Perhaps the most convincing evidence that digital photography has come of age is Kodak’s announcement last week that it will no longer manufacture Kodachrome film. Certainly, we understand, but to let this product disappear without acknowledgement would be to ignore how much it single-handedly transformed commercial photography and corporate communications. The introduction of 35mm Kodachrome in 1936 made it possible to capture scenes in color. Location photographers used Kodachrome to shoot everything from manufacturing facilities for annual reports and Olympic athletics for sports magazines to soldiers wading through rice paddies in Vietnam – all in vibrant color. For decades, the 2×2 cardboard sleeves that held these color slides were scattered around every design studio and spread out on light tables for better viewing. Today even seasoned photographers who swore only a few years ago that they would never give up their Kodachrome now happily extol the advantages of shooting digitally. But like the passing of an aged loved one, we reflect fondly and sadly on the impact that Kodachrome had on our lives. So, all rise, bow your heads and sing a chorus of Paul Simon’s “Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away” for old time’s sake.
