The End of An Era - RIP Kodachrome

by Nancy Boucha

While we live in the digital photography era, for many of us it wasn't that long ago when we were shooting film. The official announcement that Kodak would discontinue the production of Kodachrome, the world's first commercially successful film, was made in November 2006, but the end of a nostalgic era has finally come - 74 years later - as the last production batch will soon expire, not to ever be found on store shelves again.

Learning that Kodachrome production has been discontinued makes me feel a bit sad and wistful.  I loved the brilliant reds and vivid greens of Kodachrome so much that that Kodachrome was my all-time favorite film. Even when I worked at a major camera store and got a tremendous discount on E6 processing, I stuck to my Kodachrome. When I bought my first DSLR, the salesperson told me that I could change the color profile in the camera to make the shots look like they were shot with Kodachrome.  That helped take the sting out of buying that first Nikon D70.  But still, finding out that Kodachrome has been discontinued is like seeing the house you grew up in has been remodeled.  Yes, time moves on.  But the sadness of losing that nostalgic part of my life is there.  Even Simon and Garfunkel sang the praises of Kodachrome, which I now believe is the funeral song.  However now, with the ownership of digital SLRs, it is allright for Kodak to take away my Kodachrome.

In tribute to an old reliable friend...

Kodachrome, by Simon and Garfunkel

When I think back on all the crap I've learned in highschool
It's a wonder I can think at all
Though my lack of education hasn't hurt me much
I can read the writings on the walls

Chorus:
Kodachrome, they give us those nice bright colours
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

If you took all the girls I knew when I was single
Brought 'em all together for one night
I know they'd never match my sweet imagination
Everything looks better in black and white

chorus

Mama don't take my Kodachrome away, mama don't take my Kodachrome away
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Mama don't take my Kodachrome, mama don't take my Kodachrome
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away
Mama don't take my Kodachrome and leave your boy so far from home
Mama don't take my Kodachrome away
Mama don't take my Kodachrome, whew whew, mama don't take my Kodachrome away