To celebrate World Photography Day, we take a trip to the Kodak Visitor Centre, where every picture tells a story.
World Photography Day, observed on August 19th, is a global homage to the extraordinary art of photography.
When it comes to pioneering mass-market amateur photography, one brand stands out—an iconic name that holds a special place in my heart: the Eastman Kodak Company, more commonly known as Kodak.
Like countless others, my photographic journey began with Kodak cameras. The ritual of sending film to the chemist for development, only to experience a blend of excitement and often disappointment upon retrieving and organising the prints into albums, is a pastime unfamiliar to most under 30. I love taking pictures, but I've never been an expert. Today, I can shoot hundreds of images in mere hours with my smartphone, having traded my bulky DSLR for a sleek device that fits snugly in my pocket. While I may not be vying for photography awards, digital advancements have transformed my approach to preserving memories. Nostalgia for the days of receiving 24 overexposed, out-of-focus photos, often featuring the dreaded red eyes, has long faded.
The evolution of technology and changing consumer habits have undeniably impacted Kodak. The rise of digital photography brought significant financial challenges, prompting Kodak to pivot its strategy. However, with a renewed interest in vintage technologies—LPs, instant film, and disposable cameras—and a resurgence in film's appeal among top directors, the future holds intriguing possibilities.
With eager anticipation, I journeyed to Rochester, New York—a city inextricably linked with Kodak's legacy. Rochester is home to two Kodak experiences: the brand’s modest visitor centre at the Kodak Centre entertainment venue and the independent George Eastman Museum, located at the founder’s former residence. The museum houses one of the world’s most esteemed collections of photography and film.
Kodak revolutionised our visual world, creating enduring "Kodak moments" that will forever resonate with many of us.
The brand history
Kodak was established in 1888 by George Eastman, an American innovator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who transformed the world of photography by making it accessible to the masses.
Before Kodak, photography was a complex and expensive process requiring significant expertise. Eastman, introduced the first roll film and Kodak camera, sold with the slogan, "You press the button, we do the rest."
The immediate triumph of the camera prompted Eastman to change the name of his company from Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company to Eastman Kodak Company in 1892. Kodak was a word Eastman created.
"The letter "K" had been a favorite with me - it seems a strong, incisive sort of letter. It became a question of trying out a great number of combinations of letters that made words starting and ending with 'K.' The word 'Kodak' is the result." (George Eastman)
The first Kodak camera allowed anyone to take photographs and have them developed by sending the camera back to the company, which would return the prints along with the reloaded camera. This ease of use democratised photography, and made Kodak a household name.
Throughout the 20th century, Kodak reigned supreme in the photography industry, capturing an impressive 90% of the film market in the US. The introduction of the Brownie camera in 1900 was a game-changer, making photography even more accessible. As Kodak ventured into motion picture film, it played a pivotal role in Hollywood's golden age. The company's innovations in colour film, particularly the launch of Kodachrome in 1935, solidified its reputation as a trailblazer in the field.
To meet the soaring demand for Kodak's photographic and film products, Kodak Park was established. Spanning 1,300 acres, it became the world's largest photographic manufacturing facility, employing over 15,000 people and cementing Kodak's industrial dominance.
Up to the mid 1970’s everyone used Kodak. The brand’s iconic yellow Kodacolor film boxes, budget cameras and slogan, "Kodak moments," became ingrained in popular culture.
However, the 1980s ushered in a new era of competition as Japanese brands rapidly expanded their market share. Kodak, despite its historic dominance, stumbled by failing to produce its own video camcorder and arriving late to the instant photography scene. The company underestimated the impact of emerging digital technologies. While competitors like Fuji and Canon adapted swiftly, Kodak lagged behind. Though Kodak had pioneered the first digital camera in 1975, it hesitated to embrace the digital revolution, fearing it would undermine its lucrative film business.
By 2012, Kodak's struggles culminated in bankruptcy, marking the close of a significant chapter. During the bankruptcy proceedings, Kodak sold a substantial portfolio of patents for approximately $525 million to a consortium of technology giants, including Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, Adobe Systems, and HTC, through Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation.
The company emerged from bankruptcy and shifted its focus to digital imaging, advanced commercial print and chemicals. Products now include pharmaceutical work, X-ray films, fabric coatings, antimicrobial materials, plus film used to manufacture printed circuit boards. They are still innovating and filing new patents.
The company continues to supply film to the motion picture industry after signing new agreements with major studios. At the end of 2016, Kodak reported its first annual profit since bankruptcy. Kodak posted 2023 figures that recorded improvements in profitability despite a drop in sales. Sales in 2023 were $1.117bn (£878m), down 7%. However, gross profit margins were up from 14% to 19%, and operational EBITDA jumped to $45m, up 150%.
