Working with Images: Taking Pictures

Although there are many sources of pictures, the most obvious one is your own digital camera. Use it. I always have a camera with me. It is only sometimes used for artistic expression or even family shots. I use a camera to capture far more information in a second than I could write in fifteen minutes.

I use pictures to remember jobsite conditions, to capture a memorable detail, to record progress of a project, to snag an idea. My camera is my memory tool. My pictures are an extension of taking field notes.

My picture collection is my communication toolbox. If I want to communicate a difficult point about something I have observed, I have my picture to refresh my memory and to share with others.

Sometimes my artistic side pops out and I grab a camera to capture a particularly interesting or beautiful image. Later, these become screen savers and backgrounds to liven up my computing experience.

            download 1024x768 of this pic            download 1280x768 of this pic

Digital photos are cheap! No film, no developing, no piles of curling, yellowing photos. You can crop, stretch, extract, annotate and otherwise enhance them. They are a perfect medium for inexpensively collecting large volumes of visual information so that when you need them, you will have many from which to choose.

Summary: Take a LOT of pictures. Then take more.