Award-winning photographer Steve McCurry has published the photos taken with the last roll of Kodakchrome to come off the production line on his Wordpress blog. McCurry has shot more than 800,000 photos including his iconic 'Afghan Girl' portrait, with the film. In an article posted by NPR in 2009 McCurry equated 'losing the medium to losing a dear friend.'
I click the link and it says I don't have permission to access this. I understand that it's 3 years later but does anyone know where I can find these photos?
These are great image, but I for one am tired of always looking at asian, there poverty etc. Looking for the images that are different. What about staying in North America, do we not have anything to offer
Apparently North America does not offer a high degree of literacy. Asia is spelt with a capital, and "there" should be "their"... :- )
Asia holds by far the majority of the world's population, and it offers diverse, exotic and highly colourful images to those who choose to engage with it. That said, North America is at times stunningly beautiful... you would know coming from Calgary! So perhaps his choice is not a failing on his part, rather an exercise in the photographer expressing himself...
Every time I have problems with color from a roll of film these days, I can't help but think "If only I had loaded Kodachrome" Probably just selective memory, but what a great film it was, we shall never see it's equal again in this world.
I have a roll of Kodachrome that I shot 5 or 6 six years ago. I sent it to Kodak in an old mailer, but it was sent back. Is there anyplace that I can still get this processed?
The last roll was developed in the last facility to do such things at the end of December, 2010. As of now, there is not one place in the world you can send it for proper development, sad to say...
Yesterday I went to a store in Yokohama (Bic Camera) where there was still a lot of choice in photo-films sold: Fujifilm, Kodak (not everything though) and even... Agfa rolls, in their famous red little box (I hadn't seen any for maybe 15 or 20 years).
It means somewhere on this planet somebody is still able to develop rolls; in which manner I couldn't tell. Yet, there are still some players on the playground... at least in Japan !
There is a photo store in England that offers processing of Kodachrome but only as black and white slides. There is nowhere that Kodachrome can be processed in colour.
Umm, the roll of K64 in my Olympus Mju ii has a serial number one higher than his - should I tell him?
I'm happy to send him my roll if he wants to use up the remaining 6 frames, as long as he returns my camera afterwards - it's the limited edition one with the dateback and silver wrist strap so I don't just loan it to anyone.
He'd need to publishes my pictures too - there's a really good one of my Aunt doing the conga, and some arty contre-jour shots of Fudgie and Patch our guinea pigs.
Frames 8-30 he can ignore as I forgot to switch the camera off before I put it in my jacket.
Outstanding. However there are 30 images. This implies 6 or 7 were deleted. I would have also deleted the 2nd shot of De Niro. Such a dud compared to the first, and its existence devalues the first one slightly. I'm surprised it made the cut, especially considering he "proofed" all the shots with a digital camera first.
McCurry used a digital camera BEFORE he clicked the shutter on that last role of Kodachrome: “I wanted that reinforcement, to be able to see it on a two-dimensional screen...” – Steve McCurry, National Geographic photographer, on shooting the last roll of Kodachrome film produced by Kodak, during which time he took each photograph first with a digital camera. From Shutterbug Magazine, October 2011: “McCurry took no chances shooting the last roll of Kodachrome. To make sure he had exactly the right moment for each photo, in focus and at the right exposure, he first used a digital camera.”
Unfortunately for film enthusiasts, the fact that he used a digital camera first just goes to show how much more versatile and user-friendly digital cameras are.
Agreed ! I don't want to start a new discussion about Kodak, but I just wanted to say I never understood why this company didn't try to stay in the game earning money with its printing department, while making sure everybody knows the brand is around by selling SD cards/speedlight flashes like mads and - why not ? - shifting to making lenses like Tamron and Sigma. This would have been a big leap for sure, but everything was better than stupidily waiting for the end.
@Alizarine Sure you can, but if so, much less, if any, is needed. If you have shot Kodachrome or Velvia (or other films, but these are exceptional) you know you can get fantastic shots without any extra help from a computer.
Jeff, I think the nuances and richness of the colors are outstanding without looking oversaturated. They are strong, yet natural. Look at the series of portraits, the red colors, the white colors, the skintones. And the amazing is that this just by clickling the shutter, no curves, no adjustment layers, no elaborate PP to fix the shortcomings of the digital image.
