This is my Gratitude Circle

If you received a Notification about this, then you are in it!

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First of all, I'd like to thank +Jari Huomo from whom I borrowed this idea. He posted a similar Circle Share last June ( http://goo.gl/zWn2t ), and regrettably it has taken me far too long to finally put mine together.  Please allow me to apologize in advance if I accidentally left someone out who regularly engages here on my page.

This was a labor of love, as I tried not only to include those that I have regular conversations with here on my own page, but who also are all actively engaging their followers on their own pages.  This is also the first time ever that I curated a circle myself.

Many of these people you probably already have in your Circles, and might recognize from some of the following activities:

+Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt 

+Project 52 B&W 

+FloralFriday 

+Macro Monday 

...and too many more to mention individually!


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Now, I'm sure you'd like to know how it was put together, right? Well, most of you know I have been on G+ since beta and was not a fan of Shared Circles when they were first introduced, because if you can remember back that far, Circle Sunday used to highlight individual profiles, and more importantly why you had those people in your Circles.

As circle membership grew larger and larger, and more people shared them at random, it seemed fewer people took the time to thoroughly vet the contents.  I'd like to point out that I did not include myself in this circle, as it is meant to show gratitude for those that have enriched my experiences here in this community, not as a means of self-promotion. Sure, we all would love to have higher engagement, or more followers, or both -- but NOT at the expense of quality. One thing I've discovered in the past two years on here is that it is very difficult to maintain relationships with hundreds of people, and not have a few (hundred) slip through the cracks.  While I admit my circles are not nearly as organized or efficient as I'd like, hopefully my methods have kept me in the loop so that I don't miss too many conversations with the people I care about.

I should point out that while a majority of this circle contains photographers, that was definitely not a requirement for inclusion. Everyone in this circle has in one way or another affected my life in a positive way. And I am long overdue in expressing my heartfelt appreciation for the plusses, shares and comments that make this place such a joy to be a part of.  *Thank you* to everyone included here, as you have truly added value to my social media adventures: offering advice, sharing wisdom, commiserating about struggles, lifting each other up on the bad days, and celebrating together on the good ones.

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For the Public reading this post, please take the time to review each and every one of these people, as I can personally vouch for the quality of their posts, and the honesty of their engagement. All of these people post mostly their own content (for Public consumption), and are actively participating in multiple communities on a variety of topics.  Please check out their work, and show your appreciation as they have so often done for others like me!

+Erika Stahoski had a great post yesterday about sharing some G+ love with those we care about, and for whom we want to publicly acknowledge appreciation. I would have liked to comment there, but her post already reached the 500-comment limit. So instead I'm starting one here, just to quickly share a few thoughts about a handful of folks that continually enrich my G+ experiences. Many of the people I admire were already mentioned in her post, so check that out here: http://goo.gl/9iiMu

I would not have encountered Erika if not for the shared circle/conversation started by +Sean Cowen, so he's definitely ranking high on the list. But in no particular order, here are some folks who consistently make me grateful to be a part of this community.

+Jaana Nyström and +stephanie wanamaker take every available opportunity to educate and inspire. I have learned so much from these ladies and their posts, it would be impossible to summarize here. Suffice to say, if you are learning to navigate your way through the myriad options on G+, put them in your circles ASAP.

One of the greatest joys for me as an aspiring photographer is the level of support the veterans show for those of us with less experience. Every time I have a question, or need some advice, I only have to open the laptop and within minutes, rivers of knowledge are flowing that can sometimes take days to absorb and decipher. These amazing artists keep my daily stream full with incredibly beautiful images and helpful discussions: +Mark Rodriguez +Louisa Catharine Forsyth +Eustace James +Heidi Anne Morris.

Keeping track of everyone in your circles is a huge challenge, and sometimes I feel I let people down by not getting over to their streams often enough... However, whenever I am feeling like I wish there were more time in the day, people with far busier schedules than I make the time to drop by and say HI. You know when you have those days that it just seems like nothing is going according to plan, a brief note can make all the difference in turning that frown upside down. Whether they stay for an hour or a few seconds, these peeps always make me smile: +Chrysta Rae +Gilmar Smith +Jerry Johnson +Billy Wilson

I could easily go on and on and on.... But you get the idea!
I love G+, and all the people who contribute to making this community a wonderful place to learn and share and grow!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Holiday weekend, whatever you are celebrating!

Last week +Jake Johnson asked a seemingly simple question on his post:

"I am handing out Photography assignments.  Anyone want one?"

Since I am always looking for ways to expand my knowledge, and improve my skills, I accepted his challenge. Little did I know that the project he created would be such an incredible catalyst, propelling people on new journeys of discovery and wonder...

I encourage you to please check out his original post, and review all of the amazing stories that have come from that one question above, all in less than a week's time.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/113381419568450917747/posts/AYoNzDuFY6F

Here is how Jake described my assignment:

"I love NYC. I have a memory of a homeless family that I saw while walking through Central Park. I remember the little girl. She looked scared. They needed help and I chose to keep walking. I want to help someone this weekend for me. Somehow right the wrong that I did. Document it with one single image. You have until Tuesday Night."

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I had a few ideas of what I might like to shoot, but I wasn't sure how to approach the subject matter, as this was very new territory for me. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of homeless people in New York City, so finding one was not as much of an issue as finding the right one for this task.

I was fortunate enough to receive some wise counsel from +Alan Shapiro who graciously agreed to meet my wife and I while we were visiting. We walked around for a while, during which he asked me a few general questions about my thought processes. Although I didn't have answers for all of them, he definitely got the wheels turning in my head, brainstorming possibilities about a number of creative options I might consider. He then demonstrated a few of his techniques for breaking the ice, or determining if the person I wished to photograph might possibly enjoy the interaction.  (At this point I needed a secretary, as I was taking mental notes like crazy, trying to absorb everything that was happening around me.)

