The other day, my daughter picked up one of my film cameras, a Nikon F90x, and pretended to take photos with it. I told her that when she gets older, I would develop her love for the darkroom.

I loved shooting film. The entire process fascinated me. From the lens to the film to the paper, I was in control. Although my workflow is entirely digital now, I still miss those days and hope to, very soon, return to those days.

I actually have an “almost complete” darkroom set at home right now. I say “almost” because I need a few more pieces to complete it: a neck for my enlarger, a timer, and a safe lamp. I’ve been scoping out craigslist for a while now, and I hope to get my set complete soon, considering how hard it is to get stuff for film these days. Film is slowly becoming extinct

Another sign of extinction is the announcement and articles about the end of the line for another long-standing and well-respected film: Kodachrome. I’ve been following some articles on the story:

Wikipedia on Kodachrome

Kodak’s discontinuance notice

A Tribute to Kodachrome

RIP Kodachrome

The End of an Era:1935-2010 (Steve McCurry, shooter of the last Kodachrome roll of film ever made)

I’ll have to admit, I wasn’t much of a Kodachrome user. I like Ilford, myself, but it does sadden me a bit that the future of film looks bleak. Nevertheless, this 2011, I’m going to finish off my darkroom collection and keep shooting and developing my photos. And, I will pass my love for the darkroom to my kids, and will continue to keep film going with my family until the last roll of film is sold!

Film isn’t dead — yet!