SPICE UP YOUR SLIDE SHOW
A good narrative supports the images and adds interest to your presentation, as does well-chosen music that is skillfully synchronized.
Trends come and go, and photographers have their preferences, but normally when wildlife photographers give a talk, they show their images while sharing stories and facts about them, or they give audiovisual slide shows with images and music. A presentation can have both, because each component serves a different purpose. Used together, they can give the audience a more balanced experience.
I gave my first slide show in 2000 with 34 color slides that were loaded in the magazines of two projectors stacked on top of each other. With self-made blades that could be opened and closed like shutter curtains, I changed the slides manually to the rhythm of the music with the blades creating a simple cross-fade technique. The speed was limited to the speed of the projectors. Compared to this, the sky really is the limit nowadays when you put together a slide show; you can merge images and music almost any way you want, using different techniques and styles. Wings Platinum (for PC) and FotoMagico (for Mac) are good examples of applications that play a number of music and photo tracks simultaneously. Keep in mind, though, that the technical possibilities are tools, not the be-all and end-all of your slide show, and they should be used smartly.
Not all images need to be shown in full; sometimes a glimpse of an image can be used between two more powerful images, either to give extra information or to build a bridge between two separate images. Successive frames can be shown in rapid sequence, imitating a motion picture. Transitions between images can be made more animated by zooming in or scanning through the picture. You can break the basic rhythm of your slide show with both faster and slower-paced intervals; you can use transitions every 10 seconds with a batch of suitable images, and at other places you can create lingering, peaceful lulls, where a strong image keeps your audience captivated for much longer.
Rhythm is also important in presentations that are built on images and narration. Select powerful images that are rich in detail or emotion when you want to stop and tell a longer story; likewise, add a few batches of related images that can be shown in rapid succession without commentary.
How to Make a Slide Show
1. Concept and audience
Your slide show has a purpose, be it entertainment, information, or showcasing your work. Focusing on that goal and your audience in the beginning helps you make a presentation that the audience can relate to. The nature of the event is also a factor; you would probably make a different type of presentation to your peers than to a more generic or heterogeneous audience.
2. Image selection
In an ideal situation, you will have an idea for a slide show when you are selecting photos, but normally a slide show is created with existing images. Sometimes you can complete a presentation with some fresh material taken specifically for it. The main thing to keep clear in your mind, though, is that the images you use should cover a wide range of variations. A basic flaw, seen regrettably often, is that too many images are repetitive.
Don’t make a boring slideshow. Engage and entertain while you educate. Share a funny story or two; playing with stereotypes and sharing a kind of self-deprecating humor tends to go over well and has been known to travel across borders. Here is a typically Finnish crow (Corvus corone cornix).
Canon EOS-1D Mark II, 500mm f/4.0 plus 1.4x extender, 1/400 second, f/7.1, one-shot focus with one focusing point, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head, blind. Liminka, Finland, May 2006.
3. Select the music, or have it composed
I favor slide shows that have music; to me music plays an almost equal role in a presentation. Movie soundtracks are tailor-made for slide shows; they are, after all, made to accompany images. They come in endless variations in style, and fast-changing moods and tempos are typical. Production music (also called archive music or catalog music) offers an even wider range of possibilities, and it is probably easiest to obtain permission to use this kind of music. You can also have music composed specifically for your slide show. Last but not least, there are other sounds to consider, such as those from the natural world.
4. Slow cross-fade
One of the most interesting features in digital slide show applications is creating a new image out of two existing images by using a slow cross-fade in the transition between two images; for a brief moment two images become one.
5. Synchronize the images with the music
Carefully selected music that is skillfully synchronized with image transitions supports your slide show. The transition technique is successful when it boosts the overall dramatic effect and creates anticipation that carries your story from one image to the next. The applications mentioned earlier have relatively easy tools for creating a good slide show.
6. Test to see if your slide show works
Allow time to show your final result to a test audience and use the feedback to improve your slide show before your premiere. You can become too attached to your images and possibly blind to the fact that some of them have no real meaning in the slide show. It’s better to leave your audience wanting more than to numb them with an overly long presentation—less is more.
It’s natural to want to show your best images, but don’t overlook an average shot; it might serve a purpose in your presentation, maybe in creating a brief respite between the exciting peaks. Selecting the images can be a hard task, and building a slide show with narration or music can take up to several weeks. These are not necessarily areas that greatly interest a wildlife photographer. Even so, photographers who have extensive and powerful material should master this task. A well-constructed, impressive slide show is one of the best ways to showcase your work.