Almost 200 years ago Nicéphore Niépce pointed his camera obscura at the world outside his window and captured an image on a light-sensitized pewter plate. Not only was this the first photograph, it also became the first word in what is now a lively and voluminous lexicon of photographic imagery. Since that momentous day, photographers have followed his example and developed a visual language that defines and shapes our understanding of the world, one that utilizes a vocabulary that converts our thoughts into visual explanations of our experiences and lives.