Some people have a good memory, they remember every joyous moment of their life. But the ones with a poor memory try to keep an account of every auspicious event that enlightened their life as breach in the monotony. Amongst the various solutions of clinging to golden memories, snapping pictures stands as a paradigm. 

Photography does not require skills or inborn talent, it just requires a camera. Just one camera and shutterbugs go berserk to snap a picture and preserve the memory. In honour of this mighty little object Camera and the art of Photography we have a special day. 

The date 19 August is dedicated to every ‘snap-a-holic’ and photographer.  Photography is the science, art and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. 

Well let’s not go into what we normally, unwillingly mug up from the text books and get real. A lot of people who behold the beauty of the world with their inner eyes and keenly observe what grandeur Mother Nature hides beneath her green robe capture those scenic beauty in their cameras. 

Photography not only involves pictures of nature, photographers revel in taking pictures of almost everything they encounter starting from candid shots, to panoramic shots. 

A lens is used to focus the light reflected from objects into a real image on the light-sensitive surface inside a camera during a timed exposure.  With an electronic image sensor, an electrical charge is produced at each pixel, which is electronically processed and stored in a digital image file. It is later displayed or processed. The result with photographic emulsion is an invisible latent image, which is later chemically "developed" into a visible image, either negative or positive depending on the purpose of the photographic material and the method of processing.  

Photography is employed in many fields of science, manufacturing, photolithography and business, as well as its more direct uses for art, film and video production, recreational purposes, hobby, and mass communication. Photography is a hobby which is pursued by millions and is well known for its quality of making the pursuer laconic and observant. Lensman are normally wild and hard to read. Their dexterity in photography makes them reticent, patient and focused. 

People who have been in the career of photography see the latent greatness in everything and they praise every budding talent without any tinge of envy singeing their soul.  Wildlife photographers on the other hand are archetypes of patience as they sit for hours and hours in hedges or wildernesses to snap a picture of that rare bird endemic to that zone. Candid photographers are prone to justice. They try to publicise every aspect of society be it the dark side or the positivity. 

The narcissistic candid photographers however like to click pictures of themselves feigning to be busy in some usual work. Photography is closely related to psychology as it deals with the person’s mentality and perseverance behind the occupation. 

Photography is one talent which does not require meticulous efforts or diligence. It is something that is easily achieved after a few adept snaps. As the hobby grows on us, it keeps flourishing and the skill of photography never gets rusty due to age. That’s why they say,  once a photographer always a photographer!

Coordinator, Class X, Gokhale Memorial Girls’ School.