World Photography Day is a holiday that’s observed annually every August 19th. This day celebrates the history and art of photography and honors the photographers who snap photos that capture our imaginations and touch our hearts. Although modern photography has only been around since the 19th century, it has managed to have an impressive effect on our society.

Even today, in this age of digitally manipulated images, photography remains an important art form. And we predict that will be the case well into the future. That is why people all over the world take time out of their busy lives to celebrate this holiday.

The History of World Photography Day

In 1839, the French Academy of Sciences announced the invention of the Daguerreotype process. This process made it possible to create a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper that was coated with a thin layer of silver. This would become the first method for obtaining a permanent image with a camera.

Over the years, photography would continue to evolve. In 1884, George Eastman refined the Daguerreotype process by replacing the copper plate with film. Four years later, he developed the Kodak camera, a camera that allowed more people to take pictures.

On August 19th, 2010, the first World Photography Day was celebrated. It was chosen on this day because this is when almost 270 photographers shared their pictures in an online image gallery.

This image gallery was then visited by people from all over the world. This holiday is placed on the 19th of August because that is the date in 1839 when the French government purchased the patent for the Daguerreotype process and then gifted it to the world so that everyone everywhere could use it.

Some Amazing Facts About Photography

Below are a few photography facts that we’ve picked up over the past few years. We thought they would be the perfect complement to this article on World Photography Day, so we decided to share them. These facts can be checked out below.

• The oldest known photograph took 8 hours to expose. It was taken in 1826 by French photographer Nicéphore Niépce.
• The first digital camera with a memory card was released in 1998. It was the FUJIX DS-1P by Fujifilm, and it had a capacity of 2 MB.
• Friedrich Von Martens invented the first panoramic camera in 1845. It used a swing lens and a curved Daguerreotype plate to capture images.
• Harry Pointer began photographing cats during the 1870s.

Observing World Photography Day

We encourage everyone who has even a passing interest in photography to observe this holiday. Of course, observing this holiday might mean different things to different people. Some might use the holiday to learn more about photography and what’s required to take world-class photos. Others might just want to learn more about the history of photography or enjoy the work of their favorite photographers.

There’s no right or wrong way to observe this holiday, so people can embrace photography in the way that’s most comfortable for them. Other ways that people observe this holiday include talking to photographers and learning more about what they do for a living, getting a family portrait taken, or checking out the latest books on photography.

Some people like to spread the word about this holiday by using the hashtag #WorldPhotographyDay on social media. As we said, there’s no right or wrong way to observe this holiday, so everyone should do what feels right for them. As long as it involves photographs, it really doesn’t matter.