National Camera Day is on Tuesday, June 29, 2027, and it falls on June 29 every year. It celebrates the device that lets us freeze a moment and keep it. From wooden boxes to the phone in your pocket, cameras have changed how we remember our lives.
When Is National Camera Day?
It’s always June 29. It’s an unofficial observance, not a federal holiday. Photography clubs, schools and camera shops sometimes mark it with photo walks or contests.
A Short History of the Camera
No founder or start year has been documented for the day. The camera’s own story stretches back nearly two centuries.
The oldest surviving photograph
The world’s oldest known surviving camera photograph was made in France around 1827. Inventor Nicéphore Niépce made it, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas says. It’s called “View from the Window at Le Gras.”
Niépce coated a pewter plate with light-sensitive bitumen. He set it inside a camera obscura near an upstairs window. The plate needed several days of sunlight to capture the courtyard and rooftops outside.
The Ransom Center acquired the plate in 1963 as part of its Gernsheim Collection, and it is still on display in Austin.
The Kodak puts cameras in everyone’s hands
Early photography took skill, chemicals and heavy gear. That changed in 1888, when George Eastman’s company released the first Kodak camera, the George Eastman Museum explains.
It cost $25 and came loaded with film for 100 round pictures. When the roll was full, owners mailed the camera to Rochester, New York. For $10, the company developed the photos, reloaded the camera and sent it back.
Eastman summed up the idea in his slogan: “You press the button, we do the rest.”
Why Celebrate Cameras?
Cameras let ordinary people record history, from family birthdays to world events. They also turned photography into an art that anyone can try.
Today, most people carry a camera everywhere. About 91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone, according to a 2026 Pew Research Center survey. That’s up from 35% when Pew first asked in 2011.
How to Celebrate National Camera Day
- Take a photo walk: spend an hour shooting your neighborhood as if you were a visitor.
- Dust off an old camera: try a film or point-and-shoot camera and enjoy waiting for prints.
- Learn one skill: practice the rule of thirds, shoot during golden hour or try manual mode.
- Print your favorites: pick 10 photos from your phone and print them for an album or frame.
- Back up your library: copy your photos to a second drive or cloud service.
- Photograph your family: take a group portrait, and make sure the photographer is in one too.
- Visit a museum: look for a photography exhibit near you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the oldest photograph?
The oldest known surviving camera photograph is Niépce’s “View from the Window at Le Gras,” made around 1827. It’s held at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas.
When was the first Kodak camera sold?
In 1888. It cost $25, held film for 100 pictures and was mailed back to Rochester for developing.
What is a camera obscura?
A dark box or room with a small hole that projects an upside-down image of the outside scene. It’s the basic idea behind every camera.