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Visual
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Incorporating Graphics -
Digital Photography Description
| Possible Uses with Instruction
Sheets
Resources Required
| Success Stories
| More Information Description As
digital cameras have become more sophisticated and
affordable, they are becoming a more viable option
for use in incorporating images into the
curriculum. No film is required to take
digital pictures -- just snap the picture,
transfer the picture to your computer, and you have an image you can
use for presentations, the web, or for printing. If
you have questions about copyright permissions
associated with various media, please click
here to access relevant information compiled
by the Colgate Libraries.
 Possible
Uses with Instruction Sheets
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Why
go digital? There are many reasons why
people are going digital, but the top reasons
always seem to include at least one of the
following: (1) Instant Feedback: You
can see the picture instantly. You see if it's
good or bad instantly...and correct it while
the subject is still available. No waiting and
wasted resources on developing bad pictures.
(2) Easily Shared: Once you have photos
in digital format (on your computer) you can
e-mail them to a colleague, put them on a web
site, put them on a poster or invitation, show
them off in a classroom using PowerPoint, put
them on a t-shirt. And yes, you can even print
your pictures, at a quality suitable for
framing. (3) Creative Empowerment: Some
digital cameras and software programs can
"stitch" together many pictures to
create one large panoramic picture. This
feature could be used to create a 360-degree
view from the top of a mountain, or the inside
of a room in your house. Some software can
even create a 3-D picture that you can rotate
and zoom in or out of. Image editing software,
such as Adobe Photoshop Elements, allows you to manipulate your
pictures to correct flaws, enhance scenes, or embellish
features. You can create exactly the
impression you want.
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How do you use a digital
camera? Since
there are many different digital cameras and a
variety of software applications available for
working with digital images, it is impossible to write
one set of instructions that would be useful
for all. Instead, we suggest that you
consult with CEL if you require assistance in
using your camera.
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What
type of camera is best for you? There are
close to 250 different consumer and prosumer
digital cameras on the market, and more to be
released. Factors that determine what camera
is best for you include the following:
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What
will you do with the pictures?
[this is the most important question to
answer -- different cameras are designed
to meet different needs]
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How
many pictures will you take? 2 a day or
200 week?
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Are
you a photographer who likes to tinker
with all the settings or do you like to
just point-and-shoot?
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Will
you be shooting indoors, outdoors, action,
still, low light, people, objects, or all
of the above?
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Which
do you really want: a still camera or a
digital camcorder?
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How
much money are you willing to spend?
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Do
you have everything you need to work with
digital images -- the right computer with
image editing software, color printer,
etc.? Have you thought about how and where
you will store your digital images -- hard
drive, zip, CD-ROM, server? [digital
images can be very large so planning for
storage is critical]
Where
can you learn more about digital photography
and features? If
you're in the market to buy a camera, we
suggest you try to learn as much as you can
about the features that are most important to
you. Below are some links to reviews and
feature comparisons. After you conduct your
research, we suggest you consult with CEL
before you buy anything.
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The PC Magazine web site
provides a "Digital
Camera Buying" guide as well as
reviews and reader stories. Click
HERE for more information.
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The CNET web site provides
news, reviews, product comparisons, and
HowTo documents. Click
HERE for more information.
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Check out
the HowStuffWorks.com web site. It
provides a comprehensive overview of
digital camera technologies. Click
HERE for more information.
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Also important, is
understanding graphics file formats.
Here's a link to a great article:
Which format to use?
NEWS:
David Berlind, a technology
columnist, has written an article,
Desperately Seeking Digital Camera Nirvana.
He and his wife are ready to invest in their
first digital camera. But they have realized
they have a lot to learn about pixels, lenses,
and printers. Come shop with them -- and hear
other digicam stories. Click
HERE for the story or visit
CNET's digital photography center.
Note:
CEL has a
Nikon CoolPix 995, a full featured general purpose digital
camera that we use for training and projects.
Click
HERE to check out other products and
services offered by Nikon.
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Resources
Required
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A
digital camera.
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Cables to connect
the camera to a computer and other accessories
(e.g. batteries, battery charger, camera case,
power cable, etc.).
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Software,
usually bundled with the camera, that allows
for the transfer of images from camera to
computer.
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Image
editing software, like Microsoft PhotoDraw or Adobe
Photoshop, is useful for image manipulation
but NOT required.
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Printer
or access to a printer if you plan to print
your images (and you'll want photo quality
paper if you plan to print pictures).
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Success
Stories Go
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More
Information
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Documents:
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Kodak's
Digital
Cameras and Technology web site provides a
variety of resources, including the DLC (Digital
Learning Center). The DLC provides a
variety of resources, including the Technology
Book, which has chapters on the technology
behind digital cameras, choosing and using the
right printer, the differences between digital
and traditional images, understanding image
file formats (JPG, GIF, TIFF, FPX, and Photo
CD pictures), as well as storage cards and
what you should know before you consider
storage. DLC also provides answers to more
than 50 Frequently
Asked Questions.
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The
B&H Web
Photo School web sites states that this
is, "...the first "virtual
photography school" on the Internet's
World Wide Web. This school features Film and
Digital Photography lessons from a faculty of
world class instructors." This site
provides "case studies" and real
world examples of successful projects that
have used digital images.
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Digital
Photography Review where you'll find all
the latest in digital photography and imaging
news, reviews of the latest digital camera
products, the most active discussion forums, a
large selection of sample images, a digital
camera buyers guide, side-by-side comparisons
and the most comprehensive database of digital
camera features and specifications.
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