So let’s try to know the World Photography Day History in full detail today. You can also consider this post as a review of World Photography Day, because today is 19 August, and this day is considered very special in the world of photography. Therefore, it is our duty to give our readers a gift that can make them aware of the hard work, passion and history hidden behind this day.
In today’s era, we can take photos, make videos in seconds, whenever we want, however we want. But have you ever wondered that it was not always like this? When a photo was taken for the first time, it was not just a click—it was 8 hours of continuous hard work, trying to permanently record the light coming from the window in front of the camera on a plate.
Now think for yourself, can you and I stand for 8 hours just to take a photo? Probably not. But that great man of that era, Joseph Nicephore Niepce, not only did it, but created history. Photography began with that one photo.
Every photo we click today is the next link in that tradition. World Photography Day is celebrated in memory of that great effort, so that the coming generations can understand that there is a long story of hard work and dedication hidden behind technology.
Next we will also know what is its connection with India, and how India also made its special place in the world of photography.
Beginning of history
History is not just a collection of events recorded in books, but it gives us an opportunity to understand ourselves and prepare better for the times to come. When we talk about the history of photography, it is not limited to just cameras or pictures—it is a journey of passion, science and creativity, which began with the desire of humans to capture the moments seen with their eyes forever.
The beginning of World Photography Day History is associated with 19 August 1839. On this day, the French government took a historic step and presented a photography process called Daguerreotype to the world as a ‘free gift’. This process was developed by two great scientists, Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.
The biggest feature of this technique was that for the first time a scene was permanently recorded on a plate. This process was fully prepared in 1837 and made public in 1839. Since then, 19 August is celebrated every year as World Photography Day History.
This day is not just a celebration of technology, but it also reminds us of the efforts and dedication that our ancestors made. Thanks to their hard work, today we can cherish memories in seconds. This is what history teaches us—learn, move forward and make the future better.
Now is the time to take inspiration from this history and see photography not just as a hobby but as a responsibility – the responsibility to show the world from a better perspective.
Why do we celebrate this day?
Every year when we celebrate World Photography Day on 19 August, it is not just to remember an invention.
This day is an opportunity to salute the power of photography, which gave us the power to capture the emotions, culture and events of the whole world in a single frame.
Photography is no longer a simple art, now it has become a strong visual language that says millions of things without speaking.
This day reminds us how a camera can become a picture of a movement, how it can change people’s thinking by becoming a powerful tool of photo journalism.
Today’s photography is not just for collecting memories, but has also become the most accurate means of social change, science, and documentation.
So, whenever we take a photo with a camera, we are fulfilling a responsibility – to preserve truth, art and time.
🌐 World Photography Day History in the Modern Era
Today is the time of digital revolution, and with this photography has now become a mass movement.
Now it is not limited to just operating the camera, but has become a modern medium to connect with the world and express creativity. World Photography Day History has gone global today. On this day, people participate in online photo walks, global photography contests, and social media challenges.
When it was first celebrated online in 2010, 270 photographers from all over the world uploaded their photos to a shared gallery. Today that number has crossed the figure of millions. Now this day has become a festival of photography, in which everyone – whether professional or mobile photographer – shares their perspective with the world.
And this is the biggest identity of today’s World Photography Day History – making art accessible to everyone.
Special things and stories
Very few people know that the inspiration for World Photography Day is associated with an Indian. The idea behind this international day first came to the mind of Indian cinematographer O.P. Sharma. In the year 1988, he thought for the first time that why shouldn’t there be a special day for photography, which unites photographers from all over the world.
His idea gradually progressed and in 1991, World Photography Day was organized for the first time in India. But at that time this day was limited to India only. Many people did not take it seriously because then photography was not considered a big thing.
It was not considered a hobby. People thought that it was just a hobby, nothing special.
But times changed. Revolution changed. When the world was entering the digital age, photography created a new identity. Now people had developed a hobby of putting their photos on the Internet. During this time, Korske Ara of Australia and John Morzen of America took this idea of O.P. Sharma to the international platform. Gradually this day started becoming famous not only in India but all over the world, and today we celebrate it as a global festival.
