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Culling Slideshow Images for a Large Wedding

So we said we were gonna bring the portraits to the front so let's do that as a first step. Definitely still have too many, eleven photos is gonna be way too much. If we're gonna open with this image. Yeah, are we in agreement that that's the opening? It's the one that we sent them as a preview. Apparently someone has decided. (laughing) I know it's not the most epic landscape, but it's the one that you wanna kinda look at a little bit longer, the one that you wanna absorb for more than two seconds. And when it's the opening photo, it stays on the screen for a little bit longer. Right, I really like the connection between them on this photo. Like her hand being all wrapped around him like that and it feels like a really nice moment between them. So we're in agreement for now? Sure. For now. Okay. I think I feel like I would cut out these four portraits. They're sort of like the weaker ones and if we get too repetitive in our portraits, then it's really gonna take aw...

ay from. Why do you wanna cut out the one of them crossing the street? I mean on a personal level we've done the photo before, but that doesn't take anything away from what we're delivering to the couple. Yeah, I dunno, it just doesn't grab me as much as I would like for it to grab me. For me it's like a personal like-- How hard do you need to be grabbed? (laughing) It's like a personal... Yeah, I think so. (chuckles) All right, let's definitely remove this one 'cause it wasn't that strong and we have the church repeating itself in other places. Okay, I'm only agreeing to remove it because I know that when we open with portraits, it does get quite repetitive. And I know we need to-- To be a little bit more ruthless. To only put the really strongest ones. This one I would remove just because it's similar like we have that focal length. No, that one's not that strong. I think it's like what we call a medium safe photo. It's not quite a safe photo, but it's not quite opening potential either. It's kinda somewhere in between. Medium safe is not good enough for this slideshow. Let's hang on to these two for now since we're still debating. Then going into the wedding day, we actually have a lot of drinking here. So I think we need to narrow it down. We have that one, that one, and him drinking. I know from our pre-wedding meeting that the bottle was significant, the writing on that label. It's something that came up, something that he showed us when we met them in their home. And I knew going into this wedding that I really wanted something with that. And even that pour is so cool. So for me that's the strongest in there. Yeah, he was such a sloppy pourer. He would just go very casually and it would spill everywhere. That's part of it. So this kinda captures that. So we can remove that one. We can remove that one. That one doesn't even look like it's completely sharp on his eye. Okay, feel good about that. I like also that it goes from like a detail on him to a detail on her. Yeah, I like that too. That's gonna make sene. It's also the day before, right? So she's wearing sneakers with a shorter dress and those are her paper flowers that she used just for the rehearsal, which I thought was really cute. Yeah, I like that a lot. Okay, then him getting ready for the parade. Love that detail. A detail on her getting ready. Do you wanna put them in? So far so good the order on these four. Do you wanna show that one in big? Yeah. This detail, I really like that photo. She asked me for my opinion on her earrings and I was like definitely these. They were so great. By the way, the reason why this photo works is the complimenting colors on the color wheel. Oh gosh, not the color wheel again. (laughing) Enough to get technical. So opposite colors on the color wheel whenever you can get them in the same photo, it'll always work really well together. So blues and yellows. That's why warm sunset light with the blue sky always works so well. It's visually appealing because those colors are opposite on the color wheel. And a more rare combination is the reds and greens, they're opposite, but when you can get the two of them in one photo, it makes for a visually appealing image. So we'll keep that there. Then I think this is good to introduce other people getting ready to go out into the parade. Other people into the drinking. Yes. They're walking. This one I really, I followed them so close. The entire walk I was like running along, just wanting things to line up. Especially this guy with the cowboy hat, but let's face it. It just did not come together or work. But this one did where she's on her own. That's cute. Yeah, I like that. And her red earrings with the red, the colors look nice together. And then them going into the parade so that works. Transition? Yeah. Here I think one switch we should make is maybe put this one of their sign, woops, sorry. What happened? It just jumped. So yeah, put this sign before they really get into the parade. I think it's a good way to introduce the sign and the drinking. I like that it's another guest and he's drinking so it kinda breaks it up a little bit. So it's not always them. So it goes from them arriving at the parade, sign that introduces that the parade's about to start, and then the actual action of the parade. Here we have again this guy repeating himself. They are not. I mean right away I would eliminate that one, they're not clear enough. If she was turned the other way, maybe. This one again is similar to these two, so we can remove this. I love his face though. Yeah, he's really into it. He's having a good time. This one is still visually stronger. Be ruthless. (Davina laughs) That's what we have to do. Then drinking together, drinking alone. (laughing) This one's a nice detail. It's very moody. It'll be a good one to place somewhere where we need to break things up a little bit. Sorry, go back. It rained, which