"After almost five years of executing our plan, we saw our efforts start to come to fruition in 2023, delivering year-over-year improvements in gross profit and Operational EBITDA and building a strong foundation for growth. Our recent progress has been the result of our ability to adapt to difficult business conditions and our commitment to executing our long-term plan: investing in innovation, improving efficiency and helping our customers stay productive and profitable." (Jim Continenza, Kodak’s Executive Chairman and CEO, Kodak Press Release May 14, 2024)
Kodak's success generated millions for its founder, George Eastman, much of which he generously donated, often anonymously. Over his lifetime, Eastman contributed more than $100 million to a variety of causes, including educational and cultural institutions, medical schools, hospitals, and dental clinics. His philanthropy was instrumental in the establishment of the University of Rochester and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and he emerged as the largest U.S. benefactor supporting the education of African Americans in the 1920s. Further insights into George Eastman's remarkable legacy will be explored in an upcoming guide to the Eastman Museum in Rochester.
Kodak and Rochester
Rochester, once a Rust Belt stronghold, owes much of its prosperity to the fertile Genesee River valley, which spurred the rise of numerous flour mills. The city's transformation into a booming metropolis was accelerated by the completion of the Erie Canal, an engineering marvel that connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The 96-foot-tall High Falls powered the mills and factories that proliferated throughout the city, propelling Rochester to become the world’s largest producer of baking flour—so renowned that it even graced Queen Victoria’s kitchen.
Today, Rochester's economy continues to be driven by technology and education, with notable companies such as Xerox, Bausch & Lomb, and Western Union originating from the city. Yet, it is Kodak that has indelibly shaped Rochester's skyline. The Kodak Tower, a striking 19-story French Renaissance-style edifice adorned with a neon KODAK sign, has served as the company's headquarters since 1914, symbolising Kodak's enduring influence on the city.
Kodak Park, the brand's manufacturing hub, was renamed Eastman Business Park. The brand sold off a number of large assets after the company's bankruptcy and rents out buildings to over 100 companies from around the world. The site remains a centre for manufacturing plants producing photographic films, synthetic organic chemicals, and toner and ink materials for printing. It is also the home of Kodak's R&D headquarters and the park generates millions of dollars in revenue for Kodak.
The Kodak Center is an entertainment, conference and event venue, housing several large theatres and recreation spaces.
The George Eastman Museum, an independent non-profit organisation on the estate of Kodak's founder, is the oldest photography museum in the world. It covers the story of Kodak and George Eastman himself, has a theatre, exhibitions and a garden and cafe.
The Visitor Centre design
Opened in 2018, the 9000 square foot Kodak Experience Center, housed in the Kodak Centre, was designed by the award winning museum design firm, Jack Rouse Associates (JRA). The firm designed the fabulous Louisville Slugger Museum, and the World of Coca Cola, both of which I visited in 2022. JRA are also responsible for Space Centre Houston, which I visited in 2020, and the National Corvette Museum, which I visited in 2022. Reports for both of those are coming soon.
“We have been working very closely with Kodak to create a space where guests can re-discover the impact that Kodak has had in their lives. They have always supported creativity with their products and processes and this will be a great place to celebrate that.” (Randy Smith, Senior Project Director, JRA)
The design for Kodak included a lobby, exhibits, a cafe and retail outlet, though when I visited in 2022, the legacy of the pandemic and staffing issues had taken effect. My husband and I were the only visitors and the shop and cafe were closed, only opening on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Not much use to us on a sunny Tuesday afternoon.
It was a shame, as images online show some fun merchandise. I would have bought one of those retro kodak bags for sure.
The lone security guard explained that we were the only visitors that week and that business was sadly very slow. A former employee, he was extremely passionate about the brand and, feeding off my excitement, was more than happy to show us round some of the exhibits and recount stories of his time working for the company, providing us with unscripted added content. He even handed us a welcome leaflet, with some highlights to look out for.
Exhibition - The power to move us.
"The Power to Move us," was a stunning, photographic journey celebrating US railroads, including Kodak's own 13 mile factory track.
If you have read some of my previous reports, you will know that I am a bit of a train and tram fan, so this was right up my street, or should I say...track.
My husband, who cringes at the idea of going to an art gallery, found plenty he enjoyed here in the artistry and imaginative photographs on show. Our personal favourite was an atmospheric shot of a big yellow engine sat in front of industrial buildings. I'd have that on my wall at home. Kodak Railway MP15AC, Kodak's last loco, was shot for the exhibition by the Rochester Institute of Technology's "Big Shot" team.
