By Paul Goldfinger, Photography Editor@Blogfinger.
Re-post from 2011 in order to make an update point. Comments from 2011 are still interesting and include a 2019 update. Feel free to offer 2019 comments.
From 1935-2009, professional photographers preferred shooting color with Kodachrome slide film They appreciated the remarkable quality and vivid colors— as well as the archival properties of the film.
Because of the advent of digital photography, Kodak ended production in 2009. Professional photographer Steve McCurry requested and received the very last roll of Kodachrome that was manufactured. He traveled from New York City to India to obtain those last 36 exposures. When he returned, he had the roll developed at a lab in Kansas, the last one in the world to be able to process Kodachrome. One of those images is shown above. The model is a tribal elder of the Rabari people who can be traced back all the way to Atilla the Hun.
Steve McCurry is a well-known photojournalist who has worked at National Geographic for 30 years. In addition, he has published books and he is a member of the renowned photo agency Magnum, based in New York City. His most famous image is that of an Afghan woman who appeared on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in 1985. Here is a link to an NPR report on McCurry dated today. You can see his iconic image from 1985 as well as other amazing photographs. NPR article about Steve McCurry
Currently, the tribal elder image on top is part of an exhibit entitled “Kodachrome: Images by Steve McCurry” at the Open Shutter gallery in Durango, Colorado. If you go to the link below, you will see a Vanity Fair article about this topic including a slide show of all the images on that last roll.
The last roll of Kodachrome LINK
MUSIC: Paul Simon with “Kodachrome” (Today, October 13, 2011, is Paul Simon’s 70th birthday)
2019 update. Paul Simon was right. The famous Kodachrome color rendition is still missed, and I know that because the Leica company, the famous and historic designer and manufacturer of exquisite cameras, now digital, decided in 2009, when their M-9 camera was released, their first digital, that the color rendition should emulate Kodachrome.
Their engineers were successful, and the M-9 became famous for its gorgeous color photos. You can still buy an M-9 used for about $2,500.00,but you will also need one of those fabulous Leica lenses, because the $2500 only gets you a body. You can get one of those used as well. As for the megapixel counts, the M-10 has 24, but other companies are already out with 48MP and going higher. The M-11 will certainly be at least 48 MP. And sensor technology is also evolving adding up to more wonderful results.
The Kodachrome color rendition was (and is) amazing. The beloved colors of the M-9 were continued when the M-10 was released in 2018. Next year the M-11 will probably be released, and hopefully the color will be continued.
As for black and white, these digital cameras can be set for B&W, and the results are wonderful, although some computer tweaking may be needed.
Many people take photographs with their smart phones, and then they post their small and unimpressive images on Instagram, etc. The new iPhone is supposed to have a better camera, but the phones can’t compare to a high quality digital camera.
I believe that digital cameras are making a comeback due to amazing new technology, and all the major companies, eg Sony and Panasonic, are competing as we speak. Watch for more people doing photography with cameras instead of phones.
Thanks Bob. Your discussion of how many frames are needed for one great shot reminds me of when the National Geographic sent a team to OG for their zip code 07756 edition of August, 2001. They brought a gizmo: a helium balloon rigged with a digital camera that could be operated by the photographer on the ground. It reminds me of the laparoscopic surgeons of today who sit across the room at a console while they perform a surgical procedure inside your body . Anyhow, they were flying that thing for days. I watched them work on Ocean Pathway. When the article finally came out, not one of those aerial shots had made the cut. Paul
Back in the late 50s and early 60s I owned the Cat Of The Year and National Geographic sent a top photographer, Willard C. Culver, to photograph Grand Champion Venvene’s Voodoo. Voodoo weighted 14 lbs and was jet black with cooper eye color. He won best cat in show at 36 shows in one year.
The photo was to be used for a story on Show Cats written by Richard Gebhardt, who was a cat judge and president of the Cat Fanciers Association for many years. Willard spent six hours shooting Voodoo (with a Leica 35-mm camera using Kodachrome 25 film) in three different poses and before the photo was published (a page and a half of Voodoo’s head) NATGEO send swatches of cooper color and asked us to let them know which was the closest to the actual eye color.
During his visit, and during breaks both for Willard and Voodoo, we discussed photography (which I also love) and this famous photographer told me that when NATGEO assigned a photographer to cover a major story, he or she had better return with a minimum of 300 rolls of film (36 exposures each). For the shots of Voodoo he took about 10 rolls.
If the average photographer gets one, two or three fabulous shots on a digital camera with a memory card holding 500 images, he should not feel discouraged. The professionals have always known that the film and memory cards are the cheapest part of photography. I now use a Nikon D-90 digital camera with two Nikkor lenses (18-105mm, 75-300 mm) and miss using my other Nikon film cameras which accompanied me for years to many parts of the world.
Bob Green, Ocean Grove, NJ
Digital imaging rocked the photo-world that is for sure.
I remember waiting for the pixel count to be great enough to rival film . . .
Paul Simon may not play the Auditorium this year but he will be at the NJPAC
in Newark in November.
Nice to see your story about Steve McCurry and the last roll of Kodachrome. The blog just seems to get better and better!
Tee Jay: i know that some photographers still insist that digital color is not as good as Kodachrome. It reminds me of the debate among audiophiles who argue about digital vs analog music. My experience with black and white photography done in the traditional manner (ie chemicals, silver papers and darkroom) tells me that it is only recently that digital black and white printing may be equivalent to fine sliver traditional prints, but it will never be the same, because it is apples and oranges. Note that no one really knows about the archival qualities of digital prints, but we do know that prints made by the 19th century inventors of photography still exist.
I have never done a black and white image with my digital camera. Blogfinger has prevented me from being in the darkroom for the last year, but I will return, like the swallows at Capistrano. I suspect that I may have the only surviving darkroom in Ocean Grove. If any of you still have a darkroom in the Grove, let me know—I would like to post your pictures.
One other technical point: Some black and white photographers are capturing images with a digital camera and then converting the image to an actual negative so they can create a traditional print in the darkroom.
Carl: This issue is now history; however, I always used 64, and it was just fine in terms of quality, grain, etc. But, you are correct: theoretically, the higher you go ASA-wise, the more grain, but that really isn’t an issue until you get to 800 or higher. The new digital cameras (excuse me for using the D word) seem to be able to get grain-free images at high ASA ratings. Paul
ASA 64 ???
TOO HIGH!
ASA 25 IS THE ONE.
DRAWBACK IS THAT YOU HAVE TO LIVE CLOSE TO THE SUN, STEADY HANDS OR TRI-POD.
CARL
Thanks Paul.
I did read the article earlier today and loved it. The photograph is amazing !! In some ways, there is nothing like the old fashioned film photography…….especially the black and white. I’m going to check out his website to view his other photography. Very interesting for sure.
I have one roll left, my all time favorite film,
asa 25— perfect when I was young and steady
The Rabari Tribal Elder photo is extraordinary. I thought it was a fantastical painting at first. Great work, Mr. McCurry!
I really do miss shooting film. Although digital is convenient the quality is just not quite the same. By the way Kodak is on the verge of going bankrupt. George Eastman is probably rolling over in his grave.
‘Rhymin’ Simon! Wonder what it would take to get him to play the Auditorium? So many great songs. Simon and Garfinkle were the soundtrack to a generation.
The Kodachrome slides I have from the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s of my children growing up are still a pleasure to browse through. I wonder how current computer photo files will fare in the 2020’s, 30’s,and 40’s???
ken