For someone rooted in the last half of the 20th century it seems somewhat inconceivable to me that Kodak is on its deathbed. Over the last 50 years it was a part of my personal and at times my professional life. Somehow the company didn't get that the magic it introduced into our lives during the 20th century would be inexorably replaced by the digital wizardry that unfolded in the 21st.As a kid it was a milestone when you were allowed to take pictures. When I was given permission to get a roll of B&W film for my mom's old Brownie camera and take some shots I was on top of the world that afternoon. Friends were eager to mug for the camera, pets were coerced into poses, and before I knew it my 8 shots were done. And even the parental critique of my work ("Why did you take a picture of the sidewalk?") failed to dim the desire to get that next roll of film with my allowance. I was hooked on this new hobby.
Soon I graduated to one of Kodak's best innovations, the Instamatic camera with the
revolutionary flash cube that could let you take four indoor shots in quick succession. That camera really epitomizes the genius of the company and its ability to remove the obstacles to anyone creating their own 'Kodak moments'. The film cartridge was idiot proof - it would only fit in the camera one way, and there were no worries as to whether you had engaged the film leader. Its fixed focus lens worked well, almost always giving you a picture in focus. The film advanced in such a way that you could not take a double exposure. The camera was a staple of prom night, Ocean City vacations, Christmas, and any other family occasion.I got my first 'real' camera, a used Minolta 35mm, for Christmas of 1967. That was the same year that I got my first 'real' telescope. The synergy of the two things ignited my desire to master film and soon ASA ratings, Wratten filters, f/ stops, and more entered my vocabulary. The small closet in the basement became a dark room where I'd work for hours to tease out the best details from my shots of the Moon, Jupiter, and star fields. A trip to the camera store ignited an excitement in the soul as I'd contemplate what roll of film or what developer to use for my next round of celestial photography. And through all my endeavors Kodak was my trusted partner.
When I joined CareFirst's Document Management team I found Kodak was there as my partner as well, this time as the maker of high speed scanners that captured insurance claims for our workflow. The magic was still alive, creating a machine that could turn out in a split second a legible image of an insurance form which we could then electronically forward to the keyers. Even more importantly they were there as our workflow application vendor as Eastman. They gave us the tools to allow us to apply virtual post-it notes to a claim and forward it to someone for review.
I guess in the end Kodak did not understand just how much the dawn of the digital age was causing the earth to shift beneath their feet. The company clearly had competency in digital imaging but must not have had the conviction that it was where the future lie. They certainly also had the ability be an innovator in content management, but others took the lead away from them. In the end they instead become the most recent poster child for what happens to you when you cannot adapt to change.