Please say hello to "Felix"

The man in this image had a cardboard sign that said FREE ADVICE (donations accepted). On this particular trip to the City, I didn't bring my DSLR with me, and only had a small point-and-shoot and my smart phone.  Alan advised me that in his experience, some people are intimidated by a large camera, while others view it as a sign of professional status. And then of course, there are those that do not wish to have their picture taken at all, for any reason.

But I was determined to complete my #assignmentforjake  and Alan convinced me not to let choice of gear discourage me from that goal. Having recently observed Alan asking questions designed to establish rapport, I noticed that there were only a few small bills and some change in the tiny plastic cup Felix gripped within his bare hands.  Felix and I made small talk for a few minutes, as Alan explained I was trying to learn something new, and would he [Felix] mind if we took a few photographs along the way...

Why is Felix smiling?

Because he is happy!  Sure, there are things in life I imagine he'd wish were different. But he accepted that he is in control of his outlook on life, and didn't for a minute appear victimized by poverty or misfortune.  He was polite, energetic (despite the cold and wind), and truly seemed to embrace that having a positive attitude is a choice.

What advice did Felix give me?

"Do you like taking pictures? Does it make you happy? Then go take pictures, and be happy."

I came away from this experience with a sense of wonder and amazement at the human spirit. Between conversations with Alan, and our interaction with Felix, my day was filled with an unexpected sense of joy and purpose. If I had to summarize what I learned from this assignment, it would be that only YOU are responsible for your own self-confidence.

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Thank you, Jake, for helping me expand my horizons, and experience something I probably wouldn't have ventured out to do.  

Alan, I can't even begin to describe the appreciation I have for you as an artist and mentor. You forever changed how I look at my role behind the lens, and I look forward to meeting new challenges with open eyes.

So. Many. Notifications.

Upon waking this morning and looking at my phone, I discovered that Google thinks I need a cup of coffee before reviewing my stream... I have not ever seen this icon in the red box before, most likely because my previous notifications never went above 99. However, due to the large amount of sharing this past weekend, and the incredible number of new followers in the last 48 hours, clicking on the coffee cup revealed 118 new notifications overnight.

First of all, I wish to extend a huge THANK YOU to +Robin Griggs Wood whose weekend project #rgwshareathon  continues to expose many artists' works (including mine) to a new (and much larger) audience. I am so grateful for the many wonderful comments I've received, and of course the sharing and plussing as well. Thank you, Robin, for not only providing such wonderful artistic inspiration, but also for being such a fabulous mentor and role model. I won't ever be able to thank you enough for the many things you do to help others succeed on their journeys.

If you haven't already seen what Robin has been up to this past weekend, make sure to check out her original post here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103698889037599783920/posts/CxryQMfXwDx

The other monumental incident of my weekend was being included by +Charles Lupica in his Top 1000 circle, which was vetted by an entire team of community members including +Bill Wood +Gemma Costa +Jen Baptist +Katy Houlne +Margaret Tompkins.  The list features photographers who actively engage in this community, and post mostly their own work.

For convenience the lists were sorted alphabetically in two parts as follows:
 
Top 1000 most followed active photographers sharing content on G+ (Circle One: A to J)
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103236949470535942612/posts/FPsHj9E2QEo

Top 1000 most followed active photographers sharing content on G+ (Circle One: J to Z)
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103236949470535942612/posts/SWDq1zGoxH3

Charles has been curating lists like this for the past couple of years, and puts a great deal of time and effort into helping us all better find each other. THANK YOU +Charles Lupica for your hard work and dedication on this project!

Finally, I wish to offer my heartfelt gratitude to all the new followers and friends who are just now discovering me for the first time. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. If I haven't already interacted with you on one of your posts, please feel free to leave a comment below, so that I can jump on over to your profile and check out your work. This community is incredibly supportive, and the feedback is often extremely helpful. I look forward to seeing your images and discussions in my stream.

Have a great day!

Project 52 B&W
Week 15: Flower(s)
#P52BW13   | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw & +Susan Porter 



"Today is the first day of the rest of your life... Go forth and explore."



Happy Friday, Plus Peeps!



+Tamara Pruessner | #FloralFriday  | +FloralFriday 

"Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life.  And everyone deserves a little sunshine."  
~Jeffrey Glassberg

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Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Here is another shot from my Sunflower adventures yesterday.  Luckily I had the 70-300 zoom with me, as I had to shoot it from the road, so as not to trespass on the owner's massive growing field.  Trying to dodge the raindrops, I composed my frame, fired off a few test shots, then waited for just the right light when this little wonder flew straight into the middle of the flower.  I had to quickly re-focus, but its wings were still moving (and hence a little blurry).  All in all, not a bad result from a Sunday Monday drive in the rain...

Project 52 B&W
Week 23: Broken
#P52BW13  | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Susan Porter & +Lauri Novak 

Mr. Mister - Take These Broken Wings

This beautiful falcon lost its wing in the wild, and is currently undergoing rehabilitation as part of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. 

http://www.rmrp.org/rehabilitation/

Image was converted to B&W using LR5 beta, with final tweaks added in OnOne Perfect Effects 4.

Retired Racers

Anybody watch the Kentucky Derby this past weekend? If you did, then you probably know that every year there are horses that are retired from the racing circuit. Whether they win or lose, they experience aging just like the rest of us. When they are no longer fast enough, or have limited profitability, many of these horses are put out to pasture, both physically and metaphorically.

I recently had the opportunity to visit one such equestrian retreat in Unionville, PA. There is a farm called LaMancha animal rescue where I observed many wonderful animals. This no-kill shelter serves as home to horses, dogs, cats, pigs, goats, turkeys, emus, and more...

http://lamanchaanimalrescue.20megsfree.com/index.htm

In the coming weeks I'll be sharing some additional images from my visit, so you can see some of these beautiful creatures in action, enjoying their retirement community.




