I have a bit of an obsession with old photography, and I particularly love pretty much anything cross-processed. I've never chemically developed a photo myself, which is maybe sacrilege, but I enjoy trying to re-create the look of old pictures, and the processes that created them, in Photoshop.
Our
"Claremont" shoot was one such project. I wanted the photos to look like they came from the late 30s/early 40s, without being too Instagram. Naturally, the best thing to do is refer back to the real thing, original vintage Kodachromes.
Kodachrome was one of the first successful color films available, produced by Eastman Kodak starting in 1935. It was a favorite of professional photographers for periodicals like Life and Time, but due to the skill required to develop it, Kodachrome was discontinued in 2009, much to the chagrin of the traditional photography community.
There's a particular quality to these old photos that I find incredibly appealing. The color, both bold and desaturate at the same time; the grain, the lighting; of course, the subject matter. Looking at my
photos from the other day, versus these, now I think I didn't do a very good job!
If you are interested in old photos, I highly recommend
Shorpy.com
If you want to learn more about Kodachrome,
click here.
