It’s like magic, how at the soft click of the camera, a flash of light and a moment in time is captured forever.
Photography, put simply, is the art of capturing a memory through an image.
People have become too obsessed with how good the image is, that the art of photography itself is, at most times, overlooked.
Maybe digitally, maybe on film, the medium is never as important as the memory or moment caught.
A group of people, a sunset, or even a fish jumping out of the water, a photograph is a way to feel the emotion and context of that exact moment.
August 19 is the day set aside to recognise and celebrate this art.
The date behind World Photo Day originates from the invention of the daguerreotype, a photographic process developed by Joseph Nicèphore Nièpce and Louis Daguerre in 1837.
On January 9, 1839, The French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype process. A few months later, on August 19, 1839, the French government purchased the patent and announced the invention as a gift "Free to the World".
August 19th, 1839, was chosen as the date behind World Photo Day based on the following historical merits:
- The daguerreotype as the first practical photographic process.
- The purchase and release of the patent by the French government.
Photographs got better and better over the years, first with the ‘still camera’, and the ability to take a picture that way.
The major jumps in technology affected photography as much as any other facet of life around the world.
With Kodak, Canon and so many other brands out there, it was of no surprise when the market of photography got such a jump, even more so with the military and surveillance capabilities offered as cameras got better, lighter and more easily used.
Yet for all the innovation and creativity, science and even the large amount of art that occurs in the photography realm, not much can beat the simple pleasure of snapping photos and developing your frames to enjoy the integrity of the photos.
How to celebrate Photography Day as suggested by ‘Days of the Year’
Why not go out and snap a few pictures yourself? Find an older camera, and enjoy the feel, and look, of 35mm film.
Walk around and snap some pictures to preserve the time in photographic form.
Make a collage, which is a mixture of pictures, sometimes cut into different shapes than the usual rectangles of photos.
Go snap some wildlife, either in the wild or at a park. Or anywhere!
Maybe some family photos wouldn’t be out of the question; and you could even use them in the yearly holiday cards in place of the stock sitting stills.
Or go see a museum about photography, if you have one nearby to visit.
Many museums have cameras in them, and some even explain the use of photography in major events worldwide.
How do you think they get the pictures of these events anyways? With a camera of course!
So go out there, snap some photos and maybe record a piece of history on this year’s Photography Day!
(Information sourced from: ‘Days of the Year’ and ‘World Photo Day’. Pictures by talented Russian nature photographer, Vadim Trunov.)