World Photography Day History tells us that there are obstacles in the beginning of any great work, but if the intention is clear and the thinking is true, then one day it becomes a force that connects the world. And we have got an example of this in the form of Mahatma Gandhi.
Now an interesting thing – the world’s first self-portrait, that is, in today’s language, the first ‘selfie’, was taken by American photographer Robert Cornelius in 1839. And this is where O.P. Sharma got the inspiration that when a person can capture himself in a camera, then why not the whole world?
In today’s time, when we take a selfie or record an event in a second with a smartphone, we cannot even imagine that once it used to take hours to take a picture. This difference makes World Photography Day History special – it tells us the story of human passion along with the development of technology.
Photography has gone beyond art and has left a deep mark on society, culture and journalism. Be it historical events, pictures of war, social movements or scientific discoveries – all these have been preserved by the eye of the camera. Be it the scene of Jallianwala Bagh or any moment of the freedom movement, everything is still alive in front of us through photography.
In today’s digital age, when platforms like Facebook, Instagram have made everyone a mini photographer, World Photography Day History reminds us that every picture is not just a combination of pixels — it contains emotions, time, history and culture.
So the next time you take a photo, don’t just focus on the pose. Think that you are capturing a piece of history. This is the real message of World Photography Day History — that every picture is taken not just with the eyes, but with the heart.
How is World Photography Day celebrated
World Photography Day is a day when photographers and photo lovers from all over the world come together to celebrate the beauty, power and history of photography. This day has become a golden opportunity for people of every age, every level and every country to share their passion for photography. Let’s know how this day is celebrated:
📸 Sharing photos on #WorldPhotographyDay – a tradition
The most common and popular way on this day is to share your best clicked photo on social media. People present their creativity to the world by using hashtags like #WorldPhotographyDay.
Some people start working hard from the beginning of the year. They cherish their best pictures one by one, and then share them with great pride on 19 August. Not only this, many people participate in online photography competitions on this day and get into the top list with their great pictures.
🚶♂️ Photo Walk and Workshop
Photo Walk is a group activity in which photographers go together to a fixed location and do photography. In this, experienced photographers also give tips to newcomers and local culture, nature or architecture is captured on camera.
At the same time, in workshops, topics related to photography such as:
Camera Settings
Lighting
Storytelling
Editing Software
… are discussed in depth. Such events are often organized by photography schools, colleges, photographer associations and camera companies.
🖼️ Exhibitions and Competitions
The celebration of World Photography Day History becomes more colorful when exhibitions and photography competitions are organized.
Who organizes it?
Photographer clubs
Art galleries and museums
Online photography platforms (like ViewBug, 500px, National Geographic YourShot etc.)
Sometimes camera brands like Canon, Nikon, Sony also sponsor.
How are winners selected?
Participants send their photos on a set theme. Then a jury panel (experienced photographers, artists, brand ambassadors etc.) selects the top winners based on:
- Composition
- Creativity
- Storytelling
- Technical quality.
- Winners are awarded prizes, featured publications or global exhibitions.
🌐 Online Gallery: Modern-day Exhibition
The trend of online gallery has grown rapidly since 2010. Now photographers upload their photos in online space instead of physical exhibitions, so that viewers from all over the world can see them.
What is it and how does it work?
- A digital gallery is created on a website or platform (eg: worldphotoday.com, 500px, Flickr).
- Any registered photographer uploads his photo under a theme or topic.
- People view, like, comment, or vote for it for a fixed period of time.
- Sometimes winners are selected in these galleries by combining both public voting and judging.
In the context of World Photography Day History, these online galleries have become a medium through which boundaries have been erased – now anyone, from anywhere, can take their photography to the global stage.
Glimpses of the development of photography
Brother, whenever we talk about World Photography Day History, it is important that we also understand why this “day” was created. Its history is not just a celebration of a date, but the story of a struggle that has lasted for more than a century – from the dark box in the room to the smartphone camera sitting in the pocket today.
So let me tell you a story…
🕰️ When a person took 8 hours to click the first photo, this is where the camera started.
In our language it is said that scientists are crazy. Yes, absolutely! Scientists are crazy – because whatever they think, they do it only after doing it. They do not get peace until it is completed. And only then they are able to write their history. The year was 1826, and there was one such person, whose name was – Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.
