Today is World Photo Day 2016 and what better time could there be to pick up your camera and make some memories?

For the October 2013 ‘photography’ issue of National Geographic magazine, American writer Robert Draper said some fitting words that ring true for this celebration: “Photographers use their cameras as tools of exploration, passports to inner sanctums, instruments for change. Their images are proof that photography matters—now more than ever.”

What is World Photo Day?
It is an international photography event that celebrates the passion for this art form in the communities that surround you. World Photo Day 2016 marks 177 years for the history of photography. Every minute there are millions of photographs uploaded to the internet, so today why not choose just one to share that will give a bit of your world to the wider world?

You could add one of your favourite shots to the “evolving mosaic of images” on the World Photo Day website. And it doesn’t matter if you are a complete novice or you have killer photography skills, all are welcome in the celebrations.
In brief, here are just three of the ways that photography has changed the world:
Seeing the world

It is impossible for one person to see the entire world. There is too much ground to cover to fit into a lifetime but with the advent of photography we can see the whole world. People’s love for documenting their lives and homelands gives us the opportunity to see what life is like. Simply search online for information on any location across the world and there will be an image to accompany it. We take this for granted but when you ponder it more carefully that is pretty amazing!

Before cameras as we travelled we had to store images in our heads or perhaps paint or draw the scene – which would be little more time consuming than the average annual holiday allow. Now, we can snap away on digital cameras and transfer our favourite holiday photos onto a customised canvas to hang in our homes.

Instant access
Ever since the advent of the smartphone, we have had access to a camera - and a pretty decent one at that on some devices - at any moment. Add to that the immediacy of social media and you have yourself a world that is constantly updated with new images that chart the passing of time and changes occurring. The world is even obsessed with taking pictures of food, whether it be restaurant dishes or your own culinary creations and becoming good at it doesn’t take a lot of effort as this post from Parrot Print shows.

Bringing memories to life
Maybe the most important example of how photography has changed the world is that it allows us to more accurately capture memories that can never be forgotten. A beautiful sunset, capturing your dog’s cheeky face or simply a family portrait, each moment is frozen in time and telling its own story. Photojournalism is an incredibly important genre and as we explored in our recent infographic about the world’s most iconic images, the photograph has had a huge part to play in how history will remember particular events.

Photography has also spawned trends such as the selfie, which has technically been going on since photography was invented but has now gained itself a name and captive audience. If you’re interested in getting your next selfie photo perfect, check out this handy guide. Are you doing anything special for World Photo Day? What do you think is the biggest change photography has contributed to the world?