Digital Images and the File Format Options to Save Them - Part 2

File Format Matters
(image by photostock)

[This is the 2nd in a two-part series about digital image file formats.]

In our first look at file format options we explored the JPEG file format. A second common digital image file format is the Tagged Image File Format, also referred to as TIFF.

TIFF, identified by the *.tif extension, is a very stable file format that makes for better archiving or extensive photo editing. This is a result that TIFF images are an uncompressed file. Irregardless
of the number of times a TIFF is opened, edited, and re-saved, it won't experience the any loss of image quality...

Read More...

Digital Images and the File Format Options to Save Them - Part 1

Digital Photo File Formats
Image by Photostock

There are many options for storing digital images. But, the question becomes...which is better? Or, does it really matter?

First off, there is the ever popular Joint Photographic Experts Group, or JPEG for short. It is identified by the *.jpg extension and is perhaps the most widely recognized image file format. Most people accept this as the default save setting in their cameras without ever knowing the pros or cons of this file format...

Read More...

Taking a Retro Approach to Digital Photography

Lo-Fi Photography the easy way

The average individual is said to have nearly 1500 paper photographs in their possession.

For those that can't remember, paper photographs came packed with their own unique 'attributes'.

Even when these are scanned and converted into electronic images, these blemishes often are hard to hide.

So, do your digital pictures seem too perfect?

Is there a longing for the early days of grainy, somewhat washed out printed photos?

Is there a way to combine the convenience of digital with the organic feel of printed media?

The answer is a resounding yes!

Thanks to a new movement, called "lo-fi" photography, the world of digital can be experienced in a wonderfully fun new format that gives a 'retro' feeling to those perfect digital photos.

The concept of the "lo-fi" movement is to trash up digital pictures with after effects such as washout, low lighting, grainy exposure, and under exposure. In doing this, it creates a warmth and character; something many feel is lacking in digital media.

The lo-fi movement's inspiration comes from the simple toy and pinhole cameras born of early film photography. This mixing of the desire for retro artfulness and digital media has helped to even spawn contests world wide attracting some of the best practitioners in lo-fi work.

Ironically, up until now this process has required the use and know of high end computer programs, such as Photoshop. But now, using a free simple drag and drop program from lofiapp.com brings this capability to anyone with a desire to revisit the past.

Once loaded and running, the on-screen interface resembles the back of an SLR camera. A couple of clicks of the mouse will allow you to bring in your pictures taken from any digital camera or photographs that have been scanned and turned into digital images. It even allows you to process either single photos or large batches at the same time.

From there, it is up to your imagination! The program allows you to apply effects on film quality, overall mood and picture framing.
And then, it's a matter of deciding which social media site you would like to share the new "old" photo. So, if there has been a desire to turn your digital masterpieces into lo-fi artwork, lofiapp.com may the solution for your grainy, trashed out photo needs. (Source: Software To Make Photos Artfully Worse, by Roy Furchgott, The New York Times)

Monday's Featured Picture Blog

Monday's Featured Picture Blog: friskyPics
by Faisal Sultan

ISLE OF MANHATTAN

Friday's Video: Steve Sasson - The Inventor of Digital Photography

Steve Sasson, the man that revolutionized the photographic world.

The Discovery of Digital Photography

Vintage 1975 portable all electronic camera (source Kodak)

Back in December 1975, in the Kodak labs, Steve Sasson began experimenting with the idea of capturing images using a digital format.

It all began with a large box that housed an odd assortment of digital circuits. Quickly, the team tried to convince themselves that what they were building was in fact compact and portable.

Weighing in at around eight pounds and consisting of bits and pieces from old used parts from Super 8 movie cameras, the first digital camera was born.

This experimental camera consisted of a portable digital cassette recorder shoehorned to the side, to record the images. The power supply was provided by 16 nickel cadmium batteries. And, several dozen digital and analog circuits were wired together on about a half dozen circuit boards. It may have looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it worked!