Another image we enjoyed was of a train in the snow, taken by veteran Sports anchor John Kucko, who has transitioning into digital content development.
Manager of Web Services at Eastman Kodak Company, Matt Stoffel, director of the Kodak Camera Club (which started in 1920), captured his images of the Kodak railroad on Kodak film.
What I did not know was that the Camera Club run behind the scenes tours of Kodak manufacturing. As they only offer this a few days each year, I would have organised my trip from the UK to include this, as I am always up for a factory tour. If you want a tour, then just contact them through their website.
Museum
For such a major brand, this is a surprisingly small visitor experience. However it did deliver in education and nostalgia, though it was sad to see all of the audio visual displays inactive.
Most of the space is taken up with text and graphic displays, with a few artefacts housed in glass display cases.
The exhibits start with the history of Kodak, its Rochester base and moves through the history of photography.
While much of the information was technical, it was the unexpected human interest stories that truly captivated us.
We were aware of Kodak’s significant presence in the UK, but we were intrigued to learn that, during World War II, Kodak employees played a heartwarming role by sheltering British evacuees, affectionately dubbed "Kodakids." Amid the turmoil of the war, nearly 3 million children were evacuated to safety, with 156 of them finding refuge in Rochester, far from their homes.
Photography
I came across a camera I had owned when I was young, the Kodak Instamatic 230. Using 110 film cartridges, I recall the shutter had 2 speeds, cloudy and sunny. No wonder my snaps were terrible. The inexpensive Instamatic range launched in 1963 and over 70 million Kodak Instamatic cameras were sold by the start of the 1970s. With its easy to load format, they were a revolution in portable point and shoot amateur photography and the 110 format remained popular into the 1990s.
It is also interesting to see how storing images has changed over the decades.
Going Digital
Kodak was the first company to develop a digital camera. In 1975 Kodak electronics engineer Steve Sasson invented a portable digital camera, the size of a toaster, made from scavenged bits from the used parts bin. The black and white images were recorded and stored onto digital tape and could be played back on a TV screen.
Management were not convinced. Why would anyone want to take a picture this way? Who would want to see images on a screen? What would it do to photograph albums? Kodak wanted to protect their virtual monopoly on nearly every process in the photography market, so the project was kept secret.
Undeterred, Sasson knew it would take years for the technology to improve and continued to work in the digital field. In 1989, he and colleague Robert Hills, developed the first digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) megapixel camera, storing images on a flash memory card. Kodak wasn't ready to embrace this either and initially refused to sell it, in an attempt to protect their physical film sales. Sasson recognised that this was the direction photography was going. He was right.
Printing
It wasn't just film that Kodak produced. They also manufactured printers for the home and office.
Commercial printing had been part of Eastman Kodak since it acquired a London printing company, Wratten & Wainwright, Ltd, in 1912. Dr. C.E. Kenneth Mees was hired from the London firm by Eastman Kodak Company to run their research laboratory in Rochester.
Dr. Mees later became Kodak's Director of Research and Development, and founded their aerial photography, synthetic organic chemistry department and photographic apparatus department. Dr. Mees is an inductee of the International Photography Hall of Fame.
A view from above and beyond
In 1917, Dr. Mees and his team at Kodak developed aerial cameras, used for aerial reconnaissance by the U.S. Signal Corps in World War I. Aerial photography continues to be part of the Kodak business and is used across many industries.
Kodak film and cameras have been even further, with the first astronauts to walk on the moon and on the Mars rovers.
You have V Mail
In the 1930s, Kodak developed microfilm technology to reduce the weight of mail and to speed up delivery. During the Second World War, Kodak's Victory Mail letter system had family members write their letters on airgraph forms. These forms were then photographed, censored, copied to film, and printed out for the troops. Check out a film from Smithsonian Magazine on V-Mail that shows it in action.
X-Rays
X-rays are not just for diagnosing health issues. They are also used in industrial settings, such as determining the structure of buildings or investigating how artworks were created. Kodak have been in the X-ray field for over 130 years.
Movies
It might have been Edison who was first to develop the motion picture camera in 1891, but he could not have done it without George Eastman and his Kodak research and development innovations in film. By 1896, Kodak was selling film specially coated for motion picture use and in 1929 Kodak developed its first motion picture film designed for movies with sound, or "Talkies" as they were known.
Over the last century there have been countless movies shot on Kodak film, such as Gone with the Wind (1939), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Alien (1979), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), right up to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Inception (2010), La La Land (2017) and Oppenheimer (2023). The list continues to grow, with many prominent directors preferring the medium. Even Bond breathed his last on Kodak film, in No Time To Die (2022).
