The document provides background information on the history and development of photography in Britain. It notes that photography was derived from Greek words meaning "light" and "to draw." Joseph Nicephore Niepce made the first photograph in 1827 with an 8 hour exposure. The document then discusses the tradition of documentary, art, and studio photography in Britain, including work focusing on the working classes. It notes photography struggled for acceptance as an art form in Britain until around 1990. Specific influential British photographers mentioned include Nick Knight, Corinne Day, and Tim Walker.

2. 
“Photography” is
derived from the
Greek words photos
(“light”) and graphein
(“to draw”). It is a
method of recording
images by the action
of light on a sensitive
material.
Roots

On a summer day in
1827, Joseph
Nicephore Niepce
made the first
photographic image
with a camera
obscura. The
photograph required 8
h of light exposure to
create and after
appearing would soon
fade away.
First picture

4. “British photography” here refers to the
tradition of photographic work in documentary and art
photography undertaken by committed photographers
artists in the British Isles. This includes those notable
photographers from northern Europe who have made
their home in Britain and who have contributed so
strongly to this nation’s photographic tradition.
Britain’s relationship with photography was less openminded, more suspicious, more retrospective.
But for far too long, photography in this contry
was on the outskirts of the art world, dogged by the
accusation that it was too instant and effortless to be
real art.

5. British photography has long had a fascination with
recording the lives and traditions of the working
class in Britain( the famous book Street Life In
London)
 After the end of the war, photography in Britain was
at a very low ebb, it was said that it was not until
1954 that it became easy and affordable for
amateurs to buy photographic equipament.


6. The tradition of working-class and political
photography ran in tandem with studio photography
of the upper classes and British royalty and an
overlapping photography of the visual culture of
British high fashion.
Around 1990 that colour & staged fine art
photography became validated as art in the
commercial art world. It was accepted by many (but
no means all) gallerists, and was heavily promoted by
major competition sponsors such as CityBank. The
process of acceptance took about a decade, and the
breakthrough year in Britain was around 2000.

7. Nick
Knight
Corinne
Day
Tim Walker

8. Tim Walker’s beautiful book will not answer
the question “is fashion art?” but it does
demonstrate how the traditional high-low
distinction in visual culture are becoming
blurred and, perhaps, increasingly irrelevant.
Extravagant settings and theatrical characters
are not rare in his ork, and he has been behind
the lens of some of British Vogue’s shoots since
those very firsts images back in 1995.

9. I guess you must learn to be creative. I learnt photography when I
picked up my first camera at 19. I started by taking photographs
of my boyfriend and then my girlfriends. I have a very distinctive
taste for the things I like to photograph, and that's a very solitary
creativity, in a way. I've always known what I've liked and I've
always gone in the opposite direction of everyone else. I get
bored easily of seeing the same thing over and over.

10. The most influential fashion photographer in the world
and one of the most sought-after. Knight’s openness to
new forms, techniques and processes keeps on the cutting
edge.
Since this first foray into fashion photography, he has shot
both editorial and advertising projects for clients
including Alexander McQueen, Audi, Calvin Klein, Christian
Dior, Jil Sander, Lancôme, Levi Strauss, Martine
Sitbon, Mercedes-Benz, Royal Ballet,Royal Opera
House, Swarovski and Yves Saint Laurent.