In the late 1970s, the term "staged photography" emerged in the USA, initially vaguely referring to photographs whose subjects were influenced by the photographer in some way. To achieve a precise understanding of staged photography, this work addresses questions of terminology clarification as well as strategies of staged photography over the past 25 years. To put an end to the diversity of definitions in recent years, a definition of staged photography is established, which also serves as a methodological analysis tool for examining staged photographs.

The first generation of photographic artists who worked with staged photography includes Californian Eileen Cowin. Her work is quite similar to that of Cindy Sherman, yet its significance for the development of staged photography has been underestimated so far. In contrast to Eileen Cowin, Canadian Jeff Wall has been received differently in Germany. Although he initially played no significant role in the development of staged photography, his work is now considered the epitome of photographic staging.

Using Cindy Sherman as a case study, the work explores how staging strategies can also impact the portrait genre. To round off the investigation, the final part of the work focuses on current positions in staged photographic art. Anna Gaskell, Tracey Moffatt, Sharon Lockhart, and Sam Taylor-Wood have inherited and expanded upon the legacy of the older generation in their photographic stagings. Their focus is less on the desire for a narrative image concept and more on the exploration of how narrative functions within the image. The work is supplemented by an appendix listing over 400 photographic artists with biographical information.