Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai (SP)

Mumbai, Aug 19: World Photography Day is being celebrated on Wednesday August 19. This day aims at bringing all the photographers of the world on a single forum and make it a special day for them. This also commemorates the day in 1939 when the first patent was acquired for permanent photography and then released to the world for free. This is the 176th annual day for world photography, which celebrated 175 years of existence last year.

This year, World Photography Day is aimed at uniting global photographers at one place, showing to the world the combined power of photography, and to extend encouragement and support for businesses, organizations, and social service units of the world. Many a time, the photographers forget that they have a special day that has been set out to enable them to share their invaluable moments and experiences with their global friends and families, and now we even get grants for photography, noted founder of World Photography Day, Koraske Ara.

The first ever 35 mm film camera was developed 90 years ago. Digital camera came into being 20 years back. There were no camera phones till 15 years back. But the things have got such a transformation now that every process entails photography, and affects of all processes have improved with the influence of photography features. "The ideas about how you can utilize World Photography Day with your community and societies have been provided in the website. People can increase their awareness about photography by going through them," says Koraske.

Photography happens to be a strong medium for visual communication. It has infused more trust and authenticity to communication. With the inventions in photography, now we are able to share our invaluable moments with the world over within seconds. Photography is a revolutionary invention in the way the world is viewed. It enables us to sit within the confines of our homes and contact and communicate with various places all over the world, share our adventures with our friends living in a far off city. Living thousands of kilometres away, we can see our grandchildren grow on the other side of the world.

Harish Joshi

Veteran photographic scholars say that World Photography Day was conceptualized in memory of the daguerreotype photographic process founded by Joseph Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre. French Academy of Sciences announced daguerreotype process on January 9, 1839. Within months, ie on August 19, 1839, French government not only bought the patent of this research, but also announced it as a free gift to the whole world. However, the government had said that this process is not the first ever concept on permanent photography. Nicephore Niepce was the first person to capture permanent photograph named 'view from the window at Le Gras'. This process is known as holography.

The scholars believe that the first ever experimental daguerreotype process and purchase of patent and its release by the French government were the two historic developments which inspired the celebration of World Photography Day.

World Photography Day is the day on which people celebrate photography more than anything else. You may be an amateur photographer, photo enthusiast, or professional photographer, but August 19 should be a day on which you embrace your love for photography. It is up to you what should be done that, how you can take part in it, and how you can celebrate it. Let us celebrate August 19 by clicking photos artistically to celebrate an activity that has been in existence for over 170 years.

Harish V Joshi: Use of camera has become an intricate art form that also requires skill and dexterity. A small error can erase an entire photo from the memory. There was a time when photographers were considered to be elite persons because of this reason. But now is an era when even a child which drinks gripe water can become a photographer.

Harish V Joshi is a brilliant photographer, who was born to the late Vishweshwar Venkataramana Joshi and the late Susheela V Joshi couple from Gokarn in Kumta, Karwar, on January 2, 1959. He completed his graduation from Gokhale Centenary College Ankola and came to Mumbai, seeking a job, in 1981. He joined Century Cotton Textiles here and become a professional photographer in 1987. Joshi, who was interested in repairing of cameras since a young age, showed more interest in camera repairs since 1991. He exhibited his brilliance in this field by repairing cameras of famous photographers of India like Ashok Salian (fashion photographer), Anil Gandhi, Hari Mahinda, Kishore Sali (industrial photographers), Rakesh Shreshta, Jagadish Muli, Gautham Rajyadhyaksha (Bollywood photographers) and other eminent photographers. Joshi is an expert in repairing small and big cameras, including black and white, colour, electronic, mechanical and others quickly. Harish has the capacity to repair Mamia, Hazel Blade, Sinner, Braunika and such other large-sized cameras using old technology. He can equally do repair of latest colourful Nikon, Cannon, Yashika, Pantex, Melto and such other cameras.

The past negative photography gave way to era of colour photography. Digital colour transparency photography has the capacity to provide glitter to newly taken photographs have opened new possibilities. At the same time, the professional sharpness once witnessed among photographers is now badly missed. The photography now lays more effect with size, digitization, and other parametres. Brightness, and getting time-bound result is the uniqueness of modern photography. Harish Joshi says he gained proficiency in these things by slowly developing his hobby into an avid interest. On World Photographers Day, Harish Joshi has wished every photographer well.