Mining Photography: The Ecological Footprint of Image Production

A political history of photography’s ecological impact, from its origins to the present

Photography has always depended on the extraction and exploitation of raw materials. Having started out using copper, coal, silver and paper in the 19th and 20th centuries, photography now relies, in the age of the smartphone, on rare metals such as coltan, cobalt and europium. This volume focuses on the history of the raw materials utilized in photography, establishing a connection between the history of their extraction, their disposal and climate change. Looking at historical and contemporary works, it demonstrates that the medium is deeply implicated in human-induced changes to nature.