The Chronicles
May 2009
Salutations dear readers and fellow Laurentian neighbors,
OK dear readers ... camera bought - check, Web sites covering photography tips read - check, Lyana called to make an appointment to learn the fascinating facets of your camera - check ...(!) - now it is time to transfer the photos to the computer.
I would just like to mention at this point that photos can be transferred to your computer from many different apparatus such as a camera, USB key, CD, DVD or external hard-drive. However, whichever method you choose, the process is fundamentally the same and very, very easy.
Easy I say? Indeed! Before anything, I let my clients/students know that it is better not to install the programs contained on the CD included with the new camera. Most people don't know this, but in order for your camera to work with XP or Vista, you do not need to install anything, as both of these operating systems have an internal "new hardware" automatic detection program. It's what we call "plug and play". Yes, that's right, or you just plug in your camera to the computer by means of a USB cable or you put the memory card directly into the slot provided on the computer and it will automatically be recognised.
So, the reasons not to install anything from the CD are:
- the CD contains complex and heavy programs which will not enhance your photography experience. The 'simple and fun' aspect of it will be lost in the process.
- XP and Vista both provide an EXTREMELY easy photo transferring tool, and
- all the best programs needed for future photography steps such as organizing, viewing and manipulating photos can already be found in the computer or for free on the Internet. These are less complicated and more in harmony with your overall computer experience (as I teach it anyway).
So what is this internal, easy and invaluable photo transfer tool? Go ahead and plug in your camera to see. When you plug it in, be patient, do not do anything and a window will automatically open. You will choose "Import pictures with Windows" and follow the steps. The most important step to master no matter whether it concerns photos, documents, games, music, is to ALWAYS tell the computer WHERE to save and WHAT to name the photos. At this stage, I teach people to Save in: Pictures/2_Organize and Name: Misc.
There you have it, dear readers. You can now enjoy viewing your photos. Have fun …
Take good care of yourselves,
questions.monamilordi@gmail.com
This article originally appeared in Main Street – The Laurentians' English Language Community Newspaper.
