Photography: A Critical Introduction

By Liz Wells

Book Overview

Now in its seventh edition, this seminal textbook examines key debates in photographic theory and places them in their social and political contexts. Written especially for students in further and higher education and for introductory college courses, it provides a coherent introduction to the nature of photographic seeing.

Individual chapters cover:

- Key debates in photographic theory and history

- Documentary photography and photojournalism

- Personal and popular photography

- Photography and the human body

- Photography and commodity culture

- Photography as art

This revised and updated edition includes new or extended discussion of topics such as Black Lives Matter and the racialised body, selfies, personal photographs as archives, materiality, AI and the body, influencers and social media, nation branding and an extended critical discussion of landscape and the environment.

Illustrated with over 100 colour and black and white photographs, it features work from Bill Brandt, Edward Burtynsky, Susan Derges, Hannah H ch, Sant Khalsa, Karen Knorr, Dorothea Lange, Chrystel Lebas, Susan Meiselas, Lee Miller, Martin Parr, Ingrid Pollard, Jacob Riis, Alexander Rodchenko, Cindy Sherman and Jeff Wall.

Fully updated online resources information, including guides to public archives and useful websites, a full glossary of terms and a comprehensive bibliography, plus additional resources at www.routledge.com/cw/Wells make this an ideal introduction to the field.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1032724161
• ISBN13: 9781032724164
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 532 Pages

Customer Reviews

An absolute MUST for photographers and artists working in photography

This book should be required for all photo students and art history and criticism students. I found the writing incredibly reader-friendly, though it helps to have an art or photo background already - this book does read like a textbook (because it is one!) but this is to its credit as it is incredibly organized, clear, and informative as an overview of photo criticism. One of the best features is that it includes detailed bibliographies at the end of each chapter, faithfully cites sources, and has side notes in the margins citing sources for further reading and adding more information, explanations, or qualifiers to the general discussion (the margins are great for writing your own notes, too). It does NOT have extensive illustrations - so do not buy this book for the images. However, the author explains in the introduction that she did not include so many except to clearly illustrate the text where needed in order to keep the cost of the book affordable. I feel that she made good choices in imagery and that there are plenty to support the text. I am starting a graduate program in visual and critical studies and work in photography, and I am sure I will use this critical introduction as a reference again and again, especially to find sources for research. I plan on buying the Photography Reader by Liz Wells as soon as I am able to.

Excellent choice for Visual Artists contemplating photography as a medium of expression

As a Visual Arts student coming to terms with the whole conceptual ideology in contemporary art, I found this book an excellent choice for delving into the theoretical side of contemporary photgraphy. This book is definitely not bedtime reading. Trust me, I tried it and kept myself awake! There is also an excellent reference to archives, journals and other books to peruse. I found the book easy to understand and has helped me immensely in my quest to understand what constitutes Visual Art in current times. An excellent choice for all those contemplating a Visual Arts career using photographic images

More academic than practical

"Photography: A Critical Introduction" offers decent insight into some ideas and theories surrounding the new instrument of art, the camera. It should be noted that very few photos or examples are used in the book, and this absence definitely accounts for the book's partly dry flavor. "Photography" is probably less appropriate for hobbyists and more so for academics, but none the less remains a worthwhile read for those ready to sit down and study.