Aesthetics of Photography is an independent blog about photography as an art and as a way of thinking. We publish essays on theory and history, guides for photographers, and close readings of images, from the first daguerreotypes to pictures made by artificial intelligence.
Why “aesthetics”?
The word comes from the Greek aisthētikos (αἰσθητικός), “able to perceive”, from aisthanomai (αἰσθάνομαι), “to perceive through the senses and through the mind”. Long before it meant the theory of beauty, aesthetics meant the experience of perceiving. That older sense is the one we care about: the moment when looking turns into thinking.
Beauty still matters to us. But since the late nineteenth century, art has explored far more than beauty, and photography has been at the centre of that change. A photograph is at once a technical trace, an image to look at and an idea to think about. That is why we consider it one of the most significant subjects of our time.
What you will find here
- TheoryThe ideas that shape how we read photographs: Barthes, Sontag, Flusser, the index, the punctum, post-photography.
- PracticeComposition, light, genres and the work of photographers, for those who make images.
- HistoryFrom Niépce and the daguerreotype to the great exhibitions and the photographs that changed the world.
- TechnologyCameras, smartphones, software and artificial intelligence, and what they change in the image.
- BusinessSelling prints, building an audience on social media and understanding the photography market.
- TipsPractical guides and tutorials to improve your photographs step by step.
How we work
- We cite our sources. Essays refer to books, articles and exhibitions, with references and footnotes, so that you can read further.
- We credit images. Every reproduced photograph is credited to its author. If you hold the rights to an image and want the credit changed or the image removed, contact us and we will do it promptly.
- We correct our mistakes. If you spot an error, tell us: we update our articles and keep them current.
Who we are
Aesthetics of Photography is written by photographers and art lovers who read, look at and write about images. Our readers are just as varied: photographers, students, artists, researchers, critics, curators, gallerists and people who work in cultural institutions. This blog is a shared space for all of them.
Stay in touch
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