The Last Roll Of Kodachrome...

[sunshine51]

Back in 2009 Kodak stopped making Kodachrome.

Steve McCurry reserved the last roll...

This is what he did with it...

And if any member desires to better themselves in

photography, they cannot go wrong taking his One

Minute Masterclasses...they're free!

[ETatBKK]

BRILLIANT ! very emotional ! very true ! the colour sensation of the Kodachrome.

I am not sure if I could go back to the film world - a roll of 36 shots ! I have to hold my breath, be decisive, and press the shutter. the moment of truth, is picking up the processed film, and is viewing it under the loupe.

in the second video, at 0.33 - if you truly fascinated and interested in these people . . .

[redandyellow]

Tell it to Paul Simon

[sunshine51]

EtB...

I still shoot digital the way I shot film stock. I know there's heaps of benefits

with digital but I don't like "barrage" shooting & hate when I have to be at a venue

where other photogs fire away as if they have a machinegun. Anybody is bound

to get at least one decent shot outta the XXX (amount) of frames they just exposed.

I also miss...in a strange way...processing my own film after a day's work. That's

where the magic happened...and the awww craps. It was just part of the job,

something today's young digi-photogs know nothing about.

And...like I mentioned...McCurry's Master Classes are excellent...free info

that's not BS.

[rhythmworx]

31 years later...and no mention of the togger

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/afghan-refugee-on-1984-national-geographic-cover-embroiled-in-id-row/ar-BBhXHAf

Theres a whole load of stories, haven't got time to read them at this moment...

https://www.facebook.com/topic/Afghan-Girl/106087216089230?source=whrt&position=6&trqid=6120295347530147448

Interesting to see a today photo of one of SMc's most popular subjects though.

Edited February 26, 2015 by rhythmworx

[sunshine51]

^^^ RW....actually there's no need to mention Steve McCurry at all.

Whatever she has gotten herself into since the infamous pic was

taken has nothing to do with him does it.

If my memory serves me well...some years ago McCurry returned

to look for her, found her and photographed her again...I think there

was a doco made about it. I haven't seen it nor kept up with the story

but if she's living in Western Pakistan illegally...that's her problem sad

to say.

On an interesting side note...have you ever wondered what happens

to many a photog's subjects once a pic becomes "infamous" & the

photog becomes the same?

Me too.

[ETatBKK]

I still shoot digital the way I shot film stock. I know there's heaps of benefits

with digital but I don't like "barrage" shooting & hate when I have to be at a venue

where other photogs fire away as if they have a machinegun. Anybody is bound

to get at least one decent shot outta the XXX (amount) of frames they just exposed.

I also miss...in a strange way...processing my own film after a day's work. That's

where the magic happened...and the awww craps. It was just part of the job,

something today's young digi-photogs know nothing about.

I left the film roll a decade ago; today I am still shooting in the old fashion way, except the 'decisiveness' at the moment of pressing the shutter button ! although I set to H mode by default, I am still shooting frame by frame, or frame after frame. I guess that is the fun for me :- )

it is just because the availability of generous 'remaining' shots on the memory card or cards. this moment of 'decisiveness' comes back from time to time, when you see the number of the 'remaining shots' comes down to 36, or even 12 if you like :- )

today's photoshop and lightroom really take away that wow moment in the dark too ! remember the FIRST image we see was the one floating in the bath of chemical.

Edited February 28, 2015 by ETatBKK

[NeverSure]

Great thread. Thanks.

I still have two Nikon F1 bodies. I don't want to get rid of them. Maybe some day they'll be in a museum and no one will know what they are and will never have heard of Kodachrome. Kids today will never see, and never have the experience of working in a darkroom.

I now that people take some great shots with digital cameras and enhance them with Photoshop, but just for me they never look like Kodachrome. That video above really cemented that for me.

Cheers.

[sunshine51]

^^^ EtB...those were and at times in my case these days...still magic times.

I hope Ilford never stops making the chemicals...but as time passes I truly

feel one day they will.

To me the real proof of the pudding came when processing Ektachrome

with either the E-4 kit (early days) or later on the E-6 kit.

Mix up the kit's chemicals as per instructions, get the temps proper with

ice & thermometer, load film onto spools then insert spools into tank(s)and

pour chemicals...in order into tank and......wait. Only a little while though then

presto...colour slides!

Sometimes strange colour slides if one messed up somewhere in processing

but hey...gotta learn sometime.

Kodachrome mailers were ok for tourista stuff but for us it was easier to fly

to Hong Kong with a couple hundred rolls and go to the Kodak building in

North Point (HK island) and hand the stuff to the always nice guy at the

desk. Depending on how many rolls handed in he would tell you when to

return & collect...usually within 12-36 hours maximum...depending on how

many other photogs were in HK having the same thing done.

If one belonged to Kodaks Professional programme one received priority

on processing...plus...a nice discount on the purchase of more Kodachrome

which was usually double the number one turned in for processing.

Too many Kodak Moments/Memories...not enough space...

[sunshine51]

@ NeverSure...Keep those old Niks. To be honest on the open market they're

not worth much even in pristine condition and still working...however...there is

no value that can be tagged onto them that declares worth to you as nobody

else, except for your immediate family perhaps, has the memories that come

from owning them. Faces & places & shots...good & not so good times, aw-

shit moments, everything you experienced while using them.

I think the condition is called sentimental value! And that's priceless.

When I take my F5 out for a walk every now & then and see some kids

doing kid things that make a shot or adults doing something that make a

shot...and I grab the shot...

Somebody usually strolls over so they can ask me to have a look at

the shot expecting the camera is digital....ahhhhh...when I turn the

camera around so they can not see an LCD on the back....some

interesting conversation begins. All in good fun too.

BTW...Nikon never made an F1...your cameras are the F model.

I always wondered why Nikon never started with F1 myself but

I do know Canon made an F1 model to compete with Nikon.

Anyway...Nikon's numbering system back in the day was simple;

F, F2, F3, F4, F5 then they stopped at F6 which is the last film

camera still made by Nikon and they go for around $2400 USD

today.

Put a roll of B & W in your cameras & take em for a walk...Today!!!

[ETatBKK]

Mix up the kit's chemicals as per instructions, get the temps proper with

ice & thermometer, load film onto spools then insert spools into tank(s)and

pour chemicals...in order into tank and......wait. Only a little while though then

presto...colour slides!

actually processing colour film was somewhat too complicated for me; I did it for few leisure film rolls many years ago but never for any assignment, too risky. pro lab also did it better than me; and I knew when they refresh their chemical :- )

printing photo is a great fun, especially those BIG print ( 16x20 ); more fun than photoshop ;-) those Kodak and Ilford premium paper, under the Durst enlarger with a Nikkor EL lens. nevertheless, I don't dare to go back to that process, just too much work.

Too many Kodak Moments/Memories...not enough space...

if I remember right, the early Kodachrome had to send back to an appointed Kodak Lab in Australia. not sure it was only for Kodachrome 25 or for both Kodachrome 25 and 64.

another Kodak memory, was the legendary Tri-X :-)

[sunshine51]

EtB...

Kodak Hong Kong could do K64 but I'm not sure about K25. It was a better alternative

to sending to Rochester NY or Aussie and much faster if one flew to HK to have it done.

The plethora of Kodak processing stores out here mostly always sent to Aussie and it

could take a month for the return...we couldn't wait a month, picture editors would let fly

many nasty words & kick shit all over the place....simple as that.

Ektachrome with an 81B was a fair substitute though...not as good mind you, but fair.

Edited March 1, 2015 by sunshine51