World Photography Day: Celebrating the lens that holds our memories

Every August 19, the world pauses to celebrate photography, a craft born in the 19th century that now frames nearly every moment of our lives.

Beyond its artistry, photography has quietly become humanity’s most trusted memory keeper, replacing stories once passed from lips to ears.

Generations ago, elders guarded family histories, telling tales under the stars. Memories lived in words, carved in minds, sometimes lost in silence.

Today, a single snapshot does what an entire village once gathered to remember. A wedding is immortalized not in song alone but in carefully curated albums. A child’s first step is no longer narrated; it is replayed, paused, and shared across continents.

In Kenya, this shift is visible everywhere. In dusty villages where oral tradition once thrived, photographs pinned to walls narrate family lineages. A single black-and-white portrait of a grandmother in her Sunday best can speak louder than any proverb.

In bustling cities, photography has become the currency of identity. No passport, job application, or digital profile is complete without a photograph.

But the story of photography today is more than just preservation; it is about power.

Images have become weapons of truth in conflicts, evidence in court, and voices for those who cannot speak. A photograph of a flooded street can spark a government response faster than a hundred written complaints. A candid shot of joy can soften even the hardest hearts.

World Photography Day reminds us that the camera lens has democratized storytelling. Once, publishing a story required ink, presses, and access.

Today, a boda boda rider in Kisumu with only a smartphone can document history as it unfolds. A market woman in Gikomba can freeze resilience in a single smile. These images, raw and unfiltered, travel beyond borders, making everyday life extraordinary.

Yet, a paradox lies within. While photography preserves memories, it can also tempt us to live less in the moment. Too often, we experience sunsets through screens instead of soaking them in. Children blow out candles not just for wishes, but for likes. The lens, if unchecked, can shift us from participants in life to mere archivists of it.

Still, photography’s role as a bridge cannot be denied. It connects generations: a granddaughter seeing her grandfather in sepia tones she never lived, a refugee holding a picture of a home they may never return to, a couple clutching memories time would otherwise erase.

On this World Photography Day, perhaps the challenge is not only to celebrate photographers, but also to use photography with intention: to capture truth, honor memory, spark empathy, and to know when to put the camera down and simply live.

Because in the end, the most powerful photographs are not just the ones we see, but the ones that remind us how deeply human we are.

“There is one thing the photograph must contain—the humanity of the moment.” – Robert Frank