On the 3rd week till Christmas my PPO (Personal Photo Organizer) suggested to me: Make a slide show of your last year for the family holiday gathering.
Find photos of each person coming to your holiday gathering, some festive music and turn that into a short fun video montage to celebrate the people you will be with. Or take your favorite photos from the past year and do the same thing. There are many different themes or people you could do this for and it can be a great time to open up and talk with family. You might be surprised at the conversations that come up and lead to more memories of great family gatherings. Here is our Christmas card video:
You don’t need that many photos for a slide show. Three to eight minutes is a great length and 10 to 15 images per minute (30 to 110 images) is all you need to make a wonderful reflection and celebration of your family. Most of our clients find it harder to keep the number of photos down so the slideshow isn’t too long that people loose interest.
You can share this on You Tube or Vimeo with far flung family. Use your own voice to narrated and add a more personal touch. When using music you need to have a license for the song or songs you use, or use music from royalty free sites. Always check the terms of use to make sure synchronization is part of the terms. See my post on what makes a good slideshow.
Would your friends and family enjoy a slideshow made with pictures of them? What would you want to share as you gather this year?
