In order to discover how the photographic medium has been conceptualized, a study examined all books published in the United States from 1902 to 1960 which are part of the intellectual response to photography and a sample of the periodicals which concern themselves with photography. A critical review of the literature combined with Q methodology resulted in the identification of four "schools": (1) the positivists, who carry forth the tradition of most nineteenth century photographers, using photography as a means of reporting events; (2) the ontologists, who view photography as a medium of expression in the tradition of the visual arts; (3) the existentialists, who stress the relationship between the photographer and the medium; and (4) the expressionists, who concern themselves with using the medium symbolically or metaphorically. (Two tables of data, one figure, and 68 footnotes are included; statements used in the Q-sort and statements with the highest and lowest Z-scores are attached.) (RS)