Today marks 177 years since the earliest form of photography was released to the public. However, it wasn’t until 2010 that the 19th of August became a global celebration for photography.

To many, photography is a career, a hobby, or just simply a way to document the precious, craziest, and even ugliest moments in life. No matter what role it plays in your life, it is an “art of observation”, as a famous American photographer once said.

What did he mean by that? Well, to “observe” is to “notice or perceive something and register it as being significant."

In relation to photography, the images we see are more than meets the eye, for it has little to do with what we see and everything with how we see them.

Photography enables us to share the places-- the moments-- the world-- as we see it.

And to recognize this science that creates meaning through lenses, we asked people from all around the world to share the photo that carries the most significance to them.

Here are the submissions we have received and gathered in celebration of National Photography Day: