The book is dedicated to amateur photography in Russia at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st centuries. Amateur photography is seen as a kind of "language" that is used to convey visual messages. The monograph attempts to reconstruct the system of unwritten rules and conventions of this "language" behind visual "sayings." Some of these rules relate to what to shoot, others - how, others - to whom and when to show it. The study is based on photographs and albums from public and private collections, observations and interviews, as well as works of fiction and films related to the studied culture, discussions on Internet sites. The book is addressed to specialists in the humanities and social sciences and everyone interested in modern visual culture.