Submitted to the #EquineTuesday  theme.
+#EquineTuesday is curated by +Jillian Chilson.  
#equine   #horselovers   #equinephotography   #horses  

“In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it.”
~Ernst Fischer






Here is another shot from the recent #espphotowalk  at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA. 

Submitted for the #tuesdecay  theme.
+TuesDecay is curated by +Ian Ference. 

“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”
~George Eastman





Here's another shot from my Aloha series, from the Old Lahaina Luau, on our vacation in Maui a few weeks ago.
#maui   #hawaii   #luau  

Shot with a Nikon D90 and a Nikkor 18-300mm lens
190mm | ISO 2000 | 1/125 sec | f/5.6
Processed in Adobe Lightroom 3


for +PortraitTuesday  #PortraitTuesday  
curated by +Laura Balc & +Tana Teel 

Project 52 B&W
Week 13: "Look Up"
#P52BW13  | +Project 52 B&W
Curated by +Tisha Craw +David Bowden +Susan Porter 

After visiting NYC this past weekend, my initial thought was to showcase one of the many skyscrapers for this week's theme. However, I stumbled upon these dudes playing chess with such intensity, neither one ever took their eyes off the board.  So I decided my interpretation for look up would be to highlight what we are not seeing, since they both maintained their stare at each other and the chess pieces.

PHOTO PEEPS

I saw a post by +Kalebra Kelby a couple of weeks ago http://goo.gl/6gsLQ and it got me thinking about things I might want to shoot, you know, if I had the chance to do something unique or special or one-of-a-kind.

But despite how much we prepare for those special moments, creativity can be a fickle muse, so we have to also be able to adapt, keep our skills fresh and our mind sharp.

So here's my question for ya...

IF YOU JUST FOUND OUT YOU ONLY HAD ONE MORE DAY TO LIVE, AND YOU COULD ONLY SHOOT ONE MORE FRAME, WHAT WOULD END UP IN FRONT OF YOUR LENS?

Good Afternoon, Plus Peeps

Aloha from Maui!

It was quite dark and rainy when our flight arrived late last night. However, this is the view we awoke to today from our oceanside cottage in Lahaina. Can't believe how many beautiful shades of blue there are in the water.

We are less than 200 feet from the beach, and can hear the crashing waves from our room.

This. Is. Paradise.

Shot with my #Nexus4 phone.
Processed with the #Snapseed app for #Android .

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

I am so excited to finally have some new flowers to share with +Tamara Pruessner for her +FloralFriday theme.  While visiting Hawaii last week, we were surrounded by so many amazing varieties, I couldn't wait to get back and edit a few shots.  Actually, it was really hard to leave that island paradise. But now that we are home, I'm glad I have these visual reminders of how beautiful everything looks there!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

#FloralFriday  

+Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt is an exciting adventure, and will definitely challenge you to expand your perspective. If you are curious about what types of images you might be called upon to create, here is a summary from the latest Hunt.



PURPLE
http://goo.gl/jL4nl entire album (246 photos)
http://goo.gl/KOrQi 1st Place +Sandra Parlow & +Jerry Rudolph
http://goo.gl/FhjUY 2nd Place +Lynn Herrick +Robert Thiess +Ken Thompson
http://goo.gl/qVDJq 3rd Place +Ed Sweeney +Sam Breach +Sandra Parlow
http://goo.gl/vVuo8 Honorable Mentions (14 photos)


JELLO
http://goo.gl/QnxXg entire album (213 photos)
http://goo.gl/1LBH8 1st Place +Keith Johnston +Don Burkett +Graeme Nix
http://goo.gl/mU6kv 2nd Place +Sarra Robinson +Kasandra Lemieux +Jeff McDonald
http://goo.gl/f0MGw 3rd Place +Lisa Rose +Ricardo Williams +Simone Gignoux
http://goo.gl/h7f5m Honorable Mentions (15 photos)


GREEN FOOD
http://goo.gl/SIolo entire album (231 photos)
http://goo.gl/3OJ2U 1st Place +Sandra Parlow +Alessandro Cerè
http://goo.gl/OmU3m 2nd Place +Søren Schaffstein +mel peifer +Lesley Scott
http://goo.gl/cA4zf 3rd Place +Tom Gort +Gretchen Chappelle +Jason Rykiss
http://goo.gl/5zcJF Honorable Mentions (14 photos)


NIGHT LIGHTS
http://goo.gl/6hxNM entire album (230 photos)
http://goo.gl/sTTxN 1st Place +Jakob Tertel +Monika Pudlovskytė +Jason Rykiss
http://goo.gl/hHbMu 2nd Place +Erika Thornes +Jacob Lucas +Rob Amend
http://goo.gl/sKhZs 3rd Place +William Rainey +Cora Reed +Susan Porter
http://goo.gl/7BfJl Honorable Mentions (13 photos)


MINT
http://goo.gl/i5VRx entire album (208 photos)
http://goo.gl/Udtz0 1st Place +Christopher Germano +Gilmar Smith +Lori Carey
http://goo.gl/vPFRs 2nd Place +Grayson Hartman +Brian Bonham +Robert Thiess
http://goo.gl/HSo8S 3rd Place +Derek Kind +Melissa Grover +Keith Anglemyer
http://goo.gl/deIWh Honorable Mentions (15 photos)


LACE
http://goo.gl/rMEXf entire album (220 photos)
http://goo.gl/UkuDr 1st Place +Brian Bonham +Chris Crowder
http://goo.gl/CUJpP 2nd Place +Christina Lawrie +Chris Crowder +Larry Moss
http://goo.gl/CsQmf 3rd Place +Erika Thornes +Simone Linke
http://goo.gl/O3AGn Honorable Mentions (16 photos)


