We got in touch with Toby Binder, a renowned photographer, who documents the lives of teenagers in global conflict zones. He kindly agreed to share his professional insights regarding this topic.

"I believe documentary photography has a lot of power to change things in a positive way," Binder, who also shares his works on Instagram, told Bored Panda.

"By depicting reality, I can draw attention to the everyday lives of people with whom the viewer of my photos has little intersection and thus arouse empathy and understanding. It can therefore be a unifying medium that can create more cohesion in society that is drifting further and further apart at the moment.”

Binder is interested in topics of post-war and crisis situations as well as in the daily lives of people. "Even before but especially in times of AI, the power of documentary photography is the truth, the honesty, the soul. Getting there often takes perseverance and time."

He doesn't see this as a challenge, however, because the photographer loves working like this. That being said, Binder believes there needs to be more appreciation for it. "Editors today often want to know exactly what stories will be like or individual pictures look like before they even give an assignment. The chances of discovering things, looking and documenting what is really happening on site has become pretty much more difficult for some time.”

Binder has a deep passion for historical photographs. “Of course the iconographic shots that everyone associates with certain events, but also photos that may have seemed significant at the time they were taken but have great power today.”

Reflecting on his journey, Binder shares, "For a long time, all I wanted to do with my own photography was to capture a certain moment in the present in the strongest possible image and I didn't think about the historical context that much. But since I always try to stay in touch with the communities I work with, it was only much later that I realized the significance of time! ”

“I recently reconnected with people I photographed 20 years ago. Through their description of the serious changes in this neighborhood, I also became really aware of the historical significance of photos I take.”

This goes on to show how photography captures not just the present, but also the ever-changing narratives of communities and the world around them.

Unlike modern cameras, which have automatic settings and are easier to use, photographers whose images we see on pages like ‘Cool Old Pic of the Day Club’ were required to manually adjust these settings for every shot. While digital cameras can adjust exposure in real-time, earlier photographers had to wait until the film was developed in order to see the results.

Also traditional film cameras had a limited number of exposures meaning they couldn’t store hundreds of photos like a smartphone. Photographers had to be selective about what they wanted to capture as these rolls typically contained anywhere from 12 to 36 frames.

Once clicked, the picture couldn’t be printed at home or at any shop, the film had to go through a series of chemical processes in order to develop the latent image. 

Capturing images in the 19th and 20th centuries required patience and a willingness to accept the unpredictability of film photography. Back then each frame was precious and valuable.

So such images not only give us a peek into history, they also show the dedication and hard work of those involved in capturing them. They document significant moments in time and enrich our understanding of the world around us.

Continue scrolling to look at some rich pictures from the past. Feel free to immerse yourself in the visual narratives of yesteryears with more historic pictures and rare moments from the past. Let us know which one you find the most fascinating.