New technology for photonheads

One area of technology where there the "new technology vs old technology" debate has been definitively won is in the area of digital photography. Nowadays we find digital cameras simply everywhere. Their resolution and quality have shot up, as their prices have come down just as fast. Digital cameras have become a fixed part of our social fabric. It seems that everyone is taking pictures and videos and emailing, MMSing, uploading or generally sharing them any which way we can.

The question being, are you a bit of a photonhead, and are you simply crazy about digital photography? I know I am. I use my cell phone's camera all the time. With digital cameras becoming all the rage there are a number of sites where you can satisfy your desire for more info and functionality. Snapping a huge number of photos with a digital camera is easy, but finding a practical way to share your pictures and show them to friends and family can sometimes be a hassle. Fortunately, there are many web sites that allow you to upload your photos to online albums and other sharing tools. There are even some sites where you can order prints of your pictures and have them posted to you. If your goal is to get your pictures into an online album quickly and easily, there are a number of sites which can accommodate you. Some of them also offer handy special features such as sending images to and from camera phones. Whether you have a handful of vacation shots or you're a serious photographer with a big image archive, there are plenty of sites that can make printing and sharing a pleasure. One of the beauties of going digital is that you can tweak and twist your pictures into amazing works of art. All it takes is a little imagination, some technical know-how and the right tools.

• Photonhead - www.photonhead.com

  This is my favourite digital photography site, and where I got the name of this month's column. It covers more than digital photography, although this is the majority of the site.

• Fly Photo - www.flyphoto.co.za

  Fly Photo is a South African site that lets you upload your digital pictures for printing. You can specify the types of prints you would like, and in a few days they are delivered to you.

• Print pictures from XP - http://tinyurl.com/3r4ds

  This is a short and simple guide from Microsoft on how to print your digital photos directly from Windows XP without any extra software. Simple and very handy for a novice user.

• Picasa - picasa.google.com

  Picasa is a free software tool from Google that helps you organise you photos on your computer, as well as edit and add effects to them.

• Zoopy - www.zoopy.com

  I've mentioned Zoopy previously, but they definitely deserve another mention here, as Zoopy is a South African-based photo and video sharing and social networking site.

• Flickr - www.flickr.com

  Flickr is the big daddy of photo sharing sites. This is an excellent site with lots of functionality that helps you manage and share your photos.