Gee, every time I am asked to present a slide show for railfans (usually
at some club's annual banquet or NRHS chapter monthly meeting), they want
to hear either one of two things: how in the heck did I make those
photos, and what are the behind- the-scenes stories of my life as a
railroad photographer (which was about 10% train photos and 90%
everything else). So, every one of my shows turns into either a "how-to"
nuts-and bolts presentation for the hard-core types, or a "tell-all"
gossip fest which, so far, everyone has enjoyed, even without
wall-to-wall trains. Obviously, by their very nature, such programs are
off-the-cuff and totally unrehersed.
In any event, I always include photos that will interest the ladies in
the audience (Chessie the Cat calendars with live-cat models, the posh
life at The Greenbrier, etc.) so that the wives and girlfriends are not
bored to death by endless slides of the same locomotive rolling past the
camera in a dozen different photo run-bys. Surprisingly, the behind-
the-scenes stories and photos of my escapades with the live Chessie Cat
(looking through a surveyor's transit, escaping from her handler onboard
a Sea-Land ship, pooping in the model railroad ballast, you know, real
tabloid stuff) are THE most popular and requested photos and stories,
even with the hard-core types.
It is important to know who will be in your audience in advance of your
slide show so that you put together appropriate images for the
entertainment, education and amusement of these people. One club
president in the Midwest told me of his group's experience with a very
well known eastern railfan who put everyone to sleep during their annual
banquet with his show about New Jersey commuter trains (or whatever), a
subject that was of no interest to anyone west of Philadelphia or east of
the Hudson River. The president asked me to PLEASE not make his members
suffer like that for the second year in a row, so I made 'em howl with
laughter at my stories, and wowed 'em with some interesting photography,
things that could be appreciated by railfans and non-railfans alike. The
quality of the photo itself should be captivating and interesting
regardless of the subject in the photo. You as the photographer may
think that your shot of the sole operating SW-600 in some fallen flag
paint scheme is hot stuff, but nobody else gives a rat's rear end and you
will lose your audience.
I keep toying with some ideas for some other types of slide shows, but I
never get asked to do these "arty" presentations. By the way, I used to
work at an ad agency and shot/assembled 12-projector slide shows for
trade shows and annual meetings, and have seen some pretty awesome
effects created on our Oxberry camera system, but these effects would be
a little too extreme for most hard-core railfans. Besides, all of the
slides in these shows were "dupes", probably the dirtiest word in the
world of the railfan photographer! The shows had always had music and
sound effects. I am from the school where "less is more", so a lttle
music and a few sound effects are fine, but if they become overwhelming
you might as well have shot the program on video in the first place.
Is it necessary to narrate railroad slide shows at all, or are the photos
strong enough to stand alone on their own merit? Do we have to let
people know what each subject is and where each photo was shot for the
program to be a success? Can't these questions be answered in person
after the show or on a hand-out sheet with these data for those who must
have the info? I do not attend many slide shows, but I find it so very
detracting and annoying when audience members continually ask the show's
presenter stupid questions during the slide show ("What lens did you
use?, What was your f/stop?, Where was that shot made?, Gosh! I shot that
same photo at last year's NRHS convention!", etc.), questions that could
be answered later without disrupting the flow of the show for other
audience members who just want to look at some nice photos. Besides, who
the hell remembers what f/stop they used to make a photo ten years ago,
and why is this important to the questioner?
Dave Busse hit all the nails on the heads with his post, so I could not
add much.
More later. John B. Corns
--> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects
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