Showing your work, slide projection and why you photograph in the first place

[Helge]

Of course we all have differing needs and desires. So I;m not knocking projection. It;s a great way to show but I also shoot medium and large format. What then? Also, convenience and shareability are real plusses. I never used a digital laser projector so I can't comment on that. But TV as well as cellphone, and monitors emit light brightening the picture unlike reflected displays from projection. Light intensity is more and contrast is as well depending on how you adjust the displays. There are settings on TV's where you can switch to predetermined contrast and other color and light settings with one click for a slide show. I don't bother because the show is bright and contrasty enough from my standard TV viewing. I will say that a good monitor displays the shows sharper although with smaller screen size than a 75" TV. With new 8K tv I might have to start editing for that size although you probably won't notice a difference to 4K.

Crossfades (transitions) are standard when I do my video slide shows. Did you look at any of mine on YouTube linked below. They all have trasnitions and fades and there are dozens of different types that can make the show fun to watch. See picture below of Adobe Premiere Elements video program that was part of a slide show I did for my grandson's first birthday. Note all the differing transitions available on the right.

There are medium format projectors too. I have a few, and they are spectacular.

Large format slide lends itself to direct viewing. But projectors for that exist too.

Projection on scotchbrite/3M RR screens when you sit within a few degrees, the image is as bright as any screen (though also a tiny bit grainy, but not worse than pixels).
Slide can also be viewed in an enlarged view slide viewer (binocular style or enlarger) which can look fantastic too.
There the limit is your backlight and how much magnification you can get.

But if you are not too greedy with screen size regular projection is plenty bright.

I can do a “slide show” any day within a few minutes with my scanned photos. I really don’t see that as the same thing at all.

Slide viewed directly and not through a scanners interpretation is something very magical all its own.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

Have you both done side by side comparisons on 75" 4K TV vs projection? Have you made digital slide shows with background music, titles, credits,?

1) I don't have to, the real deal is available to me and is the way I shoot and enjoy film. If I must involve TV, I might as well do it digitally to begin with.
2) We spend so much time in front of digital displays, it can and does get tiresome. There are other technologies out there, offering their own quirks and qualities to enjoy.
3) What I'm doing gives credit to itself and doesn't require titles - I don't need to glaze my photography with additional layer of pomp, but hey - that's why we're here - to exchange our differing approaches, to give and receive insights, so no judgement given by me - to each his own, let's just enjoy photography and avoid making silly comparisons between apples, lemons and onions - makes really zero sense.

 

[Helge]

1) I don't have to, the real deal is available to me and is the way I shoot and enjoy film. If I must involve TV, I might as well do it digitally to begin with.
2) We spend so much time in front of digital displays, it can and does get tiresome. There are other technologies out there, offering their own quirks and qualities to enjoy.
3) What I'm doing gives credit to itself and doesn't require titles - I don't need to glaze my photography with additional layer of pomp, but hey - that's why we're here - to exchange our differing approaches, to give and receive insights, so no judgement given by me - to each his own, let's just enjoy photography and avoid making silly comparisons between apples, lemons and onions - makes really zero sense.

Agreeing to disagree is like kissing your sister. On paper the same thing but intuitively not satisfying.
These are not apples and oranges.
It’s Golden Delicious vs. Aomori.
Same overall idea but so qualitatively different that it’s flipping over into another thing.

 

[faberryman]

I don't understand the desire to pan and scan film transparencies to fit a television screen.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Each has its qualities and drawbacks. With that i agree. However both methods can be enjoyed.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I don't understand the desire to pan and scan film transparencies to fit a television screen.

You don't have to crop the original to 16:9.. If you shooting 35mm the format is 3:2. So when displayed on a TV screen which is 16:9 you get two black bars one on each side of the picture. However if you shoot digitally, you could shoot at 16:9 the same format as the TV screen. That would fill the whole screen. Video can be set to record already at 16:9 on your cell phone or camera.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I don't understand the desire to pan and scan film transparencies to fit a television screen.

I violently agree!

 

[Sirius Glass]

1) I don't have to, the real deal is available to me and is the way I shoot and enjoy film. If I must involve TV, I might as well do it digitally to begin with.
2) We spend so much time in front of digital displays, it can and does get tiresome. There are other technologies out there, offering their own quirks and qualities to enjoy.
3) What I'm doing gives credit to itself and doesn't require titles - I don't need to glaze my photography with additional layer of pomp, but hey - that's why we're here - to exchange our differing approaches, to give and receive insights, so no judgement given by me - to each his own, let's just enjoy photography and avoid making silly comparisons between apples, lemons and onions - makes really zero sense.

