On Photography

I'm in my first year of a photography degree and this is one of the recommended texts. Despite being released in the 70's it's still very relevant. The book is essentially a series of essays by Sontag. It's value is that Sontag knows her subject extremely well and, with reference to the great photographers, has constructed her essays in a way that really make you contemplate what photography is all about. Sontag was not a photographer herself so it's not a book of technique; it's about the interpretation and appreciation of other's work. If you're new to photographic theory as I was/am it may very well make you feel quite ignorant, as if you don't even know what a photograph really is any more. However, that's the point; to make you think. This most ubiquitous medium is now so common its almost unnoticed but the book gets under the skin of what photography is and why photographs are so appealing. It's not the easiest or lightest reading but conversely the essays are not over long. If you're studying photography or art or are simply interested in more philosophical views on the subject I'd highly recommend this to open up new ways of thinking.

This is the world of the 1960s and '70s when paper print photographs seemed to be everywhere and yet were in fact few and far between compared to the ubiquitous image creation and retention of the digital era. Nonetheless, the modern reader can easily comprehend the technical, psychological, social and artistic embedding of photography that Sontag offers on these pages. Highly perceptive, succinct, sensitive analysis of visual image reproduction which had come into its own during the interwar years and defined how we watched the world right up to the appearance of the digital camera at the dawn of the new millennium.

Sontag is undoubtedly an insightful and deep thinking philosopher. As a hobby photographer, I wanted to read this, but if you’re a student photographer I believe it is a must text. She introduces the reader to an array of perspectives that turn on it’s head the often thought about concepts of ‘What is a photograph?’ And ‘Why do we take them?’ Whilst I really enjoyed the book, it at times became a real labour of love as she dragged me through some arguably torturous and unnecessary analysis, often bolstered with hugely academic speak and a plethora of sub statements wrapped in parentheses, which made some of the reading heavy going. I don’t wish to disrespect such an acclaimed academic, but at some points you do think she’s doing the “I’m a really clever Professor, let me know when I’ve lost you!” as you find yourself re-reading paragraph after paragraph whilst juggling a dictionary, and searching Google, to understand the concepts or images she’s actually discussing, all whilst scratching your head. That aside it really is an interesting book that I’d recommend to any budding photographer or indeed anyone interest in the power of making images. I’m now about to start The original ‘On Photography’ by Walter Benjamin … wish me luck … I’m going in!

This is a classic book, and a must for all students of photography or indeed anyone interested in the visual art. The points Sontag makes are still valid today, and even more so in the digital age.

I was aware of the book but had never read it. I found myself committed to giving a talk to my Photo Club on "Quotations from famous Photographers". I ordered the book through Amazon, it arrived promptly, and not only did Sontag provide some great quotes of her own but she includes an extensive supplement of quotations by photographers or about photography - just what I needed.

It's a respected book about how we view photography in society and how it's changed us.

Still an essential read, making deeply insightful and intellectually sharp points but can be a real endeavour to get through what feels like a generous amount of deliberate mystification in terms of language and communication. If, for example, you admire the clarity and concisely meaningful style of John Berger/Ways Of Seeing, this might feel like more of an uphill struggle.

A fascinating book, that is incredibly prescient. Much of what Sontag says applies to today's culture of images. While she didn't foresee the massive proliferation of images that exist today - notably the self-referential nature of a lot of photography - her insights are spot on. Sontag was writing in the 1970s, when photography - especially color photography - was becoming more commonplace, and she nails many of the cultural and sociological aspects of photographs. A must read for anyone who takes photography seriously.