A discussion of the ease of use and benefits of using digital cameras.

Spring and Daylight Saving Time bring us more hours of warmth and light to spend outdoors. Celebrations such as Easter, Memorial Day, Mothers and Fathers Days bring us together and provide reasons to record the occasion with photos.  Little Janie with the Easter egg she found, Mom surprised by a bouquet of roses, Dad with his new spinning reel bringing in a big one at the lake: all are moments we would like to preserve and recall.  Memory fades, but it can be revived by the pictures you take.

Taking pictures on film has limitations.  Film cameras are able to produce relatively few pictures: 24 or 36 in standard 35mm cameras. Once taken a picture allows for no recall if an error is made. It will be developed with the rest of the pictures. To get pictures is a slow and expensive process.  Displaying pictures is somewhat inconvenient and requires albums or projectors.  And how often do we bring these out?  Why not go directly from Digital Camera to the computer and benefit from all the features Digital Photography has.

Digital Cameras allow you to see what you want to take, take it, and immediately review the finished product.  If the image is unsatisfactory, it can be eliminated.  If it is acceptable, there is ample room for its storage in the camera which can hold 100 or more pictures.  Once downloaded, the picture storage space on the camera is renewed, and one begins again from zero.  No need to carry bulky film canisters. No need to take film in for development and wait for hours or days for its return.  No need to dispose of unsatisfactory shots already paid for.  No need to order numerous copies for others at considerable expense. There is a good deal of waste and expense associated with film cameras. 

With digital cameras even poor images can be saved.  There are a number of programs available on the computer to improve the appearance of a picture.  Red-eye can be removed by two clicks of a mouse.  Images can be sharpened, lighting can be enhanced or reduced, images can be cropped, straightened, narrowed or widened, and turned 180 degrees in either direction.  All of this can be done with programs that come with your computer or perhaps your printer.  And if you do want prints, either your printer and produce them or you can have it done at the photo store or the drugstore in an instant.  Then there is emailing.  Send pictures to anyone who wants them who might otherwise have missed out on having them had they been on film.

Digital Cameras have opened up new, easy, and satisfying ways to produce images that you will enjoy and cherish for a long time to come.  Perhaps you have a friend who owns a digital camera.  Talk to him about it; I believe you’ll find that he too will encourage you to begin digital photography.

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