How Digital Technology Has Changed Photography

Photography has always been a part of our lives. It has helped people capture precious memories - both the good and the bad. Through the years, photography equipment and techniques have evolved to become its own art form. Technology continues to evolve, constantly changing the landscape in which a professional photographer works his trade. Here is a short background on the topic:

What is Digital Technology?

It is usually defined as any system using parts that make use of binary or digital logic which is 1 or 0. If your tool or equipment has a micro controller or a processor inside of it, or if it uses storage and a software program that can perform even simple decision making, that means the equipment you are using benefits from digital technology.

What is Digital Photography?

In simple terms, it means using photography to capture images using digital technology. In the past, photographic film was the main ingredient for photography. But through progress and development, photography has taken the next level in its evolution by utilizing digital technology. With digital technology, you can print, store, display and do so much more with your pictures than you ever thought possible! You can use your equipment to store the images or, if you have a computer, you have the ability to transfer and store your photos onto your computer's hard drive.

With digital technology stepping in, it certainly has changed traditional photography in so many ways.

• With this technology, you won't need to purchase film anymore. It has the ability for you to review the shot taken and if you don't like how it was taken, you can always capture the image over again. This helps save money because there is no waste of a negative.

• The storage capacity for digital technology is enormous - you can easily store your pictures and keep your lovely memories for as long as you wish. Traditional photography, on the other hand, can not do this and you will have to pay more to have them printed.

• Digital photography allows you to print them as well, if you want. If you don't want to print your digital images, simply delete them or store them in your computer for future use.

• Digital technology allows you to review and edit your images almost instantly after the image is captured. Traditional photography requires many more stages before the image can be reviewed and edited, and each stage costs additional time and money.

• With digital technology, you can perform enhancements and add information on the picture such as added text or even the date. This process can usually be performed within the camera itself.

• ISO speed settings are easier to change. In fact, all film settings are much easier to adjust and set on a digital camera compared with a traditional film camera.

• It saves time and enables a faster turn-around on investment when shooting for a client, since the traditional ways of photography took more time to show the customers the image results.

• The cameras used lately are a bit smaller much easier to carry around. They are handy and not bulky.

• There are digital photo printers and computers that are available almost everywhere. These eliminate the cost of expensive processing equipment - dark rooms are now a thing of the past.

Those are just some of the changes digital technology has made in the photography industry. If you want to learn more, visit your local digital camera shop and ask some questions. Make sure you visit a store that was designed with professional photographers in mind - the salespeople there will be much more knowledgeable than your local clerk at a typical chain store.