It took 23 seconds for the camera to record and digitize each image. The image was then viewed by removing the cassette tape and placing it into a special playback device. This playback device used a cassette reader with a specialty built frame store that received the raw data from the tape and interpolated the 100 captured lines to 400 lines. The image was then sent to a television set through a standard NTSC video signal.

With very little money to fund this project, Sasson did the impossible; he captured an image that did not require it to be printed in order to view it. This was a major step forward for a company that was founded on the advancements of printed film. The internal Kodak team labeled this new project with the simple title of "Film-less Photography".

Immediately, questions were asked that covered why would anyone want to view their pictures on a TV? How would the images be stored? What would an electronic photo album look like? When would this be available to the consumer? And, although Steve Sasson and his team attempted to answer these questions, they simply did not know.

In 1978, Kodak was granted a patent for this new discovery. But, it wasn't until 2001 that this project was finally disclosed to the public.

Steve Sasson states, "It is funny now to look back on this project and realize that we were not really thinking of this as the world’s first digital camera. We were looking at it as a distant possibility."

A Variety of Printed Photo Sizes Considerations When Having Pictures Scanned

Liz Masoner explains that "many cameras today record photographs in roughly a 3:2 ratio." What this means for us is that the long side of a photo is 1.5 times as long as the short side. It is for this reason that 4x6 has become a popular print size. (Source: Comparison of Photograph Print Sizes, By Liz Masoner, About.com Guide) This is a photographic standard used here in the United States.

However, take a look at your collection of printed photographs and one thing becomes quickly apparent...they come in a variety of sizes! So, when considering having your shoeboxes full of printed photographs scanned into digital images print size has a direct impact upon the size of scanner that may need to be used to perform the conversion.

Here in the United States standard photo print sizes typically include the following:
3½ x 5 in
3¾ x 5 in
4 x 6 in
4.4 x 6 in
5 x 5 in
6 x 6 in
5 x 6.6 in
5 x 7 in
5 x 7.4 in
6 x 8 in
6 x 8½ in
8 x 8 in
8 x 10 in
8 x 10½ in
8 x 12 in
Passport size photos

Meanwhile in Europe, standard photo print sizes typically include the following:
9 x 13 cm
10 x 13 cm
10 x 15 cm
11 x 15 cm
13 x 13 cm
15 x 15 cm
13 x 17 cm
13 x 18 cm
13 x 19 cm
15 x 20 cm
15 x 21 cm
20 x 20 cm
20 x 25 cm
20 x 27 cm
20 x 30 cm
Passport size photos

Dedicated photo scanning systems are able to accommodate up to 8 x10 in or 20 x25 cm sized photos. Personal photo scanning systems currently come in 2 flavors with the first similar to dedicated photo scanning systems and the second targeted to printed pictures 4x6 in or 11x15 cm.

Meanwhile, the sizes accommodated by photo scanning with flatbed scanners typically measured using standard paper sizing chart. This benchmark uses the metric name that often corresponds to the flatbed's maximum supported document size.

Name|Metric Size      |U.S. Size
A5     |148 x 210 mm  |5.8 x 8.3 inches
A4     |210 x 297 mm  |8.3 x 11.7 inches
A3     |297 x 420 mm  |11.7 x 16.5 inches
A3+   | 329 x 483 mm|13 x 19 inches
A2     |420 x 594 mm  |16.5 x 23.4 inches
A1     |594 x 841 mm  |23.4 x 33.1 inches
A0     |841 x 1189 mm| 33.1 x 46.8 inches

Facial Reconition Becomes Available for Your Personal Scanned & Digital Photos

Facial recognition for social media

One of the biggest challenges with photos beyond being able to answer 'where was that picture taken?' is 'who is that in the picture?'. 

So, imagine having the ability to identify anyone in the photos that you have taken all with a click of the mouse. That time is now...Face.com, a leading technology company specializing in facial recognition. 

 Already in use by Facebook and Twitter, Face.com has helped to recognize over 21 billion faces since its launch in May of 2010. Now, it has developed an open based face recognition platform that is currently available to the public, free of charge...

 

Read More...