GROSS
If you want the link to these, you'll have to ask +Chrysta Rae


DRINKS ON FIRE
http://goo.gl/8LK7N entire album (199 photos)
http://goo.gl/YtOhI 1st Place +Jake Johnson +Layla Kuyper +Kenny Shepard
http://goo.gl/Vd2hW 2nd Place +Christopher Germano +Eustace James
http://goo.gl/9uRd3 3rd Place +Eustace James +Jamie Rich +Erika Thornes
http://goo.gl/z4JQG Honorable Mentions (13 photos)


BATH
http://goo.gl/uW9KZ entire album (218 photos)
http://goo.gl/VSqvE 1st Place +Ed Sweeney +Erika Thornes +Chris Davies
http://goo.gl/6VLIG 2nd Place +William Rainey +Amy G +Sam Breach
http://goo.gl/7E0bD 3rd Place +Erika Thornes +Chris Crowder +Anne Durand
http://goo.gl/nGeb3 Honorable Mentions (12 photos)


SOFT
http://goo.gl/aUrx4 entire album (227 photos)
http://goo.gl/HcwvQ 1st Place +Jason Stone +Jason Rykiss +Vincent Dale
http://goo.gl/u7P0A 2nd Place +Eustace James +Susan Porter +Aldene Preddie
http://goo.gl/gxjbD 3rd Place +Christina Lawrie +Jim Stout +William Rainey
http://goo.gl/V6K7X Honorable Mentions (13 photos)


MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Sign up for the next +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt starts on Wednesday, April 25th at 12 NOON (Mountain Time) and will close as soon as the first 500 spots are gone!*

#wordlesswednesday   #wordlessonwednesday  

Sometime last year I developed a passion for shooting flowers, and that likely would not have happened if it weren't for learning about and participating in +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt.  The community of Hunters have become an extended family: joking and laughing, teasing and taunting, educating and entertaining.  

I chose this image tonight because it represents an aspect of #huntlove  that should not be underestimated: our passionate gratitude for this activity's creator +Chrysta Rae.  Chrysta Rae is perhaps one of the most caring and generous individuals I have ever met online.  Over the past year I've had the privilege to participate in her community, and not only make some wonderful photo friends, but also learn a lot along the way.  I've witnessed some incredible transformations, as artists develop their styles and enhance their talents.  And as any artist can tell you, there are moments when things aren't going the way you want, and you are tempted to give up.

Take a close look at this image, and notice how despite the obvious presence of lingering raindrops, the petals are beaming with radiance, ready to shine anew. +Chrysta Rae has been the sunshine on G+ many times over for many, many people. And no matter how many challenges or obstacles are in her path, she never loses faith in the process, and continues to support and encourage everyone that plays.

This image was processed using +onOne Software which I would not have discovered if not for fellow scavengers +Brian Matiash and +Jacob Lucas providing such helpful tutorials on how to use it.

Any list I might offer would inevitably leave someone out I should have remembered to include. But here are just a few of the scavengers who have greatly enhanced my experiences here, and to whom I am grateful for their spirited conversations and delightful personalities:

+kimberton pemberly +Derek Kind +Elizabeth Hahn +Stuart Dyckhoff +Elizabeth Lund +Mark Rodriguez +Shannon Brearley +Eustace James +Lauri Novak +Vincent Dale +eleisa barbour +Richard Ball +Celeste Odono +Gene Bowker +Beth Akerman +Ralph Mendoza +Rhea Surgimath +Christopher Germano +Kim Troutman 

If you are not already following these people, then what the heck is wrong with you please go check them out! I am sure your stream will be enriched even more than you can imagine...  

What is your SuperHero name?

A few months ago, +Melody Lynn asked her circle peeps to participate in a fun game. http://goo.gl/R78Qw It went on for days, and provided continuous humor for us all.

Wanna play? The formula is simple:

The color of your shirt + the first object to your left = Your Superhero Name

Add your answer in the comments below.
I'll go first. . .

#whateverwednesday   #wordlesswednesday   #wordlessonwednesday  

Comic Con Philadelphia 2013

I took approximately 23 portraits yesterday. Thanks again to +Chris Chabot and +Jennifer Bailey for helping me find the courage to walk up to strangers and ask if I may shoot them. Only one person declined, and while I didn't achieve my original goal of 100 Strangers in the same day, I definitely had fun trying!

It will take me a while to sift through all the images, and decide which ones warrant further editing. But here is the first one.

Her name is Rosanna, and you can find her on that other network.
https://www.facebook.com/Rosanna.Rocha.Cosplayer

1st Day in Colorado

We arrived in Denver this morning, and spent most of the day at Rocky Mountain National Park. Although exhausted from our adventures, wanted to share a quick pic before grabbing a nap.

The attached panorama was shot #SOOC with my #Nexus4 phone.

#mobilography #mountains

And YES, it is almost June, and there was plenty of snow left on the mountaintops.

CIRCLE | PLUS | COMMENT | SHARE
Discuss.

While many of us are taking a pause from uploading new photos (since Google is still busy fixing the album issues), I figured it was a good time for a discussion about how we manage our levels of community engagement...

CIRCLES
"Do you circle everyone who follows you?"
I routinely review new followers as they appear in my Inbox. However, more often than not, unless we share common interests, I'll usually bookmark their profile, and check back again in a week or so. I evaluate the content in their stream, and see if anything sticks out to me. Also, I regularly check for familiarity. Has this person engaged with me on any of my posts or those of my friends? Have I previously engaged on theirs? If the answer is NO, then usually they do not get added to my Circles, but I might come across them in other Communities or shared from someone else's stream.

