Unique Ways To Use A Digital Camera (For More Than Just Photos) In Your Daily Life

First, keep in mind that you don't always have to print out every single digital image you take, in order for it to be useful.

As you'll see with some of the following ideas, there are some times when you may want to print out a digital photo and carry it around with you, while there will be other times that it may be smarter to simply store an image on the internal memory (or removable media card) of your digital camera or camera phone -- temporarily.

Once you begin to think of your camera's own memory (or memory card) as a portable hard drive of sorts, then you'll be able to begin maximizing the use of your digital camera!

Digital cameras are far more than simply point-and-shoot cameras!

Consider these novel uses for digital cameras:

Create A Household Inventory

In case of theft, fire, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, or some other cause for evacuation, it's wise to photo inventory your belongings. At the very least, you'll want to store these on your computer's hard drive. But the best means of assuring that your inventory remains safe is to burn 2 CDs -- each filled with photos of your belongings. Keep one CD in your home, and the other at your office, in a bank deposit box, etc. (For electronics, you want to record model numbers and serial numbers. For unusual/valuable items such as jewelry, art, antiques & other collections, remember to photograph written descriptions and copies of appraisals.)

TIP: For advanced users who also have a website, you could also store your household inventory photos on a page that's not accessed by anyone on your own website.

Digitally Preserve Any Items That Will Fade Or Go Away

Timely materials such as newspaper headlines & front page photos that are meaningful to you, valuable reports & projects you've done, crafty items you've made (before giving them away or selling them), an ongoing problem you're trying to resolve with a landlord -- all lend themselves to being photographed.

Try this on for size: Say you're looking through a magazine at the doctor's office or somewhere, and you see something you like (be it an example of how to make wreaths, how to choose the right paint for your walls, some recommended websites to find great homeschooling info, a picture of some garage shelves that would work well in your home) -- just photograph it. The magazine is not yours to keep, but your digital image of something you saw inside is!

Create A "Wish List"

By photographing items you've seen (at someone's home or in stores) and hope to someday buy (or make yourself), you'll have some ideas on hand when you're eventually need to buy/make that item.
I've also taken this one a step further by photographing a few different sets of luggage I saw in stores, then showing the photos to my husband. Together, we were able to narrow down our choices at home and make a joint decision (without him having to actually step foot in a store).

Think Ahead... Safety First

Wherever you go, take the time to photograph important phone numbers or a list of "who to contact in case of emergency" -- just in case. (See photo at right.)

We utilized this theory recently when we were out 4-wheeling and got stuck. After the 2nd hour of trying to free ourselves, we were ready to call the local forest ranger -- who's number I'd photographed at the entrance of this off-road park... just in case!

Get Organized

If you photograph your shopping list, to-do list, kids' activities or family schedule, then whenever there's a question, you know right where to look.

Capture One-of-a-Kind Moments

Whether it be a car accident you've been involved in, someone famous walking down the street, or something you've seen that would be nearly impossible to explain to someone else... digital photographs can help you get your point across. I call these my "glad I had my camera" moments! I've also used this recently to photograph a strange bump on my forearm that was red and itchy... just in case it didn't go away on its own in a few days, I wanted to have something to show the doctor from Day One.

Things You Hope To Replicate

Whether these are things you've done before yourself, and hope to someday replicate, or things you've seen others do and you would like to try to replicate them yourself... a photo can be used as a guide to help you get the job done right.
For example, photograph any crafty items you've made (before giving them away or selling them), or novel things you've done (face painting before a sporting event). Then, the next time you wish to do the same thing again, you'll have a guide.

Or, photograph things like hairstyles, landscaping ideas, etc. that you may want to try in the future. Whether you spot it in a magazine, on someone else, or when driving around town, simply photograph it and then create an "idea file" filled with examples of some things that you'll like to try.

Travel Precautions

(I haven't done this, but I know someone who has...) Photograph your luggage prior to boarding an airplane. That way, if any of your luggage fails to arrive at the other end, you can show the folks at Lost Luggage what to look for when they start hunting for your missing luggage.

Take Pictures of Pictures

I do this one all the time... photograph old family photos. For example, Jim's parents have a lot of old black & whites, and some photos of Jim when he was a baby that I'd love to have, but I don't want to take their only copy. Of course there are no negatives for these old photos, so I simply photograph them!

TIP: Make sure you have plenty of natural light shining into the room, and try to photograph the pictures head-on, rather than from an angle. They'll look more "real" when used in your scrapbooks, etc. if they're shot straight-on. For some of the ones I've taken, you can barely tell that it's a picture of a picture. For others, if the angle is off even the slightest bit, then it looks a bit distorted and like "a picture of a picture".

While 1/3rd of digital camera owners never print out their digital photos, 10% print every single image they keep! Source