Kodachrome -Post your images!

Larry Cloetta said:
1945, I don’t know, seems to me to have held up pretty well. Probably better than an Ektachrome from 1965.
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Absolutely. In film days Kodachrome was the only color process considered to be archival. Just look at how well some of these 50+ year old images have held up? I do believe the reason is the K process where the dyes are added not part of the film as in E6. Dyes are for the most part vegetable dies so they will deteriorate over time.

Kodachrome professional was what was called at the time ripened so it was refrigerated and if you shot it right away and had it processed right away and kept it refrigerated when not being in camera the color should be consistent between rolls with the same batch #.

The non pro Kodachrome had an estimated shelf life where the film was estimated to rippen when the photographer shot the film and took in the entire in the store on the shelf, bought and processed part as all in the which may but usually was not actually right. Close enough for most though.
 
It is great to see so many wonderful Kodachrome images. I suspect that some of the photos in this thread would be absolutely stunning if watched projected on a large canvas.
 
dave lackey said:
John,

I agree, it looks great even with the ocean and beach. Can you tell us more about the collection?:)
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Mr. Amonette was a avid photographer all of his life. He would have fit in well here, because he was a gear guy. He had a Bantam, IIIf, brand new Nikon F then added a photomic meter, plenty on Canons, I think almost a new one every year, I remember him getting a Sony Mavica (with a 3.5 inch floppy). He even tried out Polaroids and disc and the advit (sp) films. When Canon came out with the first AF P&S he bought that. He also took slides all his life which I now have. The big disappointment for me was his WWII B&W shots that he took in North Africa and Italy which he developed but never had printed. When he passed away I searched his home for them but in the last years of his life with moves they were lost.

Anyway, here is a photo of him taken with Kodachrome, by his brother, in 1937. First the faded slide and the second is PS color correction:

1937 by John Carter, on Flickr

1937-k44 by John Carter, on Flickr
 
charjohncarter said:
Mr. Amonette was a avid photographer all of his life. He would have fit in well here, because he was a gear guy. He had a Bantam, IIIf, brand new Nikon F then added a photomic meter, plenty on Canons, I think almost a new one every year, I remember him getting a Sony Mavica (with a 3.5 inch floppy). He even tried out Polaroids and disc and the advit (sp) films. When Canon came out with the first AF P&S he bought that. He also took slides all his life which I now have. The big disappointment for me was his WWII B&W shots that he took in North Africa and Italy which he developed but never had printed. When he passed away I searched his home for them but in the last years of his life with moves they were lost.

Anyway, here is a photo of him taken with Kodachrome, by his brother, in 1937. First the faded slide and the second is PS color correction:
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Thanks, John. Shame about the WWII negs, but 1937, that will probably end up being the oldest to show up here. Fascinating.
 
1953 or so. Original Kodachrome.

Buthch+and+Sundance.jpg


Jim B.
 
Kodachrome, particularly the older versions, has a certain look, doesn't it? Not accurate, but beautiful in its own way. Maybe it is just the evocation of nostalgia. One takeaway might be: beware what you lose chasing perfection.
 
ptpdprinter said:
Kodachrome, particularly the older versions, has a certain look, doesn't it? Not accurate, but beautiful in its own way. Maybe it is just the evocation of nostalgia. One takeaway might be: beware what you lose chasing perfection.
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Kodachrome is just more stable when talking archival than all other color film processes. That's not saying it had perfect color because that is a very subjective thing because we all receive color differently.
 
Two more to add to the informal "Post-war beach series" that's emerged on this thread. Both taken at Laguna Beach, July and October 1946 as noted in the file name.

Re Kodachrome stability, I've read that Kodak changed (simplified) the development process in the late 30s, which greatly enhanced color stability. Images prior to that date were subject to fading, as shown in John Carter's lovely photos of Mr. Amonette as a young boy.
 

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charjohncarter said:
Mr. Amonette was a avid photographer all of his life. He would have fit in well here, because he was a gear guy. He had a Bantam, IIIf, brand new Nikon F then added a photomic meter, plenty on Canons, I think almost a new one every year, I remember him getting a Sony Mavica (with a 3.5 inch floppy). He even tried out Polaroids and disc and the advit (sp) films. When Canon came out with the first AF P&S he bought that. He also took slides all his life which I now have. The big disappointment for me was his WWII B&W shots that he took in North Africa and Italy which he developed but never had printed. When he passed away I searched his home for them but in the last years of his life with moves they were lost.

Anyway, here is a photo of him taken with Kodachrome, by his brother, in 1937. First the faded slide and the second is PS color correction:

1937 by John Carter, on Flickr

1937-k44 by John Carter, on Flickr
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Yes, timing is everything, isn't it? I agree, he would have been a great asset here.:)
 
Hi Colton , this is the Peace River bridge between Grande Prairie and Fairview , Alta . , where I instructed motorcycle mechanics for a few years . Pretty rugged in the winter during the early 80's when I was there . Coming from Ottawa however it was only about ~5 degrees colder on average .
Took quite a few Kodachromes while there with my Pentax K1000 , it had no problem with the extreme cold .

ps; I live in Burnaby ,B.C now
 
charjohncarter said:
He was a great guy, at least to me. Some of his images were unconsciously great. Just family stuff, but almost look iconic, even better than Eggleston:

Found Fotos by John Carter, on Flickr
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Very nice image with the period clothing style. The sun glare is obviously difficult for the boy to ignore, or possibly he did not want this picture made. lol, btdt.

These images tell us a lot about life in a time almost forgotten except in movies and other fiction. Having lived in the 50s, I want to thank you for posting these. And for all the others posting, amazing images. Eagerly waiting for more!!!:D
 
A little off-topic, John, but was wondering what happened to his Pentax and other gear. It is a shame the wartime slides were lost. Maybe someone else is enjoying them periodically.

One thing is for sure, he was good and his lasting images still bring smiles to those who view them. A fitting tribute I think.:)
 
airfrogusmc said:
...In film days Kodachrome was the only color process considered to be archival.
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Throughout the 70s I shot mostly Agfachrome, preferring its softer, warmer colors to the boldness of Kodachrome. Today, most of the Agfachromes have deteriorated significantly, while my Kodachromes are still pristine.

Fortunately, in the 80s I had many of my favorite Agfachromes converted to PCD.

John
 
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