Introduction

This book is a guide to contemporary issues and debates in the theory and practice of photography. The extensive bibliographic resources we have drawn our ideas from reveal a flourishing academic field related to technical innovation, artistic appropriation of the medium, new social media practices, and an expansion in industrialized commercial photography in the twenty-first century. The book is written from a British perspective but relates to an international context that draws historical materials from European and North American developments in photography. The historical range is from early photography in the 1830s to contemporary issues and ideas. Some of the key themes and ideas are informed by art-historical and photographic practical knowledge. The authors are motivated by the view that photography education at its best produces theoretically informed photographers and theorists with practical knowledge and engagement.