Today (19 August) is World Photography Day, an annual celebration of the history, creativity and technical skill behind the lens. It’s a chance to shine a spotlight on the importance of photography – as both a powerful storytelling tool and an expressive art form.
The origins of photography stretch back almost 200 years. The oldest surviving photograph dates to 1826, captured by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce. His pioneering image shows the rooftops and countryside around his estate. Just over a decade later, in 1839, Alphonse Giroux designed the first commercially manufactured photographic camera.
A major milestone arrived in 1888, when George Eastman released a simple box camera that used photographic film. Then, in 1900, he launched the Brownie, an affordable camera that made snapshot photography accessible to the public and remained popular until the 1960s.
Fast forward to 1949 and the world’s first instant camera, the Polaroid Model 95, hit the market. Then, in 1988, Fuji introduced the DS-X, the first truly portable digital camera. Just over a decade later, in 1999, Japan saw the debut of the first camera phone: the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210. This kicked off a rapid evolution, leading to the high-resolution, feature-packed smartphone cameras we use today.
If you’re passionate about photography, why not take it further with one of our specialist courses at North Kent College?
Offered at our Dartford and Tonbridge campuses, our Photography courses give students access to industry-standard equipment, from DSLR and film cameras to a wide range of lenses. You’ll also use professional software including Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop, Bridge, and Lightroom, and gain valuable experience in our two photographic studios with expert technical support.
Students can also develop darkroom skills using traditional printing methods and edit in our fully equipped Mac suite.
To find out more and take the next step in your creative journey, visit the Photography course page on the North Kent College website.