Some Slide Show Tips
35mm slides are tiny and difficult to view unaided. Slide projectors can enlarge the image to wall-size. Compared to your camera, slide projectors are relatively simple pieces of equipment, consisting of a light source (usually tungsten halogen) with a reflector behind; one or two condensors-simple lenses-to turn the diverging beam of the lamp into a parallel beam; a slide carrier, to support the 35mm frame in its two-inch-square mount; a projection lens, to throw the image onto the screen; and a mechanism for focusing the lens. Of these components, only the slide-changing mechanism and lens focusing system vary substantially between cheap and expensive projectors. One can often find used projectors at garage sales or thrift shops. Check out availability of sometimes hard to find bulbs before purchasing.
For many years until just recently, Kodak manufactured the industry standard: Kodak Carousel projectors. (A sturdier professional audio-visual version is called the Kodak Ektagraphic.) They are still widely available on the used-projector market. Some of these projectors come with zoom lenses, so that you can vary the size of the screen image (this is also affected by the projector's distance from the screen). Other projectors come with auto-focus. These projectors can be linked together for spectacular slide programs; a master unit coordinates when each projector comes "on," and beautiful dissolve effects are possible. Some of these master controls are geared to sound cues beyond the range of human hearing. Often producers of multi-media slide shows will add music, voice-over and other sound effects.
When editing slides, first remove any that are technically poor, such as out-of-focus or poorly exposed images. Standards are not quite as high for projection slides as for slides for publication, but use caution nonetheless. When choosing slides for your slide show, try to find some continuity of subject. Commercial producers of audio-visual presentations first prepare a "shot list," preferring to have too many rather than too few images from which to choose. In terms of pacing, variety is needed, from individually bland to powerful images. Ideally, you should have some theme to link the slides together. It can be chronological or by subject. Try to avoid sudden changes of tone and color. Finally, time your show and prepare commentary, music, etc. A slide show should never be more than 20 minutes long; you want your audience begging for more rather than falling asleep.
Some producers of slide programs state that you must "never" use vertical and horizontal photographs together. Others recommend against the use of cardboard or plastic mounts, as these tend to bend and thus stick in the projector. Glass mounts provide the best protection, but are difficult to ship because of breakage problems. If you have valuable original slides, avoid projecting them often, as heat from the projector bulbs will shorten their lives. Have duplicate slides made. After you have selected the images for your slide show, you can draw a line with a felt marker atop one side of the stack of the slides so that you can remember which way is up. A hint for getting the slides facing the right direction: the emulsion side/back side of the slide will be slightly bumpy or not as shiny.
Store your slides in a low-dust environment, away from high heat and humidity. Plastic slide pages provide great storage, as you can view the slides 20 at a time. Make sure your slides are dust-free when you insert them in the pages, or you will get dust scratches. Also make sure the pages are made of archival plastic. If you can smell the plastic, the PVCs will eventually damage your slides.
If you don't have a slide screen (which provides reflection and generally a cleaner surface), a white wall will do in a pinch. However, a good screen will enhance the look of your image.There are many kinds of projection screens; some are designed for use with wide-angle projection lenses, others for use in rooms with ambient light. There are also back-projection screens, which are translucent. Large multi-media presentations use multiple screens and many projectors.
Of course, computer technology has made traditional multi-media presentations more or less obsolete. Today, you can scan in your slides, manipulate them for greatest effect and incorporate them into presentation software. Because of inherent computer screen resolution, scans do not need to be high-resolution, so that large computer graphics files are unnecessary. Extensive "clip-art" files of low-resolution, copyright-free images are available from many sources. Presentation software lets you add title slides, dissolves and other tricks with ease. You can work with programs like like Microsoft PowerPoint, Keynote (a Mac-based program) or the high-end Macromedia Director, used by producers of interactive animated CD-ROMs. However, costs of producing multi-media computer presentations can be much more expensive than producing a simple slide program using an old-fashioned projector. And finally, the time-worn rule, "garbage in, garbage out" applies to even the fanciest computer technology. Any presentation will benefit from high-quality original photographs.
