Sunday, July 12, 2009

They're Taking our Kodachrome Away

After a 74-year run, Kodak has decided to stop producing Kodachrome film. The only remaining processor of Kodachrome has announced it will process the film until the end of 2010. For me, Kodachrome is the benchmark upon which all color film -- and digital -- images will be measured. (Click here for a more detailed analysis of the Kodachrome phenomenon.)

Kodachromes, as the song goes, do not fade (or at least do not fade after 74 years), as do the other (E-6) "chromes." I have Kodachrome aerial photos of my oil spill adventures in the 1970's, as well as hundreds of Kodachromes that refuse to fade while their E-6 counterparts have faded into pastels of their former selves.

I have been stashing rolls of Kodachrome for the past year, anticipating this day, and hope to shoot some more photographs in our National Parks before time runs out. So, if you begin to see gaps in my blog coverages, they are most likely related to the December 2010 end of Kodachrome.

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