Paul Simon sang about it, lauding that it “makes you think all the world’s a sunny day” and begged his Momma not to take it away, photographic careers were built using it and an intense-eyed Afghan girl was made famous on it. But, KODACHROME shall be no more.
Kodak announced that they are discontinuing KODACHROME from their line of products as it now only represents a small fraction of one percent of their sales.
Probably the most famous image shot on the film was the afore-mentioned shot of an Afghan girl in a refugee camp in Pakistan. The girl’s head is draped in red and her very intense hazel-green eyes stare right through you, their colors perfectly complimenting the green background and the splashes of green behind the rips in her tattered garment. The image, shot by one of the great travel photographers, Steve McCurry, appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. It is a haunting photo that was a big part of my early inspiration to be a photographer and is still one of my favorite images. You can see the image HERE.
New and improved films and, of course, the digital revolution have teamed up to help phase out the beloved film. It’s impossible to fathom the important images and fleeting moments that this film has preserved over its 74 year history. There is a great article about the Kodak’s decision to end production, that includes some videos and a great slide show at this LINK. The direct link to the slideshow can be found HERE.
It truly is the bittersweet end of a photographic era. And to Paul Simon; I hate to break the bad news but Momma (Momma Kodak that is) finally did take your KODACHROME away…..