So you got a Digital Camera for Christmas.... Or it came with the new computer... Or you bought one yourself because you were tired of paying for film processing.... Whatever the reason, you have a great new camera and your wondering what to do with it!

The digital camera is certainly one of the most popular computer peripherals in our industry today. The real reason why these devices have gained so much popularity over such a short period of time lies in their versatility. Digital cameras blend the features of a good 35 mm camera with the instant gratification of a Polaroid. And, since the image is already in digital form, it can take less than 5 minutes to have it ready to use for web sites, email, and in-gallery computer displays.

To get the most from your camera, you first need to know its limitations. It has the same lighting, focus, and stability requirements as your old 35mm SLR but you don't have to wait (or pay) for processing. There are two things you must do to learn how to use your camera. First - Get out there and take some pictures. Second - and more important - READ THE BOOK - EVERY PAGE. I can't believe how many people only open the book when they have a problem.

Probably the greatest thing about a digital camera is the ease in which you can share your pictures. Gone are the days of printing 300 copies of a photograph to send to clients. Instead you can load your pictures to a Web site, send them to clients via email, or have traditional prints made - all from your desktop. It is even possible to coordinate your in-gallery inventory with your web site. If you're using software to manage the titles, mediums, artists and digital images in-house, you may be able to use the same software to upload this information to your web site!

What Resolution?
Nearly every digital camera lets you use different resolutions. Just because the camera can take high resolution images, doesn't mean you necessarily have to use them. If you only plan on using the pictures you're taking for your Web site, don't bother with resolutions over 640 x 480 pixels. Larger resolutions take too long for your web-site visitors to download. If an image takes more than a few seconds to come up on a web site, the client will click over to someplace else!

When you save an image for use on the web, a thumbnail image should be less than 10K and the full-sized image should be about 75-100K in size. This is the size of the file on your hard disk, not the dimensions of the image. By the way, the standard format for web pictures today is called JPEG (or JPG). When you save your images, make sure they are in that format.

But putting pictures on the web is not the only use for the digital images!

If you want to email a single image to a client as a basis for purchase, then a higher resolution may be more appropriate. In general, the client doesn't mind if an email takes 30-45 seconds to load. So you might send an image that is as large as 200-300K. This will be physically larger, and will show better detail than the smaller image.

If you're planning on printing the images onto photographic paper and want the best results possible, head to the upper range of resolution. The table below shows the minimum resolution in pixels that you need to get acceptable printed results.
1024 x 768 3" x 5" print
1280 x 960 4" x 6" print
1600 x 1200 8" x 10" print

Remember, it is relatively easy to take a high resolution image off the camera and LOWER the resolution using software. It is NOT possible to change a low resolution image to a higher resolution without taking the photograph again. So I usually go ahead and take a high resolution shot with the camera and then work with it, which raises the next point.

What color is Blue?
When an image is shown on a computer screen, it may not have the same color balance as it would if it were printed on paper. Since you (and your artists) want to represent the piece as accurately as possible, you may need to "adjust" the image using software. Your camera came with at least one software program that you can use to transfer the photos to your computer. This software can probably also be used to manipulate the images. Not only will this software change the size, or resolution of the image, but often the brightness, hue, or contrast as well.

Don't assume that the software that came with the camera is the only software that will work with your images. Applications like Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, and Goo are great for adjusting your images to give the truest "on-screen" representation of the piece. There are also many FREE products on the web that help you work with the images.

How's your memory?
Your digital camera uses solid-state memory flash cards to store images. These cards, which can range in size from 4 to 128 MB, come in two primary configurations - CompactFlash and SmartMedia. Additionally, some newer cameras accept the new IBM Microdrive, which gives you a whopping 340 MB of storage space. And there is a Sony camera on the market that saves images to floppy disk. Since you will almost always be using the highest resolution your camera supports, you may want to look at purchasing additional memory.

If you don't want to bother connecting your camera to your computer every time you transfer your photos, consider purchasing a card reader. These devices, which typically run around $40, plug into your computer's serial, parallel, or USB port. This lets you take the card out of the camera and put it into the card reader. The transfer is usually faster and you're not tangled up in the wires.

Get me on the WEB!
If you don't already have your own web site, head over to www.photopoint.com to set up a free account. Then you can post an unlimited number of photos to an unlimited number of online photo albums. In fact, there are many free areas where you can post images so that other people can see them.

NOTE!!!! Be VERY careful with your copyright liability. Not every artist will want you to put their images on the internet. See the AWN article in the ????? issue for more information on copyright.

Just because you're living in the digital world doesn't mean you still can't have those nice glossies from Kodak. If you feel you MUST send photo quality images to your clients, visit the Kodak PhotoNet site at www.photonet.com, where you can set up a free account, you then upload your digital images to Kodak's site, and they'll send your high-quality prints in just a few days.

Learning the Art
This is another area where it's a good idea to get a book on photography and READ IT. Let's face it, good photography is an art. But it's an art that you can learn very quickly if you follow a few simple guidelines.

• Use natural light whenever possible. I believe it's worth waiting for a bright day to take several images of the art. While you don't want direct sunlight, you want the image to be bright without a flash spot. If your camera doesn't support external flash units, it's probably better to leave the flash off.

• Try not to use the on-camera flash. True, a flash can improve color rendition and reduce shadows that outdoor light might cause. If you have to take the images in a dark setting, try to use an external flash setup with reflectors. You don't get "red-eye" with a piece of art but a bright spot in the middle of the image makes it hard for your clients to see detail.

• Take the image of an unframed piece. GLASS is BAD. Even with natural light, a glazed piece will not photograph as well as an unglazed piece.

• Make sure you take the picture from the center of the piece. When you're off to one side the image becomes skewed and looks "wrong."

In general, the digital image offers far more versatility than traditional images for you to express your artistic abilities. Advances in this technology are offering outstanding benefits to our industry. I believe that EVERY gallery should own and use a digital camera. Now that you have one, get out there and make the most of it! You'll love it.

James Archer is the President and co-founder of Masterpiece Solutions, Inc.. A former Gallery Owner himself, he developed the Masterpiece Manager, an art gallery management software system designed specifically for the Art and related industries.