Photographer S. Batura: Analog photography has what is increasingly lacking in the digital world

In an era saturated with fleeting digital images, analog photography is re-emerging not as a nostalgic relic, but as a vital response to our visual reality. Svetlana Batura, coordinator of the Photography study program at Kaunas College's Faculty of Arts and Education, observes that the rapid evolution of the visual environment has eroded viewer trust in images. This makes the question of authenticity intensely personal and instinctive.

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The more images appear around us that look real but never existed, the more we are drawn to what was real. A real encounter, real light, a real surface on which it left its mark.

"The more images appear around us that look real but never existed, the more we are drawn to what was real," Batura explains. "A real encounter, real light, a real surface on which it left its mark." For many, especially younger generations, analog photography is far from outdated; it is radically relevant. Batura notes its inherent qualities, limitation, slowness, materiality, are precisely what is missing in the digital realm. She emphasizes the feeling that an analog image is not merely "made" but "lived."

The analog process itself, from calculating exposure and framing to developing and printing, demands time and physical engagement. Batura describes it as a practice that returns the body to creation, involving observation, trial, and error. "You suddenly realize that photography is not just an image, it speaks about how much of yourself was in that encounter with the world," she says. The final print retains not only the subject but also the quality of the photographer's presence, their sensitivity, focus, and time invested.

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It has something that is increasingly lacking in the digital world: limitation, slowness, materiality. And also that feeling that the image is not simply 'made,' but lived.

Beyond aesthetics, research suggests analog photography can enhance psychological well-being, fostering mindfulness, self-awareness, and community. Batura states, "In other words, it's not just aesthetics at play, the process itself, the slowness, the materiality, the possibility of this process to at least briefly pull a person out of constant rushing and return them to a real relationship with what they see."

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You suddenly realize that photography is not just an image, it speaks about how much of yourself was in that encounter with the world. The final print retains not only the subject but also the quality of your own presence. Your sensitivity, focus, and time.

This resurgence is global, with analog photography chosen as a conscious creative path by established artists. Batura draws a parallel to cinema, where film-shot movies still hold significant artistic weight. This enduring relevance, she believes, prompted the idea for the Contemporary Analog Photography Center in Lithuania. Supported by funding from the Lithuanian Council of Science, the center aims to be more than a technical facility. It seeks to be a space where analog and hybrid photography are understood as integral parts of broader photographic culture, research, and education, encouraging learning, exploration, and collaboration.

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In other words, it's not just aesthetics at play, the process itself, the slowness, the materiality, the possibility of this process to at least briefly pull a person out of constant rushing and return them to a real relationship with what they see.