PLUS
I do most of my web surfing on my #Nexus4  smart phone, which has a very fast #Android  app for Google+. Because of the smallish screen, though, many posts only show the image plus a few lines of text. If the image grabs my attention, I might click through to read further and/or comment. If there isn't any attached image, then unless I already know that the person posting hosts excellent discussions, I might not take the time to read the entire expanded post. 
For more about this line of thinking, check out the fabulous conversation ("Scrolling") from +Jerry Johnson last Friday:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/110041558267751969861/posts/6gwFyYbrf8k

COMMENT
This is an easy one. Because the stream fills up so quickly, I take great pains to try and keep my Circles as organized and efficient as possible. When I'm viewing on the desktop, I take far more time to interact with people throughout my full stream. But when I only have a few minutes at a time, or am viewing exclusively on my phone, then I have a few go-to circles that contain folks whose posts I hope to never miss! These people are my VIPs, and I greatly treasure their interactions, because that engagement is the social media foundation that creates such value for this community. I am grateful for each and every person that takes the time to read and comment on my posts. In turn, I strive to add value to those I comment on as well, whether it be humor, advice, questions, answers, or simply a casual greeting. 

SHARE
Did I ask a question to which you provided the answer? Did you teach me something I really needed and wanted to learn? Does your work inspire me so much that I want to make sure others hear about it? Are you representing a cause I believe in? These are just a few of the possible reasons I might share someone else's work from my page. For the most part, I share my own photography, typically no more than once or twice per day. And if I do share material from someone else, I generally disable comments, leading the discussion back to the original post as intended.

How do YOU manage your engagement here on G+?

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Last week on Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending the first stop on the +Scott Kelby _Shoot Like A Pro_ tour. It was a full day of classes at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

To learn more about this tour, check out the links below:
http://scottkelby.com/2013/announcing-my-new-shoot-like-a-pro-tour/
http://kelbytraining.com/tours/scott-kelby-digital-photography-tour/

Among the many new tips and tricks I learned, were some interesting camera settings I hadn't tried before. I am always amazed by shooters who get it right in camera, thus reducing the time and energy needed for post-processing.

This is a shot I took yesterday at +Longwood Gardens with a kit (not macro) lens, no special lighting, no flash, all created with settings in the camera, a lot of patience, and a little luck. I shot about a dozen frames before I got this one, but I'm pretty happy with the result. I can't tell you how many times I looked at the back of my camera on that tiny 3" LCD screen thinking I got something great, only to get back to the full-size monitor on the desktop and be disappointed that it wasn't nearly what I thought I had. 

However, there is light at the end of that tunnel, folks! Even if you are already a pro, you will learn things from Scott Kelby that will amaze you, and all of a sudden things will click and make more sense.

If there isn't a live tour stop near you, go online and check out their incredible selection of training classes. +KelbyTraining.com has a fantastic roster of instructors and courses in many topics that might interest you. The curriculum is always being updated with new material, and you can view it at your own convenience 24/7.

Thank you +Scott Kelby for taking the time to share your secrets, and help us all make better images!

"No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich."
~Louis Sabin




I had the privilege of photographing this puppy yesterday, and wanted to share the image/story with you all (a little early) for +Fido Friday.  My friend cares for multiple animals (cats, dogs, and even a horse, too). Some of them are her permanent pets family members, and others she fosters until she helps them find a new home.

My wife and I regularly donate to local and national organizations like the Humane Society, PETA, ASPCA, etc. However, my friend brought to my attention that sometimes even more than monetary donations, these places need additional caregivers, people who love animals, and volunteer their time and compassion until these babies find more permanent homes.


"A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog."
~Jack London

 
I'm not a fan of using posts to preach on behalf of a cause, so suffice to say I have a huge admiration for people who love animals. If you are a pet owner, and you treat your animals like they are part of your family, then you are a superstar in my book.


Special thanks to the #FidoFriday  crew:
+mel peifer +Wes Lum +Lisa Lisa +Suhaib Ayaz 

#dogs   #pets   #animalphotography  
#doglovers  

Too OLD To Learn Something NEW???

"Make pictures you like, not pictures you think someone else will like. If you do, the clients will come."

+Zack Arias referenced this quote on his Blog, and he gave some excellent examples from shooters you've probably heard of.  Since I only recently started this new path of my photography journey, it's too early for me to say whether or not it will work out as described.

I'm curious to hear how y'all feel about that quote, and what YOUR experiences have been thus far, especially for those starting a new or second career later in life...

(Many thanks to +Kate Hailey from whom I borrowed this article she posted on her FB page.)

Good Morning, Plus Peeps!

Aloha from Maui

This is the view from our seaside table at breakfast this morning. The Sea House restaurant on Napili beach.

#sooc #panorama #nexus4

*Floral Mystique*

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Here's yet another floral image from our recent trip to Mystic, CT.  These spiky little flowers were in a potted display along the sidewalk in front of the docks.  This plant was gently nestled among what looked like dozens of cacti. Once I started playing with the processing in post, I simply couldn't stop until I got this!

If I lost 1,000 followers today, but gained just one new commenter with true insights, I'd consider that a fantastic bargain... In my opinion, quality will always hold more value than quantity.

Would you trade popularity for a more enlightened understanding of your own artistic journey? (I'm not saying it has to be one or the other, simply posing a question.)

Say "AAAAAH"

You know how whenever you go to the Doctor, they tell you to stick out your tongue, so they can shove a popsicle stick down your throat? And they never even let you consume said popsicle first, right? Well, you know I'm a rebel, so my flower is symbolically sticking its tongue out at each and every disease that causes people anxiety, frustration, and discomfort.

+kimberton pemberly has been under the weather lately, so in an effort to cheer her up, a bunch of folks are posting happy thoughts and warm wishes all to simply say ♥♥♥ #WeLoveYouPemberton  ♥♥♥

While many of the people I follow here on G+ are photographers, I don't always follow them exclusively for their photography. Kim is one of my favorite photographers on G+, and also happens to be one of the funniest and most creative people you'll meet.  She regularly demonstrates her quirky sense of humor, whether her posts are photo-related or not...

