**New Kodachrome Forum**

[PKM-25]

Hi gang,

I am about to launch the Kodachrome Project forums on my Kodachromeproject.com website and would like to get some outside input on what topics Kodachrome fans might like to see listed besides the obvious of history, technical, etc. For the foreseeable future, there will not be any fee to join the forums and I am hoping to add a user gallery by the Summer.

The reason I have been prompted to do this is that when I do a google search on Kodachrome now, out of 1.1 million results, my site comes up 8th. This means that the site already has high visibility in the search engine, so why not allow the photo community to chime in on what they want to talk about in regards to Kodachrome and the kodachrome era?

I want this to become a great site in which folks have a place to help come up with great ideas in which to foster the greater good of the Kodachrome Project. That way, even when the film is truly gone, there is still a great place to share stories, images and our love of Kodachrome.

Feel free to chime in...

 

[Sanjay Sen]

I admire what you are doing, and wish you good luck with your project!


Best wishes,
Sanjay

 

[dmr]

I'm all for it! Please announce when it's ready, either here or "the other place" or both.

 

[MMfoto]

Hi PKM-25,

Here's a few suggestion

Processing and Availability News

Digital scanning and workflow

For Sale

 

[iKlee]

PKM-25,
great idea and very nice what you're doing. Its like a fresh air to breath.

Flavio

 

[snaggs]

Why not just open one here?

Why don't you speak to the owner here at APUG? We don't need to split the analog photographic community up. I'm sure he'd let you moderate a forum on here, but keep developing the articles on your site, that would be great.

Daniel.

 

[gr82bart]

PKM-25

That's a great site. Keep up the great work and keep posting here too about your progress. We need more sites like yours to tell the world that film is alive, vibrant and diverse.

Regards, Art.

 

[rorye]

Great site Daniel. That Pop McKee photograph is absolutely wonderful!
Best,
Rory
www.roryearnshaw.com

 

[Bill Mitchell]

I sold my last frozen bricks of PKM two years ago (and threw in all the K200 I had left). Unfortunately, the processing situation had/has gotten quite impossible.
I was never completely happy after KII and the daily 24 hour pickups/deliveries disappeared. Better to say goodbye and let it go gracefully.

 

[PKM-25]

Well 90% of the time, I get great work from the lab and the look of the image quality is directly a result of the effort I put into it.

But that said...

What *is* the Kodachrome Project?

I am actually sitting here with my web tech preparing to re-do the site it self right now. Kodachrome has a finite life and it will be coming to a close sooner than later as common logic would have it. So with that, I personally decided to shoot the film in as many diverse places in the country as I can. That is far more realistic that trying to go all over the world in 2-4 years time.

With this said, the site will soon reflect what the true idea of the Kodachrome Project is at this point. While I will make reference of my intentions to portray "Our America" with the film, even the title page will say "Our World: One last look on Kodachrome" to more accurately portray who should be shooting this and why.

No one, and I do mean NO one should feel left out or barred from participating in what this idea is.

What the Kodachrome Project is about is the idea to do more than just shoot pretty pictures of abstract color and form and your kids on the film. What the idea means is to go deeper than that. Grow as a person, take risks, be even more kind and inquisitive among each other. I have seen some of the images on the Flicker groups. While there is some nice color in there, what is lacking is the soul of this film and the way it speaks to it's viewer when one simply emerges with great imagery with real social depth and meaning.

There is no way Alex Webb, Sam Abell or any other accomplished Kodachrome shooter is going to be able to take this film today and shoot it all. This has to be a collective of everyone's best work. And it has to be phenomenal. The Kodachrome Project is an excuse to get out and grow by leaps and bounds as a photographer and a social human being. We have VERY little time in which to do this. But we DO have time, that is the amazing thing folks!!!

In my 33 years as a photographer, Kodachrome is by far the most compelling medium in which to depict the world. It is the one I have bonded most with. I feel like if I can succeed at doing it justice in it's final days in looking at the world around me RIGHT NOW, then I am doing something that many will be able to look back on for years to come and feel touched, proud and like this film went out with a bang. I know I have it in me to do this. But I also know by the hundreds of letters from all photographers, greatly known and amateur alike, anyone who wants a great reason, venue and meaning in which to shoot the last rolls of this stuff ought to be on board, period.

It is the year 2008 and in a world filled with digital mania, what are YOU going to do to help proudly close what is most certainly one of the most incredible eras in photographic history?

The Kodachrome Era.....

 

[Daniel Lawton]

Daniel,

I wish you the best of luck with this. Ever since I saw you announce the project a while back on another site I've been checking in from time to time to see how it is progressing. Your photography is truly amazing and I think you will do the Kodachrome legacy proud with this endeavour. I can't wait to see the final result!

