David Batterman

Capturing Atlanta’s Visual Soul

By Daniela Cintron

Published April 1, 2025

Atlanta is a city of constant reinvention, where old and new intersect in unpredictable ways. For David Batterman, a longtime visual artist, photographer and educator, this ever-evolving landscape is both a canvas and a source of inspiration. From the grungy, raw spaces of Underground Atlanta to the pristine darkrooms of his classroom, Batterman’s work captures the beauty of everyday life and the creative energy that fuels the city’s arts scene.

Three Decades of Discovery

Batterman has called Atlanta home for nearly 30 years, yet he continues to find new facets of the city that surprise him. 

“If you stay somewhere for five years, you’re like, ‘Man, I’ve done everything in this place. I’m out.’ Right?” he says. “But after 30 years, I’m still finding new things about Atlanta that are really cool. Every place I go, there’s something new to discover.”

Growing up in Macon, Ga., Batterman found that Atlanta was always a beacon of creativity and culture.

“As a teenager, the best thing to do in Macon for fun was to come to Atlanta,” he recalls.

The city’s music scene and creative energy drew him in and kept him here. Today, he remains deeply embedded in Atlanta’s artistic community as a creator and mentor.

Educating the Next Generation of Artists

Batterman has spent nearly a decade teaching photography, graphic design, drawing and painting in Fulton County. His classroom is home to one of the finest darkrooms he’s ever worked in — an increasingly rare resource in the digital age. 

“I love that I get to teach traditional black-and-white, chemically based, darkroom photography,” he says.

For his students, the darkroom is a place of magic and revelation. 

“Watching teenagers, who take digital photography for granted, put a piece of paper in a tray and see an image come up — it blows their minds,” he says. “That’s magical to me. And that’s what keeps me doing it.”

The Art of Documentation and Discovery

Beyond the classroom, Batterman’s commercial niche lies in fine art documentation. He works with galleries, artists and cultural institutions, capturing the essence of their work in an era saturated with visual content. The precision and artistry of his documentation cut through the noise.

Personally, his artistic sensibilities lean toward the surreal and strange, finding beauty in the everyday. Inspired by vintage National Geographic and Life magazines, he often remixes old images into new visual narratives.

An Underground Banquet of Art and Chaos

For “Colors of Atlanta” at Underground Atlanta, Batterman’s vision embraced the city’s rich history and its raw, unpolished edge. Underground Atlanta has been an arts, entertainment, and retail district in Downtown since the 1990s, spanning multiple levels and four city blocks. 

“Underground Atlanta is literally the heart of the city,” he explains. “It’s rough around the edges, but that’s what makes it cool. Shopping malls aren’t cool. Grungy artist spaces are cool.”

Collaborating with artists and friends, he designed a surreal banquet scene inspired by Renaissance aesthetics, merging the old with the new. The table was adorned with a small assemblage of sculptures and artistic objects, creating a visual metaphor for the city itself with a fusion of tradition and contemporary chaos.

A Visual Poet of Atlanta

Batterman’s work reflects the essence of Atlanta: a place in constant flux, where art thrives in overlooked corners and raw spaces. A love for both the process and the people drives his commitment to capturing this ever-changing landscape. 

“I wanted to work with artists I knew and with people who are doing something real and vital,” he says.

For Batterman, creating art is an ongoing act of improvisation. 

“There’s a famous quote: ‘All the best-laid battle plans go out the window as soon as the first shot is fired,’ he says. “In any artistic project, you can plan as much as you want, but you’re going to have to improvise.”

Ultimately, it’s this openness to discovery and the willingness to embrace the unexpected that make Batterman’s work so compelling. Whether teaching students the alchemy of darkroom photography or documenting the city’s visual pulse, his art is a testament to Atlanta’s restless, creative spirit.

Learn more about other talented photographers featured on “Colors of Atlanta” and watch the TV series.

Daniela is the content manager and bilingual editor for Discover Atlanta. As an award-winning bilingual journalist, she is passionate about shinning light on untold stories about culture, food and Atlanta.