Kodachrome -Post your images!

davidnewtonguitars said:
Well I was waiting to see myself, and now I have. In 1972 I had a '59 TR3, a mustache, square steel glasses, and wore Navy dungaree shirts, 'cause I was in the Navy. My hair was a bit shorter than this, but not much.
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There you go, had to happen. I would take that TR3 off your hands, no matter how ratty, if you still have it.
 
One I took, either 1977 or 1978. K64, Lake Superior shoreline in spring.

Iceberg+on+Rock.jpg


Jim B.
 
dave lackey said:
Hey, Ji, that is cool!;)
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This was a serendipity shot. We were walking down a trail next to Lake Superior, probably in April during spring break-up, and stumbled across this balancing ice block. I took the pic and we moved on. We came back about an hour later and the ice block was gone, washed away into Lake Superior.

It does pay to carry a camera wherever you go.

Jim B.
 
been searching for

been searching for

Larry Cloetta said:
Thanks, Dave.

I've been thinking of a response past "Thanks, Dave." but most of them are way too long. Much longer than the too long thing I feel I am about to post. The Taos shot was made with original Kodachrome ASA 10 and a Kodak Retina camera. It's not sharp, but would mean no more to me if it were..possibly less. We would have been, then, as a family, below the "poverty line" if there had been one at the time. Luckily the federal government had not yet chosen to forever stigmatize people with the label, so we didn't know. The multicolored dress my mother has on, she made herself. Life could not have been any better.

My father had survived the Normandy invasion, so, yes, there was something of a post-war euphoria about, money or no money. His father had come to the country from Italy with nothing and had worked his way, with help from no one, to building and owning the town's only hardware store, which bore his name on the front. All of which was lost during the Depression, then dad went to war, taking with him a camera. After the war, photography was his only real hobby, for the rest of his life.
Most of the early things were black and white, but there was Kodachrome here and there. Just snapshots, nothing special.

There is definitely something to be said for threads such as this providing a "better understanding of the times". Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Robert Frank are all good, great, photographers, which is a quality no one could ever attribute to my father or myself. The problem, and it has become a significant problem as it relates to people's understanding of postwar America, is that Lange, Evans, and Frank, etc all photographed America with an agenda, unlike the photos you see in this thread and in attic shoeboxes all across the country. What you see in their photographs isn't really America as a whole, it is a photographic representation for the most part of what was rattling around in e.g. Dorothea Lange's head, the things she found compelling at the time. They are great photographs but they are not representative of the country. Never were. The problem is that they have become so for many people who came later.

It is the photographs in the shoeboxes which give an accurate picture of America in the Fifties and earlier, not anything Robert Frank, bless his heart, ever did. As great as photographers like these, and many more, were, the things they documented were outliers. Unfortunately, the myth they created has come to be the only reality that people born after 1955 or so will always labor under. To use Marx's term, these famous photographers, unintentionally, created a "false consciousness" which, abetted by a steady stream of revisionist histories, young Hollywood scriptwriters, and other 'change agents', has now become, to people who didn't live it, the conventional wisdom. It's unfortunate, but trying to explain this to people who were not actually present is like trying to explain the Rose Bowl parade to a frog that has lived down a hundred foot well its entire life. "Leave it to Beaver" was actually closer to reality than anything revisionists have ever produced. Even Ken Burns is reliably "off" as well, no matter how carefully crafted. Yes, there were illusions we had, as everyone has, but they have been replaced by myths which paint it as a much less humane and appealing time than it actually was.

I apologize in advance for the aside, but I hear and see so much nonsense about America in the Fifties.

Yes, in a way, Dave, as you say, "times were hard". I grew up in a cinder block house, eating Spam. It was fantastic. It was the best of times. Apologies to Dickens, but 'the worst of times', those came later.

Please keep the photos coming, no matter when they were taken. The progression of the Kodachrome 'look' over time is also something which is being pretty well laid out here.
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Larry & Dave, this has been a more realistic look and explanation through the eyes and memories of those that lived during this era. A truly enjoyable insight into peoples' lives. Something that I've been searching for. How it was for many. Looking at each photo evokes memories and I find searching the people, places and things for a better understanding of "real" life.
Thanks to all the contributors to this thread and the stories behind them!
Some observations:
People dressed up! Tried to look their best. Grandparents wore white gloves and hats. Men wore suits. We went to church and special occasions with ties and suits.
There was a different way to look and be that most of us were taught. Values and maybe expectations that carried us through.
Anyway, these images and the stories behind them has been a treasure to keep being explored! Keep posting!
 
