Found photography is a genre of photography and/or visual art based on the recovery (and possible exhibition) of lost, unclaimed, or discarded photographs. It is related to vernacular photography, but differs in the fact that the "presenter" or exhibitor of the photographs did not "shoot" the photograph itself, does not know anything about the photographer, and generally does not know anything about the subject(s) of the photographs. Found photos are generally acquired at flea markets, thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, or literally just "found" anywhere. The appreciation and interest of the genre is also related to the concept of found art or "readymades"; a concept which was popularized by Marcel Duchamp and subsequent Dadaists and conceptual artists. Much of the appeal of the photos is the mystery regarding the original photographer or the subject matter and can also involve a sort of voyeuristic interest, as if one were obtaining access to a private world. Creating possible narratives for found photographs has become quite popular, especially on sites which allow viewers to enter their own narratives as comments to the pictures.
Contemporary artists who use found photography as part of their practice include Stephen Bull, Celine Duval, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Alexander Honory, Erik Kessels, Peter Piller and Joachim Schmid.