By Darren Herman
Remember what film was? Traditional film cameras are rapidly moving out of the consumer space and many camera manufacturers are starting to sell only digital cameras for consumers. According to the Photo Marketing Association International, 31% of U.S. households owned digital cameras at the end of 2003. For 2004, digital cameras will penetrate 42% of our homes.
With the adoption of digital cameras comes not only the ability to capture pictures, but now users can easily share them with friends and family all over the globe, almost as fast as they download pictures from their digital camera to their computer's hard drive.
A digital picture really has two main functions: it can be printed out just like a normal photograph -- and with today's printers, looks no different -- or it can be treated as a digital file and can be shared with friends and family through various methods.
Of course, digital pictures can be easily manipulated through photo retouch software. In the early days of computers, to put a photograph on a computer, you'd have to process and develop the film at a lab (a process that took at least 3 days) and then make the effort to scan it onto a computer. Back then, who had scanners? David tells me that when his company bought a scanner back in the mid-80s, it cost upwards of $15,000! The entire procedure took an average of 4 days before the photo from the film-based camera was loaded to the computer. Today, with digital cameras, it takes less than 4 minutes to accomplish this.
The ability to share photos is something that never really emerged with early digital cameras. However, adaptation to the use of digital cameras, along with the wide-availability of fast Internet connections has expanded what users are more comfortable doing with them.
Mass-marketed websites such as my own MyPhotoAlbum, as well as Snapfish, Ofoto, and WebShots allow users to easily upload photos, edit them online, organize them into albums, and share them with invited friends or the whole world. In fact, the shareable online photo album is becoming a hot trend.
MyPhotoAlbum, shown in Figure A, provides the user a Web page to link to, such as my personal gallery, http://darren.myphotobuddy.com to facilitate the sharing of pictures.
FIGURE A
Here's a great example, pictures of a performance in Bryant Park. (click for larger image)
Sites like mine allow families to share memories much easier, especially when geographic barriers separate them. Friends can now easily upload their pictures from recent parties and trips and have their peers rate and comment on them, thus building an interactive component to them.
Not only can we share pictures, but also, these photo album services allow you to view other people's albums and allow printing of pictures on demand. You now have the option of printing to your personal printer or you can have it sent to one of the sites' printing partners such as Shutterfly, and within 96 hours, you'll have perfect 4x6 prints. Some sites even have printing on greeting cards, mouse pads, and other fun objects.
Harnessing the power of the Internet is not new for the photography industry but it is reaching new heights. We're seeing some great trends rising -- and digital photography sites are emerging to really push the limits of the digital photography marketplace. And that's truly creating connected photographers!
Darren Herman is the Product Manager for MyPhotoAlbum, a premium online photo gallery community that allows users to easily upload, share and promote their photographs privately to their friends and family or publicly to the world.