The digital image is the artists new best friend. Why? Because it's low cost, versatile and easy to make and use. You can actually eliminate the need for a photographer and save hundreds of dollars. I guarantee that a purchase of a digital camera will pay itself back tri-fold if not more in the money you will save on photographing your art and in the amount of exposure you will open yourself too.

Think of the possibilities - websites, email, the myriad of print media - you'll save yourself money on everything from brochures, to business cards, to postcards, and more. The realm of possibilities with a digital image can go as far as your imagination.

The most important reason to get a digital camera is that the amount of households that now own a digital camera went up 200% in the year 2007 alone which means that Kodak - who already announced this a long time ago - will no longer be making film. I expect the other manufacturers to follow suit - like Fuji for instance. So if you are a 35 mm photographer best to hoard film now because it's going to be very hard to find in as soon as next year.

The array of cameras may seem daunting to you. I bought a camera three years ago and it's amazing what it can do. I helped a friend buy one for the same price this year and she got a lot more features. The price and possibilities are going up. My camera even shoots a 3 minute video - good enough for You Tube, another marketing possibility for you - and audio as well as super fine (high pixel) images.

HOW TO BUY A DIGITAL CAMERA - what to look for.

I recommend getting at least a 3 or 4 megapixel camera. You don't need more but if you find a good price why not? You also don't need a huge camera. A pocket sized one will be good but make sure it has a larger screen. It is important that your camera have Optical Zoom. There is also Digital Zoom. Optical Zoom brings the image closer using "Optics" or the lens of the camera closer. It zooms in on the image and then records it. Digital is better for video. What it does is enlarge a portion of the image and then enlarges it back to size. It also enlarges the size of the pixels. Therefore you lose image quality - confused yet? Just remember that Optical zoom is better for your purposes. My camera has 3 times Optical and 4 times Digital zoom. It's a few years old though and you can get much more for the money.

Digital is not all bad, in fact, if you get a camera with a video capability - which you might want for marketing yourself on You Tube - you should get some kind of Digital Zoom in your camera. My little camera lets me shoot videos up to 10 minutes.

You will also need a memory card for your camera. This is like a flash drive or CD-Rom for your camera. It stores the information or saves it to your camera. Some cameras require you to remove it and stick it into a device that sends it to your computer. My camera has a cradel that is for both charging the image and transfering the information to my computer. Some cameras simply have a USB cord that plugs directly into your computer - either one of these are ideal because it elimates your actually having to open the camera and remove the memory card. They come in several sizes. If you are good about removing images regularly from your camera you won't need much memory in your card. If you like to procastinate or are a photographer you should get maximum memory in your card and you may actually want to purchase several of them.

Most camera stores have brochures about what to look for and the sales help are excellent. Don't let them talk you into anything. Ask all the questions you need to. Come back later if need be and make them show you everything - not just the lowest price. Remember that in many instances these guys get commissions - so if you do come back later ask for their card and when they're there. It's a nice thing to seek out the person who spent the time with you.

Melissa Wolf
May 31, 2008
The Artists Objective