Snapshots from the Wonderful World of Photography

Photographs have been capturing milestones and precious memories for decades now. World Photography Day (19 August) is an occasion for photography enthusiasts worldwide to celebrate how it has grown and developed over the years, offering joy and fulfilment to millions!

A picture is worth 1000 words…and the wait!

Did you know that a patent for the first photo booth dates back to 1888? The next year, the photo booth was exhibited at the Paris World Fair. Though it was unreliable and couldn’t be operated without manual intervention, the photo booth created a sensation! It was coin-operated and it took about 5 minutes for the photo to develop. In 1925, a photo booth, closely similar to modern-day ones, came into existence in New York thanks to the efforts of inventor Anatol Josepho. Each photo cost 25 cents and produced 8 photos in 8 minutes. Photo booths were extremely popular until the 1960s when Polaroid cameras grabbed people’s attention and threw down the shutter on photo booths.

Get the digital edition of the August 2024 issue to read the full article.