But the issues is how much did using Kodachrome 64 impact the final result compared to if the same photographer had used a modern high-end digital under the same conditions for the same shot. Are they any better because they were taken with Kodachrome 64 than they would have been taken with digital? If the answer is "no" because of the "noise" (grain) and lack of contrast/saturation control, the this is just an exercise in nostalgia. You appear to be implying that these shots ARE technically better. If so, in what way?
My thoughts exactly; there's no way, looking at those images, I'd have thought wow, those must have been made on film. Some aren't even that wonderful to me; they seem self-conscious and not particularly interesting; although others are wonderful.
Come on, tell me you know anyone who shoots 30/30 "wonderful" photos. Don't you think that your expectations are bit too high? And we never think "wow, those must have been made on film" because of the world shaped by Lightroom and Photoshop we live in as well as the amount of excellent shots created every day in the world. A truly excellent shot will defend itself even if made using cellphone. It doesn't mean though that film as such is a better medium for capturing life than digital.
the difference can only be appreciated when the proper medium is at hand. In the case of vinyl it will be a good pressed and good sounding vinyl, record player+amp+speaker combo, in image it will be a proper print. digital is catching though up in terms of resolution, and you can always apply tone curves and color profiles to make your image look 'analogue', as you have plugins that will give 'warmth' to the sound. we can always debate if digital has or hasn't yet reached that level of resolution either in audio, video or still image... but its pretty close nowadays.
I feel the same way. It seems to me that the love of film is due more to nostalgia than actual quality. I'm sure film-lovers will say that's not the case, but I'm just throwing my opinion out there.
Our expectations have indeed changed, though perhaps not for the better. I suppose you would have pounded that grain into submission with the noise reduction slider, turned down the saturation slider till the red blinkies went away, added a tone curve to get rid of some of that annoying contrast, and sharpened it up with some unsharp mask?
The beauty of film is that each one has it's own characteristics and quirks. Photographers call it the "look" of a film. Some are grainy, some are contrasty, some are colorful, and you choose the right look to match your artistic vision the way a sculptor would choose a block of marble to carve his masterpiece. And like a sculpture where the imperfections in color and texture in the rock contribute to the overall aesthetic of the work, so to does film grain add to the feel of an image.
I guess that's lost on some photographers these days.
The difference between past and present praxis is that more people now process their own digital photos than ever processed film. The nostalgic remembrance of glory days past is a feature of comments by film-lovers that has not always been borne out by reality. I've recently read an interview with a great exponent of landscape photography. When asked whether he had become a Photoshop expert (having of necessity converted to digital), he said he just told the technician how he wanted it to look - just as he had when he shot with Velvia.
I used to love Kodachrome 64 but I did switched to mainly Fujifilm Velvia 100 before the end of film arrived. This was mainly for the (almost) extra stop and being able to get it processed cheaper, quicker and not mounted. In the UK you could only really get Kodachrome processed by post by Kodak.
I'm sure the Kodachrome slides will outlast any of the E6 slides I have. Looking through my old film stuff it is amazing how little is worth scanning - but then I'm not Steve McCurry!
BTW: Think of the financial cost of nipping off to India with a few hundred rolls of Kodachrome. The business model of photography has changed sooo much.
The agony this photographer must have felt every time he squeezed off a shot from his VERY LAST roll careful to not waste a single frame. Now he knows to some degree the agony of the unwashed masses who had to buy their own film and shot so few keepers. Thank God for digital. That being said, these images while a tad "grainy" are beautiful.
I far much prefer 'grain' over ugly digital noise, color banding and all those artifacts. Something totally unnatural feeling, where that analogue grain really gives an image texture, and some 'luminous noise' is often nice to have. As much as modern digital is clean in good light, unless you're making a massive print, which no one does these days...
Of course it almost certainly was not in actuality the very last roll. There will be supplies in fridges here and there around the world for a while no doubt.
Only a litle over 8 minutes into this video and really enjoying it. Sad indeed, but paradigms do shift but fortunately memories will hold on. Thanks for sharing your experience with this wonderful yet now sad end of an era Steve. :)
I have to say, I'm moved to tears at the end. It's hard to let go of beautiful things, people, or an era. Great way to see it off Steve, excellent work.
(manually added) EXIF data would have been interesting. Especially ISO-value. Grain seems to be quite high in all shots. Dark areas miss detail. Sharpness could be better in modern standards.
