Kodachrome Cars. Slideshow of Mid Century America

Now, I'm not a photographer by any means, but I know what I like in a photograph. From the mid 30s through the early 60s, the original Kodachrome 35mm was the best mass market color film out there. Black and white photos have their own language, but ... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.

 

I love the old Kodachrome pics!!! Replicating this in photoshop would really take a good study to see what colors were more saturated then the others. THe blues in the sky were almost a Periwinkle color (yeah I said it) the greens on the grass we desaturated a bit in some and the maroons were over saturated. It also almost has a warm tone to some of them and are over contrasted compared to today's stuff.

They look great and would love to set up an action in photoshop to instantaneously turn my pictures into pure gold!

 

I was thinking of photography and darkroom time yesterday, Carla and I studied photography in college from the renowned F. Klock. This was at the dawn of the digital era 20 years ago. I was thinking how I missed those magic moments as an image reveals its self on paper, the smell of the chemicals................

 

My Uncle Frank was the Photog in the family and he liked Ford cars (read Shoebox), Argus 35mm and Kodachome. There are stacks of carosels still at the old ranch house.

 

Kodachrome is just timeless.

I know what I like and don't like in a pic too. I think most people today snap a photo remember a place they were, and that's about it. No thought goes into it other than that. I try to remove (in frame...not photoshop) modern elements, and such. No one needs to see a porta shitter in the background, some fat dude inhaling a chili dog or bending over, or a blinged out Escalade on dubs behind the subject being shot. All you gotta do is wait, or move the camera a little. That little square on the back of camera shows you exactly what's gonna be in the pic!!!

That said......it will never still be kodachrome.

 

Coby reading that I guess explains why I never seen GNRS pics from you.....unless you get in there at night before the show. It's almost impossible to remove that dude with the chilly dog at that show....he's everywhere!!!

 

I love that about your work Coby. A thing I have always strived to do. I will wait for 20 30 minutes sometimes for all things in a back ground to "Line Up" I am by no means a professional but there a certain things I look for and look to recreate in photos.

I love the "Creamyness" in the Kodachrome. almost a blurry feeling but not if you know what I mean. a certain haze that is just amazing and raw.

I cant wait to see where this thread goes....

Eric

 

I have lost many an afternoon looking at the Library of Congress photo's in Kodachrome. There is something about the colors that you can almost feel, so unlike anything else.

 

I bought my one and only "fancy" camera back in 1975 when I got to my permanent duty station in the USAF. I bought a Canon FTB 35mm SLR. Still got it. No, that's not exactly correct. I should say it's still in the family. My sister, the artist, owns it now. Before that my Dad owned it. He got a couple of different lenses for it while he had it. When I owned it I took pictures of everything. Played around. Tried strange things. Explored all the different functions and features. I was an enthusiastic amateur. Had a blast. I still have a lot of those pics. I guess my point is that those pics taken with that camera are as good if not better than the digital stuff today and Kodachrome was what I used. That camera is still taking high quality pics 35 years later, with no end in sight.

Thanks for putting up with my ramble! Have A Great Day!

 

My archived 35mm pictures are starting to get a little yellow when I turn them to photo paper.

 

"They have a warmth and innocence to them." Exactly. Kodachrome photos are so comforting. I wish I knew about film cameras in general, and more so how to use one. I should probably read a book or two... sheesh. Awesome article, love the photos.

 

Check out the Desert Sand tan 57, with the old man and the young boy in the original photos, namely the A pillar....that preforated metal column sticking vertically out of the side mirror.

what is that for?

 

Kodachrome,,, unbelievable quality,,, I am always taken back buy the quality of life seen thru kodachrome pictures
too bad Eastam Kodak could not keep it around

 

Good eye! That's a 'JC Whitney-type' accessory often called a "wind wing". Basically, it broke up the air coming into a rolled down window at high speed, so you didn't get blasted out...

 

i love 'em too.... here's a few of my fav's:
one of my dad in the early 60's as a kid, and two pics of my dad on his Honda Dream- one with my uncle kevin on the back and the other with my mom on the back when they were in high school or just out of high school.

 

You can't beat the colors of the old Kodachrome film. The very last roll of Kodachrome ever produced by Kodak was given to world famous photographer Steve McCurry. That roll of film was processed a couple of months ago. Nice story here.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/02/tech/main6736889.shtml

 

"Chrome" pic's look bitchen. Check out more on Hemi32's Fremont Drag Strip ... PICS from 1964!!! thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=475215

 

I love the way reds look too. there is that creamyness that I talk about. it just flows and blends and doesnt need to be perfectly contrasty and crisp.

 

Excellent story link to the last kodachrome roll feature.....very cool. I like the last couple of sentences, I relate to his thought on that.

 

Kodachrome rocks some Ken Crawford pics

 

Killer stuff Jimmy B.

 

Jive-Bomber Jay -

Cool post!

I loves me some Kodachromes! ... and since you posted that Bryan Adam's "Summer Of '69" video in my ANDY's 3rd Annual PICNIC - July 1969 ... {Kodachrome} PICS!!! thread, I'd be remiss if I didn't post this video in your thread:

<object width="660" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SExsuRIGAlg?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;color1=0xe1600f&amp;color2=0xfebd01&amp;border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SExsuRIGAlg?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;color1=0xe1600f&amp;color2=0xfebd01&amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="525"></embed></object>

 

autobilly - Thanks for the "plug" ... but I must point out that the pic you used as an example was actually shot using KODAK Ektachrome film ... though all of the 35mm slides posted in that thread were indeed shot using KODAK Kodachrome film.

 

It's sad I never realized what that Paul Simon song was about il now. Really pathetic actually!

Killer pics though guys!

 

great post,the kodachrome has a timeless quality and a sharpness that you only find in digital,it was a great way to take pics and it ages well.

 

You got something against porta shitters Coby ? Photo by BadBob

 

Wow, how young is the Snake in this one?

 

One of the things I have done with some of my dad's old slides is to color correct them. Usually, the slides go "warm," meaning they get more red and yellow or less blue and green, depending how you look at it. By adjusting the color temperature a bit "colder" (blue), many of them look like they were shot yesterday. Try it!

 

Sorry, Farmer, but the bike in the pic is a 305 Scrambler, not the Dream. Had one of each, we called the Dream the "Nightmare" because it would haul ass, but never stop.
Anyway, the Scrambler was much cooler anyway, until I figured out that the extension pipes from my Mother's Electrolux vaccum cleaner would slide right on in place of the muffler, and had a bad assed sound! Pretty sure she would have gotten arrested these days for the ass-whoopin' I got when she figured out where they'd gone.............
Thanks for posting, Man that pic brings back some memories....... jb

 

Coby, since Bob is the guy in the porta shitter, I will be the fat dude inhaling the chili dog....oh hell, Johnny Sparkle and I ARE chili dogs.