When a Still picture is not Static

In recent years I have begun to take still photos only during our travels. Once, i attempted to do the movie thing, but was unhappy with the results. You simply can't control enough of the elements of picture making. Everything is unscripted. AND it takes a lot of time. Recently we traveled in France and drove 4500 kilometers in about three weeks. Needless to say, we did not stay in one place very long. Therefore, the time constraints of movie making prohibit this activity. At least for me.

Now I only shoot still pictures. Then I assemble them into slide shows. I hate that term: slideshow. I brings back images of darkened rooms and narration in monotone. I like to show our vacation pictures in a video of still images. Obviously, the simplest way to add to the effect is to add commentary. However, visual effects are more effective to add interest. Without using any effects, one of the best ways to create visual interest i to vary the length of time each photograph is shown.  The fades, zooms, and other effects provided by the software can be used to create interest.

(Unless otherwise noted the software used is Windows Movie Maker)
In Example 1 we have our photograph.
In Example 2 we have the blur and fade effect added.
In Example  3 We have added the sound effect (a camera sound) to Example 2.

EXAMPLE 1

EXAMPLE 2

EXAMPLE 3

You'll note that the final example mimics focusing a camera before taking the picture.