AboutScott Valentine Expertise Most anything about digital post processing (Photoshop, etc), effects, and image restoration, some technical information about digital imaging systems, light and electron microscopy, optical physics and image analysis. I can help with shooting basics, lighting setups, and getting the most out of your digital camera. I am also an 'expert' here for Photoshop (Computers/Technology > Software > Graphics Software > Photoshop).
Experience I've been an image analyst and advanced amateur photographer for over 6 years. I run an Adobe user group, focusing on digital media, and have lectured on digital image capture systems. Currently, I am an administrator for a rather large instructional Photoshop forum
Organizations Adobe User Groups, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Advanced Imaging Specialists
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Physics, University of California, San Diego
Awards and Honors Winner: Best in Show and several category first place awards - Imaging Professionals of the Southwest Print Competition (multiple years)
Expert: Scott Valentine Date: 10/13/2007 Subject: computer/photography
Question I am looking to buy a computer to start my own business involving digital photography. However, I need some assistance as to what specs I would require for the computer, as well as the appropriate software and accessories. Can you help? No idea where to start. Thanks!
Answer Hi Lisa - thanks for your question.
The biggest considerations for digital imaging are memory and hard drive space. Regardless of your platform of choice (Windows/Mac/Linux), you will need lots of space to store your photos, and a decent amount of memory to do processing work.
I can't give you concrete answers, but if you are using current software (Photoshop CS3 as of this answer), you should consider 2G of RAM to be the minimum. Starting with a 500G hard drive will get you a good balance between space and cost, and you can easily add more drives later. RAM is a little more expensive for incremental upgrades, but if you can afford more, load up.
Processor speed is less important these days, so anything in modern production should do well. The quad core chips from Intel are really impressive, but don't buy the top performers - there is a major difference in price with little to no noticeable change in performance.
I prefer to use a dual-head video card, with 128M onboard at a minimum. My work machine has 512M and supports dual LCD monitors through DVI connections. However, it's quite expensive. If you can, get a dual-monitor setup, even if the 2nd monitor is a cheapie. The reason is you can put toolbars and other windows on the cheap one, and use the nice one for viewing your images during editing.
For software, I use Photoshop CS3, but you should also consider Photoshop Lightroom if you are sticking with Photography. It's less expensive, and is really geared towards pro shooters, with some amazing color capabilities. Other options include the Gimp and various free editors available online, but I don't recommend those for production-level work (Gimp is great, but not widely used, so you may fine sharing your editing files difficult).
If you get Lightroom, you should spend some time learning how Bridge works - it's bundled with LR, and is meant to help organize your photos and other media as it's designed to work with the Photoshop family.
Here are some further suggestions...
Get multiple hard drives and get into the practice of making several backups every time you load your images on the computer. You should have your main computer drive with your applications, a 2nd drive that *only* holds your images, and a 3rd drive that is an exact copy of the 2nd one (and maybe external so you can take it with you in case of fire or evacuation). There are other options, too, so do some research on data archiving and backups.
Get a pair of good DVD burners, and use them religiously! Every so often, make DVD backups of your images, and store them away from your computer. Some people do this by project, some do it by date or subject. It's up to you and your workflow. But decide on a system and do it. I know some people who have a safe deposit box at a bank for storing the DVDs.
Whatever backup scheme you choose, make sure you *always* stick to it, and make it flexible and easy enough that if you change your scheme, you don't lose all of your previous work.
Good luck, and if there are any further questions I can help with, please do let me know. Starting a business is exciting, hard work - and if you have fun doing it, it's very rewarding. Don't let the details bog you down!