Seems to have been a Ford family. Nice looking ‘53. Wonder if you might have had a ‘51 prior to that. Have for a long time wanted a cherry ‘51 Crown Victoria two door hardtop.
 
This thread reminded me that I acquired a collection of Kodachrome slides from all over the world. I think from the 50's to maybe late 70s. I have NO IDEA who the photographer was, but apparently they are all from the same person. Anyway, would this be the place to start sharing them? Or would it's own thread be a better idea? There may be 1000 or more that I think would be fun to scan a couple trays a week. Maybe people could help ID some of the places.
 
Good morning,

Welcome to the "World of Kodachrome According to Us!" thread! LOL...:D

When I first started this thread, I had no idea it would be so popular and take on a life of its own that is a true reflection, as Larry said, of both the life experiences of individual memories of each and every contributor and a documentary of how Kodachrome evolved over the years.

This thread is stunning!

In an effort to keep from getting off track, I would think that posting images of unknown origin and no known chain of ownership might sidetrack the thread as it is now. I would personally like to see some of the images though.

Maybe Larry, who has a good feel for this thread, and others who have contributed and/or enjoyed this thread can offer some constructive thoughts.
 
Personally, and it is worth no more than that, I just like the way Kodachrome rendered the visible world, and am not among those who feel there is a direct replacement, digital or otherwise. (There are legitimate opposing arguments which can be made, but it doesn’t matter at this point.) I just liked the thread as a way for people to consolidate that “look” in one easily accessible place.
I have enjoyed the “cultural window” aspect as well, but I’m still here mostly for the Kodachrome.
Early on, most of what I shot was Kodachrome 25 or Panatomic-X, so can’t escape the feeling that when time marched on, it stomped on my head. If I could only have two films in my arsenal out of all that were ever made, it would be those two. No question. That’s just me.
It’s been a fun thread, that’s all I can say.
 
Larry Cloetta said:
Personally, and it is worth no more than that, I just like the way Kodachrome rendered the visible world, and am not among those who feel there is a direct replacement, digital or otherwise. (There are legitimate opposing arguments which can be made, but it doesn’t matter at this point.) I just liked the thread as a way for people to consolidate that “look” in one easily accessible place.
I have enjoyed the “cultural window” aspect as well, but I’m still here mostly for the Kodachrome.
Early on, most of what I shot was Kodachrome 25 or Panatomic-X, so can’t escape the feeling that when time marched on, it stomped on my head. If I could only have two films in my arsenal out of all that were ever made, it would be those two. No question. That’s just me.
It’s been a fun thread, that’s all I can say.
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Thanks, Larry, you summed up my feelings quite well, too.

I love this thread for the content, it is amazing, honest, and memorable.

I am somewhat struck with the somewhat subdued presence of Kodachrome images posted from outside the US. For example, IIRC, there was at least one lab in Europe, I forgot where, and I am sure many people around the world have used Kodachrone. I would love to see their images that have been stored in shoeboxes, suitcases, filing cabinets and closets.

So, let's see what everybody has to share. (Kodachrome only):D
 
Larry Cloetta said:
Seems to have been a Ford family. Nice looking ‘53. Wonder if you might have had a ‘51 prior to that. Have for a long time wanted a cherry ‘51 Crown Victoria two door hardtop.
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Oh yes, I grew up in Dearborn and my dad was an engineer who worked for Ford.

We had the light green '53 you see, and a 1955 pink&white, two-tone Ford which my mom nick-named Pinky. You can see that in post #274.

Jim B.
 
Ccoppola82 said:
This thread reminded me that I acquired a collection of Kodachrome slides from all over the world. I think from the 50's to maybe late 70s. I have NO IDEA who the photographer was, but apparently they are all from the same person. Anyway, would this be the place to start sharing them? Or would it's own thread be a better idea? There may be 1000 or more that I think would be fun to scan a couple trays a week. Maybe people could help ID some of the places.
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Heck, yes, scan away and post.
 
Larry, I can only thank you for the beautiful photos you are posting. So full of colors and memories. Grazie!
robert
 
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