How can I view pictures on my computer screen as they are being taken?

I want others to be able to view the pictures that I am taking as they are being taken. What steps do I need to take in order to connect my digital camera to the computer so that they can be view on the monitor and is there any software that needs to be purchased before that can happen

There are a few cameras which include or accept WiFi. Those cameras are in constant communication with the computer which they are connected and the image can be seen on the computers screen as soon as it is shot.

Sports photographers use this system when deadlines happen during the sporting event and the photographer cannot leave his position on the field. An assistant edits the images and picks a couple of the best ones and then sends them to the publisher while the photographer continues shooting. If WiFi is unavailable in the stadium, then a runner collects the CF card from the photographer and takes it to the assistant.

Some portrait studios use this WiFi system during the shoot as do other photographers where having the photo at the editing computer ASAP is important enough to justify the cost of the extra equipment.

Sorry, but the picture is not a picture until it's saved as a digital file--which doesn't happen until you actually shoot it.

If you wanted to use your computer monitor as a viewfinder (instead of the one on your digital camera) that shows what's in the photo field, I think you can do that by configuring your camera as a web-cam and using a screen capture process--whatever's in your software to do screen capture. Is that what you meant? I guess for portrait photography, that would give you a clearer idea of the quality of the finished product.

Many of the better cameras, and particularly dSLRs offer some kind of "capture" software allowing you to do what you are describing. I have Nikon D200 and with Capture 4 (optional software), I have done shoots where the camera was tethered to the PC with a USB cable. I was able to control the camera from the computer in every way except zoom, and pointing the camera. Then I had a directory set up on the network so that after each exposure, the new image file would go straight into this folder. From there, I could view the file with Nikon View software (included in the Capture 4 bundle). It was great to be able to do this for a commercial product shoot where we took nearly 100 photographs. I can't imagine doing that kind of job with film anymore.

-Karl