About one third of digital camera owners are failing to back-up their pictures, potentially risking the loss of entire albums of photos. Symantec commissioned the poll, and said "Digital photography has continued to grow rapidly in both popularity and volume, and with many people now taking more than 400 photos a year, we appear to have some budding photographers in the UK. Unfortunately it only takes one computer virus or accident to critically damage a PC, with the possible result of losing stored data forever." "
The poll also showed that 89% of those quizzed owned a digital picture taking device such as a mobile phone or digital camera, and that traditional photo albums are on the demise, in favour of online photo albums, which can be viewed by friends and family without lugging a huge portfolio around.
John Long, from the Digital Imaging Group of the Royal Photographic Society, said the digital camera and the internet had changed the face of photography. "People don"t print their pictures any more - they put them on their computer or on a CD. Technology has moved on and lots of people would now prefer to look at their pictures one at a time on a TV or computer screen."