Introduction

Abstract

We are witnessing a major change in domestic photography: the constellation of technologies, businesses, conventions, practices, artefacts, etc. that constitute photography have changed. However, this change has not occurred overnight. In its more than 170 years of culture, domestic photography has experienced three major sources of change: the invention of photography, the first consumer camera and service, and the digitalisation of image capture. We argue that designers and engineers should understand the history of technology: without knowledge of the past, it is impossible to assess the novelty, innovativeness, and potential impact of a new technology. In this book, we apply an analytical approach from science and technology studies to domestic photography. We hope to contribute both to interaction design, by emphasising the historical study of technologies as socio-technical constellations of heterogeneous actors, and to visual culture studies, by emphasising the agency of these constellations in shaping and maintaining specific visual cultures.