The products and the technology exists today for almost anyone to take and process their own quality photographs - and send them anywhere in the world in a minute.
Zandre Rudolph, a business manager at Rectron, the local representation of HP digital imaging products in South Africa, looks at the ease with which this can be accomplished using the latest products to reach the dealers` shelves.
Life is full of precious moments. Why not make the effort to capture them photographically for the days when you`d like to revisit them and relive the memories?
Or why not send the images - either electronically or in hard copy - to friends and relatives far away who would appreciate them?
Today, the technology and the products are available that will let you do this - and a lot more - with those special moments.
With the phasing out of film, the photographic experience has become more immediate. You can shoot a photo and examine it immediately thereafter - of share it with friends and family - simply by looking at the display window on the camera.
How was the light? Did you blink? How about a bigger smile?
In the past you had to wait until the film was processed and the prints made before you could answer these questions. And then, if you had spoiled the shot, the chances were there was no going back to re-do it.
Star photographer
Today, not only can you be a star photographer, producing perfectly composed pics every time (you discarded the duds... right?) but you can also produce perfect hard copy prints from those digitally captured images.
What`s more, with the editing technology available today, and the intelligence built into the cameras and peripheral equipment there`s no reason why every print shouldn`t be crisper, more realistic and more true-to-life than anything you`ve done before.
And it`s not as costly as you would imagine.
Cameras
There is a vast selection of digital cameras from which to choose. Most come with a range of easy-to-use tools designed to help you take better photos at all kinds of family events, indoors and out, whatever the weather.
Today digital cameras can automatically adapt to different light conditions, even the dark, and enable easy panoramic shooting.
It`s OK to get started with a basic camera, but soon you`ll want something with a zoom.
Cameras with zoom lens are more attractive than those with a fixed lens, but opt for the best optical zoom you can afford. Digital zoom is simply a manipulation of the data and can be associated with a loss of resolution and poorer quality prints later on.
Speaking of resolution, go for a medium to high-resolution camera, depending on your budget. Anything over five-megapixels is great, enabling you to enlarge your best, most creative work to at least A4 size.
If you have professional intentions (or you want bigger enlargements) then there are 10-megapixel and even higher resolution cameras on the market.
An important consideration when purchasing any camera is lens quality. The more upmarket cameras use "brand name" lenses.
Printers
To really secure your images, make long lasting prints to place in family albums, or frame for the mantelpiece. First you`ll have to download your photo images to your personal computer, choose the ones you`d like to print, then hook up a suitable inkjet printer that`s capable of taking the latest photopaper.
Some of the more advanced printers allow you to slot your camera`s memory card into them directly for instant results - no PC required.
If your camera (or computer) is Bluetooth enabled, you can link wirelessly to a compatible printer - which will also help to save time and effort you when you`re printing "on the go".
Creativity
If you want to explore your artistic side, it`s best to install good quality editing software on your computer.
This will allow you to capture and "play" with the images - crop them to size, change colours, smoothen wrinkles, brighten smiles, remove "red eyes" from flash photography and much more.
If you would like to capture or touch up hard copy prints - maybe from years ago - for reprinting or e-mailing, then a scanner is a must. A scanner will turn photos, slides, negatives and more into high-quality images that print with the look and feel of the latest digital photos.
If you`re in business - or run an office from home - then there`s nothing more practical than an all-in-one printer/ scanner/ copier. These ultra-compact devices can be used for printing photos in true-to-life colour, printing stationery, performing regular copying duties - and for creating impressive special-occasion projects, even helping with homework.
Accessories
To become the "complete" photographer, it`s important to accessorise. For example you`ll need at least two batteries for your camera - as you don`t want to run out of power at a critical point. A battery re-charger, plus a protective carry case for it, your spare battery and your camera are good ideas.
Just picture it. Your life translated into fantastic photos. Easily. Every time!
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