A valuable resource for budding photographers and fans of the visual medium alike, this volume traces the invention and early evolution and techniques of photography, from daguerreotypes to early attempts at color. The development of specific genres, such as portraiture, photojournalism, and fine art photography, is broken up with substantial sidebars that spotlight giants of the medium. Blending historical narrative, personal biographies, and photographs illustrating the works being examined, this book helps readers understand the rich and complex history of a relatively new visual art.