Klára Szarka: Secrets of Analog Photography
From a Certain Distance. Part 7
In connection with the exhibition The Tactless Photojournalist. The Archive of Lajos Erdélyi from the Ceaușescu Era, on view until October 26, the Archivum is organizing a series of accompanying programs. Between September 11 and October 26, 2025, together with writers, filmmakers, and photo historians, we will evoke the worlds that appear in the photographs—or what they conceal. Our guests will include Zsolt Láng, Gábor Vida, Kinga Júlia Király, Klára Szarka, and Lenke Szilágyi. As the seventh event in the eight-part program series titled From a Certain Distance, photo historian Klára Szarka will lead a guided tour—not just for photographers.
Klára Szarka: Secrets of Analog Photography
A guided tour not just for photographers: a walking, storytelling photo analysis
We put on our gloves and take hold of the past – literally. From display cases opened just for us and only now, we can take out Lajos Erdélyi's original negatives, vintage copies, and photographic equipment. We come face to face with photographic history. During the tour, we discover how different the work of a photographer in Romania in the second half of the 20th century was from that of a colleague today. Not only in terms of freedom of choice of subject and freedom to travel, selecting images and publishing, but also due to the limitations imposed by analog technology. We explore how analog photographers thought before and during exposure; what was difficult for a reporter at the time to capture, and we also try to reconstruct what happened to the photo after exposure. What opportunities and difficulties did lab work and manual post-processing hold for photojournalists in the last century? But by examining the original pieces of Lajos Erdélyi's estate up close, we will also try to decipher his photographic attitude, personal motivations, and vision. We will be joined by photographer Lenke Szilágyi, who will bring her own analog photography equipment for the occasion.
The event will be held in Hungarian.
Participation is free, but registration ins mandatory.
Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/PBhU5KJfu1