Kodachrome Culture American Tourist in Europe

"Kodachrome Culture, The American Tourist in Europe," a new photography exhibit displaying more than 100 photos from 21 countries across Europe, will go on display at the National Geographic Museum since June 25 to Sept. 7, 2009. The bold 1950s and 1960s Kodachrome color photographs documented an era of peacetime travel and helped shape National Geographic's tradition of photographic excellence by offering a fresh look at distant places. During the rebuilding effort of the post-World War II era, higher wages and disposable income afforded many Americans a new opportunity to travel. The growing economy and advances in air travel fostered a budding interest in touring the world, particularly Europe. During this decade, National Geographic photographers used Kodak's revolutionary Kodachrome color film to bring its readers closer to the places they longed to visit. "Kodachrome Culture" will take visitors on a vicarious vacation to the streets of Britain, the fjords of Scandinavia, the cliffs of Greece and other European locales. Culled from the National Geographic archives, the images showcase the work of more than 35 legendary photographers — including Luis Marden, Volkmar Wentzel, Thomas Abercrombie, James Blair and Winfield Parks — and revisit a photographic medium that changed the way we document the world. National Geographic pioneered the use of Kodachrome film in the late 1930s and was among the first to recognize its advantages. The film produced a dye image without the grain found in other color processes, and the photographs could be enlarged without loss of detail. The film was also faster. Instead of requiring a tripod, color shots taken with a compact 35mm camera could be spontaneously composed. By the time American tourism was taking off in the 1950s, National Geographic photographers were adept at using Kodachrome. The images helped National Geographic stand out from other magazines still publishing in black-and-white. Eventually Kodachrome became the most widely used color film in the United States. The National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Kodak retire Kodachrome Color Film

Eastman Kodak Company announces that it will retire Kodachrome Color Film this year, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon.

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. Today, Kodachrome Film represents just a fraction of one percent of Kodak’s total sales of still-picture films.

While Kodak now derives about 70% of its revenues from commercial and consumer digital businesses, it is the global leader in the film business. Kodak has continued to bring innovative new film products to market, including seven new professional still films and several new Vision2 and Vision3 motion picture films in the past three years. These new still film products are among those that have become the dominant choice for those professional and advanced amateur photographers who use Kodak Films.

Kodachrome is a complex film to manufacture and an even more complex film to process. There is only one remaining photofinishing lab in the world – Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas – that processes Kodachrome Film, precisely because of the difficulty of processing. This lack of widespread processing availability, as well as the features of newer films introduced by Kodak over the years, has accelerated the decline of demand for Kodachrome Film.

During its run, Kodachrome Film filled a special niche in the annals of the imaging world. It was used to capture some of the best-known photographs in history, while also being the film of choice for family slide shows of the Baby Boom generation.

Kodak estimates that current supplies of Kodachrome Film will last until early this fall at the current sales pace. Dwayne’s Photo has indicated it will continue to offer processing for the film through 2010. Current Kodachrome Film users are encouraged to try other Kodak Films, such as Kodak Professional Ektachrome E100G and Ektar 100 Film. These films both feature extremely fine grain.