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.

Black Bear on Kodachrome 64 - Click to view larger image

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.

Kodak Building No. 9 in 2009 - click to view larger image

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.

Staircase, Kodak Employees' Building - Click to see larger image

I shot many of my images for HDR since there was very low light in many of the rooms.

HDR inside Kodak Building No. 9 - click for larger

Wandering around, there are so many interesting images, sad but interesting.

HDR inside Kodak Building No. 9 - click for larger

There are still some hints of what this place was. An old print dryer sits in disrepair.

Old Kodak Print Dryer - click for larger view

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!

Inside Kodak #9 Panoramic - click for larger view

Click each image above for larger view

Kodachrome mounted staircase - click for larger view

HDR Images - Pushing the Limits

An HDR image makes me feel like I did when I first shot Fuji Velvia, a very saturated slide film. So I’m not sure what to think about HDR. I know I was wrong about Velvia. I didn’t really like the film's exaggerated colour and saturation. Of course I did change from Kodachrome 25 to Velvia 50 and shot it for years. My images from those days continue to sell. It must be a fatal flaw of my character to be cautious. I felt the same way when landscape photographers started to use lots of filters. Of course I adopted that habit too!

I have been seeing HDR images published for some time now. HDR (High Dynamic Range) images are the combination of several images shot at different exposures and then combined with the help of a computer program.

The effects can be very dramatic. Here is an example of an image I shot this summer:
Here is the same image prepped as an HDR image:
Some people love the look some people hate it. I’m somewhere in-between.

Here is another example. This is a photo of my former neighbour and family friend, Herb. I wanted to take a simple portrait of Herb and got this image about halfway though the session.
Here is the same image as a colour HDR:
I always have the feeling I have gone way too far with these images. Maybe I have but it’s always fun to push things a bit. I love to experiment and play. What do you think?
I didn’t like some of my best friends when I first met them. When you first see something new, do you automatically reject it? I love to just stare at a Jackson Pollock painting. I can just imagine what he thought the first time he “threw” paint on a canvas. The Group of Seven went through a lot of criticism when they were painting because it was a departure from the norm of the day. They pushed the limits of what was acceptable and what was “art”.

I think most people resist change in most areas of their lives. This inertia can be very good and healthy if you have a tendency to try new things that are harmful. But I wonder, what are we missing? What great creative ideas am I suppressing because of fear of what others will think? “Play it safe” I hear the little voices in my head say.

A high school teacher once said to me, “Think of an artist as someone who pushes the norm, someone we expect to reach further and further out on a limb. Yes, they will eventually fall. But only they will know how far you can go.”