Griscom: A Kodak moment passes

For those of the 1970s, there was an affinity for Kodachrome, the color slide film produced by the Eastman Kodak Co.

Paul Simon immortalized the film in the words of his song by the same name.

But with time comes change, and the 1935-launched standard-bearer will pop in a camera for the last time later this year.

The film was known for filling the slots on family slide projectors with those Kodak moments that were emblematic of a slice of history, whether personal or broader in scope.

Known for its richness in color and tones, Kodachrome images were the best.

In his 1973 song, Simon captures the film’s richness, discarding the use of black and white as a colorless world.

“They give us those nice bright colors. They give us the greens of summers. Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day,” he sang. With the Kodak film in his Nikon camera, he pleads with his mother not to take his Kodachrome away.

The Eastman Kodak decision to stop production is based on financial realities and consumer preference.

Ten years ago as the fledgling Times and Free Press were working through merger pains, there was little or no interest in moving to digital cameras. The renovation of the newsroom at the local newspaper included the fixtures and sinks to mix chemicals and blot out light from the film-developing areas.

By the time the renovations were completed, the chemicals went the way of Kodachrome film: out the door.

Digital cameras replaced film cameras.

While costs dropped dramatically since one digital card easily replaced yellow and red Kodak film boxes, chemicals and a towel service, the quality of the photographs did not diminish.

The early digital cameras were heavier and the processors were not equivalent to today’s point-and-shoot devices. But the ability to have an instant image changed the news cycle.

Football games that required a photographer to shoot, develop and then ship were replaced by plugging a digital card into a computer-connected device and shipping the image within minutes instead of the previous hours required.

In the first year of the merged Times and Free Press, the Sunday edition had the best selection of fans in the stands because the printing schedule did not leave enough time to ship a game photograph from an evening University of Tennessee football game.

Digital images were fine for newspapers and even better for Web sites.

For purists the passing of Kodachrome is a Kodak moment.

But when was the last time you dusted off the slide projector and shared the family photos on a white screen using a photo carousel? Some of us remember those moments, but most probably do not.

We may have lost a little richness, but the capturing and sharing of images is much simpler.

And today when in the palm of your hand you are able to film high-definition video, take still photographs, record sound and listen to music on a single device, we have gone from Kodachrome to multi-connected.

To reach Tom Griscom, call 423-757-6472 or e-mail tgriscom@timesfreepress.com.