Monday, June 22, 2009

Mama Don't Take My Kodachrome Away ...

I must admit to having a bit of a lump in my throat and a tear threatening my eye as I write that Kodak has made the decision to retire the immortal Kodachrome! After 74 years (it came to be in 1935), it makes up less than 1% of film sales and there is but a single lab left that processes it -- Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, Kansas.

Those born in the 50's and early 60's might remember Paul Simon's wonderful hit Kodachrome in 1973, a catchy tune if ever their was one. Kodak continues to introduce new films and says that it will stay in the business as long as it can ... but of course digital is pretty much walking all over film these days, at least in the consumer market.

I shot Kodachrome 25 and Kodachrome 64 slide film throughout my formative (high school) years as a photographer. I remember my first job, a laborer at Canadian Bronze in Winnipeg when I was 16. I worked like a dog all day, and some days all I had to get me through were thoughts of the wonderful camera I would buy with that money.

And I did ... I got the Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SPII, a brilliant piece of Single-Lens Reflex engineering. I got it with the standard lens, something like a Super Multi-Coated Takumar M42 screw-mount 50mm F1.4. Wonderfully sharp. Witrh slide film, all you had to do was slightly underexpose the film and you got back rich, saturated color. It was awesome ...

I have not held a slide show from my youthful endeavors for over 10 years ... I think it's time. Maybe it's the last time ...

What a sad, sad day ....

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