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Coastal 15 minute photo challenge

I know there are a lot of photographers out there who enjoy my 15 minute photo challenge videos, including me. Although I don’t get the chance to make as many as I once did they’re certainly not consigned to the history book… far from it.

If you’re new to my blog then you may be wondering what a fifteen minute photo challenge is. Basically its my way of sharpening my camera skills and training my photographers eye but limiting myself to a fixed amount of shooting time. Not only that but I’m also restricting the geographic area in which I can look for photos which can be a blessing and a curse. The end result is often unpredictable and always challenging, it often takes me out of my comfort zone which is always a good thing to do every once in a while.

Keep scrolling down to see a few of the final photos.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFU4SSEjYVs[/youtube]
Can’t see the video? Click Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFU4SSEjYVs

Equipment used in the video:

Adobe Photoshop CC
http://www.adorama.com/ABPSCS6W.html?KBID=67338

Canon 60D
http://www.adorama.com/ICA60D.html?KBID=67338

Sigma 10mm-20mm
http://www.adorama.com/SG1020EOS.html?KBID=67338

Sigma 10mm-20mm
http://www.adorama.com/BRRS7.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard ABEO Plus 283CT Tripod
http://www.adorama.com/VGABEO283CT.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard GH-200 head
http://www.adorama.com/VGGH200.html?KBID=67338

Vintage Texture

This weeks Friday Freebie is a vintage texture which is simple to use and gives amazing results. It’s a warm tone texture that combines patchy tones, a light weave texture and a hint of writing.

Full download instructions are below but you can also
Click Here To Download the vintage texture

As with all textures it works best with photos that have large areas of bright tones such as this one which has loads of bright sky. All you need to do is paste your photo above the texture and set the blending mode. There are loads of different layer blending modes and they’ll all give a different look, some you’ll like and others less so but experimentation is the key to success.

Jump down to the end of this post to see three different looks for the same image.

If you create a photo using the Friday Freebie then let me (and everyone else) know by leaving the link in the comments below.

Usage rules
The image is copyright Gavin Hoey 2013. Use is limited to any personal, non-commercial purposes. Please share the Friday Freebie by linking back to this page. Do not redistribute the original image without my permission.

Download instructions
Click the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Mmmm3K1utNRHZqZzdYMmFrODg/view?usp=sharing

1. Click the Download button

2. The download should start automatically

Planning for Black & White

Way back when I started learning photography the only real option for serious photographers was to make black and white prints and we were darn good at it too. Skip forward 25 years and now everyone takes colour photos but thanks to post processing everyone can also make black and white images too.

There’s an art to making top quality colour photos but making quality mono photos is an extra challenge. One of the reasons many photographers find shooting for black and white a challenge is because we don’t see the world monchrome, we see colour. However there a few tips you can apply at both the camera and Photoshop stages which will quickly step your black and white photography up a gear.

In this video for Adorama TV I visit Nutley Windmill on the Ashdown Forest with the plan of shooting for black and white. Then it’s into Photoshop to make the magic happen.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZhk-S9Y-vs[/youtube]

Equipment used in the video:

Adobe Photoshop CS6
http://www.adorama.com/ABPSCS6W.html?KBID=67338

Canon 5D Mark II
http://www.adorama.com/ICA5DM2.html?KBID=67338

Canon 24-105L f/4 IS
http://www.adorama.com/CA24105AFU.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard ABEO Plus 283CT Tripod
http://www.adorama.com/VGABEO283CT.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard GH-200 head
http://www.adorama.com/VGGH200.html?KBID=67338

Instant Triptych Action

This weeks Friday Freebie is a Triptych Photoshop action. If you’re new to the art of the triptych, it’s simply three images in one picture and this action will make one with a single click.

You can download the action here: Triptych Sample

The action I’m sharing today takes an open photo in Photoshop and makes the basic triptych effect.

The action will split your photo into three panels and add a wide border. You’ll need a landscape format (wide) image to get the best from the action. I’ve left all three panels as layers at the end of the action, which means you’re free to alter, adjust and tweak the effect to your hearts content.

The action will work with Photoshop CC, CS6, CS4, CS4, CS3 but sadly not with Elements.

If you create a great photo with my action then feel free to link to it by leaving a comment below.

