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177 years on, World Photo Day celebrates power of images

Dubai - First celebrated in 2010, the day has quickly developed into an international phenomenon, with millions of people around the world sharing images to the World Photo Day gallery and hosting independent community events, competitions and promotions.

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Photographers around the world are marking World Photo Day by looking back on photography's remarkable 177-year history and the powerful impact that images can have on the world.
The date of World Photo Day - August 19 - marks the invention of the Daguerrotype, a photographic process developed by Joseph Nicephore Niece and Louis Daguerre in 1837, the patent of which was purchased by the French government on August 19, 1839. The invention was swiftly pronounced as a gift that was "free to the world."

A photographer's view Neeraj Murali, staff photographer Ansel Adams once said: "There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Shooting pictures in both perspectives separates a photograph from a snapshot. Inspired by Ansel Adams and the way he looked at the world made all the difference to me as an artist. On World Photography Day, us photographers remember the reason to take up this line of work - to show the people that the world can be looked in almost infinite ways. For many years, I experimented with different types of photography before I found my niche. When I started off, I was interested (like everyone) in landscape photography, flowers, portraiture etc. However, something still drew me into photojournalism. I think it was the fact that I've always been interested in telling stories with pictures. Ever since, I've observing things through the third eye: the Camera. I carry it with me everywhere I go, and it's a part of me now. Enthusiasts trying to explore this side of art have to keep only one thing in mind. Effectively convey what you see though pictures, so the viewer not only understands your perspective of the subject, but also how you feel about it. neeraj@khaleejtimes.com

First celebrated in 2010, the day has quickly developed into an international phenomenon, with millions of people around the world sharing images to the World Photo Day gallery and hosting independent community events, competitions and promotions.
"Photography is a powerful method of communication that we can use to uplift, inspire and initiate change in our world," said Korske Ara, World Photo Day's founder. "A picture is worth a thousand words and those words can be in any of the 6,500 languages on planet earth."
Organisers of World Photo Day note that photography is more prevalent than ever, with an estimated 4 billion cameras being used around the world, in addition to 3.65 billion smartphone cameras.
Snapshots that moved ?the world
The power of photography has been starkly highlighted this week by the haunting images of Omran Daqneesh, a 5-year old Syrian boy who was seen bloody and dazed following a regime airstrike in the embattled city of Aleppo.
The image has sparked outcry around the globe from many who see the photographs of the child as a sign that the world has turned its back on the people of Syria. "The stunned, bloody face of a child survivor sums up the horror of Aleppo," tweeted Syrian National Council member Adib Shishakly.
Many commentators noted that the reaction to the images is similar to the global one that followed the images of the 3-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi, whose body was found washed ashore on a beach near Bodrum in Turkey, in September 2015. At the time, Save the Children CEO Justin Forsyth noted that the photograph was "a reminder of the dangers children and families are taking in search of a better life."
Not all iconic photographs, however, are tragic. A recent photograph of Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt taken by Getty Images photographer Cameron Spencer shows Bolt grinning as his opponents grimace in a vain effort to keep up.
"I sort of knew it was a special moment," Spencer told Time Magazine. "His full stride, he's smiling, and he has that amazing perfect technique and he's looking across seven of the top fastest runners in the world and he's enjoying himself."
"People who know photography know it's hard to capture that," he added.
bernd@khaleejtimes.com