Please enjoy my latest slide show creation, titled “Simple Gifts.” I put this video together so as to serve as an inspiration and hope for the coming spring. Many of the images you’ll see have been used in previous presentations, however, I’m using them again because of how much these photographs mean to me and the message communicated. Listen closely to the notes and words of the old Puritan hymn, “Simple Gifts,” as performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss.
The first time I heard this tune was on a bright, sunny Sunday morning in May of 1983. After my first week of boot camp and the intense process of having my identity stripped away, our platoon had the opportunity to attend Sunday morning church services at Parris Island. It was there that I experienced the first moment of quiet and reflection, and this tune came to my ears as the revised hymnal “Lord of the Dance.” I am not embarrassed to say that I wasn’t the only bald-headed recruit who started shedding tears.
When all is taken away and all that is left is the spirit and soul within, then, and only then, can we appreciate the “Simple Gifts” of God’s light, grace and peace. It is this lesson that I try to apply to the photographs that I discover and capture.
In our world of instantaneous digital communication and immediate viral marketing, YouTube presents an incredibly convenient “bang for your buck,” particularly due to the fact that little to no “buck” is required. And best of all, you don’t have to learn software or cumbersome code to post videos. Just simply shoot and upload. The difference in quality comes into play on the “shoot” side of the equation, with the advantage going to those who are more adept with a basic understanding of lighting techniques and basic editing.
The video quality of many of the videos uploaded by individuals on YouTube now easily surpass the ancient and amateurish techniques displayed on your typical community access television channel, soon to be rendered obsolete.
YouTube is made for digital video. The challenge for a still photographer is trying to make the YouTube interface work well with slide show presentations. Although convenient, inexpensive and just as effective as a web site in marketing images to a huge audience, the memory upload and hosting limitations (i.e. mp4 file formats) of YouTube cause most slide shows of still photography to be rendered at much lower level of digital image quality than what most serious photographers would find acceptable. This probably due to the fact that YouTube is a universal application designed to present video on a variety of devices, most recently the iPhone. In fact the slide shows I’ve created and posted on YouTube look much better when played on an iPhone as compared to a laptop or LCD screen.
I realize that 2007 isn’t quite over yet, but these last few days are quickly closing in, especially with today’s winter weather.
Below is my latest YouTube creation - The Best Photos of 2007 - which includes my favorite images from both personal and commercial/assignment photo shoots. The images are arranged in order, starting with those taken last January and going all the way through, well, just about two weeks ago. If you look closely you will notice a definite shift in style and technique, going into place at about mid-September. Please comment if you can guess what it is.
The latest slide show in my “Pictures You Can Hear” series, titled “Autumn Openings 2007.” Firefox users need Flash Payer and JavaScript enabled.
The music used with the show is royalty-free from stock20.com and is titled “Daddys Girl.” You’ll see from a few of the images included in the show the reason for my music selection.
