Words we dread “have you seen my holiday photos?”
We have all been there. A friend, relative, maybe someone at work, asks this question. What they mean is “I’m dying to show my 400 pictures from Lanzarote – and there are so many stories to tell you!”
I claim both perpetrator and victim status. I remember subjecting a neighbour through a one hour ordeal of a slide show of a trip to Uganda. Just because we thought it had been amazing, I couldn’t understand that others might be indifferent. That was 16 years ago, and I hope that I have taken that lesson on board now. As we get into the peak of holiday photo season, here are a few suggestions on how to avoid inflicting death by photo on your nearest and dearest.
1. Let them control the speed at which they see the pictures. Some will go through photos slowly and want to know the details of each, others are happy to skim and get a flavour of the place you visited. That’s ok; make it their choice.
2. Let the viewer ask questions; you can soon find out what (if anything) has stirred their interest. If you answer each question with a 10 min answer, don’t expect many questions! In short, listen more than speak.
3. If you are viewing on a TV or digital screen, allow the viewers to chat while the pictures are rolling if they want to. I have been in situation where silence is expected while the “presenter” told us an epic tale about each picture: we couldn’t wait to get it over with.
4. Don’t assume your destination is interesting to your audience. It obviously is to you, but think about where your viewers travel on their holidays. If you are showing pictures of Rwanda to someone who holidays in Devon, or vice versa, you may struggle to maintain interest.
5. Keep it brief! I normally take around 500 photos on a trip; I create a summary album of around 150 pictures to upload for anyone to review at their own pace and time of choosing; and if going to family or friends would not show more than 50.
I love looking at other people’s pictures, particularly from destinations that I don’t know or about which I have a personal interest. But I like to view at my own pace, and will stop and linger at certain pictures and skim over others. This is the beauty of online albums, and why I always thank people for letting me look at their photos in the comfort of my own time.
