Seizing the Light: A Social & Aesthetic History of Photography

The definitive history of photography book, Seizing the Light: A Social & Aesthetic History of Photography delivers the fascinating story of how photography as an art form came into being, and its continued development, maturity, and transformation.

Covering major events, practitioners, works, and social effects of photographic practice, author Robert Hirsch provides a concise and discerning chronological account of photography, drawing on examples from across the world. This fundamental starting place shows the diversity of makers, inventors, issues, and applications, exploring the artistic, critical, and social aspects of the creative thinking process. This new edition has been fully revised and updated to include the latest advances in technology and digital photography, as well as information on contemporary photographers such as Granville Carroll, Meryl McMaster, Cindy Sherman, Penelope Umbrico, and Yang Yongliang. New topics include the rise of mobile photography and surveillance cameras, drone photography, image manipulation, protest and social justice photography, plus the roles of artificial intelligence and social media in photography. Highly illustrated with over 250 full-color images and contributions from hundreds of artists around the world, Seizing the Light serves as a gateway to the history of photography.

Written in an accessible style, it is perfect for those newly engaging with the practice of photography and for experienced photographers wanting to contextualize their own work.