They say a photograph is worth a thousand words and a well-crafted photo is stunning and immediately brings the eye to what is being conveyed. The purpose of photography is to communicate and document moments in time. Photographs capture memories and lead one to be present as one explores the world. Photography lets us see something we may never have noticed otherwise and is a way to express our ideas for others to see. Photos showcase stories and document history as it unfolds. Today there is a camera in almost everyone’s hands and we can document the minutiae of our lives as it happens.

Today is World Photography Day or World Photo Day, an international celebration focused on photography and its history. On August 19, 1839, the French government purchased the patent of the daguerreotype process, the first photography process, and released it to the world for free. In honour of this, World Photography Day is celebrated on August 19.

The daguerreotype photographic process, the first photographic process was developed in 1837 by the French inventors and photographers Louis Daguerre and Nicéphore Niépce. Announced on January 9, 1839, by the French Academy of Sciences, the patent of the daguerreotype was purchased by the French government who granted the invention free to the world on August 19 of the same year. The idea of World Photography Day was first suggested by Indian photographer O. P. Sharma in 1988 who set up propagating the idea of celebrating the day within the photography community in India and abroad. The first observance of the day was in 1991, by the Indian International Photographic Council, founded by Sharma himself. Subsequently, Sharma was able to persuade the Photographic Society of America and the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain to join in and the day has been celebrated globally since 1991.

World Photography Day is celebrated as a day to commemorate the importance of cameras and photography in our lives. This day is celebrated by people who love photography, from amateur to professional photographers. World Photography Day aims to inspire photographers around the world to share their photos with the simple goal of sharing their world with the world. World Photo Day hosted its first global online gallery on August 19, 2010.

To commemorate the day, go ahead and showcase some of your best photos. In honour of this day, I too am sharing some of my favourite photos in this post.