Monday's Photo Blog Picture Of The Week

This week's featured Photo Blog is Candid Travels

by Sandra Friend

Sunrise/Sunset

Friday's Video: Library of Congress-Archiving Digital Photos

On May 10, 2010, the Library of Congress held Personal Archiving Day in conjunction with the American Library Association's annual Preservation Week. The Library invited members of the public to visit and learn about how to preserve their personal information in both digital and non-digital form.

Library staff gave talks about how to preserve specific kinds of information. In this video, Phil Michel, Digital Conversion Coordinator at the Library of Congress's Prints & Photographs division, offers practical advice on archiving digital photos.

Leaving a Virtual Legacy: Your Digital Afterlife

Today our lives are chronicled by Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Myspace pages, Flickr or Gmail accounts. In fact, some have accounts with dozens of social networking sites that have become intricate to their lives.

We communicate, exchange ideas, map our travels, store our memories and photographs within these online digital vaults.

But, when we are no longer living, where does all of this personal "Dear Diary" information end up? What happens to this matrix of our virtual legacy left like cookie crumbs dropped throughout the World Wide Web via 'cloud-computing', after our time on this planet has ended?

There is not a simple answer to this question, however, in the recent book, Your Digital Afterlife, this virtual taboo topic is covered in detail.

In their book about our digital legacies, Evan Carroll and John Romano point out every online provider has a different policy about content submitted to it. Unfortunately, there are no set standards in place to cover the protection of people's online estates. One of the biggest issues arises out of the number of legal, cultural, and technical issues that can prevent someone from accessing a loved one's, or significant other's digital assets upon their passing. And, without steps or action taken to make them available to their heirs, a person's digital legacy could be lost forever.

Carroll, an experienced web designer, and Romano, an interaction designer and technology researcher, have been researching and writing about the cultural phenomenon of the digital afterlife community since 2008. The two together created thedigitalbeyond.com. This website has became a think tank for digital death and legacy issues. It has quickly become the online source to find out more about digital afterlife information.

As society migrates towards entrusting their legacy into the hands of online providers they need to remain aware of the need to not only to protect those assets in the now, but have a plan that considers the afterlife.

Where is this picture taken?: Geocoding of Photographs

With the growing trend of digital photos and social media, such as Facebook, photos are taken in an instant and shared the world over. But, how many times have you looked at someone's photos, or even your own, and wondered, "where was that picture taken?"

Wonder no more. Now you can identify the locations of your photos using geocoding. Geocoding is an easy process that gives the family photo taker the ability to add exact GPS coordinates to a photo, later allowing anyone to know the precise location of where the photo was taken.

The process of adding a geotag to a photo can be as easy as clicking a spot on a map and saving the information to file. GeoSetter is one such program that enables the user to add geotags with a click of the mouse. It is a free and easy to use program that works hand in hand with Google Maps.

When GeoSetter is opened online, it brings up a Google map page. From there, find the photos that you want to tag. Browse the map and find the location that the photo was taken. When a marker is assigned to an image; the marker turns blue. And, once added the marker is locked into place and cannot be moved. From there, simply click on save, and the geotag information will then be added to the image. And, you are finished. It's that easy.

GeoSetter's interface even works with Google Earth. This integration is great, because not only can you add the location to a photo, but the altitude can be added as well. So, if you are an avid hiker or mountain climber, all of this information can be coded to your scenic photos, helping to track distance and altitude climbed.

Geocoding works for any digital photo, whether captured with a digital camera, mobile device, or converted into a digital image from a paper photograph. In fact, family archivists are now able to use this newest technology to add historical value to the preservation of their scanned photo memories. Once geocoded, tagged images have the location associated with it. From there, you will be no need to ever wonder where that image was taken!

Pictures Turning the World Inside Out Project

Whether we intend to or not, each of us makes a difference or leaves a mark on the world and society. everyday.

Then every once in a while, some creative mind of the world dreams or schemes of a way to reach out to and touch the very inner beings of those not just around them, but beyond in ways almost unimaginable. JR is one such dreamer and doer.

At TED2011, JR was awarded the TED Prize wish. JR's wish: use art to turn the world inside out.

