10 Tips for a Great Photo Presentation

Getting up in front of an audience to deliver an entertaining and inspiring photo presentation is one of my favourite things to do - right after being outside shooting photos. I've had a chance to present to groups of all kinds, from a dozen people in a church basement to keynotes at large venues with a thousand people. Each time, it's equally fun and exciting! Here are 10 tips that I've used over the years to deliver presentations with impact:  

1. Start your presentation with a bang - a great joke or compelling story to capture the attention of the audience.  
2. Tell personal and/or humorous stories that convey your passion. The audience wants to be entertained as much as they want to learn a few tips.   
3. Create a point form outline, but don't script your entire show. Use a few key speaking points to illustrate each of your segments or concepts. The more you get to know your presentation, the better it will flow. Your goal is to deliver a fluid and engaging talk that comes across more naturally and less scripted.
4. Use minimal text on your slides (I can't stress this point enough)!  If the crowd wanted to read, they would have stayed home and picked up a book.  
5. Include photos of yourself in action. It makes your content more real and personal.
6. Show, don't tell. Comparison images are the best way to demonstrate concepts and techniques. For example, to show the effect of using a filter include photos taken with and without it.   
7. Bring some relevant gear with you or interesting props. We're camera nerds and love to see the gear you use! 
8. The ideal length for a presentation is 45-55 minutes plus a few minutes for questions. Keep it short and punchy. Leave the audience wanting more. 
9. Vary your pace. I use a ton of photos (200) in a typical presentation. At times I'll breeze through a series of images and sometimes I linger on slides.
10. Don't take any questions until the end, then take 3-5 questions out loud and stick around to mingle personally. You don't want to hold up the entire crowd with endless questions. 

I hope these tips help you with your next presentation! If you have additional tips, please feel free to share them in the comments. Thanks!

Ethan Meleg 

www.ethanmeleg.com/inpublic.htm

Note: This article is copyright. Feel free to share the link, but do not save/copy the text and repost elsewhere without permission. 

It’s on the Newsstands!!

Be sure to pick up the Canadian Geographic Collector’s Edition – Best National Parks Pictures 2011. This is the issue that features my photo of Banff National Park, Moraine Lake on the cover – once again thank you to all who voted! This issue is full of great photographs of our National parks, marine areas and historic sites by many talented photographers.

Public presentations this week....

This is a busy week for photo presentations. If you're in the neighbourhood, come on out to catch one of these!

Wednesday, Sept 8 - Southampton, Ontario
"Confessions of a Crazed Photographer"
Saugeen Shores Camera Club
Details here: http://www.saugeenshores.ca/event_full.php?EventID=1936

Thursday, Sept 9 - Owen Sound, Ontario
"Freedom 35: A Photographer's Adventure"
Owen Sound Field Naturalists Club
Details here: http://owensoundfieldnaturalists.ca/activities/freedom-35a-photographers-adventure/

Sunday, Sept 12 - Toronto, Ontario
PMA Canada Photo Expo @ Toronto Congress Centre

1) Pro Session (10am-12pm): "Outdoor Photography - Business on the Run!"
2) Consumer Session (3:30pm-4:00pm) "Top 10 Tips for Awesome Vacation & Travel Photos!"
Sponsored by Amplis Foto Inc.
Details here: http://www.pmai.org/PMA_CanadaExpo_English.aspx?id=20113

Photo Van conversion - phase 1 (screens)

I had been contemplating a new vehicle for a long time, something that could meet all of my needs -  short distance travel (grocery store, etc), plenty of room for photo gear and ability to live out of it on  extended road trips. I settled on a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, with tons of space and the magical stow-and-go seating system. Never thought I'd be a mini-van owner.... this is an image killer for my bachelor lifestyle!

I'm in the process of customizing the van and the first step was to have screens made for the windows and doors. Good ventilation is critical to camping out in a vehicle, both to prevent moisture buildup and to stay cool in hot weather. But most importantly, screens keep out the bugs!

I had a local upholstery shop (Grey Bruce Upholstery in Wiarton, Ontario) custom make screens for the back hatch, side doors and front windows. The screens attach by velcro and/or sleeves that fit over the door frame. The cost was about $625 plus tax.... well worth it for good sleeps!

Stay tuned to the blog for more details as I continue to trick out the van for photo travel....  

