To celebrate World Photography Day and highlight an army profession that you may be unaware of, Sgt Donald Todd, the London District photographer has selected some of his favourite photographs to give an insight into the often, unseen world of the army photographer and to showcase a demanding, highly pressurised but very rewarding role. When you think of the army, a photographer is perhaps not at the forefront of your image of a soldier, but the army has been making use of photography from as early as the nineteenth century when it was introduced by the Royal Engineers. By the Second World War photographers were established primarily as intelligence gatherers but also crucially as creators of images of historic record, a dual role which has persisted into the 21st century. Today the British Army photographic branch sits within the Royal Logistic Corps, army photographers are first and foremost soldiers, selected from various ranks and service backgrounds, who receive intensive and extensive training to capture stills and film. The London District army photographer role has an added layer that makes it unique – they are responsible for recording the army’s role in ceremonial events that are watched, not just by the nation, but, often, the whole world. And it is the army photographer who is responsible for taking the images, not just for immediate media consumption, but for posterity. It’s a big responsibility but also a huge privilege, they can find themselves standing in front of the Royal Family, a US President, a Hollywood celebrity or occasionally all three. Equally they can find themselves perched on a rooftop or in the middle of a jungle during monsoon season. Every job, invariably requires a uniform change, and the army photographer is soldier, skilled professional, but also an ambassador for the army. It’s a job like no other, where you have the opportunity and the responsibility to produce the photographs from which history will be viewed, all of which may explain why it’s such a sought after post.