Photo: © Steve McCurry
The Eastman Kodak Company has announced that it will retire Kodachrome Color Film this year, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon.
Sales have declined
Sales of Kodachrome Film, which became the world’s first commercially successful color film in 1935, have declined dramatically in recent years as photographers turned to newer Kodak films or to the digital imaging technologies that Kodak pioneered.
While Kodak now derives about 70% of its revenues from commercial and consumer digital businesses, it is the global leader in the film business and has continued to bring innovative new film products to market.
“Kodachrome Film is an iconic product and a testament to Kodak’s long and continuing leadership in imaging technology.” Mary Jane Hellyar, Kodak
Among the well-known professional photographers who used Kodachrome Film is Steve McCurry, whose picture of a young Afghan girl captured the hearts of millions of people around the world as she peered hauntingly from the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985.
A tribute to Kodachrome
As part of a tribute to Kodachrome Film, Kodak will donate the last rolls of the film to the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film which houses the world’s largest collection of cameras and related artifacts.
Steve McCurry will shoot one of those last rolls and the images will be donated to Eastman House.
To celebrate the film’s history, Kodak has created a gallery of iconic images, including the Afghan girl and other McCurry photos, as well as others from professional photographers Eric Meola and Peter Guttman.
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Twitter: @cybasurfa
This is sad news for film photographers everywhere. Although most people use digital cameras today, they can’t achieve the depth of colour or level of realism produced by film – Kodachrome, in particular – the ‘Afghan girl’ photo is a fine example. All good things come to an end (as they say).
You may be right, CS – from a professional photographers perspective – but, personally, I think the move to digital is better for most people as well as the planet. The chemicals used to make and process film can’t be good for the environment.