Simple Steps For Capturing Memories And Sharing Photos

From weddings to "girls' weekends," book clubs and block parties, the good news is that more and more people are making time to gather with family and friends to share special occasions and everyday events. Being there, however, is only half the fun. The desire to share these memories has given rise to all sorts of new hobbies from scrapbooking to photo swapping. Before your next gathering, consider these simple tips to help you transform that event from a memorable afternoon or evening to a lifetime memory:

1. Don't be shutter-shy. Move close and frame your subject(s) tightly. Snap several photos at a time from various angles and delete missteps as you go to keep memory space free for more shots. Take a few minutes to crop pictures, remove red eye and even try turning a few color shots to black and white. You can most likely accomplish these steps using the software that came with your home computer or via an online photo service.

2. Never do tomorrow, what you can do today. Upload photos from your camera often. Memory card readers make it easy and fast to get pictures out of your camera and onto your computer. Head to an electronics store and choose one that reads multiple card types. That way everyone in your household can use it and you won't "outgrow" it, even if you upgrade to a new camera with a different memory medium. Top manufacturers include Lexar and SanDisk.

3. Share and share alike. Sharing digital photos has become as common as mailing prints to Grandma once was. You can attach individual photos to an e-mail and send them out one at a time. Another, easier way to keep in touch with family and friends that won't clog their in-box is to try a top online photo service. One, called Shutterfly, lets you store and share as many images as you want. Then, even those who could not make the party can join in the fun by adding comments, ordering prints and the like. Recipients get an e-mail from you that contains one of your pictures and a clickable link, which immediately connects to a slideshow of your pictures. What may be the best part is-there's no sign-in requirement and membership is free.