Google brought together professional photographers and photography enthusiasts from across the globe to celebrate World Photography Day at a special event in Mumbai, on August 19th. This event allowed photographers to debate and exchange their ideas on the evolution of photography from, daguerreotypes to digital.
The keynote session was delivered by Padamshree Award winner Raghu Rai, who showcased his photographs and shared his experiences and anecdotes on the developments in the photography world and the transitions over the years. Elaborating upon his experiences as a photographer, Rai said, “The photography world has seen a paradigm shift in the past couple of decades. It has moved away from the isolated dark rooms to highly interactive social platforms. With advanced technology tools at their disposal, photographers today are pushing the boundaries of creativity, and giving birth to new forms of art which were unthinkable just a decade ago.”
For the occasion, Google also collaborated with leading Indian photographers including Pradeep Sanyal, Sumit Sen, and Prashant Panjiar, to encourage photographers to embrace technology for content creation, and network with like-minded photographers from across the globe.
Sandeep Menon, Google India’s Director of Marketing said, “The advent of technology has brought easy-to-use, advanced photography tools within reach of all photography enthusiasts. With its large and active community of photographers, Google+ aims to provide a platform for experts and amateurs from around the world to showcase their work, seek feedback from, and engage with other photographers. Recognizing the evolving needs of photographers, Google is focused on providing useful photo-editing tools and services to help people share the special moments that matter.”
The event was rounded out by a special exhibition of the work of participating photographers.