He was an inventor, scientist, and artist from France. Joseph always thought that
“How can I capture a scene forever?” But it was not so easy for him. But I told you earlier – scientists do not give up, they do it only after doing it.
He believed in one thing – “If I keep a scene fixed in a camera for a long time, then maybe that image will get printed on some surface.”
And then… that is what he did.
He applied a chemical called ‘Bitumen of Judea‘ on a tin plate, Then he kept it in the sun for 8 hours. And then he started working hard to print that scene.
And what happened?
Then one day his hard work paid off, and after working continuously for 8 hours, he was able to make the world’s first permanent photo – “View from the Window at Le Gras” which was named. It has become immortal in World History today.
🌞 It started with ‘Heliography’ (1820s)
This process got the name: Heliography – that is, making photos with the help of the sun. But brother, think – waiting for 8 hours for a single photo… how difficult and uncomfortable!
And today?
Today we take photos in seconds, yet we do corrections, editing, filters – everything in it. But just think of the hard work of that scientist who stood for 8 hours just to get a permanent image! That is why. It is said -“Passion is needed to make history, not technology.”
🪞 Then came Daguerreotype – 1837
Now a new character comes in this story – Louis Daguerre. After the death of Niepce, Daguerre took his work forward. And he invented a new method – in which photos could be made on a metal plate in minutes, and that too more clear.
This was called – Daguerreotype.
In the year 1839, the French government gifted it to the world – and we celebrate the same day as World Photography Day today.
📷 Camera now started coming out of the closed room
Till now the camera was a “pin hole box” – a closed room. But as technology increased, things like lens, shutter, and flash started getting added. Photography gradually started coming within the reach of the common man. But there was still a problem – the wet plate process.
Carrying the camera, clicking the photo, developing it immediately in the lab – all this was a very heavy and time-consuming task. But he had completed about 50% of the work in 8 hours. And he also had to carry the chemicals with him every time.
🧪 Dry Plate – 1870s–1880s
Now some experimental scientists come into the story. They made a new invention – Dry Plate. A new chapter was written in the history of photography with this dry plate.
- Now the photographer did not have to carry the chemicals with him every time.
- Photos could be taken on a pre-prepared plate – and development could be done later.
This technology not only saved time – but also the need to carry heavy equipment was saved. Another problem that was solved was that the photo which was taken immediately and taken to the lab after clicking could now be made later. This made photojournalism and field photography easier.
🎞️ Now it was time to bring photography to the masses…
When Joseph Niepce took 8 hours to make the first permanent photo, probably no one had thought that one day photography would reach every home. But then came a name – George Eastman who changed the direction of history.
Kodak camera and his iconic sentence: > “You press the button, we do the rest.” It was this line that gave millions of people the courage to pick up a camera.
🎞️ The camera became smaller, the film roll came
George Eastman took photography out of a scientific experiment and made it a household thing. Earlier cameras that were heavy, complex and only for professionals, now became smaller, easier and cheaper. Now a film roll was used in the camera – and the biggest thing – it was not the user’s responsibility to develop the photos. He would just click photos, Kodak would do everything else.
👪 This is where “Home Photography” began — the era of preserving memories
Now no one needed a photographer to preserve memories of weddings, children, holidays. Cameras started coming to every home. Every album started being made. Every festival, every laughter, every tear — started getting captured in the camera.
🧠 The beginning of a revolution
George Eastman turned photography into not just an art, but a cultural movement. Now photos were not taken only by artists — every common man became a photographer. This was the moment when World Photography Day History got its real meaning.
Because as long as the technology is limited to a few selected people, it is not recorded in history. When it becomes the voice of the common people, only then it is celebrated.
🌈 Color Photography – 1900s
Till now everything was black and white. But the human mind is always drawn towards colors.
So scientists slowly made color photography a reality after 1907. It was very expensive and complicated in the beginning, but over time it became common. Now people didn’t just get memories — they got memories in color.
