Digital photo frames are a new trend in photograph display that is really catching on. Just like all technology however, it comes with its own set of questions and sometimes bewildering answers. If you are seeking a digital photo frame but dont even understand what it is, welcome to the rest of the world. Most of us looked at these for the first time with a mixture of Aha! and a little apprehension. Our world has become so technologically advanced that some of us are just plain leery about any more advancements, even those that are as simple as a photo frame.



Digital photo frames allow the individual to display numerous photographs on a rotating basis. They remind me a little of the new billboards that alternate between the best restaurant in town, the dentist, and the used car lot down the street. Every few seconds the images change and a new photograph becomes clearly visible. This is a great selection especially for those who have a wide variety of photos that they would like to display. Of course, these only apply to digital photos. You cant make the same thing happen with regular photographs.

Displaying digital photographs in this manner can be a fabulous new way of expressing whats important to you. However, I was in a home once that had an entire room filled with these, all of them changing at varying intervals. When you are watching twenty different digital photo frames alter their images at varying cycles the feeling is a little obtuse. Especially when you add a television in the room. The feeling becomes a little taken by electronics, and can even be a little unnerving for some. However, to each his own and some people really like the constant motion that having numerous digital photo frames involves.

When youre considering purchasing one of these, remember to always purchase the highest resolution possible. Some of the older, less expensive ones are decreased in price because the images are only clear from certain angles. Low resolution means that the photographs will not be clear and you may find yourself with a chronic blur passing before your eyes only to change into another chronic blur. Its frustrating when you cant clearly see the photo unless youre standing directly in front of it.

Of course, technology leapt forward and once they came out with the desktop model, they began adding other models as well. There are now digital photo frames that are suitable for hanging on the wall, for your desk, for display against a large wall surface, and even ones that are small enough for your keychain. Perhaps in twenty years it will be the norm to watch our photos change in front of us everywhere we go. Sooner or later someone will come out with the wallet version, so that you dont have to pluck family photos from your wallet, simply display them by opening your wallet and flashing it like an F.B.I. badge. This prospect frightens some and excites others. It all depends on the relationship you have with technology and what it really means to you.

If youre considering getting someone a digital photo frame for a gift for someone else, make sure they not only already have a digital camera, but the appropriate software on their computer for downloading and loading the frame. While we simply expect people to have these, not everyone has made the switch over from film to digital. There are plenty of die hard that still love the sound of the shutter closing and who feel the depth of their photography can only be done on film paper. Many professional photographers even limit their use of digital cameras because artists require comfort with their medium.

That said, digital photo frames make fabulous gifts for those with a digital camera. In the “olden days" one had to either be willing to spend a fortune on frames or to limit their display of favorite photographs to a basic minimum. For those who truly love photographs of their loved ones, setting them up completely with a digital camera, the necessary software, and a digital photo frame might turn them into a digital photo junky. But the delight in their eyes as they get to show off a lifetime of love, friends, family, and events is well worth the cost of the electronic equipment.

Who knows what the future of digital photo frames might become. We might find that this idea takes off so completely that the typical photo frame will become almost obsolete. It takes time for the entire world to make an adjustment like that, but time and technology are now outpacing most of us.