At one time taking a photograph had an air of mystery — of not knowing quite what would come out until the roll of film went to the developers, and within an hour or a few days, the pictures of a summer vacation, a birthday party, a wedding would be produced. The rise of digital photography has changed all that.

By the end of the year, more than 50 percent of households will own a digital camera. Over 80 percent of cameras sold are digital. And consumers are expected to make 18.3 billion prints of digital photos this year, a number expected to nearly double by 2008.

Memory cards bring us instantaneous gratification of what to keep and what to discard. Gigabytes of storage give us the ability to shoot thousands of photographs instead of just rolls of 24. Pictures are emailed to distant relatives or displayed in virtual photo galleries.

Tune in for a conversation about the onslaught of digital photography, and what it means for how we make and keep memories.

Guests:

Gary Pageau, Group Executive of the Photo Marketing Association, a trade group representing retailers, processors and photographers

Christopher Burkett, a nature photographer who chooses to only shoot pictures using film. He’s been taking pictures and developing his own prints for over 30 years.

Dr. Ellen Rudolph, psychologist and photojournalist who has had her pictures published in many outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today.