."

The Hamburger Eyes Photo Epicenter is the result of the Potes and Co. teaming up with Colorarts owner and photographer Laura Miller, who does custom and exhibition printing.

"She is a friend of ours. I hang out here all the time anyways," explained Potes. "She was thinking about renting the office out to me, and I thought, well what about this? It was almost like throwing ideas out there and the next it was reality."

Potes described how a lot of photographer friends would go to his apartment and office to print and scan work. "And we thought, why not get a real space to try to make a living doing stuff we already do? I teach people all the time darkroom techniques, why not have a class?"

So that's one of the many things offered at the new venue, which also serves as the Hamburger Eyes "command center." In addition to fully-loaded professional color and black-and-white darkroom rentals (the equipment belongs to Miller) and studio rental, The Hamburger Eyes crew has opened a gallery and bookstore, and is developing a schedule of workshops and classes.

"I'm not going to say (the prices) will be the cheapest in the city, but the difference about our spot is we have the most professional equipment out of any custom darkroom in San Francisco," said Potes, who doesn't easily dole out superlatives.

"I've printed everywhere, and at most labs, you share with other people. Our darkrooms are private."

As the grand opening flier said, it's "San Francisco's new number 1 spot for the production of photographic epicness."

Reach Lesa Griffith at lgriffith@honoluluadvertiser.com.