Yesterday I sent off my last roll of Kodachrome to be developed to the last place in the country that does it\u2013\u2013and which will cease doing this process the end of this month.\u00a0 In truth I thought I had sent it all in a few months ago.\u00a0 The results\u2013\u2013eight rolls\u2013\u2013were stunning!\u00a0 But a ninth roll had slipped away from the corner of the desk where I was collecting them, and so, if I am to see what I photographed in all its brilliant color, I had to hurry and send it, along with a few rolls of Ektachrome and some color print film.\u00a0 Dwayne\u2019s Photo in Parsons, Kansas, does it all, but there will never be another wonder like Kodachrome with its richness, depth, and contrast.<\/p>\n
Those last rolls I sent in included some great subjects.\u00a0 Of course there are abundant shots of my beloved Lake Michigan and several Carnegie libraries around the state where I have been peddling my recent book on Indiana state parks.\u00a0 But perhaps the most magnificent slides are those of Niagara Falls. \u00a0 Serendipity brought me the opportunity to visit the Falls three times in the last two years. \u00a0 Part of the Great Lakes system that sings to my soul, Niagara is to me one of the most spiritual places on earth.\u00a0 I had the good fortune twice to visit during March, when few people are there to mill around the overlook and ask in ten languages \u201cshould I use my flash?\u201d\u00a0 (I was also there in August.\u00a0 Niagara is a must-see for many foreign visitors.\u00a0 Many.)\u00a0 New York state expects these visitors to be sensible, and I am grateful.\u00a0 No huge barriers obstruct the view.\u00a0 From Goat Island one actually could wade right into the water atop the Falls (not recommended unless suicide is your goal.) \u00a0 The roar, which one can hear several blocks away, is hypnotic.\u00a0 The ground vibrates.\u00a0 Looking at these slides, it appears I was hanging right over the Falls.\u00a0 (Well, I was.) \u00a0 What better subject for my last Kodachrome?\u00a0 Some of these will be in my photography show at the Plainfield (Indiana) Public Library next June.<\/p>\n
All these musings may be a mystery to many.\u00a0 Film?\u00a0 What, haven\u2019t I gone digital yet?\u00a0 No, and thanks to those good folks in Kansas, I can continue for some time to shoot real slides (although alas, not Kodachrome) that I will share by means of real projectors, so that the light shining through brings forth \u201cthose nice bright colors\u201d that Paul Simon sang about so long ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yesterday I sent off my last roll of Kodachrome to be developed to the last place in the country that does it\u2013\u2013and which will cease doing this process the end of this month.\u00a0 In truth I thought I had sent … Continue reading