  We review the opportunities and challenges in the field of hypernuclear
physics with electromagnetic probes. An overview is presented regarding our
current understanding of the elementary production process on the nucleon. This
amplitude is then used in the nuclear environment to study the hyperon-nucleon
(YN) interaction. We discuss two scenarios: hypernuclear excitation that allows
the investigation of hypernuclear structure and the bound Lambda in the
nucleus, and quasifree kaon production on the deuteron and on nuclei, which
permits a more direct access to the YN force. Specific examples are given for
few-body systems and shell-model nuclei.
