This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 15, 2011 - It's been almost four decades since Paul Simon famously begged "Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away." But for a new generation of shutter snappers, the only exposure they may get to one of the biggest developments in photographic history is likely to come from oldies stations.
Kodak stopped dealing in the iconic film in 2009. The last establishment to develop Kodachrome announced that it would stop accepting Kodachrome rolls on Dec. 30. So many arrived by the deadline that the last roll was developed this year. On Jan. 18 at 1:36 p.m., the world's first true color film passed into history.
Fortunately, said Susan Hacker Stang, a professor of photography at Webster University, it was well suited to the task. One of Kodachrome's greatest advantages is that it lasts far longer than most competing media.
"The difference in archival quality will always remain because of the way it is processed," she said.
In addition to its longevity, Kodachrome also became famous for another attribute -- its vibrant color.
"Color photography never existed in any modern sense before the introduction of Kodachrome," Stang said. "It also had an extremely unique formulation that no other film after that ever had. It yielded something sharper, more saturated and more archive-durable than any other color process."
Stang is one of the editors of the book of student and faculty photos, "Kodachrome/End of the Run: Photographs from the Final Batches."
Previous to its invention in the 1930s, color imagery had been achieved by taking a series of three shots, each through a different color filter. By combining the red, green and blue images, a composite could be created. But this process had significant limitations. It took Kodachrome to free color photography from the tripod and give it the ability to capture moving objects with a single click.
"You couldn't photograph your child. You couldn't photograph somebody riding by on a bicycle," Stang said of older techniques. "You couldn't put a roll of film in your camera and snap in 1/16 of a second to take a picture."
National Geographic used Kodachrome for many of its famous images with the film's legendary color quality inspiring some unusual examples of life imitating art. For instance, according to the Utah state parks website, it was an expedition from the magazine that labeled the oddly named Kodachrome State Park, known for its vivid sandstones.
Later versions of color film did appear but remained of poor quality into the mid-20th century leaving Kodachrome, with its famously sharp, saturated color as the choice for professionals.
The film's dominance began to wane in the 1970s and 1980s as technology improved, and other choices were developed that increasingly produced similar results.
"There was a difference but the difference became less and less so," Stang said. "By the time you were down to the last 10 or 15 years, those using Kodachrome were only the most serious professional photographers and a cult of people who really loved it."
In the end, modern films were producing a palette of rich hues that rivaled the parent of color photography.
"If they were both well exposed and both the same subject matter, that would be an interesting thing to look through a loupe and see if you could see any difference," Stang said. "Kodachrome was very good with reds and greens. A lot of the other films tended more toward blues."
As much as the digital revolution may have reduced the market for all films, it may eventually provide a nostalgic second voyage for some of them. Kodachrome-like color can be reproduced through technology such as Photoshop, which can deepen colors. Stang said she doesn't know of a specific program for smart phones that creates a Kodachrome effect but one could theoretically be developed.
"If we are all paying homage to Kodachrome, it's because of its role in history and its uniqueness, and there will be ways to do that digitally," she said. "It wouldn't surprise me if the iPhone comes up with a Kodachrome app."
Speaking of Apps...
Most iPhone camera apps come with "pre-constructed" filters you can mix and match to enhance your photos. Many of these attempt to emulate "nostalgic" looks. Fewer apps act like traditional computer-based photo editing software, allowing you to adjust contrast, saturation and levels independently. Some apps also include advanced camera functions to assist in shooting photos, while others focus on editing photos you've already taken. Finally, some of these apps have what's called "in-app purchase," which allow you to pay more money and receive more features.
Here are some examples of what's available for the iPhone. These are the top three free and paid apps in the phography section of the iPhone App store, around the time this article was published.
1. Camera + ($0.99) -- This app aims to replace Apple's default camera app. It's fully functional for taking photos but adds cropping, rotation, filters and sharing.
2. FX Photo Studio ($0.99) -- This app claims to have the largest collection of filters and effects available, with 187. It allows you to stack effects and filters on top of each other, on the same photo. You can also save presets of filter and effect combinations.
3. Hipstamatic ($1.99) -- This app's summary begins with "Digital photography never looked so analog." Hipstamatic focuses on shooting photos. You choose a lens, film and flash, different combinations of which will lend different effects to your photo, just as in the real world.
1. ToonPAINT -- ToonPAINT's description says it creates "cartoon-paintings with your photos." It appears to analyze a photo you choose, and turn it into a black and white line drawing, which you then paint over with color. Another feature is "auto color" if you want results right away.
2. PicBounce -- PicBounce's most recent update added photo filters, but its main function is sharing your photos. The app's summary says you can "bounce [a photo] to Facebook and Twitter in two taps."
3. Instagram -- Instagram is an amalgam of most of these apps. It takes photos, it has a certain number of effects and filters, and it lets you easily share photos to Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. Instagram also has its own social networking features built in, and a number of third-party services springing up around it (a new iPhone app called "Postagram" turns your Instagram photos into physical postcards and mails them anywhere in the US for $0.99 each).
--Brent Jones, Beacon presentation editor
David Baugher is a freelance writer in St. Louis.