The History Of Photography

Who was it that said something along the lines of "in order to know where you are going you need to know where you have been"? And so it is with photography. The history of the medium is fascinating and filled with major technological advances, drama, personal disputes, and changes in the way we view our world. All this within what is a relatively very short period of time. If we take photography seriously, I think it behooves us to know something of the medium's history.

There are certainly a number of excellent photographic history books available. However, I am going to make a non-text recommendation that I personally found to be an exceptionally enjoyable way to learn. Jeff Curto is a Professor of Photography at The College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, who podcasts the lectures from his History of Photography course. He is a compelling, entertaining, and engrossing teacher whose podcasts are truly a gift. They are exceptional and I recommend them highly.

The home page for these podcasts is here, and the series can be subscribed to through any podcast client, such as iTunes.