It’s time to shine a light on your love of photography – today is World Photography Day!
Observed globally every year on 19 August, the day celebrates the creativity, science, and storytelling power of photography. The theme for 2026 is “My Favourite Photo”.
The history of photography stretches back almost two centuries. The earliest surviving photograph was taken in 1826 by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce, showing rooftops and countryside around his estate.
Soon after, in 1839, Alphonse Giroux created the first commercially produced photographic camera.
George Eastman revolutionised photography in 1888 with the first box camera to use film, then again in 1900 with the launch of the iconic Brownie, a low-cost camera that introduced the idea of the ‘snapshot’ and remained popular well into the 1960s.
By 1949, the Polaroid Model 95 brought instant images to life, and by 1988, Fuji released the DS-X – one of the earliest portable digital cameras.
The game truly changed in 1999 when Kyocera launched the first commercial camera phone, laying the foundations for the powerful smartphone cameras we now carry in our pockets.
Start Your Photography Journey With Us
If photography is something you are interested in, then we offer a range of courses at our Dartford and Tonbridge campuses.
Here you will benefit from using state-of-the-art equipment including the latest DSLR cameras, film cameras and lenses. You will also have access to professional standard digital imaging and editing software, including Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop, Bridge and Light-Room and two well-equipped photographic studios where you will benefit from excellent technical support from our Photography team.
You will also have access to our four Mac computer suites, plus you will gain experience in using the dark room to develop your hand-printing skills.
To find out more visit the Photography course page of our website.
You can find out more about World Photography Day by visiting the World Photography Day website.