Usage rules
The action is copyright Gavin Hoey 2013. Use is limited to any personal, non-commercial purposes. Please share the Friday Freebie by linking back to this page. Do not redistribute the original action without my permission.

Download instructions
The direct link to download the actions is www.gavtrain.com/free/triptych-sample-gavtrain.zip

No support is provided with the Friday Freebies. If you need help Google or YouTube the question and you’ll almost certainly find the answer 🙂

Bonus composite videos

Last week I uploaded the two part video with Mark Wallace and myself. If you missed it the click here to go back and see both videos.

Mark was kind enough to share all the photos he shot with me and it seemed like a terrible waste not make use of at lease one more. So in the video below I’ll show you how I created this photo composite. Going mono was all part of the plan and makes compositing two images together a whole lot easier as you no longer have the issue of matching colours to get in the way.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/vbFlTkkOglU[/youtube]
Can’t see the video? Click here http://youtu.be/vbFlTkkOglU

In this video I do a deep dive tutorial on how to use Photoshop to composite the original photos. I start with how to use Adobe Camera RAW to create an HDR background and then add some light rays with my recent Friday Freebie Light Ray Brushes.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/szQ0kj1xuZc[/youtube]
Can’t see the video? Click here http://youtu.be/szQ0kj1xuZc

Watercolour PSD template

This weeks Friday Freebie is a spin off from an article I wrote for Digital Photo Magazine a while back in which I created a bunch of images which, when combined together, create a great watercolour effect. Well I’ve made things easy by creating one of my templates in PSD format and sharing it with everyone for free.

Full download instructions are below but you can also
Click Here To Watercolour PSD template

If you’re wondering what a Photoshop PSD template is, then the answer is simple. It’s a Photoshop file with all the layers intact allowing you to tweak the end result as you see fit. There’s even a layer called “Your photo here” which is where your photo needs to be added.

With several layers and lots of fine textured detail, this weeks Friday Freebie PSD template comes in at around 81mb. If you’re not on a fast internet connection if might take a few minutes to download.

As always, if you create a photo using the Friday Freebie then let me (and everyone else) know by leaving the link in the comments below.

Usage rules
The template is copyright Gavin Hoey 2013. Use is limited to any personal, non-commercial purposes. Please share the Friday Freebie by linking back to this page. Do not redistribute the original image/template without my permission.

Download instructions
Click the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Mmmm3K1utNMnJoVEtKeUxMVDA/view?usp=sharing

1. Click the Download button

2. The download should start automatically

3. Save the template to your hard drive

4. Open in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements

5. Paste your photo BELOW the “Your Photo Here” layer

6. Hide or delete the the “Your Photo Here” layer

7. Use Free Transform (CTRL+T) to adjust the size of your photo

8. Adjust the Levels (CTRL+L)of the “paint” layer to change the look.

Composite with Mark Wallace

A few weeks back I had the absolute privilege of spending a few hours with photographer and fellow Adorama TV presenter Mark Wallace. He was on a European vaccation and we met up in London for a chat over a cup of tea.

Dispite Mark being on his holiday and neither of us planning to shoot a video we decided the oportunity was too good to miss. The plan was for Mark to shoot a portrait in his studio in Phoenix, Arizona and I’d shoot a background in the UK and composite the two photos together.

So here’s part one which starts in the UK before moving on to the USA.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Eh1-IaDmUnc[/youtube]

Part two is where I get to shoot a new background and composite the two photos together. I’ll be using Photoshop Elements 11 to do this which features the same ability to make amazing selections of hair that’s found in Photoshop CS5. In otherwords the technique I use in Elements is the same in Photoshop CS5, CS6 and Photoshop CC.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/uAPtbWLc_J0[/youtube]

We had a real laugh shooting this video and who knows, may be one day we can organise a bigger, better shoot or two. Mark made a BONUS outtakes video which you can see here and may be the best video of the three 🙂 http://youtu.be/gJf6vJ5_WXc

Equipment used in the video:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 11
http://www.adorama.com/ABPSE11WM.html?KBID=67338

Canon 5D Mark II
http://www.adorama.com/ICA5DM2.html?KBID=67338

Canon 24-105L f/4 IS
http://www.adorama.com/CA24105AFU.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard ABEO Plus 283CT Tripod
http://www.adorama.com/VGABEO283CT.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard GH-200 head
http://www.adorama.com/VGGH200.html?KBID=67338

Mist & Fog Brushes

This weeks Friday Freebie is a set of Photoshop Brushes that add beautiful mist and fog in just one click.

