The End of Kodachrome
The End of Kodachrome
It's the end of an era for Kodachrome as the last lab on the planet to process the film stops developing it for good.
At the peak, there were about 25 labs worldwide that processed Kodachrome, but the last Kodak-run facility in the United States closed several years ago, then the one in Japan and then the one in Switzerland. Since then, all that was left has been Dwayne’s Photo. Last year, Kodak stopped producing the chemicals needed to develop the film, providing the business with enough to continue processing through the end of 2010. And last week, right on schedule, the lab opened up the last canister of blue dye.
Discover the story behind the end of Kodachrome over at the New York Times' story For Kodachrome Fans, Road Ends at Photo Lab in Kansas. When Kodak stopped producing the film last year, they gave the last roll to renowned photographer Steve McCurry. See some of his frames on his blog.