Kodak to Stop Making Black-and-White Paper

What a sad sad world! As young aspiring photographers we started our exploration of the photographic world with black and white printing, using Kodak's line of B&W products as a staple. But not any more... I didn't think that I would see this in my lifetime - well, at least I was still holding onto my dream of having my own darkroom where I could hide away for days at a time printing colossal B&W prints.

I'm not even really a fan of digital. The thing is, I would much prefer to be shooting film, but realistically, I just can't afford it right now. With my Canon 10D, my photos always come out looking about the same. I have no flexibility in choosing a certain look by using different film stock according to what I need. I have to do it all in post, which is just not the same. Adding grain in Photoshop is not the same as using 3200 speed film pushed to 6400. And no digital will ever have the classic look of Tri-X.

And yes, digital printing is much easier, but I remember the first time I ever stepped foot into a darkroom. The darkness that was highlighted by a glint of red. The brown chemical stains that were left behind on my school uniform that marked me as being a photographer. I loved printing. The darkroom is where I fell in love with photography... And I pray that the other paper manufacturers won't follow Kodak's example and stop making their papers.

NOTE TO KODAK: Don't you DARE think about getting rid of the Tri-X and 3200 films! Or else we'll be having words...

Thursday, June 16, 2005
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Ending a century-old tradition, Eastman Kodak Co. (EK) will soon stop making black-and-white photographic paper, a niche product for fine-art photographers and hobbyists that is rapidly being supplanted by digital-imaging systems.
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