If something is true about Internet and the World Wide Web is that now users are more independent than ever. They have more choices, information and culture about the markets.

And technology is making part of this because a normal family can have at home all what is needed for a small company: Fax, PC, printer, scanner, Internet access, instant messenger software and now digital cameras for photography. Because of all of that a student doesn't need to use some services that he already has at home.

The digital camera gives independency of the film. Not any more films! Not only that, digital pictures are easy to share using the WWW or the e-mail. But there is a problem that photo studios or photographers can take like a chance: "At this moment there is no digital equivalent to the book, neither to the traditional photograph". Home photo printers are becoming each time better and better but the time they are using can be a problem if the user needs to "develop" 200 pictures.

The solution, from my point of view, is to send the digital pictures to a professional photo studio so they can print all 200 pictures in short time and with the same results like my old film based camera. And what can be better if the photo studio can receive my pictures even if I'm at home (Using Internet), and then send them "developed" directly to my door?

The possibility to order prints is something really new and a represents a market that is growing each minute with each new sold digital camera. The idea should be to "let the digital camera's users to enjoy the 100% of their investment by letting them to print their pictures efficiently and with high quality". In that sense I have a few steps that can help your company to share the cake:

• Offer all the possible potential customers the software for managing orders from their computers using Internet.
• Implement in the photo studio the software and technology to manage orders and prints.
• Advertise the system using Internet and the normal ways the company uses to communicate with their customers.
• Build and maintain a good database of customers.
• Talk with stores of complementary products to distribute their products with your new software.

Can be also important to know that in the near future the whole photography business will change because of this new market. My question is: Why to stay out of it?

José Antonio Morales