David Breitigam
Aliases: None known Role: Writer, gear reviewer, photographer, website operator First appearance: 2000 ([1]) Affiliation: Steve’s Digicams (operator), Wetpixel (creator)
Biography
David Breitigam operated Steve’s Digicams, a popular early digital camera news site that was a staple of the pre-DSLR digital photography world. Wetpixel began as an offshoot of Steve’s Digicams — a single-page news service focused specifically on underwater digital photography.
Breitigam authored “The Digital Advantage,” an editorial advocating for digital over film in underwater photography, published in June 2000 — one of the earliest articles on Wetpixel ([2]). He also reviewed the MCD/Arrow aluminum housing for the Agfa ePhoto 1280/1680, noting the emerging tension between quality built-to-fit housings and rapid digital camera obsolescence ([3]).
In 2001, Breitigam recruited Eric Cheng — whom he had found online — to provide satellite-based web coverage of a digital photography expedition to Kona, Hawaii (the first Wetpixel Digital Shootout). Cheng was already building his own online community for digital underwater photography at the time. The two became friends through the trip and, recognizing they were working toward the same goal, decided to combine efforts under the Wetpixel name. Cheng took over the site and relaunched it as a full community platform. During that same expedition, Cheng met photographer Jim Watt, who connected him to the entire underwater photography industry.
Breitigam photographed and documented digital products at DEMA 2002 alongside Eric Cheng ([4], [5], [6]).
Note: Both of Breitigam’s early articles (the MCD/Arrow review and “The Digital Advantage”) are truncated in the archive, likely due to data loss during the archival process.
Contributions
- Operated Steve’s Digicams, a popular early digital camera news site
- Created Wetpixel as an underwater photography offshoot of Steve’s Digicams
- Recruited Eric Cheng for the 2001 Kona Digital Shootout, catalyzing Wetpixel’s transformation into a community site
- Authored “The Digital Advantage” editorial, an early advocacy piece for digital underwater photography
- Reviewed early digital camera housings (MCD/Arrow Agfa ePhoto housing)
- Photographed and documented DEMA 2002 for Wetpixel
Timeline
- 2000-02: Reviewed MCD/Arrow aluminum housing for Agfa ePhoto 1280/1680 ([7])
- 2000-06: Published “The Digital Advantage” editorial on Wetpixel ([8])
- 2002-10: Photographed and documented digital products at DEMA 2002 alongside Eric Cheng ([9], [10])
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Feb 29, 2000: Mcdarrow Agfa Ephoto 12801680 Housing ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 14, 2000: The Digital Advantage ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 29, 2000: Mcdarrow Agfa Ephoto 12801680 Housing ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 22, 2002: Dema 2002 Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 20, 2002: Dema This Week ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 27, 2002: Dema 2002 Show Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 29, 2000: Mcdarrow Agfa Ephoto 12801680 Housing ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 14, 2000: The Digital Advantage ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 20, 2002: Dema This Week ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 27, 2002: Dema 2002 Show Report ↩
- MCD/Arrow Agfa ePhoto 1280/1680 Housing (article) ↩
- The Digital Advantage (article) ↩
- DEMA 2002 Report (article) ↩
- DEMA This Week (article) ↩
- DEMA 2002 Show Report (article) ↩