Upon finding a camera in a Paris subway, JR made the connection between photography and the inner human spirit. Beginning in 2001 and 2002, he documenting street art from around Europe through photography.

His quest to record and communicate the messages of the street artists led JR into the world of large-format postings. His first large-format postings of original photography first appeared on walls of Paris and Rome in 2003. In 2005, JR published his first book, Carnet de rue par JR, that chronicled the street artists that he had followed earlier on.

In 2006, JR launched "Portrait of a Generation". This larger than life huge-format project highlighted portraits of suburban "thugs" that were part of the Paris' notorious banlieues. He used his 28 millimeter lens to capture images of the gang members, making faces that characterized their personalities and posted the large scale images on walls all over the bourgeois districts of Paris. This illegal project gained much attention and became official when Paris City Hall wrapped its building with JR's photos.

In 2007, JR set out with his business partner Marco, and traveled to Israel to take on, his biggest illegal photo exhibit ever, "Face 2 Face". Armed with two brushes, a couple of ladders, large-format photos, and a team of six, JR proceed to paste photos of Israelis and Palestinians face to face on walls of Palestinian and Israeli cities, including both sides of the security fence/separation barrier.

JR has traveled to remote villages in Africa, documented in the film "Women Are Heroes" that received highest praise at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

JR's work has been seen in Brazil, and India, and even here in the US.

At his recent TED Talk acceptance speech, JR revealed his latest project, INSIDE OUT a Global art project.

This current project will span the world over, as everyone and anyone has the opportunity to upload their personal black and white photos to JR. Once uploaded, the photos will be converted to large-format printing. The large-format poster will then be shipped back to the individual.

People can participate individually or as a group. The idea is to display the posters anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window to abandon building walls, or even a full stadium. All of the exhibitions will be documented and archived so they can be viewed throughout the world virtually. Information and an upload link can be found at Inside Out Project.

JR's wish "I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we'll turn the world...INSIDE OUT." (Source: Congratulations JR - The 2011 TED Prize Winner, TED Prize Wishes big enough to change the world)

Monday's Photo Blog Picture of The Week

This week's featured photo blog is Daily Walks
by Diane Varner.

A Winter Chill by Diane Varner

Xena is free and open source software developed by the National Archives of Australia

Xena is free and open source software developed by the National Archives of Australia to aid in the long term preservation of digital records. Xena is an acronym meaning Xml Electronic Normalising for Archives. http://xena.sourceforge.net/index.php

Friday's Video: Pictures changing the world!

JR, a French street artist, uses his camera to show the world its true face. He makes his audacious TED Prize wish: to use art to turn the world inside out. A funny, moving talk about art and who we are. Learn more at Inside Out Project.

Picture This

A camera that changed the way we recorded memories!

Photography has been around for the last 200 plus years. With billions upon billions of photos circulating, photography has become as common place as our cell phone and very few people ever stop to wonder how and where the first photo came from? Let's travel back into time to see how this all started.

The very first photograph has its roots in the early 1800's, when a French inventor by the name of Joseph Nicephore Niepce produced the first photographic image using a device called a camera obscura. Niepce used a polished pewter plate covered with Bitumen of Judea, and found that Bitumen would quickly harden when exposed to sunlight. When the pewter plate was placed into a solvent, a print image would gradually appear, but it required eight hours of exposure, only to later disappear. This beginning of modern photography had a long way to go before surpassing into the digital realm of today. (Source: History of Photography, Pinhole Cameras to The Daguerreotype, Mary Bellis, About.com Guide)

By the end of the 1820's, French inventor Louis Daguerre had teamed up with Niepce to improve the process that Niepce had developed. After ten years of experimentation and Niepce's death, Daguerre found a more reliable and effective method of capturing a photographic image. Daguerre named his new process after himself, The Daguerreotype. This new process used a polished sheet of silver-plated copper, covered in iodine. He found that the iodine was very sensitive to the sun and discovered that it only took a few minutes for the image to expose. This was a great leap, compared to the eight hours it took Niepce to get an image. After the image was painted by sunlight on the plate, Daguerre soaked the plate in a solution of silver chloride. This created a lasting image that would not change or disappear when exposed to light. This process was late sold to the French government by Daguerre and Niepce's son in 1839. By 1850, The Daguerreotype took off and gained in popularity as there were over seventy Daguerreotype Studios in New York City alone. (Source: History of Photography, Pinhole Cameras to The Daguerreotype, Mary Bellis, About.com Guide)

