Kevin In the world of holidays and observances, both official and unofficial, today is no different. If anyone reading this has been here for more than a nanosecond, they’ll see that this is something I love to talk about. Today is National Photography Day 2024, and also World Photo Day 2024. Since they’re related, it only makes sense that they’re observed on the same day.
National Today states that Photo Day and Photography Day got their start in 2010. However, the official World Photography Day website states that this observance came to be in 1988 by O.P. Sharma of Delhi. A few years later, the first celebration of what we now know as World Photography Day came along. It started out as a local event, but as the Internet became more accessible, photographers from other countries lent their support. Over time, it evolved into what it is today: a global art celebration.
However, the date for this celebration didn’t just come outta nowhere. This is the day that the daguerreotype became available to the public in 1839. According this post on The Met’s website, the daguerreotype is developed in mercury vapors, and when it’s in the right light, the intricate details come to life.
The daguerreotype process gained popularity worldwide, and many specialists in this type of photography sought out their clientele in the major cities across the country. As technology marched on, the daguerreotype fell out of favor as the go-to, and other methods of photography came along.
Before the daguerreotype, it was portraits. These took substantial time, effort, and resources to complete, w/ anyone who’s depicted in them having to be still for hours on end.
Over the years, photography went from something accessible to only those of certain means, to something so commonplace that we don’t think anything of it when we wanna go take a pic of whatever we think is cool.
It also proved itself a valuable tool in criminal justice and law enforcement, in forensic photography. These crime scene photos tell a story, and have often been key pieces of evidence when the cases go to trial. Despite what the TV shows have us think, forensic photography is hard and tedious work, often focusing on the most minute details, since anything and everything could lead to that break in the case.
In other instances, ppl on a mission to lose some weight will take progress photos to show where they started, and where they hope to never be again. I did. However, no pics of me exist when I was at my estimated highest weight, which differs from my confirmed highest. I’m grateful for that.
I do have a pic of me from around this time a year ago, when I gained back enough of the weight that things were starting to go downhill once again. I wish I’d caught it before I got to that point, but I didn’t.
I’m keeping that photo as another reminder, but this time, a reminder of when I decided to turn things around.
Some ppl decide to share their photos, whereas others don’t. I’ve decided against sharing mine, since I don’t want some rando to steal em and use em to push their super sus “cure-all” that doesn’t do shyt but part customers who don’t know any better from their hard-earned money.
This year, the theme for World Photography Day is “An Entire Day.” If you end up missing posting a photo to celebrate World Photography Day, no worries! There’s World Photography Week, which is on until August 26.
Over to you, readers. What are your plans for World Photography Day, National Photography Day, World Photo Day, or World Photography Week for that matter? Gonna share something cool over on the ‘gram? Yes, no, maybe so? Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts and takeaways, so drop it all like it’s hawt, and let’s get this party started!
