The Impact Of Digital Photography
Here are just a few of the industries revolutionized by digital photography:
Medicine
The medical industry has profited greatly from the development of digital photos. Thanks to the ease of transferring digital images, patient data can now be stored with relevant photographs and sent to any hospital in the world. No film means instant results for things such as X-rays or reference photographs, and photos can now be stored on a hard drive instead of taking up valuable space in a storage room. Many endoscopic procedures available today would not be possible without the technology of digital.
Cyber-Space
During the last ten years, the internet has become a new way to socialize. The internet was once considered a hangout for nerds but now has become one of the most important communication tools in the world. A big part of this commuication is the ability to share, upload and download images. In Facebook alone there are over 10 billion pictures and growing none of which would be possible without digital cameras. Whether it's sharing images of a wedding or cell-phone photos of a crisis, digital has changed the way in which people share their stories on the web.
Outer Space
Without question, space exploration is one of humanity's most powerful achievements. New technology has let scientists see things in space that had never been viewed before like the digital cameras mounted on the Mars Exploration Rovers that have helped us learn more about the Planet Mars. Without the ability to process images as data and transmit that data across unimaginable distances, our view of space would still largely be limited to what we can see from Earth.
Sports Photography
While it may seem obvious that the development of digital has changed the way in which we document sporting events, it's hard to understand how great a difference it has created without looking in more detail. Since digital photography is not limited by film, there is really no cost difference between taking a thousand photographs or taking one. Now sports journalists can take thousands of images at an event and can increase their chances of getting the "one in a million" shot without risking the high cost of taking hundreds of shots using film.
Education
And with education, digital photography has helped make learning more accessible, more interactive and perhaps even more rewarding. The low cost of taking digital pictures makes it great for student projects as well as giving students countless resources for research projects and presentations. Digital video, which relies on many of the same technologies as digital photos, has improved our ability to take courses from home and has helped to erase national borders by allowing students to interact with people across the globe in real-time.
It can be easy to take digital photography for granted, especially in our daily lives. However, when you take a look at some of the things that digital cameras have made possible, it is hard to ignore the impact that they have had on our quality of life. Everything from advanced medical procedures to better study of the galaxy, digital has opened up many doors that wouldn't have otherwise been discovered.