The first box camera was produced by George Eastman in 1886, but it was way too costly. By 1900 he had created the first flexible film that could be loaded in daylight and marketed it in an affordable box camera for the masses, known as the Brownie Camera. It was an instant success. The camera was $1.00 and a reel of film (6 exposures) cost just fifteen cents. Touted as being able to be operated by any school boy or girl, in 1900 the Eastman Kodak Company sold over 250,000 Brownie cameras to the American public.
Photography has come a long way. Today, there are more photographers than ever! Digital cameras and cameras built into most every mobile phone device now allow billions of us around the world to capture trillions of our memories. Then with nearly the speed of light, share and connect to others using these pictures! As we continue to move forward with technology, we are limited only by our imaginations, as to where the future will carry us in the world of photo. Holographic three dimensional images recorded with a single blink of an eye! You know, the real Flash Gordon kind of stuff! Far fetched? Well, given how rapidly photography has come in such a short time, it maybe not that far off!

The White Glove Treatment

Learn more about the different glove options

When handling photographs, taking time with the extra special precautions ensure your precious memories are protected and preserved. And, this is why treating photos with "The White Glove Treatment" should always be a priority.

Typically, it's without much thought, we pick up a photo with our bare hands. After showing off our memories,we put the photos back into their envelope or box and up on its shelf.

As the photos sit in their box, the oils and sweat from our hands that were left behind on the photo eventually cause the emulsion to break down.

So how do we correct this problem before it ever happens?

The answer...wear gloves!

This simple act goes a long way in furthering to preserve your photos from the unseen grime and oils that lurk on our hands. Gloves also eliminate the potential of fingerprints being left in soft emulsion layers, or deposited upon Even using a simple pair of white cotton gloves will suffice. It isn't about fancy, it is about stopping the transmission of our natural secretions from being inadvertently transferred onto the photographs emulsion layer.

An added bonus of the 'white glove treatment' offers an extra level of care to avoid the possibility of scratching an image as the result of rough/abrasive contact with things such as fingernails, rings and jewelry. Scratched images further compromise the photo, opening it up to possible additional damage, just like an open sore in humans.

A quick Internet search reveals there are many types gloves commercially available for use in the handling of photos and/or negatives. One of the favorites is the Sure Grip white cotton gloves. Though a little more expensive than light weight cotton gloves, trial and error has taught the added grip offers tremendous benefits when handling collections of photos, such as when scanning. Sure Grip white cotton gloves have a wonderful rubber grip surface making it easier to handle individual photos, as well as, sort and separate them.

Going the extra mile with the 'white glove treatment' means your photographs will remain better protected and preserved now, and for many years to come.

WARNING!! This Post Is Being Taped!!

Pictures torn? Look before you tape.

Your picture or precious document gets torn. Now what?

Whether you are putting your photos in albums to preserve them, scrap booking, or scanning them into digital images - before you reach for that tape dispenser, did you know that all tape is not created equal?

Believe it, or not there are many different kinds of tapes available. Even some especially designed for documents and photos. You may have seen older photos that have been torn and taped back together, only to find that through the years the tape and photo becomes yellow and brittle, making a small problem even bigger. Basic everyday tape contains traces of acid within the adhesive that, in time, will cause a photo to yellow, damaging the image forever.

