Coinciding with exhibitions in Ghent and Düsseldorf, this book comprises five photo series ranging from Thomas Ruff's start in the late 1970s to recent work in 2014. As a conceptual photographer, his interest lies less in photographing reality, and instead focuses on portraying the realities of photography. Based in the spectrum between natural and virtual light, it engages a fundamental shift in the photographic medium over the last 30 years. In each series, Ruff subjects the medium to systematic analysis, the social, political and aesthetic aspects of image production. With contributions by Philippe Van Cauteren, Robert Fleck, Gregor Jansen, Martin Germann, and Valeria Liebermann.