Spur Cross Ranch, Arizona.

I am writing this on Saturday, which happens to be World Photo Day. As a result, the cellular picture captured above is less about the story behind the photo and more about the technology that created the photo. In 2009, Korske Ara, an Australian photographer with a passion for his craft and a desire to use that craft to inspire positive change started an annual celebration of the technology. From simple beginnings, an audience of 500 million have committed to share their stories.

There is no doubt the fact that the cameras that are built into cell phones, tablets and other mobile devices have changed the world. How many people had their stories laid bare for the lies that they were because someone nearby happened to be capturing an event on their mobile device? You can read more about the special day on their website here.

One story on their website provided some interesting history. August 19 was chosen because of a gift to the world from the French government. One of the earliest methods of photography is known as Daguerrotype. On August 19, 1839, the patent for the technology was purchased by the government of France. The patent was immediately offered as a gift to the world and was released into the public domain.

About the photo: On a hike in the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, three hikers, myself included, started down one of the trails. After some distance, we realized that we weren’t where we thought we were. We weren’t really lost as we hadn’t made any turns or headed down any other trails, a simple turn-around would have brought us right back to our starting point. Still, we couldn’t figure out why the markings on our map didn’t agree with our surroundings. Two women on horseback happened along and we got some much needed assistance. We discovered that at our starting point there happen to be two paths onto the trail, one headed generally westbound, the other generally northbound. We were simply confused over which branch we were actually on. The two riders cleared up our confusion.

John Steiner