If you are not already Circling her, head on over to her profile right now and check out her amazingly artistic images!

+Klout is still a mystery to me, and will probably remain so... But it's always nice when they take the time to shed a little more light on how their processes continue to develop over time. I agree with +Joe Fernandez (and I'm paraphrasing here) that you really have to listen to and understand the people you are trying to influence, for without them, your words might fall on deaf ears.

So I have two questions for you, Joe:

(1) How does one get invited to join the Klout Squad?

(2) Does +Megan Berry need help sorting through the
1 billion daily @mentions on Twitter? 8¬)

And a bonus question, in case the two above weren't interesting enough...
How about scheduling a +Klout Hangout?

Moonshine & Dynamite

Did you know that, in addition to comic book characters, Comic Con also features a number of (old and new) television shows? While one might think the General Lee (of Dukes of Hazard fame) was the biggest attraction in this scene, I personally thought the foreground had many more exciting elements. 

Yep, I can hear the warnings from Uncle Jesse loud and clear!
"How many Dukes does it take to screw up a moonshine delivery?"

************************************************

Just the good ol' boys
Never meanin' no harm
Beats all you never saw
Been in trouble with the law
since the day they was born

Straightenin' the curves
Flattenin' the hills
Someday the mountain might get 'em
but the law never will

Makin' their way the only way they know how
That's just a little bit more than the law would allow

Just the good ol' boys
Wouldn't change if they could
Fightin' the system like a true modern day Robin Hood

************************************************

for +Mark Rodriguez +Isabelle Fortin and +Cheryl Cooper in honor of their theme +Blast From The Past 
  #blastfromthepast   #blastfromthepastthursdays  

also for +Jason Jakober +Tara Romasanta and +Amanda Recker  #lyricallyinspired  by the following...

Dukes of Hazzard Theme

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Start your day with something sweet...

+Macro Monday theme-within-a-theme today is "food", so I'm sharing these delightful berries with you (and curators +Kelli Seeger Kim +Kerry Murphy and +Jennifer Eden).   

#MacroMonday  will likely make lots of people hungry today, so click through the hashtag and see all the wonderful treats on which your eyes may feast!

Good Morning, Plus Peeps!

It is Thursday... What do you have planned?
Anyone doing anything fun and exciting today?

Anime Anyone?

I was walking down the street at the Boulder Creek Festival this past weekend, and came across a lovely actress engaging in some fantasy cosplay. My first instinct was to snipe a few frames with my zoom lens from across the street. However, thanks to +Jennifer Bailey and +Chris Chabot I decided to take a chance, introduce myself, and ask a stranger if I might shoot her portrait. To my great surprise, she agreed (just like Jennifer predicted). She posed for several minutes with a variety of expressions, then we exchanged business cards and went our separate ways.

Thank you Chris for the inspiration to take a risk, and to Jennifer for preparing my mindset, so I was ready to act when the opportunity presented itself.

To see Chris' original post entitled "200 New Friends" check out the following link:  
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ChrisChabot/posts/VJA8tjPkNJN

for +PortraitTuesday  #PortraitTuesday  
by +Laura Balc and +Tana Teel 

Goodbye, Colorado

Finally made it home from vacation last night, and starting to review the almost 1100 pictures from our 4 days in the Rocky Mountain area. So many beautiful views we had the pleasure to witness, and I look forward to sharing them with you...

for +Tree Tuesday  #TreeTuesday  curated by the talented team of tree whisperers including +Christina Lawrie +Shannon S. Myers +Allan Cabrera +Ralph Mendoza +Kim Troutman 

"The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called TRUTH."
~Dan Rather




Have you ever felt like you're living life on the edge, while those around you keep encouraging you to take even more risks, and delve further outside your comfort zone? With your entire body and soul aching for normalcy and the strength of a regular routine, you push forward, unaware of what's on the horizon. It can be is terrifying, but also highly educational and enlightening. Which path will you end up taking, and will you ever really know if you made the right choice?  



Submitted for the weekly #MacroMonday  mini-theme Kitchen Objects with thanks to the +Macro Monday crew: +Kerry Murphy +Kelli Seeger Kim +Jennifer Eden +Jake Easley 


Also submitted for +Monochrome Monday with thanks to the #MonochromeMonday  curators: +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Hans Berendsen +David Orr +Dominique Hilbert +Martin Heller 


Nikon D90 | Nikkor 70-300 @ 300mm | f/5.6 | ISO 1000 | 1/125 sec

Processed with Lightroom 5 beta

"Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower."
~William Feather





A little experimentation with LR5 beta...
#lightroom   #adobelightroom   #lr5   #lr5beta  
+Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 




for +Macro Monday  #MacroMonday  
+Kelli Seeger Kim +Kerry Murphy +Jennifer Eden 

and also for +Monochrome Monday  #MonochromeMonday  
+Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge 
+Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller 


#blackandwhitephotography   #blackandwhite   #bwphotography  
#flowers   #flowerphotography  

Sunflowers at Sunset

A couple of months ago I saw an image of a sunflower field by +Jennifer Bailey and ever since then I have been hoping to create my own version.  

Here is the link to her post from June: http://goo.gl/Cikyc

For those that have been following my stream the last few days, you know I managed to get a few closeups of these majestic flowers, but didn't have any wide angle views from that shoot this past Holiday weekend.  So today on the drive home, I tried to find the field, and after wandering around aimlessly for 20 minutes, finally found this farm again!  (Yes, I remembered to log it in the GPS for next time.)  

I only had the point and shoot with me this time, but waited until the sun was at the horizon, and then hoped for the best.  Hope you like the result.

Good Night, Plus Peeps

Is COMCAST on the fritz?

Anyone else in the Northeast USA experiencing service outages from +Comcast?  

