Bill
Olson
Videography
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
(715) 835-6446
Bill Olson Videography
Look your best!
Award-winning filmmaker & videographer with professional experience since 1986. Offering the best in high-definition video production.
Specializing in videography of weddings, documentaries, events, photomontages, depositions, etc.
Updated 3/5/2010
Photomontages
Photomontages (also called video photomontages, photo montages, and slide shows) are a wonderful way to celebrate the people we cherish, and those special events or experiences of growing up that have been captured on still photos.
You choose the music to go with your pictures.
The basic price is $25 plus $1.25/photo -- $50 minimum.
Customers selects the music they want.
(Photo
by Richard Purves, Chippewa Valley Community Television.)
I wear white cotton gloves to make sure I don't get fingerprints on your photos. Above, I'm holding a picture of my mom. I will handle your photos with the same care I would use in handling my own.
Photomontage Features
You get 1 DVD of the photomontage.
Each photomontage will have a Loop All option on the main DVD menu. This option will allow the video to automatically repeat until stopped. This is a great feature for parties, wedding receptions and other events.
As with any DVD, each photomontage can be played in a standard DVD player. The photomontage will also have the following additional features when played in a computer:
Each photomontage DVD will contain the original photos, which can be accessed from a computer to be e-mailed, printed, or copied to other storage media.
If you want to play the DVD of your photomontage on a computer, you will have the option to play it either in standard TV resolution or in high definition, maintaining the resolution of the original photos.
You will be able to play your photomontage on a computer that has a DVD drive, even if it doesn't have the software to play a DVD movie.
Photomontage Length
The length of each photomontage I create is typically the sum of the length of all the songs it contains.
The standard price assumes using 3 complete songs of 3-4 minutes each for each group of 60 photos.
Photomontages for funerals always get priority and can usually be completed in 24 hours.
Note: All sales require the addition of 5.5% sales tax. As of June 30, 2009, the State of Wisconsin will permit Eau Claire County to increase its .5% portion of the sales tax to create a regional transit authority. State law requires customers to pay the sales tax in effect at the time of billing.
This website is © 2009 William D.S. Olson
How to prepare your photos for the montage
Wedding photomontage
The standard wedding photomontage typically includes up to 75 pictures. Usually, couples select 25 of the bride growing up, 25 of the groom growing up and 25 of both as a couple. Then you select the songs you want. Just one song for each group of 25 pictures.
Presentation order of the photos
If there's a particular order you'd like me to present the photos in, I recommend numbering small post-it notes and sticking them to the backs of each photo. Write the numbers on the notes before attaching them to prevent making an impression on the photos.
Store the photos in a safe container
Put each group of photos in a separate container, such as a manila envelope or a large zip-lock bag. Use a container that is big enough for the photos so it can be sealed to keep the photos from spilling out.
Pictures from photo albums
Sometimes, photos removed from an album, have a sticky residue on the back. When pictures are placed against each other, the face of the next photo can stick to the back of one that came from an album, creating the possibility of tearing or other damage being done to the photo. One solution is to apply a piece of paper on the sticky back of an album photo. Feel free to share other creative solution you come up with.
Delivery of your photos
Your photos are valuable and in some cases, irreplaceable. Therefore, where possible, I recommend that they be delivered personally. If you send them, I recommend certified mail requiring my signature so that together, we can help safeguard them.
Songs / Music
The client is welcome to provide any songs they want in the photomontage, since people may copy music they purchase to other formats for their own personal use.
Songs can be provided as mp3 files, WAV files, or on original store-bought CDs or copies of CDs. All CDs will be returned with the photos.
I can also purchase songs for the client at $3 per song. Provide me with the song title and artist.
iTunes & Youtube
iTunes (which have the extension m4p) will not work, since they are encrypted to be played and used only by the purchaser. YouTube cannot be used as a source, since music on YouTube cannot be copied in a quality format and legal permission cannot be obtained.
Digital Photos
Digital photos or electronic photo files are best.
If you have photos in an electronic format, like from a digital camera or from being scanned, the electronic format is best for me, since I'll have to scan printed photos anyway. If you print out digital photos, it will degrade the quality of the photos and will take me longer to create the photomontage. So if your photos are in a digital or electronic format, please don't print them.