There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the right tape for a photo mending job. First, an "acid-free" tape is better than your average, run of the mill tape. Also, check to see that the tape is made with an acrylic adhesive. Next, check to see that the tape has passed PAT (Photographic Activity Test), developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and is a test that determines whether or not a storage material will cause fading or staining in photographs. (Source: What Kind of Photo Album Should I Use?, National Archives) If you are thinking about a temporary fix, there are even tapes just for that! But no matter what the situation, it pays to check and use the right materials. Once the right tape has been found, you are ready to mend the photo. Keep these points in mind when doing the repair job:

• Always tape the back of a photograph - never apply any glue or tape to the emulsion. 
• Use the least amount of tape you can possibly use to mend the tear (i.e. don’t use a 6 inch strip to cover a three inch tear). 
• If possible, snip a small bits of tape from the roll and tack the tear together. Once the photograph is tacked together, it can then have a new negative made from it. This will ensure that it will last longer than the tape that is holding it together. (Source: Protect your family photographs, Florida Department of State, Division of Library Information Services)

Now that the repair has been made, the photo can be saved and archived for many more generations of enjoyment. And, there will be no need to worry about further damaging the photo.

Next Stop, The Digital Zone

Photo Blogs ~ Saying it with Pictures!

Did you know that an incredible world opens up when your photos become digital?

Inspiration is all around us for what we can do with our photos when they are scanned and digitized. All we need to do is look around at the infinite online resources that are available to us to share our digital stories with the world. Outside of the usual social media sites, such as Facebook, Myspace, and Bebo, many more opportunities exist for us to show the world our stories. One such avenue of sharing is Photo Blogging.

The basic idea behind photo blogging, is to use pictures to express your life. You can update your pictures daily, or whenever you feel the inspiration to do so. Either way, it's about sharing. If this is a new concept, no need to worry, here are links to some of the most popular hosting sites that will get you started on your photo blogging adventures:

• Posterous- A simple and easy to use free service that allows you to update your blog online or even from your phone. You can download Posterous into your smart phone.
• Flickr Blog- Another easy and free way to share your experiences with the world. Just upload your photos and begin sharing.
• Wordpress- With this simple and free tool, you can share and even customize the blog with free themes.
• Cool Photoblogs- This not a photo blog creator, but this site can link you with some of the coolest photo blogs around the world. Maybe, your photo blog can be featured here someday!

Another awesome photo blog is called Corbis Blog. This photo blog provides a picture a day that shares a story of that day through the eyes and lens of celebrated and award winning photographers from around the world. Produced by Kit Hinrichs, founder of Studio Hinrichs and former partner of the international design firm Pentagram, Corbis Blog will inspire anyone to pick up a camera and start sharing their story of life and the world around us.
If you like what you see, consider the Corbis 24/7/365 downloadable screensaver.

We live in an exciting time where the world is just a click away, your next door neighbor is on the other side of the globe, and pictures are the medium we use to connect.

Create Your Own Time Machine!

In the two previous posts, Digital Directions embarked upon a three-part series looking at the basic areas to consider regarding the management or control of paper photographs. This is the third posting in that series.

In the first two basic areas regarding the management or control of paper photographs, we explored the importance of preservation techniques and how to address memory fade. This last post is going to offer insight into ways to use your photos to create your own time machine...

3. Manage Your Photographic Assets

Our view of the past through photography is a special one. Photography has grown into one of the most important influences in our society and culture. It has become a communication tool.

Through pictures we are visually linked with history. From recorded images we learn about types of fashion, landscapes, transportation, customs, attitudes, trends, political and social gatherings, defeats, and triumphs in a way no other previous generations have been able to experience.

Therefore, while care of the physical photograph is important, the information associated with the collection becomes even more so. To accomplish this you should consider cataloging your collection. This is a process of establishing a link between the photograph and documentation detailing specific data about its content.

Museums and galleries have long understood the importance of this practice. However, with just a little planning and organization it is quite possible to apply many of these best practices to your personal collections by harnessing the power of photo databases now available for use on ones personal computer.

Known as digital asset management systems, these tools help you rapidly find and track your photos, wherever they are stored. If your pictures are scanned, these systems can even allow you manage them as digital assets within the cataloging tool. Click to see a listing of top photo cataloging software systems.

Mind the Gap!

Step Two: Stop 'Memory Fade'

In the previous post, Digital Directions embarked upon a 3-part series looking at the basic areas to consider regarding the management or control of paper photographs. This is the 2nd posting in that series.

