June 10, 2008 – 4:22 pm
I finally managed to get through my copy of the 8 disk Strobist DVD box. If only this had been available a few years ago when I started to learn about lighting. Man oh man, that would have saved me lots of time, costly mistakes and frustration.
This set is like an audiovisual bible for anyone who wants to learn to light with speedlights but it’s just as interesting for people who studiolights or even just natural light. Light is light, after all.
I don’t believe in instant solutions in photography and although you get diagrams, settings, etc this DVD isn’t about ready made solutions. It makes you understand, think and act. I guess it comes down to the difference between knowing a few tricks and actual knowledge. Most photography DVD’s show you some tricks without explaining why the tricks are used. David digs deeper but has the talent to serve a vast amount of knowledge into easy to digest chunks.
Let’s take a look at the different parts:
Disk 1 - Lighting Gear for Beginners
If everyone would have this disk, the amount of gear related questions in my mailbox would be easily cut in halve. If you want to get started with speedlights, this disk is your friend. I’ve been experimenting with speedlights in the pre-strobist era and I can tell you that it was hard to get the info I needed. Nowadays the info is available on the strobist site, forum and lots of other places, but it can still be hard to find exactly what you need. This disk makes getting the info, a piece of cake.
Disk 2-5 - Strobist Lighting Seminar
I was at the Paris seminar / standup comedy show, so I knew what to expect. But even for anyone who already attended a seminar, this is interesting. Watching David think on his feet, is refreshing. The other thing is that in Paris I missed half of the info because I was laughing to hard at David’s jokes. Nothing beats a real seminar but this is comes close and is cheaper.
Disk 6-8 - Bonus Material
No question about it, David is an excellent teacher but one would almost forget that he’s a damned good photographer too. Nowadays he often shoots pictures to illustrate a technique, piece of equipment, … He does a great job too but I can tell he loved being creative to do the shoots for the bonus disks. To me, the bonus disks are the most interesting. I learned a lot from seeing David using his experience in solving technical problems but also in communicating with subjects, assistants, …
There’s been some discussion about the production value and price of the DVD set on some forums, but to be honest, that makes me mad. No, it isn’t a slick hollywood production but videographer Bill Millios did a good job with limited resources. The images are clear and the audio crisp, that’s what counts to me. A big production would drive up the price without giving any more actual information. Heck, I think David sells the set way to cheap. David took a big risk by investing so much time and cash in this project, risked his camera in the swimming pool and risked his life doing a standup under gunfire (yes, gunfire).
Conclusion:
This DVD box is a must have for everyone who’s serious about lighting. It belongs right next to my Dean Collins DVD’s and my favorite book Light: Science and Magic. The DVD-set is out of order as I write this but there should be a new batch available soon. I’m sure Moishe and his MPEX-team are ready for the next rush. Order your copy here. And please don’t copy or put the video’s online.
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