A picture is worth thousands of words. They can show us new worlds and help instil empathy. Pictures activate emotions and can deliver powerful messages. They are a great way to feel encouraged, no matter what the subject. Here is a handpicked selection of a few such iconic photographs for inspiration.

Images shape our world. The best photographs allow us to enter into another reality, showing us a new perspective and leaving us changed. American thinker Susan Sontag once wrote that “photographs cannot create a moral position, but they can reinforce one—and can help build a nascent one.”

Awareness photography is a type of photography taken up by photographers, who aspire to become photojournalists, amateurs, or professionals. They are bearers of social messages.

At the J.D. Institute of Fashion Technology, as south India’s No.1 private college, and a leading design institute, we feel that great photographs need to be celebrated and awarded. Photos are inspiring when it comes to aesthetics, composition, and most importantly, in the powerful messages they share.

Some photographs can be inspiring, some moving, and some meaningful. They feature humans, animals, and even the wonders of nature. All of them are a reflection of our world; they have the power to capture a specific moment in time. Here are some photographs that will leave you with a new look towards the world.

1. In this first one, a policeman lays a wreath on Zanjeer, a Labrador Retriever who served as a detection dog with the Mumbai Police. Zanjeer was honoured with a full state funeral because of his brave service in detecting explosives and other weapons, especially during the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

2. This photograph features a firefighter offering a koala water to drink, during the 2009 Victorian bushfires. It was the time when Australia witnessed the highest-ever loss of life from a bushfire

3. The next moving photograph is of Terri Gurrola, a US Major, who was captured at the exact moment she was reunited with her daughter after serving in Iraq for seven months. Emotions speak in the picture.

4. Nature’s devastation features in this photograph. It shows us a woman, alone, and shattered, sitting amongst the wreckage after a massive earthquake and tsunami in Natori, Japan, in 2011.

5. Finally, an iconic photograph, known as The Falling Man. This shows a man falling from the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:15 a.m, during the September 11 attacks in New York City. The subject of this powerful image has still not been identified.

At the J.D. Institute of Fashion Technology, we encourage you to reflect upon these photographs and examine how and what they make you feel. Our Diploma in Fashion Photography will make you understand why mood and location are essential aspects for any photographer. It’s with an understanding and appreciation of such qualities that one can go on to create meaningful photographs.