When Kodachrome Doesn't Cut It Anymore: A Photographer's Story
A Photo Story By Robert Meyerson
I have been going over a ton of old 35mm slides. And I found many of them were just boring- even
Kodachrome. Most were flat and had blown out skies and exposure issues. I needed to roll out a
creative weapon- Topaz Studio 2. Not only did I find a fresh look to my old film shots, but I also found a
new approach to my digital images that’s entirely my own!
MY BACKGROUND
I’ve been shooting photos since attending the School of Visual Arts in the mid-1960’s. (Yes, I am an old
fart). I wasn’t planning on being a photographer, I was going to become a big shot art director in
advertising. And I worked for some terrific places during my career- Doyle Dane Bernbach, Foote, Cone
& Belding, Saatchi & Saatchi, Grey Advertising/Prague, Adams Dana Silverstein, Gaynor & Ducas,
Meridian Group, WABC-TV in New York and Coakley Heagerty in California.
Jumping from agency to agency gave me the opportunity to work on a wide variety of accounts-
American Airlines, SONY, Eyewitness News, Western Electric, Bermuda Tourism, Italian Travel Office,
Frito-Lay, Grandma’s Cookies, Bell Labs, Duncan Hines, the national launch of Tide with Bleach,
Standard Pacific Homes, Rums of Puerto Rico, Hall Automotive dealer group, Wounded Warrior
Foundation and the launch of P&G’s products into the Czech Republic.
Being an art director gave me the chance to work with some top professionals- Saul Leiter, Harold
Kreiger, Rudy Muller, Mel Sokolsky, Andy Unangst, Maureen Lambray, Art Kane, Larry Dale Gordon,
Bob Brody and many others.
My photography? Over the years I developed my own style. I’m an impatient shooter, so I loved
switching from film to digital. It meant creative freedom for me. No longer did I have to make sure I had
enough film in my camera bag. And I didn’t have to lug around heavy equipment. I found when I started
shooting digital I was taking more images than ever before.
Here’s an example of breathing new life into an old Kodachrome!
HOLD ON TO WHAT MAKES YOUR WORK UNIQUE.
In 2019, Topaz Labs launched Studio 2 as a stand-alone photo enhancement program. Dave Kelly and
his Joy Of Editing series on YouTube helped introduce me to the endless possibilities of this program.
Wow!
Over the years I bought other special effects programs from Topaz Labs and really enjoyed using their
products. But this was something different. Studio 2 went in an entirely different creative direction. I
found I could easily give my photos the look and feel of an oil painting, a watercolor, pastel art, a simple
sketch and more. For me the software is amazing. I now had the flexibility needed to change my
images in ways I could never dream of. The program is a gem offering endless variations of filters and
new looks that can be created, customized and saved.
I also own the software and license key from Topaz, so I don’t have to deal with a monthly subscription like with Adobe software.
THEY’RE TAKING MY TOYS AWAY
In 2020, Topaz Labs announced it was stopping the sale and tech support for Studio 2. There will be no
further development for this program. The company has changed direction. It started developing new
products based around AI. In addition, it was switching to a subscription-based business model. So,
where does that leave me and other Studio 2 users? As far as I can see, there are no similar filters and
artistic looks available in the new Topaz AI-based programs- PhotoAI, Gigapixel, DeNoise, etc.
I’ll be able to use Studio 2 as long as I can keep my computer running with its current Windows 10
operating system. I have a feeling that any new upgrade would spell the end of this program. I don’t
know. It’s beyond my pay grade. If anyone has any thoughts about this, please let me know. Thanks.
