World Photography Day 2022: Date, Theme, History, Celebrations, Significance and Activities

Photography is important because through the lens we can document or have something forever. Not only does it has the ability to capture memories, but it helps us to understand the world around us better. World Photography Day is a picturesque moment for avid photo enthusiasts around the world and every year it is observed on 19 August 2022.

It is meant for the photography connoisseur that likes to dabble with the beauty of nature around with a camera lens. Let us celebrate the spirit and chart its historical strides and evolution that have made nostalgia very visual and easy to revisit. It is nothing but human life, seen through a keyhole. To get a glimpse of this day, scroll down the article.

World Photography Day 2022: Date And Theme

To celebrate the art form of photography, World Photography Day is observed on 19 August each year. The theme of World Photography Day 2022 is a thoughtful reflection on the current situation. It reads as 'Pandemic Lockdown through the lens.'

World Photography Day 2022: History

World Photography Day may have unofficially provided a chance for every budding photographer out there. However, its historical evolution can be attributed to the hard work and efforts of the entire set of photographers all over the world. It has been a difficult art that took decades of practice to reach the current level of expertise.

The first photo was captured in 1825 by a French inventor Joseph Nicephore, who used a petroleum derivative to record the camera projection. The sincere efforts of two Frenchmen named Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce, are to be lauded as, in the year 1837, they introduced a photographic process which they named as 'Daguerreotype.'

Daguerreotype was relatively accurate, inexpensive, and just enough to suit the common tastes, interests and budget. It enjoyed an instant roaring success that showed up scenes and faces in an appreciably accurate manner. What used to be written or drawn with hand or paint, now, with the easier alternative available, simplified itself to suit the growing needs of people.

It was the efforts of Sir Johan Heschel, in 1839, that had its say in the improvement of quality of pictures. He was the one who gave 'photography' its name by coining the term with two Greek words Fos (light) grafo (write). Despite taking advanced strides in this field, photography had to wait for years to come to light.

In January 1839, the government of France purchased the process from the French Academy of Sciences and presented it to the world, free of charge. World's first colour photograph was captured in 1861 and the first durable coloured photograph was also taken in the year 1861.

However, Kodak came up with the first ever commercial camera that was marketed under the slogan "You press the button, we do the rest," in 1888 and in 1900 the Kodak Brownie, the first commercial camera for the middle class, was launched with due fanfare.

Colour photography was still a dream for majority of the population. But introduction of advanced technology and tireless efforts of a few scientists led to a huge improvement in quality.

Photography is essentially a time travellers' tool to bring back the memorable times. It is concrete evidence, apart from the collected memories, of the past that is presented with exact precision. Without this facility, there would not be a record for your existence. It is the visual legacy that we hand over for posterity. We know how people looked like, around 100 years ago, as it has all been on the records since then. Moments are to immortalized and celebrated, and surprisingly a camera can make this possible.

World Photography Day 2022: Celebrations

Creativity is all that you need to be a good photographer, and you need to play around your creative instincts along with a little patience and technical skill to achieve a degree of excellence in it. It is an art that achieves perfection through practice. The day for the photography celebrates adept photographers and creative workers in the field of photography.

World Photography Day, is a day exclusively meant for celebrating photography and photographers It has just taken a decade for this art to blend into our lives with the ease of a second skin. Anyone with a passion for clicking photos and a bit of skill is likely to learn the tricks at his own pace, given the interest and an ambition to do something with their skills Photography is essentially a stress-busting and calm-inducing pill that you need for your overstressed times.

World Photography Day 2022: Significance

While the discipline of photography requires a lot of focus and effort, it is still not given its due. There are scores of talented people with immense potential photography that has not had a chance to bloom due to lack of parental support. This day, propels the creative instincts in every such creative person to hone their creative skills in the right manner.

It honours the celebrated photographers like Ansel Adams, Henry Cartier Bresson, Edward Weston, Cindy Sherman, Robert Frank, and many others. If you haven't heard of them, try to gain knowledge about them, check out their work and learn to walk along the illustrious foot prints they have left behind. Pay tribute to their excellence that has come down to us as intellectual legacy as a result of their creative sacrifices.

World Photography Day 2022: Activities You Can Engage In

1. Focus on the nature on this day and capture it in all its glory through your lens. Take a photographic glimpse of the animals, the flowers, the plants, and trees, and every inch of the enchanting landscape that it has to offer.

2. You can purchase a new camera on this day. Every image has a history of resolute determination and burning passion for the art behind it. Look for the one that is loaded with features and is easy on your pocket.

3. You can spread the word about this day and inform people about its significance. You can share or post your photographic adventures on social media platforms and use the hashtag #WorldPhotographyDay.