During the fall holidays, the public can experience unique press photos when NTB, in collaboration with the National Library of Norway, exhibits photos from Norway's largest photo collection.
The photo exhibition is part of the Oslo Negativ photo festival, which takes place at the old Deichmanske Library. The books have been replaced with works from several of Oslo's private galleries, independent photographers, a handful of institutions and light art. Oslo Negativ fills the building's 12,000 square meters with world-class photography.
From analog to digital Norwegian history
This exhibition marks the beginning of a comprehensive project: Norway's largest photo collection, spanning over 100 years, will be digitized and made available to the public. The photos were taken by press photographers at NTB, VG, Aftenposten and Aktuell. The photo archive dates back to the 1800s and represents Norway's visual news memory.
- "It takes time to digitize 25 million photos. That's why it's great that we can now give the public a taste of the treasures in the collection," says NTB project manager Kjetil Hasselgård.
The audience gets a unique opportunity to experience motifs from post-war Norway, captured by the camera lenses of the press photographers of the time in the weekly magazine Aktuell.
The digitization work is carried out by the National Library of Norway to preserve the historical collections of NTB, VG, Aftenposten and Aktuell for future generations.
- "It's about time this collection saw the light of day again. Here we have over a hundred years of Norwegian history that can benefit schools, pupils, the media, authors, researchers and society in general," says National Librarian Aslak Sira Myhre.
The digitization project is supported by funds from Sparebankstiftelsen, Blommenholm Industrier and the Ministry of Culture.
Students invited to learn about photojournalism
Students and schoolchildren get an inside look at NTB when two of the news agency's most renowned photographers share experiences and stories from a career with camera in hand.
Lise Åserud and Heiko Junge have been following top politicians, celebrities, sports and society for decades. Their working days range from endless waiting to rapid changes and sometimes dramatic situations. The photo seminar is especially aimed at students and high school students in photography, journalism, media and communication.
- "For up-and-coming photographers and graduates, it can be particularly rewarding to hear the stories behind some of the most famous Norwegian press photos," says Christina Dorthellinger, visual editor at NTB.
Historically large digitization project
NTB has taken the initiative to digitize 25 million photos taken by Norwegian photographers over more than a hundred years.
