The Writing on the Wall

“When I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder
I can think at all
And though my lack of education
Hasn't hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall”

In case you were living in a cave or completely missed the 1970s, those lyrics belong to Paul Simon—Mama, Don’t Take My Kodachrome Away. Kodachrome was discontinued in 2009. Just two years later, the writing may be on the wall for this photography giant. Kodak is apparently days away from filing for bankruptcy.

There is little doubt that George Eastman made photography what it is today. When Kodak’s founder set out to create a dry plate process for photography, meaning that photography plates could be made ahead of time instead of right before a photo was taken, this high-school dropout endeavored to make photography easier. And when he developed flexible rolled film emulsions to replace glass plates, professionals balked at the innovation. He realized that to be successful, he had to take his film to the masses. "The idea gradually dawned on me," Eastman said, "that what we were doing was not merely making dry plates, but that we were starting out to make photography an everyday affair… to make the camera as convenient as the pencil."

Kodak—George Eastman made up the name because he liked the letter “K”—went on to put cameras in the hands of virtually everyone and create the concept of the snapshot. Kodak ads touted the idea of capturing family happenings, making nostalgia by easily photographing moments. The first Kodak camera was manufactured in 1888. It was fixed focus and held 100 exposures. The Brownie was released in 1900. In 1935, Kodachrome was introduced. Tri-X, the classic fast black and white film was released in 1940. And how ironic is it that in 1970, an engineer working for Kodak invented the digital camera.

The decline of Kodak likely started with the emergence of Fuji. Velvia cut into the Kodachrome market. Polaroid took a sizeable chunk, too. But Kodak’s Waterloo was the failure to consistently embrace digital technology. Despite leading in digital sales around the year 2000, Kodak could never translate the success of film into digital success. At one point, the company supposedly lost $60 for every digital camera it sold. In 2009, the company announced it would end the sales of Kodachrome. Noted National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry famously shot the last roll of Kodachrome produced in 2010 and it was processed by Dwayne’s Photo in Kansas. In December of 2010, the S&P500 dropped Kodak. By the summer of 2011, Kodak stock had dropped to $.54 a share. The company is currently trying to sell off a large collection of patents to generate enough cash to keep afloat while considering bankruptcy options.

Faced with a debilitating spinal condition, George Eastman died by his own hand in 1932 at the age of 77. It could be said that by failing to capitalize on digital imaging, his company did much the same.

“Kodachrome
You give us those nice bright colors
You give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah!
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away” – Paul Simon