Star Tech

Putting Photographic Memory To Good Use

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I normally drop everything when I get a question from anyone who says he/she is new to blogging. This question is from a Melbourne-based blogger, Rudy.

Can I use photographic prints on my blog?

Want the good news, Rudy? That's a yes. If you have (or have access to) a scanner, this is certainly possible. Any document or print can be scanned, provided it can fit on a normal flatbed scanner. The prices of scanners have dropped drastically, and a lot of the home printers on offer also come with scanning facilities.

If you have any difficulty with the actual scanning process, let me know what imaging software you have on your computer and I can ``talk'' you through the steps. Once you've scanned the pictures you want, I'd suggest saving them to a common folder as well as backing them up on a USB drive or an SD memory card.

From this point on, you'd just have to click the ``add image'' icon when writing a new post on your blog. Then select the location (desktop, folder or removable storage device) and click on the image you want and hit the ``upload image'' tab.

The image I've attached here is one I took with a Canon EOS 3000 film camera. It was taken in the Old Town section of beautiful Quebec City, Canada. I was walking down a street when I noticed the figure of a Spanish conquistador. It was made of fibreglass, but stopped me in my tracks because it was so imposing. I shot it from this angle to get a good view of the amazing patterns on the ancient helmet , as well as to include the modern streetscape.

It was a difficult shot to take because the figure was in shadow while the background was in bright sunlight. But it shows you that even prints can be scanned and uploaded to a blog. Digital cameras are brilliant, but never throw away your prints.