 

[Uhner]

You have made a good start, and I’m certain that you have it in you to carry your intensions through. Best of luck.

Claes

 

[PKM-25]

The site now better reflects a more global and celebration approach to this campaign and project. The forum software is on, but PHP needs to be up on my server, so I am a day or so away from the launch of the forums.

But keep an eye on it, things are moving fast....

 

[PKM-25]

For what it is worth, as of today, Dwayne's now participates on the Kodachromeproject forum.

And by the way, the project's main focus are three things:

1. To visually celebrate Kodachrome's 75th anniversary.

2. To petition for Kodak to allow Kodachrome photographers to be able to do that.

3. To foster the ideas of shooting meaningful images on Kodachrome in what could be it's last couple years instead of just seeing it fade away.

Also, Kodachrome 64 is officially done in 24 exposure.

 

[Brad Bireley]

Great idea!

 

[Steve Roberts]

For what it is worth, as of today, Dwayne's now participates on the Kodachromeproject forum.

Before the project really gets underway, has anyone drawn Dwayne's attention to the misgivings that I and others have had regarding their processing standards?

They cannot have missed the issues that have been raised on APUG and with direct involvement in the project they surely have little option but to sharpen up their act or face the music. I certainly hope the former is the case, but would take a lot of persuading before entrusting my hard work to Kodachrome/Dwaynes once more.

Steve.

 

[bdial]

Well said Steve. All the negative feedback I've heard, regarding Dwaynes has been my primary reason for abandoning Kodachrome. The risk of getting back ruined work on top of the time it takes and the effort to make the exposures hasn't seemed worth it.
I love Kodachrome, and no other color film is remotely comaprable IMHO.
The Kodachrome project is inspiring however, so maybe I'll shoot some again, and at the very least, help make sure it goes out in style.

 

[Marc Akemann]

I couldn't help it. With my most recent order of 127 film from B&H, I added 5 rolls of 36 exp Kodachrome 64. The withdrawal symptoms, or rather, the inspiration, came back after reading about your site, Daniel. I also registered with your site.

Hopefully, despite the negative things I've read about Dwayne's, they will do as good a job as they have done for me in the past. I noticed they were online when I registered with Kodachromeproject.com.

I collect Kodachrome slides and may be able to contribute, somehow, to your site.

All the best!

Marc

 

[Renato Tonelli]

Before the project really gets underway, has anyone drawn Dwayne's attention to the misgivings that I and others have had regarding their processing standards?

They cannot have missed the issues that have been raised on APUG and with direct involvement in the project they surely have little option but to sharpen up their act or face the music. I certainly hope the former is the case, but would take a lot of persuading before entrusting my hard work to Kodachrome/Dwaynes once more.

Steve.

My feelings exactly. I switched to E-6 films because of inferior lab work. I have been tempted to go back to Kodachrome but I am waiting for some positive reports on processing.

 

[Marc Akemann]

.....
They cannot have missed the issues that have been raised on APUG .......
Steve.

And this is one of the reasons I'm going to give them another try. I'm going to find out for myself rather than waiting around until it's too late.

Marc

 

[PKM-25]

In my mind, the only risk greater than sending my film to Dwayne's and having it come back marred is not shooting the film at all.

Not that I gamble or anything, I just figure that more people waste more time and money in a day in Vegas than I ever will in a month shooting Kodachrome.

When my friend had to cut his arm off in the Utah desert to save his own life after being trapped for nearly a week, he was coming under fire from the media for taking unnecessary risks.

I happily appeared on Good Morning America and defended him. I got to tell the entire country that once upon a time, man was intrepid and self reliant and to not pass judgment on someone else if you personally never step foot outside your modern comfort zone.

Do you know what I want people to do with this project?

Find them selves in a different light, a different place...all before a era comes to pass never to be seen again....ever.

 

[Steve Roberts]

In my mind, the only risk greater than sending my film to Dwayne's and having it come back marred is not shooting the film at all.

Not that I gamble or anything, I just figure that more people waste more time and money in a day in Vegas than I ever will in a month shooting Kodachrome.

I think you've hit the nail on the head for me. When I still used Kodachrome I felt that I was gambling with both my money and, more importantly, time on each roll I shot. Having rolls of Kodachrome returned poorly mounted, scratched, stained and with debris stuck to them is, I suggest, far worse than not shooting it at all when there are viable alternatives to the sainted Kodachrome which enjoy consistently good processing.

Make no mistake, I have no reservations about Kodak's product, only the processing of my last rolls and the fact that Kodak appear to have abrogated themselves from any responsibility for the maintenance of the processing standards we previously enjoyed.

On a less crusading note, I've just acquired a large collection of Kodachrome slides from the 60s & 70s, all of which were shot on the old Kodachrome 2. None of the 700+ show any significant fading or deterioration and they are all a cracking advert for the product!

Steve