Especially aimed at media students, this text presents photography not from a historical or artistic viewpoint, but instead gives an overview of the place of photography in contemporary society and its importance as a media form. The text is split into short chapters to make it easily accessible for students and includes chapters on the broad themes central to the study and analysis of photography, made understandable through the use of contemporary case studies. What it is that identifies photography as a medium. How photographs can be interpreted. This book covers commercial production and consumption; the analysis of popular mainstream photography; the idea of the document; the photograph as art fashion and celebrity photography; and the photograph and memory. An easy to read and compact guide for students, this is the perfect book to pop into a bag, and dip into again and again.