Shirley Read is an independent curator based in London. She currently curates exhibitions for the Idea Store Canary Wharf during the Photomonth International Photography Festival. She has been interviewing photographers about their lives and work for the Oral History of British Photography (part of the National Sound Archive at the British Library) for twenty years. She teaches at every level of photographic practice and her book Exhibiting Photography (Focal Press 2008 & 2014) has been published in Chinese and English. Mike Simmons is a photographic artist, author and Leader of the taught Master’s Program in Photography at De Montfort University. His research interests are centered on the development of innovative approaches to exploring issues of social concern, through the application of creative photography. He has contributed to numerous exhibitions, conferences and symposia in the UK, Europe, Australia and the USA.

"This ground-breaking book situates research at the heart of photographic practice, asking the key question: What does research mean for photographers? Illuminating the nature and scope of research and its practical application to photography, the book explores how research provides a critical framework to help develop awareness, extend subject knowledge, and inform the development of photographic work." -- shutterhub.org.uk, August 2017"A great reminder that there’s no one “right” approach, Photographers and Research is perfect for anyone wanting to explore the process of developing ideas and work through research." -- Photo Life Magazine, November 2017

• 1. Foreword (Peter Kennard)2. Preface (Shirley Read and Mike Simmons)3. Case Study: Edmund Clark4. Case Study: Hannah Collins5. Case Study: Subhankar Banerjee6. Case Study: John Darwell7. Case Study: Grace Lau8. Case Study: Judy Harrison9. Case Study: Tom Hunter10. Case Study: Ingrid Pollard11. Case Study: Deborah Padfield12. Case Study: Susan Derges13. Case Study: Mandy Barker14. Case Study: Martin Hartley15. Case Study: Deborah Bright16. Case Study: Simon Norfolk17. Case Study: Research in Higher Education, Thu Thuy Pham, Charlotte Fox, and Maria Paschalidou18. Between Inner and Outer Worlds (Patricia Townsend)19. Finding and Knowing; Thinking about ideas (Shirley Read)20. A Photographer in the Archive (Janina Struk)21. Collaborative Working (Conohar Scott)22. Documenting the Process (Mike Simmons)23. Research and Audience (Sian Bonnell)24. A Curators Perspective (Camilla Brown)