When Vincent asked me to write a book review for photo-i, I was a bit taken back. Having limited experience with a compact digital camera that’s been set on automatic, I didn’t think I was the right person to write a review. But the book, perfect digital photos in a snap, is a beginner’s guide. So, as a beginner, how did I find it?

In a subject that’s bursting with exciting hardware, software, pixels and gadgets, it can be a bit daunting for the uninitiated. The book layout is really clear and concise and quite calming – relax and learn. There’s lots of useful information that’s well displayed, together with helpful jargon buster boxes – I can now start to speak the lingo.

The text is also easy to follow, if a bit dated and, at times, patronising, “Congratulations – you’ve decided to take the plunge into the digital world.” “This can be especially frustrating for beginners who cannot understand why images…” Okay, so I’m just a beginner. But the writing is clear and easy to understand. There are several references to the advantages of digital photography over “traditional” photography, which I’m not sure is necessary. The phrase digital darkroom crops up in this book and through others I’ve seen. How can you have a digital darkroom? I don’t need to look back and there’s going to come a time when readers will be of an age when they haven’t experienced “traditional” photography. Just like CDs and LPs I guess. It’s time to move on.

So far, so good. But what is digital photography for? Images, of course, and we are told many times throughout the book about the exciting and creative opportunities digital imaging offers. Why, then, are the pictures so banal and dull? Take the section on removing colour casts. One set of pictures used to demonstrate this is of a dripping tap! Wow! Okay, so it proves a point, but how boring. The photograph for the creative use of the crop tool is of a railway track. Mmm. If you are interested in Sepia toning, then take a look at how to tone the rear end of a Camel (p135). Turn to the Advanced Colour Controls section (p94), and you can be shown how to change the colour of a glass of beer from yellow to green. No thanks, I like my beer the way it comes out of the tap.

ILEX publishes many outstanding books which are visually stimulating. Unfortunately, the photographs that have been selected for perfect digital photos in a snap really let this book down badly. If you’re talking about exciting and creative opportunities you’ve got to show it and pictures of roads, railways tracks, beer glasses, camels’ bottoms, and people looking awkward (p59 The flash), just don’t do it for me. Sorry.