Photography Tip - Rockin out Photoshop faux Polaroid template

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Having a little fun with a Polaroid Photoshop templateA couple of times a year I get the urge to experiment with Photoshop.  This time I was searching for postcard templates.  I did not find any of those that I liked (I ended up designing my own), but I did find this faux Polaroid Photoshop template.  For awhile I was keeping a photo of some keyboardist-singer hanging around that I took a few months ago wondering what I could do with it.  I liked the emotion, but I could not really find a fit for it.  After I found the faux Polaroid template, I thought they might go together.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN FAUX POLAROID PHOTOGRAPH

First, download the faux Polaroid template from this site.  Then open up the .psd file in Photoshop.  Also open up the photograph you want to use in the template in Photoshop too.  The faux Polaroid template has quite a few layers to it, not all of them I chose to keep.  

Using the quick select tool with these settings in the screencap above, I clicked on the layers I did not want and then just hit the delete key.  Now the template was ready for the photo to be inserted.  There was some resizing prep-work to be done on the photo first before it could be inserted into the template, however.  I resized the faux Polaroid template to 600px wide (the size of all images on the blog).  

Then I measured the actual pixel space available in the template, represented by the black area seen above.  I cropped the photo to just a few pixels less in each dimension then resized it.  Then it was just a matter of using the quick select tool to drag the photo onto the open black space on the template.  The last thing I did was change the text caption.

I once again selected the template layer with the quick select tool.  Then used the horizontal type tool to write "ROCKIN' OUT!" using the Chalkduster font.  

Here is the final image again:

Photography Tip - two strobe off-camera-flash setup

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Nikon SB-600 Speedlight on tripod to frame left & Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on light stand to frame rightIt is no secret I am a big fan of strobist photography, which simply put is the use of off-camera-flash.  To me it is the key to great sunset portraits, and really portraits of any kind for that matter.  The photo above (taken on St. Pete Beach, see more here) may look like a big undertaking with a complex setup, but with a little practice and the right gear anyone with a DSLR can be doing it in no time.  That said, here is the gear list I used:

  • Nikon D300 DSLR
  • Tamron XR Di II 17-50mm f/2.8 lens
  • Nikon SB-800 Speedlight (with diffuser cap)
  • Nikon SB-600 Speedlight (with diffuser cap)
  • Yongnuo RF-602 wireless flash trigger and 2 receivers
  • generic light stand with swivel flash bracket umbrella holder
  • basic tripod

The Yongnuo trigger and receivers only need to be setup once ever, which just involves setting them all to the same channel.  The trigger just attaches right to the DSLR's hotshoe and works automatically.  So that takes care of getting the two strobes to work remotely.

Setting them up just means screwing them onto the swivel flash bracket on the light stand and the tripod plate.  For positioning, that depends on the angle of composition, the background elements, etc, but mostly I put the light stand at that height above and down onto the subject and the tripod at eye level to the subject in front or to the side.  So that takes care of the physical aspect of the lighting.

Both strobes need to be setup manually, as the trigger/receivers do not work with any TTL modes.  Put each strobe into its Manual Mode and then select the power, which often is 1/2 power for the strobe on the light stand and 1/4 power for the strobe on the tripod, though of course the power setting is greatly dependent on how much available light there is and the distance the strobe is from the subject.  Sometimes I use much less power.  Now all the lighting is setup.

All that's left to do is get the settings dialed in on the DSLR.  For the above shot I used: 

  • Manual exposure
  • f/5.6
  • ISO 400
  • 1/60th
  • WB - sunny
  • RAW + JPG mode 

Again, these settings vary wildly based on available light.  The sun was already set by the time this shot was setup, thus I used a larger aperture than normal (usually f/8 of f/11 for such a shot) and a slower shutter speed and a bit higher ISO (normally I always use the lowest ISO).  I did not want to use any larger aperture than f/5.6 because I wanted to make sure both people were in sharp focus and to be able to get background elements in some detail.  I did not use a slower shutter speed because I know I can handhold 1/60th no problem, but any slower might introduce blur because of my shakiness or the couple's.  Thus, I increased ISO to 400 so I could maintain the aperture and shutter speed limits I wanted to.

