Paul Simon Kodachrome

İstanbul hosts the Last Roll of Kodachrome

When the production of Kodachrome film was discontinued in 2009; however, it wasn’t Simon’s mother or anyone else’s who had the honor of taking the last roll of Kodachrome away, but one of the vintage 35 mm slide film’s best servants, photojournalist Steve McCurry, whose stunning works have been gracing the glossy pages of the National Geographic magazine for close to three decades.

Most famous for his 1984 photograph “Afghan Girl,” a shot of a young Afghan refugee whose haunted, piercing green eyes continue to mesmerize a global audience to this day, McCurry was in İstanbul on Tuesday night for the glittering world premiere of his photography exhibition “The Last Roll of Kodachrome,” curated by Engin Özendes and sponsored by the Zaman daily, at İstanbul Modern.

Introduced by Kodak in 1936, the 35 mm Kodachrome slide film is considered an icon of imaging technology, a photography medium that was favored by amateur and professional photographers alike for the duration of its 73-year history. Just before production of Kodachrome ceased, Kodak decided to bequeath the last roll of film to Magnum Photography, McCurry’s agency, and he would be given the task of a laying vibrant chapter in 20th-century photography to rest.

McCurry, who has produced an archive of over 800 Kodachrome frames over the past 30 years, took the final roll of film on a six-week journey of over 30,000 kilometers, from New York to India to Turkey and back to America, where he placed 36 slides representing the last frames of Kodachrome film ever made on the counter at Dwayne’s Photo Service in Parsons, Kansas, the only photo lab still able to process the film after its production was discontinued.

“What I loved about Kodachrome,” McCurry explained in a press statement, “was how it kept its color. The colors are sublime, a rich and poetic look, but not garish or cartoonish. It was the best reflection of reality and always true to what you were shooting. This is why when I realized that the end was in sight, I wanted to write that last chapter in the Kodachrome book.”

Inserting a roll of Kodachrome into his camera for the last time, McCurry recalls, was a strange and nostalgic sensation. “Having done it so many thousands of times, it’s like second nature to me, so it was strange to know this would be the last time.

Blog Archive » Early birds show up for rummage sales in Aberdeen

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Sitting at Texas Roadhouse with a cold beer, Darla Scarlett will eat a lot of peanuts.

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Why is it that Java has five residents, yet everyone in Aberdeen comes from Java?

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A lot of us are shocked that Mike Ferguson isn’t familiar with Stacy Ferguson, aka Fergie. *         *         *

People read this blog only to see if their names are mentioned.

That’s true even of Will Elkins, a local videographer who has a vast knowledge of music. Next time you see him, ask him to sing “Rubberband Man.”

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The last couple of years, everything was “random.”

Now young people say everything is “awkward.”

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Those little bicycle cars got a lot of attention as they drove through the area.

People all over were calling the newspaper to tell us about it. *         *         *

I’m going to Deadwood later this month. I can’t stop thinking about the doughnut I’m going to buy at Wall Drug.

Scott Waltman, 40, tells me they’re great, and he’s never lied to me.

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Why do fast-food places put sugar and cream in your coffee for you? I’d rather do it myself.

Then they spend 20 minutes struggling to put the lid on right. Give me my coffee and let me get going. I don’t even want the lid.

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Carlos Zambrano has hit 23 career home runs. Why is that noteworthy? He’s a pitcher.

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Those University of Farmers commercials are boring and stupid.

In the battle to attract young customers, they’re trying to compete with Geiko’s clever ads.

So they hire a spokesman who looks like everybody’s father, or teacher. I don’t think customers are attracted by dullness.

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After seven years,  ”Masterpiece” finally has a corporate sponsor. It will be Viking River Cruises. Exxon Mobil pulled out in 2004.

Don’t tell anybody, but I’m thinking about taking my wife on a Viking River Cruise.

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