Ancestry Magazine

Before you volunteer to be the family photographer, here are a few pointers you’ll need to use your digital camera effectively.

Digital imaging offers family historians an easy way to share pictures, edit heritage images, and import photos into websites and genealogy programs. But whether you are using a digital camera now or hope to in the future, you need to know a few practical things about d igital cameras and digital imaging first.

Before You Purchase
Before rushing out to buy a digital camera at a great sale, take time to get educated. Consult online reviews and ask friends about their own digital cameras. A good camera retailer will let you try several models in the store and will offer some insight into what you’re considering.

You’ll also want to determine what peripherals you’ll need. Can you connect the camera directly to your computer for download or do you need a separate memory card? Does the memory card included with the camera have enough storage capacity for your needs or should you purchase a larger one? Will you need to upgrade to a higher-quality printer so you can print your digital photos from home? Even if you start out with an inexpensive camera, you’ll be surprised how fast the bill adds up with all the necessary peripherals.

Also, consider how you’ll use the images you take with your digital camera. Will you keep the photos in digital format and view them online or via your computer, or will you want to make prints of your images? The key word in this technology is megapixels. If you plan to keep the images electronic and view them only on a monitor, a 1-megapixel camera will work fine. If you intend to make traditional prints from your images, you’ll want to buy at least a 2-megapixel camera, otherwise your prints will be blurry from the lack of resolution. The more megapixels the camera has (2,3, or 4), the sharper your prints will be.

Using Your Digital Camera
As with many other purchases, you should read the manual that comes with a digital camera so you will get the best use from it. There are many of do’s and don’ts when you are using a digital camera. You’ll want to know what they are before you begin using it.

If you need help, try the online sites for your camera’s manufacturer or consult one of t he many guides on the market, such as The Complete Guide to Digital Photography by Michael Freeman (Silver Pixel Press, 2001) and Complete Digital Photography by Ben Long (Charles River Media, 2001).

Using a digital camera requires developing a different sense of photography. All the manuals, guides, and online help may not be enough. Most local colleges and adult education programs offer photography classes. Take one to learn new techniques, then compare your notes with classmates. Some online digital photography and photo sharing websites offer online tutorials with examples. Begin by trying to duplicate their efforts and before you know it, looking at the back of your camera will be as comfortable as looking through a traditional viewfinder.

Backup, Backup, Backup
As you begin downloading the digital pictures of your granddaughter’s birthday party or the three-legged race at the last family reunion, keep in mind that these images are computer files. This means you will have to periodically back them up the same way you do your data files. As a general rule, you should make two copies of your backup, then store them in two separate places to protect them from flood, excess heat, scratches, and operator mistakes.

CDs or Zip® discs work well as backup mediums. While CDs used to have a short shelf life (under ten years), manufacturers now claim the discs last as long as fifty years. Store your CDs in the same environment as your original photographs–at a temperature of no more than 77 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 percent humidity.

Organize Your Images
Once you’ve purchased your camera, learned how to use it, taken a few pictures, and downloaded the files to your computer’s hard drive, the next step is to organize and identify those images. Don’t let your digital images languish in unidentified files on your hard drive. Always identify the individuals and events depicted in your images. Use numbers, names, or dates as labels. It’s important to include enough information so others will know what the images are in your files.

Many software programs are available to help you organize the images you’ve taken. You’ll find programs specifically intended for the family photographer as well as genealogy software that allow you to attach images to genealogical data. Examine the program’s requirements to verify that it will work on your computer, and see where the software capabilities overlap with software you already have. You could end up purchasing several photo-editing tools because they are often included as part of hardware you purchase, such as scanners.

Whether you purchase Snapshot, Picture It, or a genealogy program that allows you to import multimedia, make sure the program has the options you need for your family history projects.

Upgrade or Replace?
Novices to digital imaging are often amazed by the amount of memory needed to store digital images on their computers. You may need additional memory to accommodate your new interest.

Because technology changes so much in such a short amount of time, new software is often incompatible with your old computer, and vice versa. You may want to consider replacing your machine, rather than upgrading it since upgrades can be more expensive in the long run. If you try to upgrade new software onto old hardware, you’ll often have problems; likewise, if you try to implement new hardware into an old operating system.

Here’s another tip: Keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. While no virus is currently transmitted through image files, you never know when that might happen.

Printing Your Images
Having traditional photo prints made of your digital files makes sense for family historians. Sure, you can exchange CD-ROMs, but ask yourself, with such frequent changes in technology, wi ll your relatives always be able to view these images? Digital imaging changes the notion of a family photograph album to a computer medium, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t continue the tradition of keeping albums. After all, a digital camera allows you to delete pictures as you take them, and editing software allows you to improve the quality of the ones you keep by eliminating red-eye, etc.

If you plan to print your digital images from a home printer, consider this: According to Kodak, of the 30 billion digital pictures taken annually, less than 6 billion end up as prints. While most film users are satisfied with the prints they receive, that number drops dramatically for people who print their digital images at home.