The "feel" of the images is sure quite strong. Film camera increases "sadness" of the the subject.
Seeing these images, I miss old film ages less and less.
I very much enjoyed shooting this film. And my father shot dozens of rolls of it from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. Fortunately they all survived and look as brilliant as they did when they arrived in the mail after being processed in Palo Alto.
A photographer paying tribute to his "tool" of choice for such great moments in his career by shooting "the last roll" of Kodachrome could not be a more perfect final chapter for such a iconic image registering medium, one that even has the previous "honor" of having a song been written about it.
I love digital, but cannot but lament the dismissal of such a powerful photographic tool...I guess the tide of times just makes everything, sooner or later, obsolete, irrespective of its intrinsic and objective value.
It is also ironically sad while, at the same time, extremely reveling that he found fit to bring along his digital DSLR to test possible shots before actually expending the valuable Kodachrome frames.
Given that usually we take dozens, if not hundreds sometimes, of pictures, to get a few very good ones... I feel that having 36 out of 36 being a success, this was quite an achievement, that few of us could aspire to.
In this light, although I would have liked to see a wider range, subject wise, and geographically, on the last roll, I feel it was a nice closing. After all, the world is all about how it is seen, through various eyes. And those eyes, belong to the people.
A few nice shots.. but considering his reputation and ability to basically travel anywhere this series wasn't very inspiring or really made me appreciate kodachrome,, colors were not that great
Personally, I loved the vividness of fujifilm. There was something about it that I never experienced with any other film. Not intending to take anything away from Kodachrome - just saying.
Yeah go buy some Velvia, every camera store with a film cool I check out has packs of them... or buy 'miss' do you mean you don't have it in you to 'bother' with analogue? :/
I liked Velvia as well, although I used the 50. Reala was an excellent negative film as well.
While I liked them, I reluctantly have to say that digital gave me as much resolution and color that those did even in the 6mp days. But rolls of film will always hold a place dear in my heart.
Great video of a wonderful film and an incredible photographer. I began my photography with Kodachrome and loved the warm tones. This video is well done and I appreciate those who put it together. We have friends who have degrees in film history/production who have always known and used digital. I will be curious about their response to this video. Thank you for letting us know about it and sharing it.
Great Goodbye on the last roll, excellent shots all. I switched from Kodachrome to Fujichrome around 1984, but still can remember the Kodachrome's over-accented warm part of the spectrum. It was a pleasure to look at.
I did not find the photos on his Wordpress blog. Even your own link points to a gallery on his website instead, where these pictures have been available for ages. They are great of course but I fail to see what the news is.
Looks Great, but my last years of shooting slide film - I shot Fujichrome Provia 100F & not much of anything else. I personally think Fujichrome Blew Kodachrome away! ! I have a roll in my EOS-3 - probably been in the camera going on 2 years. I'll finish it some day this spring or summer.
A production copy of the Canon EOS R10, the company's newest entry-level APS-C mirrorless camera, has arrived in Canada. Chris tells you what you need to know, including how the R10 stacks up to the competition.
The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art has solid build quality, some useful functions and weighs less than you'd expect. Does it take pretty pictures though? We have the answers.
The Panasonic GH6 is the latest in the company's line of video-focused Micro Four Thirds cameras. It brings a new, 25MP sensor and 10-bit 4K capture at up to 120p. We've put it to the test, both in the studio and out in the field.
Is the MSI Creator Z17 the MacBook Pro competitor Windows users were hoping for? In our tests it delivers big performance and offers a few good reasons why you might choose a 12th-Gen Intel laptop over a Mac.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both speed and focus for capturing fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.
What's the best camera for shooting landscapes? High resolution, weather-sealed bodies and wide dynamic range are all important. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting landscapes, and recommended the best.
Most modern cameras will shoot video to one degree or another, but these are the ones we’d look at if you plan to shoot some video alongside your photos. We’ve chosen cameras that can take great photos and make it easy to get great looking video, rather than being the ones you’d choose as a committed videographer.
Although a lot of people only upload images to Instagram from their smartphones, the app is much more than just a mobile photography platform. In this guide we've chosen a selection of cameras that make it easy to shoot compelling lifestyle images, ideal for sharing on social media.
Our team at DPReview TV recently reviewed the new Canon EOS R10 mirrorless camera. Check out these sample photos shot while filming their review and let us know what you think of the R10's image quality.
