Back in the summer of '09 when Kodak announced Kodachrome was getting nixed, I hurried up to get some before it was gone for good. I got a good 4 rolls and a mind to put them to good use.
But First! Here's a little background so you know what all the fuss is about:
In 1935 Kodak released Kodachrome, the first practical color film for both movie and 35mm formats. Unlike previous offerings, this didn't involve bulky glass plates, screens or filters, and it was considerably faster than competing systems (which isn't saying much- originally Kodachrome was rated at ASA 10). That, along with its now-legendary color palette made it a great hit, despite its initial whopping cost of $2.50 per roll (or about $40 today). Another contributing factor to its initial success was the rise of 35mm photography, but that's another story.
Much of the color photos and amateur films we know from the 1930's all the way to the 60's were Kodachromes. It was at the 1939 New York World's Fair , Pearl Harbor, on top of Mount Everest, John F. Kennedy's last moments, National Geographic used it all the time and it was in just about any post-war living room on Christmas morning. Its magnificent color rendition has been memorialized in song twice (first by Raymond Scott in 1942 and later by some fellow named Simon in the 70's) and there's a state park in Utah named after it. Hah, let's see Fuji's Velvia do that!
Of course the reign of Kodachrome wouldn't last forever. A major weakness was its ultra-complicated processing (called K-14 in its latest version), which only Kodak certified labs could perform. So in 1946 along came Ektachrome, a color film that amateurs could develop at home. Over time, this relatively simple process (now known as E-6) as well as increasing competition from color negative films began to overshadow Kodachrome in terms of sales- despite their okay color and penchant for fading. By the 1980's, the use of slide film in general had taken a dive, and in 1990 Fuji Velvia, with its borderline over-the-top saturated tones, sealed Kodachrome's fate. Still, the film managed to survive for 70 years, making it one of the (if not THE) longest lived photographic film.
And of course, I was lucky to try it for myself!
Just a small sampling of my little adventure. Much of what I shot was done based on another one of Kodachrome's virtues- Its archival stability. Friends and relatives were extensively photographed, as well as a few slices of daily life which are bound to disappear pretty soon. By the time I'm old and grey, these pictures will look as bright as they do now. So there.
Hats off to Dwayne's Photo in Kansas for keeping the film around for its last hurrah.
... Start all over again.
