kodachrome retired

Click on the audio play button to listen to this bed time story read by Eve Schaub… but first be sure to get a glass of warm milk. Today is the last day to get Kodachrome processed.

Goodnight Kodachrome

In the big yellow room

There was a camera

and a classic film

and a picture of Paul Simon jumping over the moon.

Goodnight Kodachrome

Goodnight moon

Goodnight slide show in the living room

Goodnight 25

Goodnight 64

Goodnight dynamic range eight stops more

Goodnight Dwayne’s

Goodnight flare

Goodnight little Afghan girl’s haunting stare

Goodnight mail order

Goodnight rush

And goodnight to Steve McCurry whispering “hush”

Goodnight plastic carousel

Goodnight transparencies rare

Goodnight glorious old color film… everywhere.

–“Goodnight Moon,” original text by Margaret Wise Brown

Kodachrome1935Boxand2009Box — Kodachrome 1935 Box and 2009 Box

We all knew this day would arrive: when the iconic Kodachrome film would be retired. This film that has been with us for 74 years is intertwined with the very fabric of our photographic history, images, and emotions. Last week I was invited to a “secret” meeting at Kodak to hear the news and to discuss the future of film in our industry. There were 3 other industry experts in attendance:

Daniel Bayer of The Kodachrome Project
Josh Root of Photo.net
Scott Sheppard of Inside Media Networks

After leaving the meeting I do feel convinced as to Kodak’s ongoing support for film photography and the belief that both film and digital should coexist… it’s best for the photographic industry… with a capital letter “P”.

Listen to the audio-blog portion of this post by clicking on the audio logo to hear a 10 minute conversation between Stephen Schaub and Eve Ogden Schaub with further insights on this mission to Kodak and what it all really means.

And what post on Kodachrome would be complete without the required Paul Simon song…