Photo Calendars Follow Religious Footsteps
July 16th, 2009. Published under Photography. No Comments.
Perception of time is a strange phenomenon, and many would say that time itself does not actually exist. It supposedly depends where in the universe you are; there again, there are major differences in tracking time depending on the location and the culture a person comes from. There are as many as 52 calendars currently in use around the world, and many more that have fallen out of use. We take a look at photo calendars and the history of pictorial representations of passing time.
Photo calendars are popular at the moment thanks to the advances of digital photography. Sophisticated software systems and file downloads mean that budding photographers can upload any snaps quickly and easily to create a unique photo calendar. Popular in offices and at home, pictures are chosen that reflect the seasons, or annual events and as such, passing time.
The most common calendar is the Gregorian Calendar, it is used the world over to coordinate business meetings and form a coherent and universal way of keeping standard time. As this was originally based on the Christian calendar, pictures usually depict events in the Christian religion such as the birth of Christ, the crucifixion and iconic images of saints.
Other calendars that are religious based, such as the Hindu calendar also depict religious iconography such as festivals and ceremonies. These images serve to represent the events that marked the passing of time before set calendar systems were put in place. There are however many calendar systems that are not based on religion, such as lunar calendars.
The lunar calendar maps the phases of the moon as a way to sub divide the passing of time. These are traditionally accompanied by images of the moon in various phases of waxing and waning. Although not based on religion, the lunar calendar is used for religious purposes, for example the Islamic calendar. The cycle lasts 33 years before returning to a point when the system is in line with traditional seasons.
Traditionally all the images would have been rendered by hand, but are now digitally or photographically reproduced. The popularity of photo calendars has drifted away from religious or seasonal imagery to incorporate photographs that are more personal in nature. Although these are usually added to a Gregorian calendar format, they could be seen as creating a new form of calendar based on personal preferences depicted through personal photography.
As digital photography expands in popularity as a profession, pastime and hobby, the presence of photo calendars is set to expand to fill every niche imaginable. It is as if each person is creating their own personalised path of time highlighted by idols of their choice.
Dom Donaldson is a photography expert.
Find out more about Photo Calendars at http://www.cewe-photoworld.co.uk/calendars