The Camera and Social Change charts the history of photography and its effects on society, from the first tentative pictures of Joseph (Nicphore) Nipce in 1826 up until the 21st Century, where now more photographs are taken in one year than in all the previous centuries put together. From the early social commentaries of Thomas Annan and Jacob Riis in the Glasgow and New York slums through to the censorship of World War One; the pioneering war photography of Robert Capa and Don McCullin, photographer and author John Warren assesses the impact the camera has on influencing our view of reality. Further he asks what impressions such diverse events as the Moon landings, Abu Ghraib and 911 had on public consciousness, how advertising and captioning affects our perceptions and illustrates it all with over sixty stunning examples of the art of 'writing with light'.