Finished shot edited in Aperture 3, Color Efex Pro 3 and Photoshop CS5

Urban Style Flats Apartments St. Petersburg Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting

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St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster helping a young girl at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Urban Style Flats Apartments

A new innovative style of apartment living was launched this evening as Urban Style Flats of St. Petersburg had its grand opening.  Besides being an affordable rental option for people wanting to live near downtown St. Petersburg and directly across from Tropicana Field, it will be home to visiting MLB teams playing the Rays.  St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony helping a young girl with the traditional giant scissors used at such events, which despite their enormous size have poor cutting ability.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/5.6 ISO 400 1/60th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mounted in TTL modeDue to the long history of the newly renovated building, there were many people in attendance who had great past and present involvement in creating that community history.  I spoke with one woman who's grandfather had lived in the building and she showed me the exact unit on a large photograph placard.  I find when I attend such events, people tell me their stories.  I do not know if it is because I am holding a large camera, or I have some other intangible trait that draws out such stories, but I am always interested to hear them.  I like to learn about the history of places via people's own personal tales.

Celebratory spirits were high at the Urban Style Flats grand opening, even for the mayor. 

For a Rays season ticket holder wanting an urban lifestyle, I can see these apartments being an absolutely perfect place to call home.  You could walk door to stadium seat in minutes.   

Jason Collin Photography for Events 

Tradewinds on St. Pete Beach Sunset Wedding

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Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 200 1/160th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mountedWhen photographing a wedding on a beach, such as this one at Tradewinds St. Pete Beach, there are many factor's out of the photographer's control.  First and foremost of course is the sun, and how bright or not bright it is that afternoon, as well as the number of beach-goers wondering around in the background.  So it is not too often that everything comes together as perfectly as can be reasonably expected as it did for Jennifer and John's beach wedding, i.e. brilliant but manageable sunlight and a near empty beach.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250th Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe Tradewinds Resort is also a good beach wedding location because of its nearby sea grass-covered sand dune, which is my preferred background for the after-ceremony formal portraits, as at that time the sun is usually still too powerfully backlighting the water.  

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250thJennifer and John had a very above average number of guests for a beach wedding, which made the big group shot a particular challenge.  I am actually not entirely satisfied with how this shot come out.  There was no point in using my two strobes as they could not light such a long line of people, so I had to rely on the sun to help me out.  People's instinct in group shots is to curl themselves into a semi-circle.  My want was for a very straight, if not slightly convex line to be formed.  This would allow sunlight to evenly light all the people.  Despite several minutes of asking everyone to keep backing up and trying to put them in place, I apparently was not strong enough in my prodding as the people on the right side of the shot are still too much in cross-shadow.  I tried!  That would be the Don Cesar Resort in the far background.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: SB-800 to left & SB-600 to rightAfter the big group shot and the many wedding party shots, at last it was just Jennifer, John and I along with the sun and Gulf of Mexico.  There were not gale force winds that evening, the veil is being held by a bridesmaid (photo secret).  

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: SB-800 off camera to left & SB-600 to rightThe blues were very vidid that sunset, and there were just enough clouds to make the sky interesting.  To me, I think a kissing portrait looks best when the couple is not actually quite kissing.  An actual kiss squishes faces in an unflattering way.  That's why I ask couples to keep their lips slightly apart or only just touching.  Jennifer and John did a great job with their almost-kissing form.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 to left and SB-600 to rightJennifer really like the lacy bamboo canopy setup for their wedding ceremony, requesting a shot of her alongside what I hope is an artificial (or previously long-lived) starfish.  This was a bit tricky to light as she was in shadow under the canopy and the sunset was dancing on her shoulder.  This is where experience counts as I was able to properly position my two strobes (one on a light stand the other a tripod) in time as the sunset is on its own timetable.  

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6 ISO 400 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 to frame right & SB-600 to frame left this timeI had already packed up nearly all of my photo gear.  Jennifer and John were strolling back toward the Tradewinds.  Then I noticed the fantastical violet and reds of the twilight sky that had formed after the sunset.  My arranged photography time was finished and fulfilled.  I had no more official photography duties.  However, I knew as a photographer I could not pass up such a background and beckoned for J & J to come back pointing at the sky.  I quickly got my gear back out and setup before the sky had time to change its mind, and was able to produce the above shot, and got the moon overhead as well.  See that empty beach?  Such a shame to have such few witnesses to a wonderful Florida evening. 