Manufacturers want to satisfy those digital users by making it easier for consumers to obtain copies of digital pictures at affordable prices through retail outlets. Many digital camera users don’t realize that prints made at home using regular inks and papers have a shelf life of less than two years. Consider making conventional prints with the kiosks available in stores or by using an online photo processor. You can even use these services to make copies of your other prints. Most photo processing companies on the Internet will make prints from digital images as well as develop film. They will also enable you to e-mail images to others, order reprints, do basic photo editing, and create free online albums.

Should you decide to continue printing your images at home, use products specifically manufactured for stability. Lyson Ltd. at <www.lyson.com> and MIS Associates, Inc. at <www.inksupply.com> can supply appropriate inks and papers. Find a list of suppliers, and follow the current research by visiting Henry Wilhelm’s website <www.wilhelmresearch.com>. Wilhelm and Carol Brower are the authors of The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs: Traditional and Digital Color Prints, Color Negatives, Slides and Motion P ictures (Preservation Publishing Co, 1993).

Sharing Your Images
Sharing photographs online can be easy and fun. Here are some things you need to know to be a savvy user of photo services online as well as some sites you’ll want to try. If you haven’t tried sharing your snapshots online, don’t delay.

Before uploading your digital images to a photo-sharing website, become an educated user by trying several sites to see if they offer the features you’re looking for. Since some companies charge fees for their services, pay particular attention to each site’s terms and conditions. Don’t forget to ensure your online privacy by seeking a site that requires passwords or invitations for other users to view your images. Be sure to carefully read privacy statements and password-protect your albums.

The largest online community is MyFamily.com. You can post a free homepage complete with photographs, and invite your relatives to participate by adding images and information of their own. Since Ancestry.com is a sister site of MyFamily.com, the website has features that genealogists will want to use on their pages.

If you upload all your digital photographs to a website without maintaining copies at home, be cautious. Consider what will happen if the site to which you’ve entrusted your archived images goes out of business. Photopoint.com was one of the leading websites of its type until it closed operations. Luckily, individuals who once used Photopoint can now obtain a CD-ROM of their photos through a third-party service.

But don’t let this discourage you from exploring the possibilities of online photo sharing. Many websites are easy to use, offer photo editing tools, and provide some new ways to share pictures with family. And, you no longer have to promise to send copies to your relatives; they can order their own copies from your online album.

Now that you’ve learned how to purch ase a camera and operate it, share images and preserve them, you are well on your way to being the designated family photographer.

Undoubtedly, you are already thinking of creative ways to use your camera to document your family tree. You might want to take pictures of family artifacts, copy heritage pictures in the collections of relatives, make creative nametags with imaging software for the next family reunion, or simply take pictures of family members. It’s no surprise that genealogists are turning to digital photography to save their family memories.

Maureen A. Taylor is the author of Preserving Your Family Photographs (Betterway, 2001), Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs (Betterway, 2000), and the guide to family history for kids, Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors (Houghton Mifflin, 1999). Her tips for traveling with children appeared in Martha Stewart Living (June 2002). She can be reached at <www.TaylorandStrong.com>.

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On the Web
Steve’s DigiCams <www.steves-digicams.com>
Steve’s DigiCams allows you to keep up with the latest in digital imaging, focusing on both cameras and peripherals. The site contains links to manufacturers and a digicam dictionary of terminology.PC Photo Review <www.pcphotoreview.com>
At Photo Review you can see what’s new in cameras and accessories, find an online sale, or join a discussion group.Digital Photography Review <www.dpreview.com>
Digital Photography Review has camera reviews, discussion forums, and a gallery of digital pictures. A buyers’ guide and side-by-side comparison of features helps consumers make an informed decision. Search this site for industry news or feedback in the forums.

Megapixel.net <www.megapixel.net>
Megapixel has a monthly online e-zine that features articles, clas sifieds, and reviews. The August 2002 issue answered the question: “How long will a digital camera last?”

Ofoto.com <www.ofoto.com>
Ofoto is one of the leading photo printing sites. Sign up for its e-mail newsletter to find out about special promotions. It was named by the Wall Street Journal as its top site based on photo quality and products.

Photoworks.com <www.photoworks.com>
Photoworks makes prints from either negatives or digital images, and has expanded into traditional markets with a free catalog of its services.

Shutterfly.com <www.shutterfly.com>
Excellent customer service makes Shutterfly a good choice for new users of online photo services. You can also send invitations to family and friends to look at your images.

Club Photo.com <www.clubphoto.com>
Find out why Club Photo was editor’s choice of PC Magazine this year. For unique gifts of your family photographs, order photo jewelry, pencil sketches derived from your images, even Rice Krispies® bars with a photo icing covering.

Digitalfridge.com <www.digitalfridge.com>
The Fridge takes photo sharing to a new level with public and private albums of both images and videos. With digital video now part of the home imaging market, this is the only site that offers an opportunity to share those moving images with your family online.

Snapfish.com <www.snapfish.com>
Snapfish develops, digitizes, and prints photos from film cameras, digital cameras, or single-use (disposable) camera. It also allows you to edit, organize, and share prints.