Digital 1, Film 0 (But Paul Simon's the real winner here)

This photo's not Kodachrome, but it was taken with actual film.

Kodak announced today that it would be retiring Kodachrome, the company's oldest film stock, due to the growing prevalence of digital photography.

While I personally love using old school film, I find myself relying on my digital camera more and more. It's quick, convenient, and less expensive. But something about it also feels a bit impersonal. There's just something special about holding an actual physical photo; it's like touching a piece of the past. You just can't get that feeling from a digital file, even if you don't mind fingerprints on your computer screen. (Be honest, how many of your digital files actually get printed?)

Digital also makes it entirely too easy to destroy any photo that is remotely unflattering. Sure, you're Facebook profile may be full of lovely posed shots, but where's the spontaneity? Where's the fun? Film preserves the moments of our lives where we are most ourselves, even if we don't always look our best.

So am I ready to throw out my USB cord and step back to the pre-digital era? Nope. But I will continue to use traditional film. I may even use it more than I normally would. This truly is a "if you don't use it, you'll lose it" situation. Just ask Polaroid enthusiasts.

So what's Paul Simon got to do with all this? In case you didn't know, in 1973 Simon released a little ditty titled "Kodachrome," which celebrated the "nice, bright colors" produced by the film. You'll likely hear it or see it quoted in every news story about Kodak's decision to discontinue the Kodachrome brand (I heard it twice this evening, once each on the CBS and ABC evening newscasts). Still, I'll post a video of the complete song because it is pretty awesome (starts at the 13 second mark):