doesn't show that much in the photos. You might remember that the photo of us with the GoPros attached, we had a towel on top of our cameras because we were trying to protect our cameras. And I think that photo, even though you don't see that it's actually raining, it's got like that mood to it. Yeah, well you can tell the water dripping down the side of the buildings. Cool, I like that photo. I think I would put it here in between. Yeah, definitely needs to be broken up a little bit. Also, so I think the order here is going to be important, because this one here where they're drinking together, the coloring in your editing ended up being quite different from this one. So if they're back to back, I feel like it's gonna be a little bit jarring. So breaking it up with a black and white visually is like a palette cleanser. It's the sorbet. (laughing) Then we jump into a photo with all of the friends, so that's good. This one has a very similar composition. It was actually focused on this guy. I always forget because it's so not noticeable. Oh man it's funny, this is your photo but I feel like I'm attached to it just 'cause I love this guy on the right. He's like totally in it just like he is on the left, but I will say compositional he just needs to be a few steps forward, right? Aaron I mean, needs to be a tiny bit more to the left of the frame for it to be really-- Like I still love the photo, but in the slideshow you'll never catch his eyes fast enough. And for that reason it's time to say goodbye. (Davina laughs) Gone. So friends. This one, the element of the sign repeats itself in the scene. So definitely get rid of this. Oh, okay. Well just 'cause this one was so much stronger. It was a very similar concept. I like that detail. Yeah, should it stay there or go right after his? Yeah, you can move it. Except then we'll have a lot of back to back black and white. Does that bother you? Good point. Okay, so the musicians are definitely gonna come here, because they introduce this new venue that we've arrived here. No, I don't mind that there's several black and whites. Does it bother you? As long as they're different in composition and stuff, which they seem to be. Sometimes too we're looking at the thumbnails here and we see a lot of the repetition, but in the slideshow it's one image at a time. And the way that as viewers we read these sequences of images is different. So I say let's just leave it and when we look at the slideshow, if we do need to remove something, we'll remove it. Let's move this one right away to the end of their rehearsal, because that's gonna be our transition out of the rehearsal day. Yeah, you might remember the making of that photo. So it was taken with the intention of being used as a transition out of the first day. So the speeches. We culled pretty tight with this. So them speaking, friends speaking, them reacting, him speaking, mothers, and then transition out. Yeah, that works. That's good? All right. Day of. Yeah. I feel like these two photos, there's not enough to set the scene to put it into context, because it was at a different location away from the venue itself. And so I feel like it almost takes away, it's too jarring. Like why is he in this weird place? Yeah, I hadn't thought about it that way, but I think you're right and it was a totally separate thing. Daniel went earlier in the morning when he was getting a shave at this other place and then we met them up later at their house. So yeah, okay. And the place is super modern and it's almost too different. We said pool first, dancing on the rooftop after. Yeah, I like that as a transition into the day. Getting ready, getting ready. I think there's one too many of those getting ready photos. This one. One, two, three, four. That one's the strongest. That one's good too. Yeah, I like that one. This one I'm not crazy about. I feel like it didn't come together that well. Then all the girls together. That's a nice inner circle, sidelines. Then we'll jump into-- More alcohol. Yeah. (laughing) That's inner circle. The alcohol is part of the inner circle at this wedding. The way we like to break this up is go into bride getting ready, but stop before she puts on her dress. Then go into the groom getting ready, maybe go through almost all of it, and then resume where the bride takes the dress and goes to put it on. So it's not the bride all the way until she is in her wedding dress for like 15 images, and then it's the groom's turn. We try to alternate the two. Sometimes we'll even mix and match and go one bride, one groom, one bride, one groom. Here it makes more sense, there's enough visual variety to stick to the bride alone and then to go to the groom on his own. I'm debating between starting his prep with one of these, but in the context of the house itself, this is in one area of the house which is a common area, and this is actually in the room where he got ready. So I would leave them in that order. That's fine. Think we have a few too many in the black and whites. I think he already has really strong getting ready images, we can narrow it down a little bit further. There's this one of her also, which should go up somewhere. Perhaps here or here. Before or after? Daniel. Here. (laughs) Overthinking it. Yes. Okay, so the one of him sitting there writing is vows with the guys in the foreground, I think the energy is a little low and it's just okay. Like we have stronger images. I would remove that one. It's gonna be a bit overkill. And the guys putting on each other's ties, I would pick only one. I like that one for sure. So we have pouring drinks, silhouette, adjusting his tie, hanging out, getting dressed, that's good. Feels tight? Yep. Good. So we had stopped narrowing down, definitely see that on the rooftop with the girls. We need one less. It's really between these two. I think it's between that one and that one. Yeah, exactly. That one definitely needs to stay because the energy is good. I think that one's a nicer