Digital Photography 101

Here are a few possible applications…

§  Put a face on the mission.  Photographs communicate beyond words.  There is a reason organizations such as Compassion International, Samaritan’s Purse and World Vision incorporate photographs into their communications.  It puts a face to the mission. It says in a glance far more than could possibly be said in a voice-over or a paragraph.

§  Generate buzz.  Remember back in school when half the fun of being part of something was talking about it afterward?  Capturing an event in photos then celebrating it in a slideshow during a service, on Flickr  (Picasa, Facebook, blog, etc) or simply in the old fashioned print variety gives importance to the moment and reminds people they were part.

§  Create history.  There is something significant about documenting a group’s history.  Find someone in your congregation with a passion for being the scribe to capture the big moments in your church’s story.

§  As a memory device.  Given the amount of time that most of us spend in front of our computers, the desktop image gets viewed multiple times per day. Posting images for download of things you want people to remember in a size/format that works well either as a desktop or mobile background image can be a powerful tool.

§  Make your website more authentic. If your website features a lot of stock photography people, chances are it shows.  Consider using real members to make your website more genuine and to celebrate the people who make you unique. (Though, it is wise to get photo releases.)

§  Make communications more visual. Most word processing and presentation software handles digital photography beautifully.  It only takes a moment to insert a photo and most of the time it can be cropped, sized and otherwise manipulated on the spot.  Most of the time, we leave out the imagery not because it is difficult to add it, but because it isn’t available.  Take the time to build your image library so you have content available all the time.

Useful digital cameras range from as low as $125 (less if you catch a deal on woot.com) to thousands for professional models. You can usually get by with a lower end model if most of your application will be online. Once you get into the high-end models you are typically looking at a full-sized camera with interchangeable lenses, through-the-lens viewfinders, and control over exposure. Unless you are an enthusiast, likely all you will need is a point and shoot.  Here’s a list of what to look for: 

 Megapixels.  Megapixels are about the amount of data captured and image quality is probably a more useful selection factor.  Typically, the quality level is a function of what you plan to use the images for. 8x10 prints will require higher quality than a shot for a website.

 Zoom.  The buzz words here are optical vs. digital zoom.  Optical zoom is a mechanical function of the camera moving the lens back and forth and produces the best results by far.  Digital zoom decreases your resolution as it makes the shot closer.  Many cameras offer a combination of the two.

 Image Stabilization. If you can afford a model with image stabilization it is generally worth the extra money since it compensates for any motion of the camera and prevents shots from becoming blurry.

LCD Size.  The larger the display, the easier it is to view the picture. And brighter LCDs are easier to see in outdoor applications.

Accessories. The hidden costs are definitely in the accessories. Rechargeable batteries are a good investment as is a large memory card (to hold a lot of photos) and a card reader. Most newer computers, laptops and some monitors have slots to read secure digital (SD) cards and compact flash (CF) cards.