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By Carl Purcell
Contributing Writer

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     A revolution is taking place in photography; a revolution that is shaking the very foundation of chemical based imaging. Photography is evolving into a digital technology where virtually anything is possible in the electronic format. Computer screens are palettes for the new generation of artists. A tiny camera chip the size of a postage stamp can hold hundreds of high resolution images and a pocket hard drive the size of a cell phone can hold thousands. Digital images can be stored on CD-ROMs or DVDs and cataloged on retrieval software.

     This drastic change in photography is inevitable. It will come as surely as the tides rise in the Bay of Fundy. The change will have an impact on the medium, extending the creative range of what can be done with an image. It will allow almost instantaneous delivery of high-resolution images through the Internet, both for entertainment and commercial purposes. It will also provide the photographer with ultimate creative control over the medium. While some traditional photographers find this change unsettling, most are eager to learn the new skills needed to enjoy, or for pros, even to survive in an increasingly competitive business.

     Technical specialty books exist on digital photography, but they usually concentrate on software or are highly specialized. Our book, like ones we have done on traditional travel photography, will deal with the broad subject in simple, easy to understand language. We are not technical wizards or computer geeks, but we have learned by trial and error, as you will too. We know that the average person can master the basics of Adobe Photoshop and can take remarkably good pictures with a digital camera at great savings over traditional film and processing. Over a period of time, a digital camera can pay for itself by saving the cost of film and processing.

     As an example, we attended the birth of a grandchild last month and took pictures of the newborn with a Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera. On returning home we viewed the pictures on our computer and within hours of his birth, e-mailed the best shots to all members of our family in the United States, in Europe and even to a friend in Australia! We saved $50 to $75 on film and processing and over the years will save thousands. We can make photo quality 8x10 prints on our low-cost ink-jet printer for about 50 cents each to put in our family album. Our advice: Don't invest in a film processing business.

     On the professional side, we market our images from our own web site, from PictureQuest (PNI), from Corbis and MIRA. These outlets have become our major source of income.

     A few of our journalist colleagues suffer from technophobia to the extent that they still use an Underwood typewriter, afraid to even try something they don't fully understand. Our friend Frank Ogden (Dr. Tomorrow) of Vancouver is a futurist by profession and an avid digital photographer. He says we all have a simple choice. We can either be part of the steamroller or part of the road.

     There is a severe shortage of reliable, objective information about digital cameras, scanners and the Internet. This book will fill that need for both advanced amateur and professional photographers who do not choose to be left behind in the digital revolution.

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