Celebrate World Photo Day by Sharing the Power of Photography

This August 19th on World Photo Day, we will be celebrating an incredible 179 years of photography!

Photography has come a long way in 179 years

In 1839, the Daguerreotype was invented by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre—the first commercially successful photographic process. Each daguerreotype was a one-of-a-kind image on a silver-plated sheet of copper. Things have certainly changed a great deal since then!

With advancements in technology, we can now take photos digitally and duplicate them an infinite number of times. The diversity of print surfaces has also grown to photo paper, canvas, bamboo, aluminum, and everyday objects like water bottles and beach blankets. The options are endless!

It’s truly amazing just how far the art of photography has come, thanks to photographers like yourself who have kept it alive with your passion for the craft. Why do we continue to take photos 179 years later? We think it’s because photos have this seemingly magical ability to make our best moments live forever. They have the ability to bring back memories, transport you to places you’ve never been, make you smile, or even shed a tear. They even have the ability to connect people around the world. It’s all the power of photography.

How you can celebrate World Photo Day

Why not share the power of photography with someone special? Families and friends are sometimes around the globe. Keeping in touch when you can’t be there in person isn’t always easy, but photos can help. Here are a few ways to make someone’s day with the power of a photo:

  1. Make them laugh: send them a funny up-to-date snapshot of your family on a mug.
  2. Help them reminisce: have an old, cherished family photo digitally restored for them.
  3. Bring them tears of joy: share a photo calendar of your little one’s first years (human or pet!).
  4. Help them feel connected: send a small square Instagram book of all your latest adventures.
  5. Make them smile: surprise them with a framed print of your favourite photo together.


There are lots of other ways you can surprise a loved one with the power of a photo. Visit our London Drugs Photolab online, in-store, or on our London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android for more photo gift ideas.

Remember: there’s no need to send them the original photo – make sure you’ve digitized old photos first, so you can share the duplicates with as many friends or family members as you like!

4 Unique Father’s Day Gifts for a One-of-a-Kind Dad

Father’s Day is quickly approaching and you want to gift Dad something extra special this year. But where to start? A sure way to impress is to gift him something from the heart. Our Photolab Experts suggest creating a personalized gift that shows you put time and thought into it. From cards to beer steins, we have a few creative and customizable gift ideas up our sleeves that Dad will love.

Father’s Day Cards

Sometimes it’s hard to find the words to tell dad just how grateful you are to have him in your life. So why not say it with photos? Create a completely personalized Father’s Day card with your own photos, to show him just how many special moments you’ve cherished together.

You can even choose from our wide variety of Father’s Day-themed card templates. Does he love baseball or golf? We have designs for those and much more. As always, our cards also come in an assortment of styles and papers, so you can make your Father’s Day card one-of-a-kind—just like Dad!

Father’s Day Photo Mug

You know Dad needs his ‘jet fuel’ every morning, so why not gift him a personalized photo mug to sip on his favourite brewed coffee? We have designer mugs, espresso mugs, latte mugs—even a special designer magic mug, which only reveals your hidden design when hot liquid is added.

If you’re helping the kids with their Father’s Day gift, our Photolab Experts suggest adding an extra special touch, using their own artwork! Make it a fun DIY project at home, then scan their hand-drawn images and upload them to our Photolab website, or we can help you scan them in-store. Then just simply add their scanned artwork to any of our mugs! Will it make dad tear up? We think it just might.

Father’s Day Beer Stein

Or if beer is more dad’s style, we have a feeling he’s going to be very excited to give this new gift a try. Our designer beer stein can be personalized with Father’s Day-themed templates and your own photos and text, to create a special keepsake he’ll love to use.

Instagram Photobook

You and dad have shared so many special memories together. You’ve posted a lot of them on your Instagram, but if dad isn’t the most tech-savvy, he may not have had the chance to see them. Show him how much you’ve treasured those times together by whipping up an Instagram photobook of your best square snapshots. He’ll appreciate having a hard copy he can flip through and cherish for years to come.


Remember: our Photolab Experts are always here to help you with your photo gifts. Just visit us at your local London Drugs! Or, if you’re ready to go, you can start personalizing your Father’s Day gift on our Photolab website, at any of our in-store Photolab kiosks, or using our London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android.