In our first look at the basic areas to consider regarding the management or control of paper photographs, we explored the importance of preservation techniques. Proper storage of paper photographs means preparation and planning. To maintain your photographs in an optimum condition means reducing them from exposure to:

• heat, humidity, dust, and light
• acidic paper and adhesives
• vinyl plastics (like sandwich bags and other plastics that give off an odor)
• fingerprints and perspiration
• ordinary pens and pencils (use special pens and pencils are available that will not harm photos.

2. How Stop 'Memory Fade'
Memories tend to fade over time, which can make the recollection associated with the details about a picture difficult. One of the greatest impacts upon preserving the facts revealed in photographs tends to occur as they are passed on down from generation to generation. While your children and grandchildren may understand people, places and events in the photos were precious, the particulars are lost forever.

Preserving the stories about your photos starts with a trip down memory lane. Look through your photos and ask yourself:

• "Who is in this photo?"
• "When was this photo taken?"
• "Where was this photo taken?"
• "Why was this photo taken?"

Taking the time to label photos with the date, location, and people helps to make sure details stay associated. Special pens designed not to damage your physical photos are available to make this an easy task.

Using photos that have been scanned or taken with a digital camera? Get into the habit of organizing your photos by date and event. Photo library management programs, such as Google's Picasa, make it quick and easy for you to identify the people in photos and include notes. It is free and eliminates 'memory fade' for you and future generations.

Life In or Out of the Box

By most estimates 4-5 trillion photographs exist worldwide. Unfortunately, over 95% of these photographs are aging in shoeboxes or photo albums. When considering your photographs, there are 3 basic areas to consider regarding their management or control.

1. How To Keep & Protect Your Photographs:
Photographs are precious moments that deserve to be preserved. These photos are history telling stories about the times and people whose images were captured through photography. Unfortunately, many of our pictures have been stashed away in attics or basements. Without some attention they will fade away or be destroyed, along with the memories and stories they tell.

Care needs to be taken to putting into place a way to properly back up all your digital photographs.

For many, preservation of the actual photograph is paramount. If that is you, then you will want to take special steps to properly store old photographs so they will last for generations to come.

In her article appearing in About.com, Pamela Wiggins recommends allocating no less than 5 minutes per photograph to ensure its proper storage. Of course, this assumes you will already have done your homework and have all the preservation materials ready and on hand.

While preservation of actual photographs may be important, it still does not answer the ability to harness the exponential growth occurring in the ability to share pictures using digital forms of social networking such as Facebook, MySpace, or Bebo.

Just like with paper documents, your photos printed onto paper can be scanned! This type of preservation technique allows them to be not only protected and preserved, but offers the ability to be shared far and wide...now, and for generations to come.

We will look at the 2 other basic areas in the management or control of photographs in future segments.

Try to imagine a time without printed photographs!

It has been just about a century and a half since photography, or 'drawing with light', burst onto the world scene as images recorded onto chemically treated paper. (Source: William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–1877) and the Invention of Photography | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.)

And while there has always been art, the prehistory of photography's invention meant the products of human creativity was often limited or even restricted.

Expression of an individual or culture through music, dance, sculpture, painting, drawing, stitchery, weaving, poetry, writing, woodworking, etc. has helped create beautiful extensions of the human experience. However, once empowered with photography, mankind has been free to release a medium of expression where each individual was able to capture the world as they saw it and then share that exact moment in time with others.

Today, 80% of US households own at least 1 digital camera, while 89% own at least 1 mobile phone - of which most have a digital camera on board. A recent study from Kodak estimated that throughout the world there have been 4-5 trillion print photographs taken. And now with all the digital photography technology available today we are now taking more photographs than ever. This digital technology has also made sharing of pictures more easy than ever.

Welcome to Digital Directions.

This blog will help you to know what to do with your pictures once they are digitized. And, we will give you information about how to properly take care of and store your actual photographs.

So, get ready to learn about the wonderful world of digital photography as you follow Digital Directions.