Photographs are like return tickets to moments of the past. It’s a different matter that today's selfie culture precludes living in and enjoying the present moment. It’s also a different matter that Instagram has converted everyone into a photographer today. In spite of this, photography remains a major modern art form, through which people express feelings and tell stories. On World Photography Day, people were sharing some of their most amazing pictures along with the trending #WorldPhotographyDay hashtag.
It is also the ability to recognise the beauty around us and to capture it at just the right moment.
Seeing something interesting in the mundane, making the ordinary look extraordinary, viewing something from a completely altered angle... these are the things that make a photograph.
While photos cannot truly represent the magnificence of a beast or a spectacular sunset, they are perhaps the second-best way to ‘see’ the world and everything in it.
There are all kinds of beauty around us – so long as we keep an open mind and don’t allow our prejudices and preconceived notions to distort that beauty.
Looking at the enormity and the majesty of the world around us reminds us of how small and completely insignificant each of us is.
These cosplay pictures tell us about the relatively new phenomenon of people dressing up as their fave fictional characters. It is a fashion statement, it is something for hobbyists, and for professional cosplayers it is also serious money.
A single picture can convey a wealth of happiness: the little child’s unalloyed joy and the old man's joy in that joy!
Cityscapes are endlessly fascinating because they represent human endeavour, shared spaces and the constant striving for a better life.
The close-up picture tells us a lot about the person and their personality. It also tells us a lot about how lovingly a photo was captured.
Non-famous faces can be as fascinating – if not more fascinating – than famous ones.
Even stairs! Looking at the mundane with new eyes – that is what photography is all about.
It isn’t just angle that changes everything about an image. Simply taking away the colour can do the same and completely alter the story it tells.
For me, beautiful pictures are an inspiration – they are the reason I know a bit about the world and want to find out so much more.
Photos have the power to light up darkness and erase ignorance.
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