transition out of the rooftop. Okay, remove that one. All right then, into the ceremony. So him just taking a deep breath, which should then be followed by the bride coming down. It's like his and hers transitions. [Daniel] Exactly. His, hers. Then him walking down the aisle. So him coming down the aisle, her coming out through the doors. I think those back to back-- Might be a little off? Yeah, I think he needs to go between. Visually those two photos are too similar, right? They're almost the same composition. But no, 'cause here we go from him walking and then him crying. I feel like that doesn't make sense either. Yeah. I think we should go for here. Yeah, plus we don't wanna repeat this to this. Right. I feel like that makes more sense. So him crying, her coming down with her dad. There's also the girls reacting. So we try to break up photos of the two of them standing up there with photos of families or bridal party. Other members of the inner circle. and then bring this down here. Yep, so now we alternate really nicely between photos of the two of them to a wide shot, to a tight shot, to a photo of families. And then coming out of the ceremony. I feel like we don't really need this detail. I think it can go. We have a lot of storytelling details in this slideshow. We do, yeah. So then with family hugs, going upstairs, having their moment upstairs. That all makes sense. This is another storytelling detail which originally it was good. I actually really love this photo because it looks like a smiley face in the ice, (laughing) which I find so cute and funny. And our Sony, what is it called, face detection? Identified that as a face. (audience sighs) Isn't that cute? But we do have the other drink photo. Another detail from another guest which I like that one better. So, sorry happy face. I also think in the slideshow it might not read as well. I like that one of her getting her dress on or getting her dress bustled. We had already kinda narrowed down those transitions. Slow down. Sorry. It's okay. Transition going into the ceremony, or reception I mean. So all of that is in the right order. I think this we had already done. Cheersing is good to open up the dinner part, but then we just have to put a speech first. So this one can go here. Speech, the two of them together. Reaction. Actually so we have similar images here. I think I would keep this one first. Just so that it's them just hanging out at the dinner, then it's the speech, reacting to the speech, storytelling detail, the scene. I don't know that that storytelling detail is that strong. Yeah? I mean they're holding hands, it's not that great. (chuckles) Okay, let's let it go. I like it when the detail is really specific to that wedding or it shows something a little bit more. These guys hanging out, that's good. And then first dance, closer first dance. And then this one is focused on the people in the background, so that works as a reaction photo to the first dance. Parent dances, getting a little wild. Yeah, I feel like the composition is medium. These guys add something, but what's important is that we already have the family represented in a lot of photos. So it's not like we necessarily need them a lot more. As long as she's in there. Yeah, actually there are really good moments of them after the ceremony. Then the party kicks into higher gear. I think our selection is already pretty tight for the party itself, the dance floor I mean. One change, oops, one change I do see that needs to be made is this wider photo of the the Hora and then closer so it's always-- Wide and then close. Yes, wider and then closer. It makes for a better story. I'm so sorry, my software keeps jumping up and down. Every time you go closer, yeah. Cutting of the cake. The cutting of the cake by the way, that's not part of our formula in terms of the slideshow. We rarely include it actually, but I kinda liked that they were kinda drunk and you kinda feel that. And there's a lot of personality in their cake cutting which I kinda liked. And she fed cake to her friends. I like the cake on her fingers. So we'll include it. We have a lot of photos of other people and scenes. We do. All that stuff. So how about we group it all together and then kinda decide where we put those photos? Maybe like closing off. I think it'd be good to close off the slideshow with those moody end of the night type photos. Yeah. Cool. Maybe we have one too many of those. I think the drinking, sorry, just this one really quick. I'm gonna move it elsewhere. I think we have a few too many of maybe of like friends, there's the lounging one. I like this drunk girl here. (laughing) I was on these guys for awhile. I love that one. That was me. That one's okay, yeah. Remove it. I think this couple will like the photo, but for the slideshow maybe not. I think this might be our closing photo. That's a great closing. Or that. These are all good. That one's medium. I kinda like the fact they all came together, but. Not for the slideshow. I mean the bridesmaids are already there a ton. Cool. Yeah, let's just close this up. So hanging out by the fireplace and then hanging out outside. The piano, that was a really nice element. I think it's good where it is. Yeah, that's like for me showing the uniqueness of the wedding and seeing the guests hanging out in the house, which was something we had discussed with them. That the guy playing the piano, the guy drawing the portrait, those are such cool little things that happened at their wedding that just brings out the uniqueness of their wedding. I think we did it. Think so. How many are we at, 103? It's a lot, but you know. So we try not to focus on the final number too much 'cause you'll just drive yourself crazy for no reason. It's really about how the story comes together. And so at this stage we'll start putting the slideshow in SmartSlides and we might make some final adjustments just to see what it looks like. And then make some final tweaks if necessary. Right.