Photographs are an integral part of our daily lives from sensationalist images in tabloid papers and snapshots, to art photography displayed in galleries and sold through international art markets. In this thought-provoking exploration of the subject, Edwards combines a sense of the historical development of photography with an analysis of its purpose and meaning within a wider cultural context. He interrogates the way we look and think about photographs, and considers such issues as truth and recording, objectivity and fine art, identity and memory.

Table of Contents

1. Forgetting Photography; 2. Documents; 3. Pictures; 4. What is a photograph?; 5. The apparatus and its image; 6. Fantasy and remembrance; Afterword: Digital photography; Further reading