Full download instructions are below but you can also
Download the brushes for
Photoshop CS6 and beyond

Download the brushes for
Photoshop CS5 and earlier
(Also works with Elements)

If you’re wondering why there are two versions, maximum brush sizes in Photoshop CS6 (and in Photoshop CC) are twice as big as CS5 and earlier. To take advantage of this I’ve created two sizes of brush… be sure and download the correct one.

Once you’ve downloaded and unzipped the brushes they’ll need to be installed. The easiest way to do that is by opening the Brush panel and clicking the flyout menu in the top right corner. Click Load Brushes… and navigate to the light ray brushes that you downloaded and unzipped. Click here see a copy of the menu and information on where to click

To get the best from these brushes make a blank layer above your photo and set your foreground colour to white. Choose which brush you’d like to use and click once. You can then adjust the layer opacity and use free transform to resize and reposition the fog as you see fit. I found that using two or even all three mist brushes on separate layers often gave more realistic results the just using one but it all depends on the photo you’re using and the look you’re after.

If you create a photo using the Friday Freebie then let me (and everyone else) know by leaving the link in the comments below.

Usage rules
The brushes are copyright Gavin Hoey 2013. Use is limited to any personal, non-commercial purposes. Please share the Friday Freebie by linking back to this page. Do not redistribute the original image without my permission.

Download instructions
Click on the correct download link
Download the brushes for Photoshop CS6, CC, CC2014 and beyond

Download the brushes for Photoshop CS5 and earlier (Also works with Elements)

1. On the download page, click the Download button

2. The download should start automatically

3. Unzip the file and install into Photoshop

No support is provided with the Friday Freebies. If you need help Google or YouTube the question and you’ll almost certainly find the answer

Candlelight From A Speedlite

Candle light is one of the toughest types of light to work with for several reasons. There’s the obvious health and safety issues with naked flames and when your studios ‘made of wood (like mine is) that’s a big concern. That aside, candle light is also incredibly dim which is why film and TV directors fake candle light… and so do I.

In this video tutorial I’ll show you how to turn a speedlight in to realistic candle light which is safe, predictable and bright enough to keep your ISO at sensible levels.

I’m using a modified lantern as my virtual light source. If you want to get the same lamp then pop along to your nearest Ikea where you can pick one of the Rotera Lanterns up for around £2.00 (see link below) all you need to is leave it exposed to the elements for a few years and it’ll look just like mine 🙂

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Z_7kQorCwkU[/youtube]
Can’t view the video? Try this link http://youtu.be/Z_7kQorCwkU

Equipment used in the video:

Adobe Photoshop CS6
http://www.adorama.com/searchsite/default.aspx?searchinfo=photoshop+cs6&category=4294967278+11&KBID=67338

Canon 60D
http://www.adorama.com/ICA60D.html?KBID=67338

Canon 24-105L f/4 IS
http://www.adorama.com/CA24105AFU.html?KBID=67338

Ikea Lantern
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/26472200/

35mm Film Template

I found this weeks Friday Freebie whilst sorting through a pile of old slides I had gathering dust in my office. I’d used this one during the ’90’s in what was known at the time as a “slide sandwich” and was simply two slides pressed together to create a new third image when projected.

Full download instructions are below but you can also
Click Here To Download the 35mm film template

Although the days of the slide sandwich are far behind me, the technique of combining two (or more) images together is alive and well in Photoshop in the form of layers. To make life a little easier I’ve created a template from the 35mm film complete with a note of where your own photo should be added, a blending mode that should work with most photos and a grungy layer mask for if you need to reduce the texture from the centre of the film. Of course you can also change everything if you want.

At 5000 pixels on the longest edge and with lots of fine textured detail, this weeks Friday Freebie PSD template comes in at around 70mb. If you’re not on a fast internet connection if might take a few minutes to download.

As always, if you create a photo using the Friday Freebie then let me (and everyone else) know by leaving the link in the comments below.

Usage rules
The image/template is copyright Gavin Hoey 2013. Use is limited to any personal, non-commercial purposes. Please share the Friday Freebie by linking back to this page. Do not redistribute the original image/template without my permission.

Download instructions
Click the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Mmmm3K1utNNXpONGJGTk9WUkU/view?usp=sharing