The art of Photography dates back to the 19th century. Since then there has
been tremendous advancements in this field. One of the latest is the invention
of the digital camera. In digital photography,
photographs are taken digitally and are stored digitally using a computer.
Digital photography paved the way for the film to go. Today many companies who
traditionally manufactured film and cameras using photographic film have pulled
out of the market.
Traditional cameras use film to capture images. These films or negatives have to
be chemically processed to get the photograph. This requires studio facilities
and uses up a lot of time. The films can not be reused either. Digital
photography uses digital technology. An image sensor in the Digital camera
captures the images. The sensor consists of silicon chips containing
photosensitive diodes. These diodes, called photosites, record the intensity of
the light which falls on them and the information is stored digitally as a set
of numbers. The images stored in the memory card are downloaded into a computer
and the card can be reused. The image is reconstructed on the screen or printed
on paper using these numbers to set the brightness and the color of the dots
which make up the picture.
Digital cameras are becoming smaller and smaller. They have many features which help the
photographer to program the camera to his liking. The cameras function as both
movie and still camera. It not only stores images but can also record video and
sound. Some can be connected to the computer to be used as web cams. Today many
mobile phones too have a digital camera feature. The quality of the digital
image depends on various factors. The heavily marketed pixel count is one of
them. The lens quality, capture medium, capture format and the processing are
the major factors which decide the quality of the picture.
With a digital camera and a printer you can make magic. Such is the potential of
digital photography that even a novice can make a good quality photograph
nowadays. You can change the size, color, brightness and the background of the
picture, insert another picture into it or remove a part of the picture and what
not. The possibilities are endless. Though doctoring of photographs has been
going on since the birth of photography it has never been so easy to do so.
The drawback of digital photography is its high initial expenditure on the camera, heavy use
of battery, sensitiveness of camera to moisture and extreme temperatures. The
cameras have a shorter service life and gets outdated quickly. There is a fear
that with further advancement in computer technology, today’s digital
photographs may become inaccessible.
Technology has truly revolutionized photography. So much so that you need not be
an expert or spend hours on a single photograph any more. Technology has
improved tremendously and will change more in the future. You may soon be able
to see moving digital photos on electronic paper and that too in 3 D.
