Kodachrome project

I've been on this almost since the beginning. It's a very worthwhile project.

Dan, who runs the site, is a member here and posts occasion.
 
Forty years ago Kodak had a guy in Miami (other cities too I imagine) who drove around to all the camera shops picking up film and dropping off slides, both Kodachrome and Ekrachrome. The film was flown to Atlanta, processed over night, and flown back to Miami first thing in the morning. The big mail order suppliers imported grey market British and French Kodachrome, which included processing, for about $3.69 cents for a 36 exp. roll and the U.S. Kodak labs honored the prepaid processing. You could leave it at any camera shop for the overnight service or stick two first class five cent stamps on the mailer.

HEY! All the Kodachrome patents must have expired by now. How about some enterprising company in India or China or someplace picking up the slack here?
 
Wow, that's really cool. I'm sure Kodachrome inspires Dan to hit the high notes, but from his work I think he'd do well with any film (or even, horror of horrors, digital). I shot a ton of Kodachrome-II ASA 25 back when I was in diapers :)rolleyes:) but I never liked its successor K-25 as much (it was more contrasty and the colors weren't as lush). I never used K-64 (although I did use Kodachrome-X and didn't like it) or K-200. Happily all the slides I shot on Ektachrome and Fujichrome are still in fine condition, some of them are going on 40 yrs old.
 
Cool, thanks for the plug! The more the merrier..

I just picked up a really neat book called "Fred Herzog: Vancouver Photographs" filled with all kinds of photographic gems on Kodachrome. It is beautifully printed and worth a look if you can cope with the price.

Also, I have been shooting Kodachrome like a fiend lately, first the inauguration in DC, then the ESPN Winter X-Games up until last night.

There was a candy company called "Warheads" there that have this candy that is *ultra* sour. So they had a sour-face competition that was hilarious to watch and photograph, all on Kodachrome of course.

Even at night the X-Games is very well lit, I was getting portraits of Shaun White in the finish area at 1/125th at F/2.0.

Next up, 4 days and nights at a truck stop..

Keep shooting it!
 
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Very cool, Dan! I'm glad that you were able to get all your logistics worked out and documented this important part of history on Kodachrome. I just took a quick peek at a few pictures, but I'll go back late tonight when I have more time. It's good to see who was behind the VF too! ;)

BTW, what lenses did you use?
 
Thanks for the kudos guys! Doing it is always much better than just talking about it.

So speaking of which, I have created an invite only group on Flicker for those who are in for the project to show work for evaluation, critiques, visual reference and just to plain old see how we are doing in this:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/989165@N20/

To reiterate, I am hoping to see a fantastic book come of this project after the film turns 75 and we select from the 3-4 years of work prior to that which coincides with the conception of the project.

This is not a for profit thing, if a book gets published and your photos are in it, you will not only be paid for that, but unlike those photo book publishing schemes, you will be contacted prior to any additional requests for publication of any kind.

So just think in terms of this:

Kodachrome at 75, maximum heart and soul equals a book, exhibit and a body of work with maximum impact on the coat tails of media history!

I think I hear a clock ticking........ . . . .
 
Dan, what about using Kodachrome - which is something related to time - to record OUR times for the people coming later? If you have seen the latest creation by David Lachapelle, Deluge, you might understand what I mean.

http://www.nital.it/sguardi/55/gallery/lachapelle/images/08.jpg

We're surrounded of objects, moods, actions, words, contrasts typical of these years. Let's try to figure out something interesting.
 
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