About Me
I'm a passionate imaging expert, product manager, and R&D leader with over 20 years of experience bridging imaging technology, hardware, software, and best practices.
My passion for the art and science of photography began when I purchased my first camera with earnings from my 8th grade job. This early interest led me to Ohio University, where I earned a degree in commercial photography and visual communications. After graduation, I joined a high-end photo equipment dealer, Capture Integration, collaborating with extraordinarily talented photographers and guiding them in mastering world-class camera systems. While mentoring these professionals was rewarding, I particularly valued the opportunity to incorporate the highest-end camera systems available into my personal creative projects.
Teaching talented photographers to use high-end equipment deepened my appreciation for both the art and science of imaging. I discovered my true passion lay at the intersection of photography, technology, and problem-solving. This realization led me to pivot toward product development, where I could leverage my technical understanding and industry connections to create solutions that empower photographers and imaging professionals. The transition from teaching photographers to designing the tools they use felt natural – I was still solving the same core challenges, just from a different angle.
At my current company, Digital Transitions, I'm responsible for over 60 imaging products used by major museums, libraries, and archives. My first product was the DT Film Scanning Kit, which revolutionized film digitization by increasing throughput 40x compared to legacy systems, while capturing approximately 80% market share in institutional film scanning. My most recent product is the DT Stellar platform, which improves color accuracy by up to 50% while maintaining workflow efficiency. These solutions are trusted by prestigious institutions including the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, MoMA, the Getty, and the Irving Penn Foundation. The DT Film Scanning Kit alone has driven over $50 million in sales and transformed the economics of large-scale film digitization projects. Even more edifying to me personally, these systems have been used to preserve some of the most iconic images from Moonrise, Hernandez by Ansel Adams to Earthrise by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders.
My expertise extends to specialized imaging applications like multispectral imaging, photogrammetry, and color-accurate workflows. I've led notable projects including:
Imaging and computational analysis of "Elimar," a lost Van Gogh painting discovered at a garage sale and now valued at $15 million, where I developed a novel canvas weave analysis technique
Custom film digitization solutions for Nuclear Fusion research at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore and Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Laboratories
Development of the CRISP Image Quality Standard, the oil industry's first comprehensive imaging standard for capturing visual data from drilling cuttings
As AI has emerged as a practical tool, I’ve helped drive experimentation and adoption in heritage digitization. I've pioneered the use of Face Recognition, Place Name entity extraction and mapping, and material classification with clients like National Geographic Society and Smithsonian.
I'm dedicated to knowledge-sharing and community building through educational initiatives like the DT Digitization Certification Series, which has trained approximately 25% of the worldwide addressable market with over 2,000 graduates. During COVID-19, I created the DT Coding Series to help heritage professionals automate and enhance their digitization workflows.
My commitment to advancing industry standards includes publishing numerous feature-length articles and academic papers and contributions to ISO 19264 and FADGI image quality standards. As a presenter, I regularly deliver technical keynotes at industry conferences including the annual DT Roundtable and teach short courses at IS&T Archiving.
When not advancing imaging technology and serving the heritage community, you'll find me indulging in photography, traveling with my family, or engaged in a competitive board game session.
Contact Me
Want to start a conversation about cultural heritage digitization, or discuss advanced imaging technologies, or debate the future of AI? Let's connect. I welcome your call at 1.740.707.2183, your email to info@doug-peterson.com, or you can complete the form below.