I recommend copying (be careful to not accidentally move them) the photos into another folder of your computer and renaming them with the number in the order that you'd like them in the photomontage. For example – 001.jpg, 002.jpg, 097.jpg, 146.jpg, etc. Be sure to not change the extension (such as .jpg).
Group Photos
If you have photos of the subject in a group of people, you might be able to pick them out instantly, but I might not be able to, especially if the subject is younger or is disguised in some fashion. Include a note to let me know who's who. For example, “I'm the one on the far left,” or “He's the one in sunglasses.” Make it very clear who I'm supposed to focus on.
Changes
Please plan ahead how you would like your photomontage produced. I would be happy to discuss your ideas with you. Changes in your plan, due to indecision or new ideas, can lead to delays and may result in an additional fee.
Sending Photos or Music by E-mail
Photos and music are large files, so it is often impossible to sent them via conventional e-mail if they are larger than 5 MB.
Large files can be sent for free via Sendthisfile.com. If you have photos and/or music in an electronic format (such as mp3 music or photos from a digital camera or photos that you scanned) and would like to send them to me over the Internet, click on the following link:
Click here to send large files.
In the top box that says “Enter your email address,” enter MY e-mail address:
In the box that says “Enter a message here,” enter your name and any other information you think I should know.
Unfortunately, at this time, only one file at a time can be sent, but if you have computer with Windows XP or later, you can put all the photos and music together into a Zip file. Copy the photos into a folder for the photomontage, then change the filenames of the copied photos so that they will tell me the correct order for the montage. For example: 001.jpg, 022.jpg, 123.jpg, etc.
If you have the songs in with the pictures, please name them so I know which order to present them (song 1.mp3, song 2.mp3). Or tell me the order in the message or in a separate e-mail (Song 1 - Brown Eyed Girl, Song 2 - Somewhere Over the Rainbow, etc.).
One way to create the zip file with Windows XP is to draw a box around all the photos (and music), right click, select Send To / Compressed (Zipped) Folder.
Audio Quality of Songs and photos
Before bringing me your songs and photos, listen to the songs you have. Sometimes customers download music from the Internet or get it from an old CD or record album. Sometimes these sources yield audio with crackles, gaps, skips or other audio problems. Keep in mind that the music on the photomontage DVD will not be of better quality than the original. So if your songs have bad audio, those audio problems with be duplicated exactly on the photomontage DVD.
Likewise, the quality of photos will not be better on the DVD than on the original photos, though I will make whatever adjustments I can to brightness, contrast and color.
Short Notice
Don't procrastinate. Contact me as soon as you can for a photomontage needed for a specific date. In some circumstances, I may not be able to process an order with less than two weeks notice.
Additional Services
Additional DVDs
Additional DVDs: 1 to 3 DVDs: $18 / 4 to 9 DVDs: $15 / 10 to 19 DVDs: $10 / 20 or more DVDs: $8.
Text and Captions
Text can be added for $1 per photo caption or $1 per line for text pages or scrolling text. Your text must be provided in an electronic form, such as e-mail or a text or doc file on disk to avoid second-hand spelling errors and typos.
To keep your text readable on TV, each line must have no more than 26 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
Please plan ahead and proof-read your work; changing text will cost $2 / word.
Songs / Music
Additional songs per group of photos -- $2 per song.
Purchasing songs off the Internet -- $3 per song
Edits to songs, such as cutting off part of the beginning or end -- $5 per edit.
Synchronizing specific lyrics or part of a song to one or more specific photos -- $15 each sync.
Video and Graphics
Video contributed by the client can be added to a photomontage for $5 per minute of contributed video. If the contributed video has to be edited, an additional fee may be required.
Contributed graphics can be added for $1 per graphic. If graphics have to be produced, an additional creation fee may be required.
Photo Restoration
In some cases, damaged photos can be repaired digitally. The fee for photo restoration is $35/hour with a $35 minimum.
3D and other Special Effects
$35/photo minimum. Some effects may cost more.