It’s been said, and there’s even an entire song about it! A picture is worth a thousand pictures. It may seem like a picture is worth a thousand words if you take the time to see some of the incredible photos taken in the nearly 200 years of photography.

Some photos show the extent of human cruelty. For example, the famous photo showing American soldiers torturing an Iraqi prisoner at Abu Ghraid prison. Others show the horrors and how war affects the most vulnerable. For example, the photo of a little girl with a napalm scar running away from her village in Vietnam.

Others have the ability of illustrating age-old truths. For example, the last photo taken of the Titanic floating just three days before its sinking (which is the embodiment of the old adage pride comes before falling).

Others photos can be just as inspiring. For example, the famous photo of Jesse Owens, an African American Olympic swimmer refusing to salute Hitler. After he had won several gold medals, this photo was taken to prove that the dictator’s Aryan supremacy theory wasn’t just propaganda and myth.

Some photos are simply beautiful and uplifting.

Photography has allowed humans to record a moment in history and preserve it forever since its invention. If that’s not something worth celebrating, then what is?

Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, was already thinking about what would later be known as the “pinhole camera” thousands of years before technology.

Nicephore Niepce, a French scientist and inventor, took the first known photo of nature in 1826. It took several days for a photo of nature to become ready at that time. Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre (French painter) was one of Niepce’s contemporaries. He was so impressed by this invention, he continued to explore the process. This greatly reduced exposure time allowed for portraits.

It is now possible to see how far photography has advanced, almost two centuries after its inception. Except selfies. These should not be considered to be progress as far as humanity is concerned. The remarkable progress made has been evident with the instant-proven Polaroid camera, which was created in 1948, and digital cameras that were launched in the late 1990s.

National Photography Month was established to celebrate the invention and continued use of photography by people around the globe.

Don’t let this day pass you by and capture some memorable moments with a photo!

National Photography Month offers 31 days of celebration and enjoyment! These plans can be used to observe the month, or you could create your own creative ideas.

There is always more to learn, whether you are a beginner, hobbyist or professional photographer. You might find something at your local community college, or you could take private lessons with a professional photographer.

Learn or brush up on portraits, landscapes and wedding photography. There are many ways to improve your skills.

This is the perfect time to see some photography art, whether it’s by a local or international artist. You can meet the artist at a gallery opening and enjoy the company of other people who appreciate fine art.

If you’ve been around photography for a while, National Photography Month may be the perfect time to upgrade your camera, buy a new lens or get a better tripod.

For those just beginning, it might be a good time to invest in a camera to learn. If you are unsure whether the camera will be fun, borrowing one might be the best option.

National Photography Month can be celebrated by looking through old photos and marveling at the amazing experiences and times past.

Although the little party your partner hosted for you might not seem important today, or the walk you took with your toddler and dog, it is likely that there will be moments when you look back fondly on both those events in the future. It would be almost wrong to not have this amazing tool available to us all.

National Photography Month offers a great opportunity to recognize all that photography has done for humanity and then carry on in this glorious tradition. Get out your camera and start celebrating!