Kodak
I could do it with my eyes closed: reach into my vest pocket, grab a film canister, and pop the top. The back of the camera would make a low snap sound as it opened. I would slide in a roll and close the back. Over the years I’ve done it thousands of times. But I still remember the first time I shot Kodachrome 64. I used the paper mailer that came with the film that had processing included in the price. It took more than a week to get the finished slides back in the little town I lived in. The film was processed at the Kodak Plant at 3500 Eglinton Ave.
A few years later I started to shoot Kodachrome 25. Nothing could touch it at that time. The colour and sharpness were stunning. If you could get a good shot on K25, you really had something.
When Fuji Velvia came around, Kodochrome no longer ruled the transparency world, although my images shot on K25 and K64 continue to sell to this day.
Some friends and I visited the old Kodak site recently. The huge complex at one time employed 1600 people. The only building left standing is building number 9. This was the Employees’ Building. Kodak must have been a great place to work back when it was in full swing. (Click here and view page 5 of the City of Toronto report to see what the building used to look like) The City of Toronto suggested the building be designated as a historical building. I’m not sure where that stands but the building is in very bad shape.
It’s a very spooky place to photograph. The textures and wreckage are so interesting; however it’s not somewhere I would like to be at night.
I shot many of my images for HDR since there was very low light in many of the rooms.
Wandering around, there are so many interesting images, sad but interesting.
There are still some hints of what this place was. An old print dryer sits in disrepair.
There are also signs of human habitation on every floor. I was expecting to run into someone as I walked around. Thankfully I did not!
A few years later I started to shoot Kodachrome 25. Nothing could touch it at that time. The colour and sharpness were stunning. If you could get a good shot on K25, you really had something.
Ships in Toronto Harbour on Kodachrome 25"
When Fuji Velvia came around, Kodochrome no longer ruled the transparency world, although my images shot on K25 and K64 continue to sell to this day.
Some friends and I visited the old Kodak site recently. The huge complex at one time employed 1600 people. The only building left standing is building number 9. This was the Employees’ Building. Kodak must have been a great place to work back when it was in full swing. (Click here and view page 5 of the City of Toronto report to see what the building used to look like) The City of Toronto suggested the building be designated as a historical building. I’m not sure where that stands but the building is in very bad shape.
It’s a very spooky place to photograph. The textures and wreckage are so interesting; however it’s not somewhere I would like to be at night.
I shot many of my images for HDR since there was very low light in many of the rooms.
Wandering around, there are so many interesting images, sad but interesting.
There are still some hints of what this place was. An old print dryer sits in disrepair.
There are also signs of human habitation on every floor. I was expecting to run into someone as I walked around. Thankfully I did not!
Labels: Building No 9, Employees' Building, HDR, Kodak, urban exploration
posted by Ron Erwin at
15:38
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