By Skip Cohen (with a little help from the Proshow Team)

It's another Photodex Friday and I want to hit on some key ingredients as we go into a holiday weekend. Many of you are photographing weddings over the weekend, but there are also plenty of non-bridal events going on. Let's come up with some key components to help boost your creativity. 

If you're not offering slideshows as part of your services, you're missing an incredible opportunity to build stronger revenue along with goodwill and your brand. Photodex has made it so easy for you to match your skill set as a photographer with your creativity as a storyteller.

Remember - there's all kinds of support for you in the Photodex Blog. I'm just sharing a few of the key links.

Focus on Your Concept: All of you know how to focus your cameras and make sure your subject is tack sharp. Well, your vision for your slideshow needs to be the same. Take the time to storyboard your idea. Think about the client who's going to be featured in the presentation. You've got to see the world through their eyes to create a slideshow that exceeds their expectations.

Make a Shot List: You don't have to identify every image you want in the final presentation, but you should have an idea of some key anchor images to help tell your story. It's not much different than putting together an album covering a special event.

Narrow Down the Images: You're going to have a lot of images to consider using, because you're not just shooting for the slideshow.

I love the Proshow Slide Calculator which allows you to put your music and images together. For example, I entered three and a half minutes as the length of my music for my slide show in the example to the right. The Slideshow Calculator did all the work for me.

Based on the slideshow calculator I'm going to want at least 40 images for the presentation. Just click on my example to use the slideshow calculator and load in your own specifications. You'll start with either the music length or the number of photos and video clips. Then, move to music length and finish with establishing the tempo of the music. It couldn't be easier to estimate the number of images you're going to need.

In terms of the video length - ideally keep your presentation in the 2-3 minute range. You can obviously go longer, but be careful. Less is more! If your images are terrific and tell the story you want to keep the slideshow exciting.

What's Your Theme? Proshow makes it so easy to help you determine a theme. Check out this short video on creating new wizard themes.

Pay Attention to Key Graphic Elements Like Colors:

Proshow has created seasonal colors to help give each slideshow more impact. It's summer time - so check out another short video about the summer palette below. 

And, while it may be summer now, fall is right around the corner. Check out the complete Fall Color Palette Guide by clicking any of the color choices.

My screen shot to the right only represents a handful of the color selections they're suggesting. Just like those key colors and elements you've used in building your website and blog, you need the same connection to your slideshow presentation.

The Proshow team is working hard to make it as easy as they can for you to create outstanding presentations and achieve every artist's goal of making themselves habit-forming.

Visit their blog for more help on virtually every aspect of creating high impact slideshows!

Intro by Skip Cohen 

If slideshows aren't in your skill set and part of the services you offer as a photographer you're missing an incredible opportunity. A slideshow is far more than just another service helping to build your income stream. A well-done presentation is about exceeding client expectations and it's so easy to do! While the concept might not be new to you, it's always exciting for the recipients and a key ingredient to making yourself habit-forming.


​Photodex Fridays are about ideas to help you build a stronger business. I'm sharing these posts at the end of the week, because many of you are event photographers, and your busiest schedule is over the weekend, especially for weddings. I'm hoping to keep these ideas fresh in your mind with events you having coming up in the next couple of days.

The post below is from the Photodex blog archives, and it's a perfect reminder for this weekend. While the theme is the rehearsal dinner, as you watch it, think about any family event you've been hired to cover. Being a great storyteller might just be the most important part of your career as a photographer.  Today's technology helps you enhance every important aspect of telling a client's story.

You'll find lots more helpful content and tips on the Proshow blog.

​Photodex isn't just a company making terrific software, they're about education and helping you raise the bar on your business!

The rehearsal dinner is a family-focused event traditionally held the day before the wedding. They come in many forms and range from semi-formal dinners at a restaurant or banquet space, to casual and intimate gatherings at someone’s home. It’s a great opportunity for the wedding couple’s family members to get to know each other (and in some cases – the bride and groom). What better way to add personality & humor to the occasion than a photo slideshow of the bride and groom?

ProShow’s automatic slideshow tools make it easy to create your own photo slideshow for a special event, rehearsal dinner or wedding reception. Start by adding photos (you can add video clips too). Next — add some music, pick a theme, then click ‘Create’ to automatically start building your video. It’s that simple. Need to customize? No problem – make changes anytime. In a few minutes, you’ll have a finished slideshow ready to output to DVD, Blu-ray, HD video file or share online. For rehearsal dinner slideshow tips and an example video, read below.

What types of photos are best for rehearsal dinner slideshows?

There are a few ‘standard’ approaches for selecting what to put in a rehearsal dinner slideshow. The context in which you plan to show the slideshow and also the amount & variety of photos you have to work with will help you decide which approach is the best fit:

1) Childhood / Growing Up – Focus on showing baby & childhood photos of the bride & groom. This type of slideshow requires having a decent selection of photos representing both people. Showing 15-25 photos per bride/groom is a good range to shoot for. If you want, you can personalize the show with captions (dates, etc.), or keep it simple and focused on visuals.
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(Note: If you have 20 baby photos of the bride and only 5 baby photos of the groom, we recommend taking one of the alternate approaches below). ​

​2) Couples Montage / Boy Meets Girl – Focus on showing photos of the couple together, leading up to when they got engaged. This type of slideshow doesn’t have to show the photos in chronological order, although it can be. Some variations of this approach will tell how the couple met each other, or how the proposal took place (if there is a funny or dramatic story to it). Generally, the point here is to show the experiences the couple have shared together.  