Random photo tip: label your camera gear

I've lost plenty of camera accessories over the years, surely amounting to hundreds of dollars worth of lens caps, hoods, cable releases, etc. Sometimes I accidentally leave them on location, especially when I'm out in the dark. Other times the gear simply gets mixed up when I'm shooting with friends (interestingly, I never seem to end up with their stuff in my bag!!).

I finally smartened up a while ago and bought a label maker from an office supply store for about $40. I spit out dozens of labels with my website address and stuck them on every piece of gear I own.  It's a cheap insurance policy that pays for itself quickly!

Upcoming Presentations including Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show

I'll be presenting a number of photo shows over the next few months at various locations in Ontario. A full listing, regularly updated, is posted on my website here:   http://www.ethanmeleg.com/inpublic.htm

Or here's a sample of what is upcoming. If you make it out to one of the show, be sure to say hello!

February 27 (Saturday) - Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show
"Photographing the Best of the Bruce Peninsula"
sponsored by Canadian Geographic & Ontario Tourism
3:45pm in The Great Ontario Outdoor Adventure Theatre
http://www.outdooradventureshow.ca/toronto/

February 28 (Sunday) - Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show
"Photographing the Best of the Bruce Peninsula"
sponsored by Canadian Geographic & Ontario Tourism
12:00pm in The Great Ontario Outdoor Adventure Theatre
http://www.outdooradventureshow.ca/toronto/

March 2 (Tuesday) - Barrie, Ontario
"Freedom 35 - A Photographer's Adventure"
Barrie Users Group
7:30pm at Eastview High School
For details, visit: http://www.barrieusersgroup.org


March 4 (Thursday) - Midland, Ontario
"Freedom 35 - A Photographer's Adventure"
Midland District Camera Club
7:00pm at Len Self Blvd., Midland Ontario (North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre)
For details, visit: http://www.midlandcameraclub.com/

May 5 (Wednesday) - Cornwall, Ontario
TBD but likely "The Passion of Nature Photography"
St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences
17th Annual International Conference
7:00pm at Aultsville Theatre
Details to be posted here:
http://www.riverinstitute.com/events/Conference%202010/index2010.html


June 1 (Tuesday) - Southampton, Ontario
"The Best of the Bruce Peninsula"
Chantry Institute Lecture Series
7:00pm at Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre
details to be posted.

June 8 (Tuesday) - Hamilton, Ontario
Bell *Arte Camera - Customer Appreciation Day
details TBD

Photoshop and Nature Photography: How Far is Too Far?

Here's a link to a brilliant article written by Darwin Wiggett and Samantha Chrysanthou on Naturephotographers.net online magazine/forum:

Photoshop and Nature Photography: How Far is Too Far?

Entertaining and thought-provoking, they tackle the great debate between the "Purists" and "Processors". Their photos are, of course, excellent too. Kudos to Darwin and Samantha for hitting this one bang on!

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 Awards

The Wildlife of the Photographer of the Year competition just announced the 2009 winners. Check out some of the finest nature photography in the world... lots of inspiration here:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy/onlineGallery.do

My favourite photos from among the winners are:

-Sardine round-up by Paul Nicklen (Canada) in the "Animal Behaviour: All Other Animals" category
-Starling wave by Danny Green (UK) in the "Nature in Black and White" category
-Deer in the grove of giants by Floris Van Brugel (US) in the "Animals in the Environment" category
-Wild, wild wolverine by Sergey Gorshkov (Russia) in the "Animal Portraits" category
-Ice Fox by Henrik Lund (Finland) in the "Animals in the Environment" category
-Wild spring garden by Floris Van Brugel (US) in the "In Praise of Plants" category

Digital Slide Show Software

I do a ton of slide presentations for nature and camera clubs. Over the past couple years, I've been working on digitizing all my shows by scanning the slides, and of course adding new images that I've shot digitally.

For a long time, I was using PowerPoint software for my digital shows, but I recently shifted to some excellent slide show software called Pictures to Exe. It's dead simple to use, has smooth transitions, syncs very easily to music and best of all - it's cheap. And for some reason (it may be that my digital technique is just improving) , the photos look much better to me with this program.

Once you've laid your show out, you hit one button and it creates a stand-alone Exe. program for your entire show. To play the show, you simply launch the Exe file - and voila.... your show runs smoothly and reliably.

I love the simplicity of this software and the high-calibre results I'm getting from it.

Many photographers are using another program called ProShow Gold. This software has more bells and whistles than Pictures to Exe, and it costs about twice as much. It's a good alternative if you want to do more complex shows with a greater array of special effects.

Have fun sharing your photos!