Photo: Declining consumer demand dooms Kodachrome. Credit: Associated Press
Mama didn’t take it away, but Kodak has.
In Pail Simon’s song, Kodachrome, he sings of taking beautiful color photos using Kodachrome film in his Nikon camera and begging, “Mam don’t take my Kodachrom away.”
Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don’t take my Kodachrome away
Like so many people who love cameras and photography, today’s decision by Kodak to stop making Kodachrome brings to an end a slow death of one, if not the best film ever made. Kodak has been outsourcing the processing for years now. 
If you are not a photography and never heard of Kodachrome, except in the song, then you probably have seen this photo by Steve McCurry that appeared on the June 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine. That’s the beauty of Kodachrome!
Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away
Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away
Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away
kenne
I should be getting my Kodachrome back from Dwayne’s this week. And I’ve still got a few rolls in the fridge. 🙂
I agree, Kodachrome is a very special film. But it’s a PAIN to process.
. . . yes, some of my music friends can’t break the “vinyl” habit either.
Actually, vinyl’s been making a comeback.
. . .yea, that’s what I hear.
Wired Mag blog Raw File posted this entry — http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2009/06/rip-kodachrome/
Reblogged this on Becoming is Superior to Being and commented:
A post from nine years ago this month. — kenne
Just saw this, some years late, but yes, I still shoot film, in this 2019. The Dopes at Kodak boasted back then then there were promptly going to remove their film from production, catching me and many totally off guard. Boasted they did, that despite that film was very profitable for them, they were discontinuing it. Their hubris really upset me. I quickly switched to Fuji Velvia for my butterfly work (wingedbeauty.com) and continue to shoot Fuji to this day. The color is superb, real-time, and I spend hundreds of hours in the bush each year, and know what is color true or not. Thank’s Kenne.
Good for you