(Note: If you have beautiful professional engagement portraits you want to show off, by all means – include them. However, we find it’s best to mix them in with other personal / candid photos that were NOT professionally shot so the slideshow still feels ‘real’, and less like a fashion shoot.)

3) Mixture of Old & New (from Childhood to the Present) – This last approach is probably the most popular one for rehearsal dinner slideshows. Like the example video above, the story starts with childhood photos (first the bride, then the groom), then it transitions to showing photo memories of the couple together. The transition point between each section is often distinguished by a song change during the slideshow.

Re-touch your photos for best results.

​If you’re working with old family photos, especially scanned files (or, if you’re in a desperate hurry – digital photos taken of printed photos), chances are good that the edges aren’t going to be straight. It’s common to see parts of the white photo print edge creeping in on some corners, and also dust specks, scratches and overly dark, underexposed images. While we’re sure your audience will be forgiving about these charming imperfections, the overall results will be better if you run those photos through an app or photo editing program ahead of time to correct any major flaws. In a pinch, you can even use ProShow’s built-in editing tools to auto-correct, crop, sharpen and remove red-eye. 

Display options for your rehearsal dinner slideshow.The options for displaying your slideshow will depend a lot on the venue for your rehearsal dinner or wedding reception. The most common display method for playing slideshows at events is to project the video onto a large screen or wall at the venue. If you’re in a smaller setting, you may have a TV at your disposal, in which case you can either play your slideshow via DVD, Blu-ray or even Airplay (using your iPhone / iPad – if you have the right setup). Unless you’re planning to watch the slideshow with a captive audience, all eyes on the screen at a specific time during the rehearsal dinner, it’s best to loop the slideshow to play continuously in the background.

​Get tips on all the best practices below:

Get detailed info on slideshow projection setups here:
How To Project a Photo Slideshow at Your Next Event

For playback on a TV screen, get the tech lowdown here:
Optimize Your TV and DVD Player For Best Playback Quality

If outputting to DVD, don’t forget to proof it before the event:
Proofing Your DVD Slideshow Before Burning to Disc

For looping slideshow displays, check out these tips:
How To Create a Looping Slideshow Display

Ready to make a slideshow for your event?With ProShow, it takes just a few minutes to create a beautiful slideshow video using the automatic wizard and instant effects. Create shows on your desktop or online. Try it free or upgrade today! 

Intro by Skip Cohen
 
The goal of every business owner is to always exceed customer expectations and technology has given photographers a golden opportunity to dramatically raise the bar on their storytelling skills.  So, if you're not offering slideshows to your clients you're missing an incredible opportunity to grow your business and increase customer satisfaction. 

Last week we launched our first Photodex Friday with preparation tips on creating an effective slideshow for a wedding client. Now it's time to get into the nitty gritty of the video production itself. Be sure to check out the links in this post - each one shares another example of an enhancement to make your slide show stronger.  Think of yourself as a chef and you're getting a chance to taste some new spices before you prepare the main course!

And, if you missed the first five tips, they're just a click away.

6. Pick a Slideshow Theme!  Options like: (romantic, fun…)

• Montage (collage effect)
• Damask Elegance Theme
• Always Theme
• Infinity Theme
• Album layout feel  (Focus Imagery , Eric Hoffland , Contact Sheet slide styles
• Effects (ProShow Producer and ProShow Web compatible) StylePack - Weddings, Black and white images

7. Add a Custom Intro:

• Add an opening intro slide that speaks to the couple. Choose a fun font, add their names, the date and time, and even perhaps as a special touch add a quote. This is a narrative setting the stage for the story you're about to share.

8. Pick the Right Music (match to the images and/or feel of wedding) *Note: In ProShow this is referred to as “Energy Level”

• Pick music that fits the story, whether slow or fast it needs to be upbeat. Remember 3-4 minute slideshows can have 1-2 songs (depending on length)
• *Pro-Tip: Select a song that is similar to the couple’s first dance or wedding march.
• It's important to stay within a 3-4 minute time frame. Your slideshow needs to be long enough to tell the story, yet short enough to keep everyone interested.

9. Things to think about when making a SlideShow  

• Length- Shorter is better. Learn how to trim down and make the show more impactful
• Pick transitions that match the event’s style.  (traditional, modern, classic)
• *Pro-Tip: Families love recaps. Assemble an end of event quick slideshow video to share recapping some of the highlights of the wedding day. This gives the family something to share and you a bit of time to focus on postproduction edits. Some photographers actually set things up so they can be dropping images into their slide show during the evening and then showing during the reception. See "Live Show" below.

 
10. Lastly! Learn How to become more efficient as a Professional Wedding Photographer… Make a Live Show 

• More Info: With ProShow Producer, the Live Show function allows for creation on the go. Live Show can dynamically pull images from a folder on your hard drive as the show plays. Perfect for a live event (weddings).