Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-220) and index.

Susan Bright has organized the book into seven sections - portrait, landscape, narrative, object, fashion, document and city - each of which explores the diverse subjects, styles and methods adopted by artists. Introductions to each section outline the genres and consider why photographers are attracted to certain themes, and how issues like memory, time, objectivity, politics, identity and the everyday are tied to certain approaches. Each photographer's work is then presented in sequence, with commentaries by the author highlighting the art's most important aspects. Quotations from the artists appear alongside to offer valuable insights into their motivations, inspirations and intentions.