Sense and Sensitivity: Speculations on the Future of Photography

A lecture by Michelle Henning, Professor in Photography and Media, University of Liverpool Chair: Franziska Barth, Ruhr University Bochum & KWI – Institute for Advanced Study in the HumanitiesWhat if the core of photography’s future is about sensing, worlding, and shaping relationships? Michelle Henning examines how computational photography and generative AI transform everyday photography: Large tech companies don’t just offer technical items such as smartphones and digital cameras. They produce theories of photography, framing what counts as realism, authenticity, and social value. Michelle points out how the reinvention of the darkroom in photographic art opens up a contrarian philosophical model of what photography can be and mean.Follow the discussion to explore how photography can become a relational practice to connect humans, nonhuman entities. How can photography remain a space for mindful engagement, encounter, and critical reflection in an era of invisible pipelines and algorithmic shaping? Join the conversation and leave a comment to speculate with Michelle and us.This session was recorded on February 4, 2026, on the occasion of the 3rd Essen Symposium for Photography »What Will Photography Be? An Invitation to Speculate«, hosted by the Essen Center for Photography.Photo credit: Essen Center for Photography / Silviu Guiman