Their customer service has always been horrible, but on this Holiday weekend when everyone is trying to enjoy festivities with their families, it puts a real cramp in the party when you lose TV, DVR, Internet and Phone all at the same time.

What's worse, when you call to report the outage, all you get is a recording saying they are "working on it". There were no storms in the greater Philadelphia area yesterday or today, so why haven't they fixed the problem yet?  

Some of us rely on connectivity for both personal and professional commitments.  I asked my wife if we ever got a reduced bill from them, during those times when we lost Triple-Play service, and she laughed at the notion... However, wouldn't it be nice if we as consumers of their various products had a means of communicating these frustrations to their senior management?  We always pay our monthly invoice in full, so why aren't we compensated in return when those services are unavailable?

Who thinks we should get a partial refund when we don't get what we paid for?

RESHARE:
Why should I circle you? OR
First incomplete Impressions

When I see someone new in my stream, I try to put myself in their shoes, and ask that same question about myself. Let's say you are a very lazy busy person, and don't have motivation time to scroll down past the first page, can you still form an educated assessment of my overall stream? Well...maybe.

Navigating your own stream is easy, if you have good circle management. But what if everyone is in one big group, without subsections by topic or industry? Then it becomes more challenging to separate the noise and chaos from the truly valuable connections/content.

So here is my #googleplustip for this lovely Friday afternoon...
The END button is your friend.
Instead of tapping Page Up or Page Down, try hitting End a couple of times, and look through some older posts. By default, the stream is organized chronologically with the newest posts first. But (in my humble opinion) you can learn a lot about a person by not just looking at where they are now, but taking a closer look at where they were. When I meet someone new in this community, I like to start with the oldest post I can find, and work my way forward. I need to get a feel for their style, their likes/dislikes, their passions, whether or not they share the work of others, or only their own.

If I added you to my stream, and I haven't engaged with you yet, please feel free to call me out. Some days I get a hundred new followers in one day; other times maybe only a dozen or so. So if I missed you, please say so!

The post below is from +Lee Smallwood back in December. I just discovered him yesterday, and can't believe I didn't find him sooner. So take heed of his wonderful advice below, and try something new.

HAPPY FRIDAY! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!! 8¬)

Reshared text:
I used to quote this saying a lot a few years back - but stopped because it became 'outdated':

"If you only do what you've always done you'll only get what you've always got"

But the following has surpassed that...(!)

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

This is one of the hula dancers we saw at the Old Lahaina Luau while visiting Maui, Hawaii recently.  

As you can see, she had a great smile while working the crowd. If you get the chance to attend this memorable event, you should definitely go!

Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to extend warmest Birthday wishes to +Louisa Catharine Forsyth whose expressive imagery and cheerful personality will definitely bring a smile like this to your face!

#maui   #hawaii   #luau  

Good Morning, Plus Peeps! 8^)

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend, and are ready for the daily grind.

Sip some java, and let's get this week rollin' already...

And if the work day gets a little overwhelming, take a quick moment to reflect on the things you appreciate in your life. It might be as simple as enjoying the scenery in your backyard. I spent the weekend up in northern New Jersey, and then came back to this glorious view.

#MirrorMonday is made available through the hard work and dedication of +Gemma Costa and +Elizabeth Edwards.

no photo + no bio = no follow

Agree or disagree?

When you send a friend request in Facebook, there is an option to add a personal message to clarify your intention for requesting to connect... This is a feature I miss in Google+! When adding people to my various Circles, I wish there was an easy and convenient way to modify or personalize this notification, so the recipient knows why I circled them. Anyone else miss having this option?

When the flowers heard it was +Chrysta Rae's birthday, they exploded in celebration!

#HappyBirthdayChrystaRae   

"Happy is the man [one] who can with vigorous wing
Mount to those luminous serene fields!
The man [one] whose thoughts, like larks,
Take liberated flight toward the morning skies
Who hovers over life and understands without effort
The language of flowers and voiceless things!"
~Charles Baudelaire



HAPPY BIRTHDAY +eleisa barbour 



for +Orchid Wednesday  #OrchidWednesday  
curated by +gordon thomson & +Christopher Prins 

#flowers   #flowerphotography   #orchidphotography  

RESHARE:
Who Do You Share With, and Who Shares With You?

I wasn't even aware of this new feature from +CircleCount until I saw it highlighted in +Marc Jansen's stream.  After checking out the tool last night, I am really impressed with the metrics they allow you to observe.

Although I've been included in one or two shared circles (that I know of), I had no idea the scope of how these can spread quickly outside your network.  When I first joined G+ during beta, I truly had no idea the platform (or my involvement in the community) would grow this much.  I am continually amazed that hundreds of people wish to read/view what I post, let alone the thousands of followers that have miraculously shown up in my stream lately.

According to this +CircleCount tool, the people below either shared a circle in which I was blessed to be included, or were somehow tied to me in a way that expanded both my following as well as my level of interactive engagement.

A Huge THANK YOU to you All for making this community such an amazing place in which to share, participate, learn and grow!

+Thomas Hawk +Amanda Blain +Chrysta Rae +Jarek Klimek +Billy Wilson +Rahul Roy +matthew rappaport +stephanie wanamaker +Heidi Anne Morris +Charles Lupica +Gemma Costa +Gene Bowker +Jack C Crawford  +Catherine Vibert +Kathy Morlock +Daniel Ely Rankin +Suzanne Haggerty +Kev Isabeth +Marc Jansen +Johan Horak +Lee Smallwood +Jane Ellen +Jari Huomo +Jerry Johnson 

Reshared text:
The people who have shared a circle including you
http://www.circlecount.com/mysharers/

+Marc Jansen has created and shared a circle including all the people and pages who have shared publicly a circle including him:
https://plus.google.com/102618047349606277909/posts/BFrNZrsZhHV

In the comments of his post we have seen that a page with all of these people could be interesting for a few of you. To be honest we have had this idea before a few months, but thought that such a page wouldn't be that interesting. Looks like we have been wrong ;)

This page is also available for the Google+ Pages you have linked to your profile on CircleCount. You can find the direct links here (at the bottom):
http://www.circlecount.com/mypages/

Nice to see, that the first three in the list of people who have shared +CircleCount are three awesome ladies.
Thank you +Lynette Young, +Jaana Nyström and +Dolidh Young!
But also thank you to all the other 134 people who have shared a circle including us!

