My First Roll of Kodak Film

31-July-2025 - Veghel - For the past week, I've been busy with recycling my analog camera gear. This led me to watching the 2017 Netflix film Kodachrome (TV-MA) a couple of evenings ago. Yesterday, I watched the 30-min documentary National Geographic: The Last Roll of Kodachrome, chronicling how Steve McCurry shot the last ever roll of Kodachrome. These movies brought back memories of my first roll of Kodak film.

In 1972, I was stationed in Turkey, serving with the US Air Force. It was a time when Turkey was under martial law. After emptying  out my checking account to buy a Minolta SR-T 101 with a 58 mm f1.4 lens, I somehow still had enough money to buy a roll of film. I started off with Kodak color negative film. These are the first pictures I shot with my new camera. This photo shows a woman with a heavy load--I felt that time had stood still for 80 years.

PA005_first_roll_of_kodak_film_ankara_1972-03 (12)

1.     Rushing Into the Future. The sign reads, “Ne mutlu Türküm diyene – Atatürk”. Happy is the one who says, “I am a Turk”.

2.      Heavy Load

3.      On Duty

4.      Water Tower Warning

5.      Patrolling the Streets

6.      Early Takeoff from Esenboğa

7.      Anatolian Sunrise

8.      Dormitory Art

9.      Lunchtime Football Match

10.   Old Reliable

11.   Waiting to Open the Bar

12.   Essentials Only