Kodachrome, which Kodak stopped manufacturing last year, has been prized by the world’s most eminent photographers for its beauty and refinement—the way it captures light and colour is unlike anything else, and has made possible some of photography’s greatest visions.
But from a peak of 25 labs across the world, only one remains, in a small Kansas town. Dwayne’s Photo, an unlikely photo lab in the relative middle of nowhere, has become a photographic Mecca, as film enthusiasts have rushed from around the world to ensure their stacked up analogue rolls are processed before the lights go off. But today is the end of the line—Dwayne’s Photo is simply dead out of the chemicals it takes to process the film, and there’s nowhere else to get it.
Dwayne Steinle, owner of Dwayne’s Photo, will have the honour of ending the 75 year run—the man with the last Kodachrome photo in history. The last snapshot? “A picture of all the employees standing in front of Dwayne’s wearing shirts with the epitaph: “The best slide and movie film in history is now officially retired. Kodachrome: 1935-2010,” reports the NYT.
Despite having the bejeezus knocked out of it by digital, the singular beauty of analogue photography should never be forgotten—and thanks to groups like the 1,668 member strong Kodachrome Flickr pool, it probably won’t be. I highly recommend browsing the collection. Even the most mundane shots—someone’s grandma, a train station, the beach—show the warm charm of the film.
It’s also funny (sad?) to think that in the not too distant future, we’ll be reading similar news about the last roll of analogue film, period. [NYT via The Atlantic]
Photos by Mel Stoutsenberger, Nesster, Don O’Brien, and Ryan Sahb
Graham Wilson
Friday, December 31, 2010 at 12:50 PMWhat about motion picture film? There must be somewhere that still processes film? So is this the end of slides too?
Morgan Wilson
Friday, December 31, 2010 at 1:59 PMSlide film still has some some time left in it yet. The difference between kodachrome and standard slide film is the process. Slide film is process through a series of chemical baths known as E-6. Kodachrome has a different method of chemical process which has always been unique. Kodachrome is still slide film it’s just a different type. But it’s been exclusively processed by a handful of labs around the world. I guess it’s use now is know longer viable for local to make the chemistry. Was a beautiful film though.
E-6 labs still operate in most pro photo labs in major city’s but even so the demand has dropped off significantly since the popularity of digital. It’s death is inevitable. I would expect to see Colour negative film die first though.