World Photography Day |24 August 2020

Daguerreotype of Louis Daguerre in 1844 (left) and one of his photos, View of the Boulevard du Temple, captured in 1838 (right) (Photo source: Wikipedia)

Celebrating the history, craft, science and art of photography

On August 19, the world celebrated World Photography Day, an annual observance day to pay tribute to the history, craft, science and art of photography. Photography is truly ubiquitous and has become an extension of ourselves – we take photos to remember a moment in time, to tell a story or to express our creativity and make art.

Seychelles NATION spoke to a local professional photographer at The Creative Studio – Seychelles who works predominantly in the tourism industry, to talk about photography and learn more about the importance of this day.

He recalls reading that it was on August 19, 181 years ago, during a joint meeting between the French Academy of Science and the ‘Académie des Beaux-Arts’ in Paris, France that the Daguerreotype process of photography was made public.

This was after many years of where French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce and French physicist and artist Louis Daguerre experimented with the silver photographic process.

“It’s a time to indulge in all things photographic,” says our local photographer, “a day to stop and appreciate the fact that you can in fact capture images, be it on your phone or a camera, and have them for a lifetime and beyond.”

He asks us to imagine a world without cameras, without still or moving images (videos), without the ability to show your loved ones or friends something amazing you saw; it would be a world where you would have no choice but to be brilliant with words or excel at drawing or painting, as there would be no other way to accurately depict a beautiful sunset, document your once-in-a-lifetime holiday or capture a special day.

On our shores, photography plays a major role in our economy as photos and videos of our beautiful islands are an essential part of marketing our destination. It enables people across the globe to see the wonders of our islands for themselves and with that, there is not much else required to convince them to visit.

It is equally important for us to appreciate the role that photography plays in the media – the fact that you can read the news and have supporting images to depict the nature of the subject matter in a visually powerful and informative way, allows you to be engrossed into what is happening.

We mustn’t forget the crucial part that photos and videos have in rescue services, monitoring and detection of crimes, as well as in scientific research and medical diagnostics such as CT scans and X-ray imaging.

“I am even able to make a living from photography and video productions, so like others who work in this field, I am grateful for this. I shoot mainly interior & architectural photos of hotels of all sizes, as well as virtual tour videos of these establishments. Additionally, I shoot small weddings and do couple photo-shoots for our visitors, and I also take on other projects for local businesses as well as graphic design work when I am able to,” he explains.

“I celebrated World Photography Day by reading a bit more about the history of photography and watched a documentary about a New York based street photographer called Vivian Maier. This is how I would encourage people to also celebrate this great form of art.”

He adds that it is important to thoroughly understand the beginnings of your craft and learn about the past greats who have contributed immensely to the field. This will give you a deeper appreciation to what you do, be it you are a professional, an enthusiast or a layperson who takes photos.

Photography is literally all around us. Today, millions of images are regularly uploaded and shared on popular social media platforms, most of them, from our smartphones. These also include videos which are basically fast moving photos. A typical video has 25 frames per second to depict motion, that is, 25 photos are being shown to your eyes in one second!

So the next time you have a video chat with a loved one that you haven’t seen in a while, particularly now due to the travel restrictions and social distancing measures, or the next time you come across a wonderful photo, whether it makes you cry or smile, remember the contribution of Niépce and Daguerre many years ago and those who choose to pick up a camera and point it at something worthwhile.

F.P.

Photo credits: The Creative Studio - Seychelles