In focus - The photographs of Elisabeth and Walter von Oettingen

A lecture by Michael Ebert. These days, even cell phones deliver photos of breathtaking quality. But what was it like when Elisabeth and Walter von Oettingen set off on their adventurous journey to Manchuria? You had to estimate the aperture, exposure time and distance because even high-quality cameras had neither a rangefinder nor a light meter. The technical results of the photos, which are over 100 years old, are all the more impressive. Extremely high resolution allows for powerful enlargements, which reveals a lot about life in a bygone era. On the one hand, Michael Ebert sheds light on the photographic techniques of the time, which seem almost adventurous from today's perspective. On the other hand, he uses enlarged details to show many of the exciting details in the von Oettingens' pictures. Michael Ebert taught the history of photography and photojournalism at the universities in Magdeburg and Hanover for many years. He works as a photographer, curator and author.