50 Doors in China

[Bobo]

You can count if you want. The number of doors kept changing and I'm not sure how many actually survived in the end. A few seemed more like gates than doors. Anyway, I thought many looked nicer in B&W than color, since some had little color to begin with.

I would really like to know how to do better--please tell me.

http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/downloadfile.asp?id=1619

[Ken Cox]

Bobo

maybe try a show with doors full screen

ken

[Tomuk]

HI! Bobo,

Great show, I love monochrome but what I do feel would be creative, is to include just one colour, I was thinking of selective Reds, give it a try and see what you think, I think it would make your shots more dynamic.

Overall I thought the whole thing hung together quite nicely, your pace was very good and your transitions and time slides were projected came in at random, for me there is nothing worse when images and transitions have the same time settings and come on screen every 5 seconds, it get very predictable after a while.

Your choice of music and tempo was spot on for me.

I hope you will now get feedback from the more talented members of this forum.

Tom.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

You can count if you want. The number of doors kept changing and I'm not sure how many actually survived in the end. A few seemed more like gates than doors. Anyway, I thought many looked nicer in B&W than color, since some had little color to begin with.

I would really like to know how to do better--please tell me.

http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/downloadfile.asp?id=1619

Hi Bobo

I'm relatively new to this but I've looked at hundreds of shows and produced about 25 myself, it's a very personal thing, so what pleases one may annoy another. On your show I would have preferred the slide change times to increase by a couple of seconds each and the pictures to be in colour or maybe the best coloured ones to fade from monochrome to colour, but that's just my opinion.

Yachtsman1

[Bobo]

Ken, Tom, Yachtsman,

Thanks for your input. This B&W slide show was something I haven't tried before, and I couldn't tell if I liked it or not. I like B&W when Ansel Adams does it.

Tom, I played with some of the doors doing what you said--adjusting mainly Red and Yellow in Lightroom. My wife wandered by and said "Wow! Thats it!" So it must be.

My slide shows always tend to be a bit fast; nothing is more dreadful than a dull slide show. I appreciate your advice and will slow down a bit

Tom, I know what you mean about the monotony and predictability of evenly timed slides and transitions. Yet, too much variation feels contrived. How do you find that sweet spot? I know it when I see it. Does someone have an example show they can recommend?

[jfa]

Bobo

An original idea and nicely executed. I enjoyed the use of B&W and would agree with Tom a touch of red here and there would be a good idea. However a small word of caution don't overdo it!!

The soundtrack and timing was just right for me and if you do slow down the pace, (I don't think you need to), just a little would do. Better to have your show a little fast than a little too slow.

Be watchful for the highlights burning out on your images, this is often not noticed in colour but when converted to B&W becomes very noticeable. One or two of your images suffered here. I agree with you about Ansel Adams.

I liked the opening title with the tent, and the "knocking" sound with the same image at the end, however the last title image dropped off very abruptly at the end. Perhaps a slow fade would work better. The viewer needs to relax, draw breath and consider what they have seen before being thrown back to the desktop. This need only take two or three seconds.

.....monotony and predictability of evenly timed slides and transitions. Yet, too much variation feels contrived. How do you find that sweet spot? I know it when I see it. Does someone have an example show they can recommend?

It really depends on the subject and the mood the maker is trying to establish. The sweet spot will depend on this as there is no set amount of variation, (or lack of it), that is the standard even on the same subject two different artists will use different amounts and still achieve successful results.