The digital age is upon us and nowhere is this more evident than in the world of photography. Developments in digital photographic technology have made digital cameras accessible to all, and the quality of images is now easily on a par with a high quality conventional film camera. This shift has meant that increasing numbers of people utilise digital cameras on a regular basis and consequently upload the images to their computer, distribute through social networks and archive images in digital format as albums on their computer.

Although the increased popularity of digital photography has given more people access to a low cost means of taking high quality photographs, it has meant that for the most part traditional photographs are becoming increasingly obsolete. The practice of taking film to be developed is in decline, which is a positive in that it was a costly expense and negative as many photographs remain forever unseen once taken and simply reside in the depths of a computer hard drive.

There are however a number of solutions to this problem of never-seen photographs, and each brings with it its own unique benefits:

Digital Photo Frames

Digital photo frames are essential small, flat LCD screens which are built into a mount which resembles a traditional photo frame. These compact but accomplished devices then display images taken by a digital camera as if they were paper photographs- with the added benefit of the ability to scroll through the images automatically and even play video clips. Digital photo frames are a great way to display images in the home or on a desk in the office and despite using a small amount of electricity when in operation- are environmentally ethical in that they replace the need for paper or image developing chemicals.

Photo Printing Stations/Services

In order to avoid being too heavily affected by the shift away from conventional photograph development processes, many high street and mail order businesses who previously specialised in developing film have brought in services which offer to print images from memory cards. This system allows a digital camera user to select their favourite images, hand them over and receive high quality photograph prints on photo paper. The major upshot of this service is that rather than paying to develop poorly taken photographs, the user gets to choose which images become 'hard copies' and as such exercise a higher level of control over what they're paying for.

Using Photo Paper to Print at Home

The majority of digital camera owners will be in possession of a home computer and a printer of at least moderate quality. With the use of specialised photo paper or glossy printer paper it is possible to cut out the middle man and print your own high quality copies of digital images at home. Even if your printer doesn't appear to be of the best quality when printing normally- with a high quality photo paper; even a low cost inkjet printer is capable of producing crisp, clear photo prints which wouldn't look out of place in a frame. Much like with photo printing services, this solution means that you only need print the images you wish to, but with the added benefits of lower costs and the ability to print images instantly, as and when required. Photo paper may well signify the end of commercial photograph development providers if enough people give it a chance and embrace the lower cost, ease of use and incredibly high quality results.