In fact, over 80 Oscar-winning Best Picture films have been captured on Kodak film. The company boasts its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has received nine Oscars for scientific and technical excellence.
Kodak in the UK (and museum)
Kodak had a factory here in the UK. Opened in 1891 in Harrow, North West London, it was Kodak's first factory outside the US. By the 1950's the factory was the biggest manufacturing plant in the British Commonwealth.
In 1927, a museum was opened at the site but closed in 1985. The contents of the Kodak museum moved in part to the Headstone Manor & Museum who operate a digital collection including oral history recordings plus an onsite archive including an exhibition called "Lights, Camera, Kodak" which runs until November 2024, on the history of the brand. I might have to make a trip to see that.
There is further information in the extensive Kodak Museum Collection, available at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, UK, which is currently undergoing renovation. There are 35,000 objects and images in the collection, donated by Kodak Ltd. That's another one for my list.
The Harrow factory closed in 2016 and is earmarked for 2000 new homes by housebuilder Barratt London, called Eastman Village, paying homage to the founder.
In conclusion
Given Kodak's iconic status, it was surprising to find the brand's visitor centre quite modest. Although the Eastman Museum, which we visited next, attracted many more visitors, we believed that experiencing both would provide a comprehensive Kodak journey in its hometown. I hope more people will take the time to explore both venues, as they are conveniently located and offer complementary exhibits.
The personal anecdotes shared by the security guard added a valuable human touch, making the visit more memorable. It’s this kind of personal connection that leaves a lasting impression.
However, we missed the interactive elements that could enhance the immersive experience now sought by many guests. The visitor centre's reliance on text and infographic displays, without braille or audio guides, may exclude some visitors, and the inoperative audio-visual panels meant we couldn’t access all the content intended by the designers. JRA has crafted exceptional visitor experiences worldwide, and a few adjustments could elevate Kodak's centre to match their high standards.
Given the deep personal connection many have with Kodak and its products, there's potential to reinvigorate the visitor experience with creative additions. A selfie station or a display featuring visitor-submitted images could capture the essence of a "Kodak Moment" and offer a simple yet effective enhancement.
I encourage you to grab your camera and visit Rochester. You’ll gain valuable insights and be inspired to create new memories—something George Eastman would undoubtedly applaud.
How long was the visit?
Easily done in under an hour.
How much are tickets?
Tickets are free and this was not part of any advertising.
Opening times
It's always worth checking with the Kodak Visitor Centre for their current opening times, as they can vary.
When we visited they were open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m with the gift shop open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and during select events.
Getting here:
Free parking is located in a large lot across the street from Kodak Center. The entrance to the lot is located on W. Ridge Rd./Primrose St, Rochester.
Address
Kodak Center, 200 West Ridge Road Rochester, NY 14615
Website: Kodak Visitor Centre
What else is there to see close by:
The Genesee Brewing Company (report coming soon) looks over the Genesee Falls. For over 146 years it has been brewing beer in Rochester. The brewery offers a short tour and has a dining space with deck and rooftop views across the falls. But the retail space is where the brand have created one of the simplest, yet most effective, brand history exhibitions we have enjoyed. Every section of the shop has an exhibit where visitors can learn about the brewery, Rochester and beer history. It is well worth a visit.
The Finger Lakes Wine Region might not be well known to many over here in Europe, but the region delivers terrific wine along three distinct wine trails, breathtaking lake views and is home to producers with varied stories to tell. We spent a very enjoyable three days in the area and could have easily spent longer. And it's not just wine. Beer and spirit enthusiasts will also find plenty of places to hang out and enjoy drinks with great food and music.
Make sure you check out these producers we visited in 2023 (reports on all coming soon):
Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery (the one that started it all)
Lakewood Vineyards (try to get on one of their fabulous vineyard tours)
Grist Iron Brewing Company (great food and beer)
Finger Lakes Distilling (using local grains for whiskey, gin, brandy, and more)
Atwater Vineyard (for great wine, a fabulous sunset from the deck and live music)
Two Goats Brewing (for the beef on weck sandwich - a local legend)
Rochester plays host to 9 days of music fun at the International Jazz Festival in June every year.
Rochester was a stop on the Underground Railroad and home to civil rights leaders such as the legendary suffragette Susan B. Anthony. The Susan B. Anthony House will educate and inspire in equal measure, as Anthony fought for the abolition of slavery and for women’s rights and her campaigning paved the way for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote.
Visited: May 2023
Photographs: ©Julie White unless noted otherwise
Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed are solely my own. I paid for the tours in full and any comments reflect my personal experiences on that day. Please drink responsibly. Please visit and garner your own thoughts and feel free to research the brand and the visitor centre in question.
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