I violently agree!

 

[MattKing]

I don't understand the desire to pan and scan film transparencies to fit a television screen.

I do.
But I prefer projection when I can do so.

 

[GregY]

I'd feel taken hostage if i have to watch someone's slide show or home movies..... thankful that is a bygone era

 

[Philippe-Georges]

There are medium format projectors too. I have a few, and they are spectacular.

Large format slide lends itself to direct viewing. But projectors for that exist too.

Projection on scotchbrite/3M RR screens when you sit within a few degrees, the image is as bright as any screen (though also a tiny bit grainy, but not worse than pixels).
Slide can also be viewed in an enlarged view slide viewer (binocular style or enlarger) which can look fantastic too.
There the limit is your backlight and how much magnification you can get.

But if you are not too greedy with screen size regular projection is plenty bright.

I can do a “slide show” any day within a few minutes with my scanned photos. I really don’t see that as the same thing at all.

Slide viewed directly and not through a scanners interpretation is something very magical all its own.

When I needed quality slide projection, then I used superslide which is 4x4cm and Hasselblad had a special filmback for that the 16S.
Many good 35mm slide projectors could handle the superslide format.

 

[faberryman]

I'd feel taken hostage if i have to watch someone's slide show or home movies..... thankful that is a bygone era

Apparently not.

 

[GregY]

Apparently not.

I'll be steering very wide of Denmark then

 

[MattKing]

I'll be steering very wide of Denmark then

Are you saying that "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"?

 

[GregY]

Are you saying that "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"?

no....but prefer to side step the slide show....

 

[MattKing]

FWIW, the slide shows I attend now are with people I also regularly share prints with. Their purpose is generally more to share and enjoy photography than it is to follow along with someone's recent trip.
Sometimes they include travel photography - a friend's recent trip to Africa comes to mind - but the slide show's purpose isn't documentation, it is photographic.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

FWIW, the slide shows I attend now are with people I also regularly share prints with. Their purpose is generally more to share and enjoy photography than it is to follow along with someone's recent trip.
Sometimes they include travel photography - a friend's recent trip to Africa comes to mind - but the slide show's purpose isn't documentation, it is photographic.

That's what I tell my guests. That the vacation slide show is fine art.

Slide shows are a great way to stop in-laws from visiting too often.

 

[Sirius Glass]

When I needed quality slide projection, then I used superslide which is 4x4cm and Hasselblad had a special filmback for that the 16S.
Many good 35mm slide projectors could handle the superslide format.

What is wrong with 6x6 slides? Bausch & Lomb had a great slide projector that my father had for decades. It disappeared after his death. Maybe he took it with him.

 

[Sirius Glass]

FWIW, the slide shows I attend now are with people I also regularly share prints with. Their purpose is generally more to share and enjoy photography than it is to follow along with someone's recent trip.
Sometimes they include travel photography - a friend's recent trip to Africa comes to mind - but the slide show's purpose isn't documentation, it is photographic.

Slide shows are a great way to show what was seen on a trip. Especially compared to having a 20 stone photo album places on ones lap.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

What is wrong with 6x6 slides. Bausch & Lomb had a great slide projector that my father had for decades. It disappeared after his death. Maybe he took it with him.

I shoot 6x7. What then?

 

[MattKing]

I shoot 6x7. What then?

Cabin projector for 6x7.
Or in my case back when I had an RB67, the 6x4.5 back.

 

[faberryman]

Slide shows are a great way to show what was seen on a trip. Especially compared to having a 20 stone photo album places on ones lap.

Unlike with a TV slide show, if your guest has a 20 stone album in his lap, he can't get up and leave.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I shoot 6x7. What then?

Bosch & Lomb evidently did not see a market for that format, but older lantern slide projectors might work.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Unlike with a TV slide show, if your guest has a 20 stone album in his lap, he can't get up and leave.

I posted about a real slide show, but otherwise you figured out my point.

 

[Helge]

I'd feel taken hostage if i have to watch someone's slide show or home movies..... thankful that is a bygone era

There is many ways to get that feeling. Conversations about boring stuff, being left with people you don’t click with, being tired, getting served food you don’t like etc.
A good host will have a very fine sense of what people are in the mood for and when patience is about to be worn out.
Keep casual shows short and energetic, and make sure that there is really a genuine interest.
Same as with many other social situations.