Welcome to the “Wonderful world of Digital Imaging” is the opening line to Monroe Video Productions (MVP) “The Definitive guide to Digital Photography” a video to help you get started in digital photography. The 80 minute video takes you through various stages of choosing a digital camera, memory cards, computer and other hardware. The video is presented by Peter Bargh, former editor of Practical Photography and Digital Photo magazines, author of Photoshop 7.0 A-Z: The Essential Visual Reference Guide and editor of ePHOTOzine.

Peter Bargh with his trusty Mac and on location

Peter gives plenty of useful information throughout the video, barely stopping to breathe (don’t blink or sneeze otherwise you will be left behind). Peter has a vast mental database of photographic knowledge, but does tend to repeat himself. As much as I like Peter, I don’t think watching him sitting in front of his Macintosh computer for the majority of the presentation totally works. The video does cut away to look at hardware, screen shots, and other items which helps to break up an otherwise dull format.

Rutland Water © Peter Bargh - MVP

The second part of the video takes you on a location to Rutland Water where we can see how Peter goes about taking a digital picture. The process is basic and does not teach you much more than any snapper would already know. Digital photography is much the same as film photography, bracketing an exposure works just as well with digital, but there is no mention of this. Peter works out an exposure and snaps it – done. Other tips, such as don’t forget to look at the scene and remove any litter before taking the picture, get a mention. Peter gives a step by step guide to shooting a Panoramic scene and although he reminds you to keep the horizon level, he fails to mention a spirit level will assist in this task. The location itself is uninspiring and is not helped by a bland overcast sky. As such I’m not sure the end results were worth the effort. Peter uses an Olympus E20 camera mounted on a tri-pod for the demo. In one of the shots Peter shows you how to make the camera more stable by hanging your camera bag from the top of the tri-pod and placing a rock in it – a good tip which I have used on many occasions.

Photographs © Peter Bargh - MVP

Back at base in front of the Mac, Peter shows you how to correct flaws in the pictures, including Cloning out unwanted signposts and creating a Panorama. The opening screen shot shows the Photoshop Layers palette, with multiple Layers, and Masks. This is to show you what you can do in Photoshop. Peter turns Layers on and off showing how a new sky has been added, and how a mask has been used to protect parts of the image, but there is no further instruction on where the new sky came from and how it was added. At this stage a newcomer could be forgiven for turning off the video and sticking with film! Peter soldiers on and gives a short tutorial on how to create the Panorama, again missing out the important details like create a wide enough canvas to accommodate the multiple shots. I liked Peter’s tips on creating a graduated sky by using a layer, the graduated colour could then be changed by adjusting the Hue & Saturation.

The video covers many aspects, if not all, of digital photography, from purchasing a digital camera, to file formats, storage devices, backing up, scanning, printing etc. When deciding which computer platform to choose, the advice that sticks in my mind is choose “Windows for Safety in numbers” and “a Mac to assert your individuality and creative flair” – sorry Pete you have been reading too many brochures.

Conclusion:

Generally I found the video to be full of useful information, but a beginner may feel bombarded by it all. This video lacks polish and has missed an opportunity to present a visually stimulating program. Although full of information it lacks inspiration. I am surprised that this is presented in a VHS video format, a DVD with full interactive support would have been a better choice, especially for watching it on your computer. The video would make a nice gift to someone just starting out, but more experienced users will have to wait for a more in-depth presentation from MVP.

Price £15.99 inclusive of P&P for UK only. 01480 374877

http://www.digitalknowhow.co.uk/

Are we still friends and will you still speak to me, Peter? Hello anyone there?

© Vincent Oliver 2003 www.photo-i.co.uk