A production copy of the Canon EOS R10, the company's newest entry-level APS-C mirrorless camera, has arrived in Canada. Chris tells you what you need to know, including how the R10 stacks up to the competition.
Photographer Mathieu Stern loves the strange and unusual. He also enjoys DIY projects. He combined these passions by turning a disposable camera lens into a cheap lens for his mirrorless camera.
Camera modifier and Polaroid enthusiast Jim Skelton wanted to use the affordable Instax Wide film but didn't want to use a cheap, ugly Instax 100 camera. He hacked together the Instax 100 and a stylish bellows-equipped Polaroid Model 455.
Autel has released firmware updates for its Lite+ and Nano+ drones. These include accessible flight logs, the ability to turn off voice notifications when using the Sky app and an increase the maximum flight distance.
CineD's new video tour and interview with Sigma's CEO Kazuto Yamaki offers fascinating insight into the building's design and Sigma's philosophy toward creating better imaging products. Yamaki-san also talks about Sigma's new F1.4 prime lenses, Sigma's Foveon sensor and the ongoing chip shortage.
We've shot and analyzed our studio test scene and find the X-H2S gives a performance very close to that of the X-T4, despite its high-speed Stacked CMOS sensor. There's a noise cost in the shadows, though, which impacts dynamic range.
The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art has solid build quality, some useful functions and weighs less than you'd expect. Does it take pretty pictures though? We have the answers.
The latest version of Sigma's 20mm F1.4 Art lens comes with substantial improvements, especially for astrophotography. Check out our gallery, including some astro images, to see how it performs!
Canon has partnered with Takara Tomy, the company behind Transformers, to release a run of Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera models that transform into Optimus Prime and a Decepticon.
Midwest Photo was robbed late last week after a stolen truck broke through the store's front entrance. The store is in the progress of recovering from the damage and stolen goods. Photographers should be on the lookout for any suspicious product listings online.
OM System Ambassador Peter Baumgarten visits the wetlands of central Florida to photograph birds with the OM-1. Travel with Peter to see how he shoots, and view some of the spectacular photos he captures along the way. (Includes sample gallery)
We go hands-on with Sigma's latest 'Digital Native' wide-angle lenses for L-mount and Sony E-mount cameras to see what features they have and what sets them apart from the rather limited competition.
Sony has announced in-camera forgery-proof photo technology for its a7 IV mirrorless camera. The technology, aimed at corporate users, cryptographically signs images in-camera to detect future pixel modification and tampering.
CRDBAG's CRDWALL is a thin, space-efficient storage solution that you mount on your wall. It uses tracks, cords and hooks to store your gear flat against the wall without hiding it from view.
The new Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art has a brand new optical formula designed for mirrorless cameras. Check out our sample gallery to see how sharp it is, as well as how it handles flare, chromatic aberrations and sunstars.
Sigma’s new 24mm F1.4 DG DN lens for L-mount and E-mount features a physical aperture ring that can be de-clicked, stepping motors with full support for Sony MF assist modes, a rear filter holder and more.
Sigma's new 20mm F1.4 DG DN lens for L-mount and E-mount offers a unique set of features for Astro and landscape photographers, including a rear filter holder, a Manual Focus Lock switch and a Lens Heater Retainer.
This behemoth uses the same 8K full-frame Vista Vision CMOS sensor found inside the standard V-RAPTOR, but adds an impressive I/O array, integrated ND filter and more to make it a production-ready rig.
Alfie Cameras is launching its Alfie TYCH next month on Kickstarter, but before then it needs beta testers to see how its triple lens half-frame camera performs.
NASA is preparing for a simulated Mars mission that will house four crew members in a module on Earth. The crew will remotely control drones and rovers to collect rock samples on a simulated Mars. Skypersonic, a remote control drone company, is supplying mission-critical technology as part of the mission.
Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have observed a neutron star merger in millimeter-wavelength light for the first time. The explosion created one of the most energetic short-duration gamma-ray bursts ever observed.
The Panasonic GH6 is the latest in the company's line of video-focused Micro Four Thirds cameras. It brings a new, 25MP sensor and 10-bit 4K capture at up to 120p. We've put it to the test, both in the studio and out in the field.
The Tamron Lens Utility Mobile app is set to launch later this year. The app will let you use your compatible Android device to control, customize and update compatible Tamron lenses without the need for a computer.
Comments