Individual photographers have also begun to learn HTML and self-publish their work online. One of the early adapters was Atlanta photojournalist Michael Schwartz. His site includes samples of his magazine work in addition to several photo-essays. Schwartz appreciates the speed and convenience of the Web. "I've created instant web pages for clients who needed to see photos quickly and even made a sale to a TV station that taped the photo off the monitor. It's also been really handy for me to show my portfolio to prospective clients who want to look at work. More and more are able to view on the web rather then wanting me to Fed Ex them my book." Tay Kay Chin, a photographer and picture editor for The Straits Newspaper in Singapore concurs, "Right now, if I want to commission a photographer in Seattle, I no longer have to look up the Seattle phone directory and try all of the numbers listed under photographers. Instead, there are various Web sites listing photographers in detail whom I can contact directly."

The numerous sites on the Web showcasing photography, both from individual and group efforts, is a sign that a long overdue outlet and forum for photography, especially documentary work, is beginning to emerge. How the latter will generate enough income to continue and grow is the big question. "The Web is really going to change dramatically as companies start micro-charging to access their sites," Schwartz believes. "It will also become more ubiquitous with more and more people getting access through things like Web TV and cable modems."

If advertising becomes a viable option for the larger photography sites, will it begin to influence content as it already has in print and TV? Clearly one of the Web's advantages is economic. Online publishing is a fraction of the cost compared to print. It gives the lone photographer equal footing with corporate media players. This too might be one of its hazards. If everyone with a camera is able to post their vacation snapshots from Hawaii, will the information superhighway eventually come to a halt from data overload? Or as Tay Kay Chin remarked, "Photographers who have long complained about being second-class citizens can now self-publish without being at the mercy of others. However, there's a flip side to the argument and a very valid one: there are too many things available on the Net and only the best will last. Self-publishing means individuals being responsible for content, layout, presentation and marketing. If one does not put in enough effort to ensure that only first-rate materials are presented, then it actually destroys the reputation more than anything." Clearly there is a place for the filtering of ideas, but who will become the arbitor of taste in the digital age?