If a picture is worth a thousand words, then David Colbert is a very wealthy man. If you have a love of nature in general or a focus on the region known as the Adirondacks, in upstate New York, then a visit to the Image Crafter Gallery will certainly put a smile on your face.

Spectacular images of nature are featured on his website. As an award-winning photographer, David specializes in portraits of wild and scenic places within the central and upper areas of New York State.

Home to black bears, white tailed deer and bobcats, there are 3,000 ponds and lakes, 2,000 miles of hiking trails and nearly 100 campgrounds located within the Adirondack mountains and parks. Wherever you point your camera lens, photographic opportunities abound.

It is within these boundaries that David established himself as a photographer. He successfully captured the beauty of nature and the surrounding environment, but the question became one of how to get his images seen by the public. If there is a better vehicle than the World Wide Web, he hasn't found it.

Certainly David Colbert agrees. "I was interested in developing and expanding the scope of my business." Having his own website has been a real opportunity to be a cyber-explorer.

"I can display and sell my photographs in a way that allows for total artistic control," he explains. I want to develop the business in areas of education and training. The Web allows me to test my ideas and get instant feedback from my visitors."

One of the most popular features of the Web for both businesses and individuals is the capability for instant feedback. In this business friendly environment, entrepreneurs are born and established businesses receive a shot in the arm.

David states, "The Internet is a truly impressive medium insofar as the vast amount of information that is available instantly. Additionally, with the ability to find exactly what you are looking for with search engines, the popularity of the Internet has grown tremendously." This, in addition to "the amount of potential exposure, the Internet is very cost-effective."

On Colbert's website, the Image Crafter, a visitor can sign up for a newsletter, view the image gallery, or purchase a CD-ROM screensaver packed full of his best photographs.

It doesn't matter whether you are self-taught or have a degree in computer science, the Internet levels the playing field. Each participant can develop and maintain a website in pursuit of a business venture or interest.

"I designed and maintain my site. I have used computers for many years, including both general usage and programming, but I had no experience with HTML language. So I bought an HTML reference book, looked at codes behind some of my favorite websites, and made my own site through trial and error."

In the beginning, he says, he started with "several pieces of software to design my site. For my photographs, I used the venerable and incomparable Adobe Photoshop. There is just no other image-editing program that offers as much precision and control over its operations."

He continues, "For HTML editing, I use two programs. My favorite is a very basic editor called HTML Pro and the second is a WYSIWYG editor called HoTMetal Pro. I have grown so familiar with HTML code that I prefer to work with the bare-bones editor. For text layout, I also sometimes use Adobe Pagemaker which can export into HTML."

Without becoming a computer geek and without giving up your other lives including family, work and leisure time, you can have a website. Not everyone wants to spend huge chunks of time behind their computer screen tapping out messages on their keyboard.

David relates that his adventure in developing his website began when he "posted my first website (which looks nothing like the way it looks now) within a week of starting work on it. On the night I finished it I was so excited that I worked on it until 3 o'clock in the morning when I finally uploaded it."

Another consideration is how much will a website cost? "Since I did the work myself, the only out-of-pocket costs were the HTML editor, approximately $50 and the cost of my Internet Service Provider at $20 per month."

Once you have your website up and running, the next logical question becomes how to promote the website you just designed and uploaded to the web. You want people to see your web design, the snappy graphics on your webpage.

Without a strategy for bringing in viewers, your expectations will fall short of the desired effect and you won't see thousands of visitors flocking to your website.

To promote your website, "one of the most effective ways is to periodically post your site on the search engines, such as AltaVista and directories like Yahoo," he explains. "Additionally, I swap links with other similar sites and exchange the use of my images on the Web for links."

"Being active in newsgroups is a way to attract visitors too. Most people who visit my website have an interest in the subject and find it by using search engines or directories. Increased sales and positive exposure to the public and photographic community" are some of the side benefits of having a website that has become a "successful venture."

Any successful website and marketing plan includes goals, and David has his: "I have both medium and long-term goals. In the near-future, I plan to 'freshen' up my site by changing and improving navigation and designing a new layout while addinguseful features."

Regarding long-term goals, "I would like to add the ability to offer a database search of my image library with thumbnail and high resolution versions of each photograph. This would allow potential customers to find just the right image they are searching for. I also want to improve my newsletter from the base I have established with my 'Image of the Month' and 'Tip of the Month' features."

Regarding the evolution of the web, David states, "Obviously, we can expect the web to become faster and even more extensive in its coverage. I would expect nearly all products, services, and utilities to be available on the web within a couple of years. I would also expect a change in technology which will merge and combine media services such as television, radio, telephone, and the Internet into one."

One of the best features of having a website is "that it gives me another creative outlet to reach a vast audience. What more could an artist ask for?"

What more could anyone ask for but an avenue to pursue their curiosities, interests and desires. All things are possible on the web.