Island of St.Lucia - 1st time AV

[colin hill]

I have just posted 2 AV on Beechbrook, both being 1st time attempts. The one titled "Alpine Soaring" was taken from within my Flight Simulator X programme, so the scenery etc is not real. I tried taking the photos' early morning and late afternoon to get the affects of the sun rising and setting. The AV titled "Island of St.Lucia" was taken on our visit to St.Lucia in November 2008.

I would appreciate any critics on both these presentations and I am sure these would assist in future AV which I have in mind.

[dpeterso]

Good pictures and catchy music. An improvement would be to get the tilting horizons leveled.

Good job -- thanks for sharing.

Dave

[colin hill]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the comment, much appreciated.

[Barry Beckham]

Colhill

I don't think the forum members are being very kind to you. Many must have downloaded and viewed your slide show, but only one person has made a comment for you. I am going to suggest a reason why and try to give some constructive comments as we go. Many people are uncomfortable in giving any feedback unless the feedback they give can be all positive, so rather then say something that may not be taken in the spirit is is intended they don't comment at all.

If this is your first attempt at a slide show, then your on the right track, the music matched the images fine. The show is a great record of what looked like a great holiday. You were there, you experienced the sites, the smells the food and all those emotions were wrapped up in that holiday feeling. When I view your slide show, none of those emotions are there and what is left is a great record for you and your family, but with limited appeal for me A slide show does not have to be full of masterpieces, but if you want it to have appeal to a wider audience, then it does need something more. Your images are a series of snap shot records of your holiday and while important to you, they are less interesting to others, or me in this instance. A slide show with wider appeal does need some great images in the show, especially when presented to photographic enthusiasts.

So, what do you need to do to improve for the future. Think about the slide show you will make at the time you shoot your images and get as much variety as possible. Remember that outings on a boat with a crowd will have limited appeal to others, the countryside and seascapes will have much more appeal, but go for some detail shots too. Variety is the spice of life they say. You are always going to be up against it a bit with regards quality images in a country that has such strong lighting conditions for much of the time. There are tools in image editing programs that will help you deal with those harsh highlights, which really do kill off a lot of appeal in some images. Try to shoot more of your AV images earlier in the day or towards the late afternoon when the sun is sinking and the lighting generally more kind to us.

If your going to use sound effects, then fade them out gently at the end as your slide show ends rather abruptly and that can spoli the moment a bit. Maureen made a great point in another thread that we sometimes forget. A slide show can be improved by taking out images and making the show shorter. You had some images included that really should have been removed. One looks like a building site of a walkway and try to avoid too many that are the same. ie 3 views of what is the same subject.

Straighten those horizons as Dave says and see what digital skills you can develope to improve your images. It is possible to improve many of your images, but of course it takes a little learning, but it is great fun too. You can't be an expert on your first attempt and full marks for putting your first attempts up for all to see. That takes quite a bit of courage and it is a shame that more members havn't given you some honest feedback. You will be glad to hear the next one you make will be easier and better.

[Almark]

Colhill, most impressive for your first AV. You start with scenes from early morning and end with sunsets. I also notice that you have been playing with the fades in the way you have trees and bushes framing the images at times. However I agree with Barry, it is too long for me and many of the photos are too similar. Some have badly burnt highlights. I was tempted to hit the Esc key a few times, not because I didn't want to see what the islands looked like, but because I was tiring of what you were showing me. You have to keep the viewers interest, making it shorter would help.

But do not be disheartened, it was a great Av for your first attempt, well done.

[colin hill]

Colhill

I don't think the forum members are being very kind to you. Many must have downloaded and viewed your slide show, but only one person has made a comment for you. I am going to suggest a reason why and try to give some constructive comments as we go. Many people are uncomfortable in giving any feedback unless the feedback they give can be all positive, so rather then say something that may not be taken in the spirit is is intended they don't comment at all.

If this is your first attempt at a slide show, then your on the right track, the music matched the images fine. The show is a great record of what looked like a great holiday. You were there, you experienced the sites, the smells the food and all those emotions were wrapped up in that holiday feeling. When I view your slide show, none of those emotions are there and what is left is a great record for you and your family, but with limited appeal for me A slide show does not have to be full of masterpieces, but if you want it to have appeal to a wider audience, then it does need something more. Your images are a series of snap shot records of your holiday and while important to you, they are less interesting to others, or me in this instance. A slide show with wider appeal does need some great images in the show, especially when presented to photographic enthusiasts.

So, what do you need to do to improve for the future. Think about the slide show you will make at the time you shoot your images and get as much variety as possible. Remember that outings on a boat with a crowd will have limited appeal to others, the countryside and seascapes will have much more appeal, but go for some detail shots too. Variety is the spice of life they say. You are always going to be up against it a bit with regards quality images in a country that has such strong lighting conditions for much of the time. There are tools in image editing programs that will help you deal with those harsh highlights, which really do kill off a lot of appeal in some images. Try to shoot more of your AV images earlier in the day or towards the late afternoon when the sun is sinking and the lighting generally more kind to us.

If your going to use sound effects, then fade them out gently at the end as your slide show ends rather abruptly and that can spoli the moment a bit. Maureen made a great point in another thread that we sometimes forget. A slide show can be improved by taking out images and making the show shorter. You had some images included that really should have been removed. One looks like a building site of a walkway and try to avoid too many that are the same. ie 3 views of what is the same subject.

Straighten those horizons as Dave says and see what digital skills you can develope to improve your images. It is possible to improve many of your images, but of course it takes a little learning, but it is great fun too. You can't be an expert on your first attempt and full marks for putting your first attempts up for all to see. That takes quite a bit of courage and it is a shame that more members havn't given you some honest feedback. You will be glad to hear the next one you make will be easier and better.

[colin hill]

Hi Barry,

Thank you for taking the time to give me, a 1st timer some very good constructive comments. I do agree, cutting down on many of the shots and the repetitive photo's will certainly help in making the AV more interesting to the viewers. One must bear in mind that there is a world wide audience out there, and one needs to capture their diverse interests.

I must advise you that a lot of these photo's were taken with some thought, even they were holiday photo's. At the time of our holiday, I did not have PTE and my keen interest has only come into being recently (as you can see by my joining date). Photography has always been a passion of mine or a hobby and I try to make the most of it when on holiday and I have travelled extensively.

It is so good and encouraging to see so many helpful members on this website and a real pleasure to read the helpful hints and comments. I certainly will keep your comments in mind when putting my next show together.

Once again, thank you.

Best regards,

Colin

[colin hill]

Colhill, most impressive for your first AV. You start with scenes from early morning and end with sunsets. I also notice that you have been playing with the fades in the way you have trees and bushes framing the images at times. However I agree with Barry, it is too long for me and many of the photos are too similar. Some have badly burnt highlights. I was tempted to hit the Esc key a few times, not because I didn't want to see what the islands looked like, but because I was tiring of what you were showing me. You have to keep the viewers interest, making it shorter would help.

But do not be disheartened, it was a great Av for your first attempt, well done.

[colin hill]

Hi Mark,

I would also like to thank you for your words of encouragement and constructive comments, this is appreciated. What comes to mind in what you and Barry are saying is that after the viewer has seen the AV, they must feel that they were with you and would certainly like to have been there. I would like to mention that I viewed Maureens AV of Greenland. This was an excellent presentation and one I would like to aspire to, both in the photography and music. I keep going back to this presentation and viewing it and never tiring. This excellent AV has now made me want to go to Greenland myself. This is what one needs to present to the viewer and it certainly has installed some inspiration in me.

Once again, thank you for your comments.

Best regards,

Colin