If you are unsure about any of the technical references made in the information below, ask your technician (or one of your students!) to help.

What are digital photographs?
Digital photographs are images taken with a digital camera in a digital format. This means that the data is stored in a way which a computer understands. When transferred to a computer, digital photos can be read and shown as recognisable images. They can be stored in an appropriate file format, usually jpg. They can also be edited with a photo editor to improve the quality or to create a new image if desired.

Key features

• Ease of use: digital photos are easy to take. Most digital cameras allow the user to simply point and shoot. The image is instantly viewable and can be deleted if not wanted.
• Low cost: a camera can store great numbers of pictures before it is full. They do not have to be printed but can be viewed on the camera or on a computer.
• Ease of transfer: digital photos can be transferred to a computer for viewing and editing using a USB cable or a memory card reader which slots into the computer. Often, the process of transferring photos is automatic once the camera is connected to the computer. You do not always have to install special software.
• Storage: digital photos can be stored on a computer, a network or VLE (Virtual Learning Environment).
• Versatility: digital photos can be re-used and edited any number of times and used in a range of contexts such as electronic worksheets, or presentations.
• Portability: digital photos can be compressed and sent as attachments to emails. They can also be stored and moved very easily on a CD, or a flash memory stick (often referred to simply as a memory stick).