David M. Frohlich - Böcker

It will also be of value to students and researchers in science and technology studies and visual culture, as a fascinating case study of the evolving use of photographs and photographic technology in Western society.

There are many practitioner books on different branches and styles of photography (e.g. landscape, studio, American, etc). Some of these even cover digital photography, as it exists today. However, there are very few research books on the meaning and practice of domestic photography, and almost none on the potential impact of digital technology on this important and widespread behaviour. Audiophotography combines a detailed 'user studies' approach to photography, with consumers' own critiques of new media content they have generated themselves. It is therefore a new book about domestic photography and its possible transformation with digital technology. Although it focusses on the role of sound in photography, it does so in relation to a new theory of photography which is tested and refined by empirical research. Such work is timely because of current interest in new media forms and the wide variety of new photography and video products and services emerging in the consumer market. It defines a new media type, audiophotos, and how it works, and should help readers to understand the possible benefits of other innovations in the digital photography industry.

If you read the history of any new communication medium such as the cinema, television or radio, it always happens to be bound up with advances in some underlying technology. For example, cinema was born out of the rapid projection of a series of still images on a celluloid film strip. The difficulty of synchronizing sound recordings with the resulting moving images led to about 30 years of silent films - until such time as the technical problems were solved. In between the inventions, media seem to grow and develop at a slower pace, as content producers and consumers experiment with the most satisfactory and stimulating ways of communicating with each other. In the same example, silent film-makers eventually found ways of adding dialogue through scene titles and having music played during the projection of their films. This book is about the next chapter in the history of photography, which is emerging from a relatively stable period into a chaos of new inventions. Photography as we know it is at the same point as the silent films of 1926. The transition from analog to digital photography is spawning many new ways of taking, manipulating and sharing photographs. It is also bringing photography and videography closer together by unifying sound, still and moving images in the same digital medium.

From Snapshots to Social Media describes the history and future of domestic photography as mediated by technological change. Domestic photography refers to the culture of ordinary people capturing, sharing and using photographs, and is in a particular state of flux today as photos go digital. The book argues that this digital era is the third major chapter in the 170 year history of the area; following the portrait and Kodak eras of the past.  History shows that despite huge changes in photographic technology and the way it has been sold, people continue to use photographs to improve memory, support communication and reinforce identity. The future will involve a shift in the balance of these core activities and a replacement of the family album with various multimedia archives for individuals, families and communities. This raises a number of issues that should be taken into account when designing new technologies and business services in this area, including: the ownership and privacy of content, multimedia standards, home ICT infrastructure, and younger and older users of images.  The book is a must for designers and engineers of imaging technology and social media who want a better understanding of the history of domestic photography in order to shape its future. It will also be of value to students and researchers in science and technology studies and visual culture, as a fascinating case study of the evolving use of photographs and photographic technology in Western society.

As well as updating the manifesto for an audio photography technology and practice, this book addresses issues in design history, the social shaping of technology and the management of innovation.