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    • Favorite Five Photographs of 2010

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    This collection of five photographs are my personal favorites that I made in 2010, all from a different category.  All the images were made in the St. Petersburg and Pinellas County areas.  All were taken with a Nikon D300 DSLR.

     

    Nikon D300 Tamron XR Di II 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 5-bracket HDR tripod mounted with cable release5 - Purple Fiery Florida Sunset Sky - category: Fine Art

    This HDR shot was taken on Sunset Beach, Treasure Island, Florida while teaching a DSLR photography lesson to a student.  It is amazing how little I have gone out by myself to photograph the dramatic sunset and twilight skies that are the highlights of fine art photography for Florida.  If not for teaching a photography lesson that evening, I would never have made this shot, so I am very glad I did.  Why I chose this shot in particular is for the mix of colors ranging from purple to yellow tints, to the pink reflecting off the clouds in the left-center.  There appears to be a kind of vortex opening and my imagination always believes something fantastic just might pass through to our world.  Read more philosophy behind this shot.

     

    Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1000th

    4 - Sandy-faced Kiki at Honeymoon Island State Park - category:  Pet

    It was easy choosing this photograph of my own beloved puppy, Kiki.  For me it is two things about this photograph, first, her sandy snout.  Second, and most of all, it is the super creamy bokeh created by the awesome Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens.  It was a really hot August day at the dog beach part of Honeymoon Island State Park.  The light was extremely harsh.  Not the conditions one thinks a well exposed image can be made in.  Thanks to the Nikkor lens and thanks to Kiki having black fur, the harsh summer light served to show detail in her fur not normally seen in photos.  I have an 8x10 mounted print of this image on the nightstand by my bed.  It is the last thing I look at before I go to sleep every night.  Read more about that day at the beach.

     

    Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 Speedlight to left & SB-600 to right

    3 - Mother & Daughter bond on Sunset Beach - category:  Portrait

    I cannot take complete credit for this portrait.  Placing their heads together was the mother's idea.  I take many portrait photographs over the course of a year, so this was perhaps the toughest category to choose a single favorite.  It might be odd to choose as a favorite portrait an image where you cannot even see the subjects faces, but to me, that is one of the reasons why I chose it as my favorite.  The viewer has to use her/his imagination, not just for wondering what their faces look like, but also for what they might be thinking and feeling at that moment.  I hope it is something this mother and daughter continue to wonder twenty years from now.  

     

    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 to left & SB-600 to right

    2 - Smiling Bride with Veil on Pass-A-Grille Beach - category:  Wedding

    This was an easy choice, and I knew it would be my favorite wedding shot of the year the second after I took it.  As soon as I saw Rosa in her veil, I got excited because I knew, finally, I would have a chance to make bride/veil shots, which are some of the most beautiful a wedding photographer can produce.  Again, I was greatly helped by both Rosa and her big smile, as well as Mother Nature for being able to make this shot on Pass-A-Grille beach at the very tip of St. Petersburg.  View the Bride Series images of Rosa.

     

    Nikon D300 with Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 lens @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: SB-600 @ 1/2 power to frame left

    1 - Grandmother's Kiss - category:  Black & White

    As soon as I applied the sepia landscape filter to this image in Silver Efex Pro, it became perhaps my favorite black & white image I ever made.  This was not shot in a studio, but right on Sunset Beach, the scene of many other photography sessions this year.  I still consider this a candid image, my signature type of shot, even though the grandmother was aware I had set my light stand next to her and had taken a position some paces away with my camera.  Her granddaughter I believe had no idea of my presence.  The contrast between the granddaughter facing the lens, but eyes to frame left, and the grandmother in profile lips just slightly pressed against her granddaughter's cheek, are what make this shot my favorite of 2010, in addition to the magic Silver Efex Pro does for black & white image conversion.  Read more about the inspiration for this photograph.