Slide Galleries and Photo Shows

There are slides sideshows and there are photo galleries. The difference between the two may not be apparent at first. They are both a grouping of pictures with a similar thought of theme in mind.

According to Mark Briggs's Journalism Next:

(A slideshow) refers to a series of images presented with continuity, usually in a flash-based player like a movie (171).

That means a photo gallery is simply a collection of similarly themed photo's in a "next and back" button clicking format. Photo galleries usually have some form of text around the thumbnails while slideshows have information incorporated into the movie with text of audio.

The red outline is the story that accompanies the show.

The First Slideshow I looked at had audio and It was hard to find a simple slideshow without any other media. In the new media world where if you don't keep the audience's attention they keep clicking it is essential to keep the viewer on the website with more than visual appeal.

 On the BBC news website I found an audio slideshow about glaciers: Rivers of ice: Vanishing glaciers. The content of the slideshow was explained above the slideshow in a small blurb explaining the time and people involved int he making of the slideshow.

The pictures in the "Rivers of Ice: Vanishing Glaciers" were of special importance to the slideshow. David Breashears was asked to retake pictures of glaciers that were first shot over eighty years ago. He retraced the steps George Mallory  had taken in 1921 and found the same spots he found to take pictures of the same glacial vistas along thee Himalayas.

The set-up of the slideshow was effective. It took up most of the screen as the viewer scrolled down. No adversisments cluttered the screen and the layout was easy to read and not to in-depth that reading the story above simply restated what was in the slideshow.

In the four minute slideshow was a podcast dirrected by Breashears. He described what he did on his expedition. One cool feature was when he was talking about scale the slideshow seems to interact with his voice as the picture would fade to ones that showed the scale of the mountains. Every picture, I felt like it had a purpose.

I think the audio element added to the telling of a story. Without out the voice to connect it back too the slideshow would feel a bit empty. Whn I was watching the slideshow like a show it was hard to turn away from it. If I did go onto a new tab, the pictures with just so enthralling I had to turn back.

The second slideshow had no audio. Its was on a news website called Reuters and it was on Ukrainian Fashion week. It was a lot like a photo gallery except I couldnt choose how quickly the photos passed. The sound makes a huge impact of how the viewer sees the media. When it has audio it is more engaging and interesting then just a stack of photos to look through. Its like having someone shove an envelope of pictures under your nose and sifting through the pictures at their own speed. The slideshow without audio leaves the viewers bored and lost. 

The four things I did like about the second slideshow I circled in the picture on the right.
1. I liked that there was the option to look at all of the photos at once. On the previous slideshow the viewer could not look at the glacier pictures seperately.
2. The social media integraction was a nice touch. it makes it easy to share with friends and get mor epublicity for the website.
3. There was an option to flick through the pictures faster and kindof make it more into a photo gallery. It didnt stop the slideshow through, the slideshow kept fading in and out but it gives a viewer get a longer look on a photo they liked.
4. Lastly, there was a small sentence at the bottom of every picture thar outlined what was happening in it. The sentence was just nough for the reader to fill in the details of what was going on.

Still, the slideshow without any sound just isnt as engaging as one with an interview or communication. The photo gallery i looked at last was the least like a story. With the "Ukrainian Fashion Show" at least the viewer saw the fashions one after one in a chronilogical order so it seemed cohesive.

The photo gallery I critiqued was found on Yahoo News. It was a collection of albums: "10 Iconic Album Covers" on the side a long description of why each cover is famous.

The effect the photo gallery has on the viewer is almost uninteresting and bland. They are the smae albums were grown up seeing: The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and David Bowie.

There is no element of storytelling. I do like the ability photo galleries have to change the pace of the of the photos that are established.

The next button allows the viewer to either go back or go forward and the experience is designed for each person to go at their own speed. I also like the ability to look at all of the thumbnails and choose whichever one the viewer wants to look into further.

In general, slide shows act as more functioning storytelling tools then photo galleries. Photo galleries are predictable and conform to the same format where as a slide shows is game to more creative methods. I don't feel like I'm seeing a story unfold with the galleries I have visited because it is too static and un-moving. The audio of slide shows add to the show's cohesion and storytelling opportunity.