🎥 First Moving Video: Roundhay Garden Scene (1888)
While photography was spreading its wings in the world, another revolution was about to take birth — moving images, i.e. videography. The credit for this goes to Louis Le Prince,
who made the world’s first moving video in the year 1888. It may not seem so important to you today — but it was the beginning of a new era. The name of this video was: Roundhay Garden Scene. This video was just 2.11 seconds long, but history was written in those 2 seconds.
But this video shows what a person’s hard work, dedication and ability to do something different can do. It shows the stubbornness and passion of that person to not give up. This video is an example of the passion to do something new out of the world. No one would have thought that the photo technology which people were just understanding, would be converted into a moving picture i.e. video by someone in 1888.
This feat of Louis Le Prince is given a special honor not only in World History, but also in World Photography Day History. Because from that day onwards a path was opened, on which video creators, filmmakers, YouTubers, people making videos on Facebook, even people playing video games are walking today. This was a turning point, which took the first step from still images to a moving world.
🎬 What is seen in this video?
In this short clip, four people are seen walking, laughing and roaming in a garden.
Although the quality of the video was very ordinary compared to today, but at that time it was a miracle. Louis Le Prince shot it in a garden located near Leeds (England). This video was made with a camera he designed himself.
🧠 Why is this important?
This video is considered to be the “world’s first moving picture” — that is, it was the seed from which the entire industry of films, cinema and digital videography was born.
Louis Le Prince is often called “The Father of Cinematography”.
Today we may be watching 4K and 8K videos, but his 2.11 second clip was the first step that gave the world a perspective of watching moving pictures.
📸 First Digital Camera – 1975
Now comes a revolutionary event. Steven Sasson, working for the Kodak company, created the first digital camera in 1975.
- This camera weighed 3.6 kg
- 0.01 megapixel quality
- It took 23 seconds to capture a photo
- And the photo could only be seen on a TV screen
But this was the foundation of the future. Digital Photography is considered to have started from here.
🤳 Smartphone Camera – A Camera in Every Hand
The world changed completely after 2000. Earlier the camera used to be a separate device – bulky, expensive, and only professionals had it. But now the time had come for change. And this change started from Japan.
The year was 2000 and the company was Sharp.
Sharp launched its first camera phone – Sharp J-SH04, which had a small camera, just 0.1 megapixels. This mobile was launched in Japan, and no one had thought that in the coming years this technology would change the definition of photography all over the world. Slowly other companies also joined this race. Then came mobile brands like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, who started improving the camera in their phones.
But the real explosion happened when the first iPhone was launched in 2007.
Apple made mobile photography not just a feature, but an experience. Then Android companies like Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, OnePlus also took this race further ahead.
- Today, smartphones have:
- Camera up to 100MP
- 4K and 8K videos are being shot
- Features like AI Portrait, Night Mode, HDR are available
- Pro level editing apps also run here
- Now taking photos is not just the work of experts, But every common man has a mini DSLR in his hand.
You can make a great photo or video sitting at home – and send it to the world. This camera which was once just a scientist’s dream, is now in your pocket, in your hand. And this is the biggest celebration of World Photography Day history – where photography has now become everyone’s.
🌍 Democratization of Photography
Today photography is no longer a part of any one class or profession.
- A farmer can take a photo of his crop
- A child can make a video of school activities
- A doctor can document his operation
- A journalist can record events on the spot
This change has made World Photography Day History a Global Celebration.
🎯 Contemporary themes of World Photography Day History
Now every year World Photography Day has a theme – so that people don’t just click, but also think.
Some examples:
- 🌱 “Environmental Awareness” – Save the environment
- 🤝 “Diversity & Inclusion” – Photos of every caste, class, and color
- 🌐 “Global Unity” – Showing peace, love and brotherhood
- 🙌 “Human Emotions” – Smile on the face, tears in the eyes
Its purpose is – photography should not just be a picture, but a message.
Conclusion World Photography Day History
World Photography Day History is an inspiring story, which includes technological innovation, social change, creative expression and global connection. This day is for photographers, artists, journalists, common people – everyone who wants to share their words,
their perspective, and their world with others through photos. World Photography Day History gives us an opportunity to see and preserve our life, culture, and society from time to time with a new perspective. In the times to come, World Photography Day History will continue to inspire new generations and take photography to new heights, For more information about World Photography Day, you can visit this page on Wikipedia.
