--- product_id: 1609539 title: "On Photography" price: "566 kr" currency: ISK in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.is/products/1609539-on-photography store_origin: IS region: Iceland --- # National Book Critics' Circle Award Winner Top-ranked in Photography Criticism & Essays Deep dive into photography's cultural impact On Photography **Price:** 566 kr **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Summary > 📸 Elevate your vision — see photography like never before! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** On Photography - **How much does it cost?** 566 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.is](https://www.desertcart.is/products/1609539-on-photography) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Top-Ranked Authority:** Ranks #4 in Photography Criticism & Essays, trusted by serious photographers and critics alike. - • **Award-Winning Insight:** Winner of the prestigious National Book Critics' Circle Award for Criticism, setting the gold standard in photography literature. - • **Cultural Lens on Photography:** Explores photography beyond technique, challenging how we perceive images in the digital age of selfies and snapshots. - • **Cult Classic for Professionals:** A must-have for photography professionals and managers who crave depth and critical thinking in their craft. - • **Enduring Intellectual Challenge:** A dense, thought-provoking read that rewards repeated engagement with fresh perspectives every time. ## Overview On Photography by Susan Sontag is a critically acclaimed, award-winning book that transcends technical photography to explore its cultural and philosophical impact. Celebrated for its intellectual rigor and ranked among the top photography criticism works, it challenges serious photographers to rethink the meaning behind every image in the digital era. ## Description Winner of the National Book Critics' Circle Award for Criticism . One of the most highly regarded books of its kind, Susan Sontag's On Photography first appeared in 1977 and is described by its author as "a progress of essays about the meaning and career of photographs." It begins with the famous "In Plato's Cave"essay, then offers five other prose meditations on this topic, and concludes with a fascinating and far-reaching "Brief Anthology of Quotations." Review: A Landmark Study of Images and Modern Consciousness - On Photography is less a book about photography itself than a study of perception, distance, power, and modern consciousness. Sontag examines the camera not merely as a tool for documentation, but as something that fundamentally alters the way people experience reality, memory, suffering, beauty, and even one another. What stands out most is the density of the thought. Nearly every essay contains ideas that continue unfolding long after reading: photography as acquisition, as aestheticization, as emotional buffering, as evidence, as consumption. Even decades after publication, many of her observations feel uncannily contemporary in an image-saturated culture. Sontag also writes with extraordinary intellectual compression. The prose is elegant and sharp without becoming ornamental, capable of moving from cultural criticism to philosophy to psychological observation within a few sentences. The writing demands attention, but rewards it repeatedly. What gives the book lasting force is its refusal to treat images as neutral. Again and again, Sontag interrogates what it means to look at suffering, to collect moments, to transform experience into representation. The questions become ethical as much as aesthetic. At times the arguments feel deliberately severe, even skeptical of photography’s emotional claims, but that tension is part of what keeps the work alive. The book resists easy resolution and instead sharpens awareness itself. It remains one of the most intellectually influential works ever written about images—not because it explains photography technically, but because it reveals how deeply photography shapes modern ways of seeing. Review: Great book - Perhaps Sontag's best work, one that truly be read by everyone regardless of their interests or background. ## Features - Winner of the National Book Critics' Circle Award for Criticism. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #152,904 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Photography Criticism & Essays (Books) #4 in Arts & Photography Criticism | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,437 Reviews | ## Images ![On Photography - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/813-d359LXL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Landmark Study of Images and Modern Consciousness *by D***S on May 12, 2026* On Photography is less a book about photography itself than a study of perception, distance, power, and modern consciousness. Sontag examines the camera not merely as a tool for documentation, but as something that fundamentally alters the way people experience reality, memory, suffering, beauty, and even one another. What stands out most is the density of the thought. Nearly every essay contains ideas that continue unfolding long after reading: photography as acquisition, as aestheticization, as emotional buffering, as evidence, as consumption. Even decades after publication, many of her observations feel uncannily contemporary in an image-saturated culture. Sontag also writes with extraordinary intellectual compression. The prose is elegant and sharp without becoming ornamental, capable of moving from cultural criticism to philosophy to psychological observation within a few sentences. The writing demands attention, but rewards it repeatedly. What gives the book lasting force is its refusal to treat images as neutral. Again and again, Sontag interrogates what it means to look at suffering, to collect moments, to transform experience into representation. The questions become ethical as much as aesthetic. At times the arguments feel deliberately severe, even skeptical of photography’s emotional claims, but that tension is part of what keeps the work alive. The book resists easy resolution and instead sharpens awareness itself. It remains one of the most intellectually influential works ever written about images—not because it explains photography technically, but because it reveals how deeply photography shapes modern ways of seeing. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book *by M***. on September 16, 2025* Perhaps Sontag's best work, one that truly be read by everyone regardless of their interests or background. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Chicken soup for photographer soul *by W***Z on October 15, 2017* To be fully honest I lost this book and didn't finish it completely But I do have it in mind to finish it. this book was very inspiring. It's one every photographer should own and since I'm a comic and concept art I say any type of artist should read it. In fact I think thats how I found this book a top ten book artist should read kinda thing. and I see why. It's not about technique it's more about inspirational quotes to keep you interested in inspired about going out and taking photos. theres books like this for painters and artist. Art and fear and the Art Spirt. but this one is more specific for photography. and I't really illustrated the commonalities we go through and its comforting to find some who thinks the way we do. in a way we can't even with or closest family and friends unless they are also very into this life of taking photos. It's an easy read. I kept in the car and reached for it on longer trips. which might be how I lost it. But it's broken up into chapters and essays in a way you can read it casually and keep in on a coffee table or something. it's like a chicken soup for photographer. If your looking for techniques and taking better photos this isn't a book for you. not yet. I really enjoyed and it was worth it for real. as a artist it's hard for me something to find the time and motivation to go out and take photos unless I'm traveling. but this has given me the kicking the back side I needed. ## Frequently Bought Together - On Photography - Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography - Ways of Seeing: Based on the BBC Television Series (Penguin Books for Art) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.is/products/1609539-on-photography](https://www.desertcart.is/products/1609539-on-photography) --- *Product available on Desertcart Iceland* *Store origin: IS* *Last updated: 2026-07-07*