Celebrate World Photography Day with 5 Images That Changed the World (VIDEO)

Today is World Photography Day, an annual event when people across the globe pay homage to the art and craft of photography, encourage others to pursue a career or hobby in image making, and share the photographs they find most meaningful.

Ever since Frenchmen Louis Daguerre and Nicephore Niepce invented the Daguerrotype in 1837, photographic images have had the power to inspire, create awe in their beauty, and memorialize the best moments of our lives. And today social media owes much of its existence to the ubiquitous smartphone in everyone’s pocket.

But photography isn’t just about gorgeous landscapes, striking street scenes, amazing portraits, or documenting our travels. As the poignant video below reminds us, great images have the power to instigate social change, and actually have an impact on the way in which we go about our daily lives.

Mark Newton of The School of Photography is a UK-based author, historian, and photographer, and we encourage you to spend the next 20 minutes watching him describe what he says are, “Five photos that changed the world.” Of course, there are hundreds of images that could appear on such a list, but Newton makes a good case for those you’ll see in the video.

Newton says he made these selections based upon images that either changed the way we behave as human beings, or those that exemplify technology that changed how we live our lives.

So find a quiet spot, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Be forewarned that life is often gritty, and you’ll see some imagery you may find disturbing. You can find more interesting videos about photography gear and techniques on Newton’s YouTube channel.

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