In conversation with

Arthur Litau

Freiburg, Germany

Hi Arthur, please introduce yourself.

I currently live in Freiburg and feel very comfortable here since 2017. Before that I lived in Remagen, Cologne, Stuttgart, Wilhelmshaven and Chemnitz, so I got around a lot. The passion of photography started during my studies, initially with a cell phone and later I got my first digital SLR camera (Sony Alpha 330). Everything I know about photography I taught myself. In the beginning, I consumed, tried out and dealt with something on this topic every day.

What does analog photography mean to you? What excites / fascinates you about it?

Analog photography has a high value in my life. It is for me the balance and rest pole to the everyday life and work. I am attracted by the whole “workflow”, from planning the spot, to observing and analyzing the weather forecast, to photographing on location while walking through nature.

In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of analogue photography?

The advantages are the image look of the different films, the dynamic range of the film, and the appeal of not being able to immediately see what the image looks like.

Do you concentrate on a certain topic in your work?

Yes, landscape photography – in most cases at sunrise.

Are there (analogue) photographers who have influenced your aesthetic and approach?

Ben Bernschneider and Steffen Böttcher.

Do you have certain cameras and films that you prefer to work with?

I use in most cases (90%) my Pentax 67 and Kodak Portra 400.

Speaking of films: What does your workflow look like?

I expose the film and let a professional lab do the rest (developing and scanning). That’s why I love analog photography. So I’m only busy photographing directly on location and can devote myself to other things afterwards. By the way, this also annoyed me so much with digital photography. Here was the least part of the processes of photographing and then you always had to go to the computer and has spent here two to three times as much time with the images than in the creation process.

What advice would you have for other photographers who are reading this interview?

Don’t give up, even if the results are not the ones you want at first. You should “consume” just as much in this area to get inspiration and ideas – whether books, magazines, blogs, YouTube videos or on the social platforms.

If you publish your work on Instagram: curse or blessing?

In principle, it is both a curse and a blessing. Often I would like to publish several pictures from the day of the series, whether landscape or portrait format. Likewise, I would like the right people to see it and also take their time for it and not just liken it when scrolling through. On the other hand, many could inspire and motivate me with their photos, especially on Instagram. Likewise, I could inspire people with my photos. So you can’t do without Instagram and sometimes not with it either. But you have to find a “golden mean” for yourself.