Kaitlyn's Korner: Good ol' Kodachrome

By Kaitlyn Delaney
Associate Editor/Photo Editor

When I finally decided that photography was what I wanted to do with my life, I threw myself into learning what I could about photography, even before signing up for classes at LCC.

I can’t even tell you how many hours I spent Googling everything there is to know about DSLR and Mirrorless cameras.

I still spend a few hours here and there, learning about the progresses in camera and editing technology. But after one of my classes I had during my second year on this photography journey, I learned to appreciate how we got here. So I would like to tell you about one of the most well-known parts of camera history.

In 1936, the Kodak company would release a 35mm film that was originally only a 16mm motion picture film, allowing the public to experience what would become one of the most famous types of film. Not only did Kodachrome produce amazing color photos, but was also the first color film accessible to the public.

When it came to development, Kodachrome was unique in its process. It had three different layers that told the color dye chemistry where to go, in 14 steps. This meant that there was less dye left on the film after the development process, as it only stuck where the photo was.

With less left-over dye, Kodachrome was able to outlast competitors on how long before it started to fade. Kodachrome was a slide film, meaning that when the photos were developed, they were put in little frames that allowed them to fit into slide projectors.

The film was so popular, it was talked about in pop culture. Paul Simon wrote a song about it, and it has a state park in Utah named after it. Its discontinuation even spurred the creation of the movie “Kodachrome,” starring Ed Harris, Jason Sudeikis and Elizabeth Olsen.

Partially because of the complex development process, and partially because of the advancement in digital photography, Kodak discontinued Kodachrome in 2009. Dwayne’s Photo, in Parsons, Kansas, was the last to develop Kodachrome, and developed the last roll in 2011.