World Photography Day

World Photography Day, a.k.a. World Photo Day, celebrated annually on August 19th, honors the invention of the daguerreotype process in 1839 and the profound impact photography has had on our world. This day invites us to appreciate the art and science of photography, from its historical beginnings to the cutting-edge technologies of today. On this day, people all over the world are encouraged to share their best photos online using the hashtag #WorldPhotographyDay.

Nowadays, World Photography Day is part of the World Photography Week, first announced in 2002. Photographers wanting to participate in the celebrations should use the hashtag #WorldPhotographyWeek.

When is World Photography Day?

This table shows the dates for World Photography Day up to the year 2030, including the weekday for each date:

History of World Photography Day

World Photography Day was first proposed by Indian photography teacher O.P. Sharma in 1988 and was officially observed in 1991. Initially celebrated with in-person events in India, it began to trend online in 2005, promoted as “World Photo Day” by Australian entrepreneur Korske Ara. Over the last decade, producer John Morzen from North America has helped grow the event into a global celebration, marked by workshops, photo walks, and widespread sharing of photography.

Celebrated on August 19th, World Photography Day marks the introduction of the daguerreotype, a photographic process invented by Louis Daguerre and announced to the world on August 19, 1839. This day recognizes the monumental impact of photography, which has grown into a crucial tool for expression and documentation.

Photography Facts

• The first known photograph, titled “View from the Window at Le Gras” was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827 using a process called heliography. It required an exposure time of several hours.

• In 1839, Louis Daguerre introduced the daguerreotype, the first publicly announced photographic process. This method reduced exposure time and improved the quality of photographs, making photography more accessible.
• The first color photograph, an image of a tartan ribbon, was taken by James Clerk Maxwell in 1861. Maxwell’s method involved taking three separate black-and-white photographs through red, green, and blue filters.

• As of 2021, approximately 1.4 trillion photos are taken each year worldwide. This staggering number is largely driven by the proliferation of smartphones equipped with high-quality cameras.
• The use of hashtags has become a crucial part of photo-sharing on social media. On Instagram, posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement than those without. Popular photography-related hashtags include #photography, #photooftheday, and #instagood, each used in millions of posts daily.

Before You Go:

We have many more national days lists for you to explore.

• Food-related national days: complete list of national food days, pasta & noodles days, vegan & vegetarian daysays, ice-cream days, pizza days, coffee days, chocolate days, wine days, alcohol & drinking days.
• Non-food national days: National Days Calendars 2024-2025 (check out the printable calendars in my Etsy shop), National Days for Teachers, and a wide array of special lists such as cat days, dog days, animal days, book days, music days, family & relationships days, national days for women, stationery days and even Harry Potter days.
• Country-specific national days: Australian national days, more coming soon.