+Domingo Rogers: now ;)

Thanks for the feedback +Tejas Richard, +Dirk Talamasca, +Marc Jansen, +Max Huijgen and +Andrew Eva!

#circlecount #newfeature

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Hope you all have a fantastic day, the weekend is just around the corner...

What!
You can't tweet only to certain people/lists, without everyone reading it?

Hmm, how might we fix this problem?

Oh yeah, JOIN GOOGLE+, and promote your content only to the relevant circles for those topics! Or share with everyone, because they can decide if they want you in their Stream or not...

#wordlesswednesday   #wordlessonwednesday  
#captionthis  

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Here is my first submission to +Lonely Chair Tuesdays.  I heard about this theme just before I left for vacation, and so stayed on the lookout for something that might fit the bill.  Luckily, there was no shortage of unoccupied seating in the quiet areas of the rainforest.  #maui #hawaii

#LonelyChairTuesdays  is curated by +Lauri Novak & +Rachel Tine 

What is the best way to share your favorite G+ photos?

Well, you certainly can't go wrong with the new display pages from +Jari Huomo and his innovative sorting algorithms.  They look beautiful, and he built them so you can easily create your own in only a couple steps.

Read how to make your own in his original post here:
http://goo.gl/mo4UD Google+ Photobox by +Jari Huomo 

Here are a few that turned out delightfully well, and I recommend you check out...

+Rhea Surgimath http://goo.gl/L8FGl

+Paul Howard http://goo.gl/1Uxbu

+Sumit Sen http://goo.gl/bZesW

+Allan Cabrera http://goo.gl/XbjnU

+Jerry Johnson http://goo.gl/5mdiq

+Shannon S. Myers http://goo.gl/bpzAv

+Elizabeth Hahn http://goo.gl/oiQ3R


And if you have any energy left, after checking out those amazing artists above, this is how mine turned out: http://goo.gl/RB9LT

All Hype? Or Worth The Wait...

Despite hours of frustration on Tuesday, I finally received a confirmation email saying my new #Nexus4  smart phone from +Google would be shipping in 3-4 business days.  So imagine my disappointment when I learned only two days later that I now have to wait possibly weeks before it will arrive.

I read the blog posts about the shortages after these new phones sold out in Australia and the UK.  So I expected there might be availability issues.  I'm sure I must have hit the F5 refresh button hundreds of times while attempting to Add to Cart, only to have the entire cart disappear, followed by only the Notify Me button again.  This was an incredibly unpleasant shopping experience, and made me question the value of my investment.

While I appreciate the gesture of crediting back my shipping, I think Google should have also included a FREE bumper case as well.  Waiting an extra month is almost as bad as not having been allowed to make the initial purchase on launch day as well.  I read the forums, reviewed the advice of others who had successfully completed their purchase, and thought I was going to be the proud new owner of the latest and greatest Android smart phone.

As a huge fan of Google+, I wanted to cut Google some slack for running out of a great product so quickly.  However, since I don't have it in my hands yet, I can't say for sure that it really is or will be great.  I was looking forward to raving about the new device, but now all I can do is....

Anyone else get this letter?

Are you feeling frustrated, too?  How do you think this launch was handled from a marketing perspective?  Are you still happy you purchased this phone, or has the hype worn off and been replaced by disappointment?

  #nexus4fail  

RESHARE:
What makes a post worthy of commenting or sharing?

Are there rules for getting more out of your online experience here? Well, maybe not rules as much as suggestions for better engagement. If you want people to comment on your posts, or share them with their friends, the key is content. Do you have something to say that provides value for the reader? Are you entertaining or educating them? Will the information or data still be as valuable tomorrow or the next day (or whenever they get around to reading it)?

Using some wisdom from +Gini Dietrich here are a few tips I've come across over the past several months in this community.

1. Does your profile make a good first impression?
Try to make it easy for a first-time viewer of your page to learn what you are all about.

2. Are you relevant?
If you want an audience to better understand you, connect with them in ways that let them know you share similar interests/values.

3. Are your discussions interesting?
Don't be afraid to spark controversy, if it leads to enlightenment. Encourage diversity in conversations, as additional perspectives often turn into new insights.

4. Are your communications a two-way street?
Nobody wants to read a manifesto. Participate actively in discussions on your page. Every comment has value, even if you don't agree with their opinion. Take the time to reply, so the comment author experiences validation and might even return to do so again.

And if you are looking for some additional ideas about improved online interactions, check out the +Spin Sucks daily blog, which regularly shares wonderful anecdotes, charming personalities, and the occasional joke or two.

Reshared text:
I'm mostly curious to see if I'm right about #7!

RESHARE:
Do artists with 100,000 followers (or more) still need validation?

I often wonder whether or not a photographer with hundreds of comments and thousands of followers actually receives any benefit from a re-share. Their images have already been spread through the streams so many times, they can't possibly be expected to read every comment, or review who gave them a "+1" on it. But if you think it is all about metrics, then perhaps you are missing the point.

Sharing an image, whether by a photo superstar or an unknown newbie, should (in my humble opinion) be about what inspires you. Don't share an image just because you think it will get you more followers or more comments. Don't share an image just to be controversial, simply for the sake of creating a stir. Share an image because it makes you FEEL something!

I've been following +Elena Kalis since last Summer, but I admit her images sometimes pass through the stream before I've had a chance to really feel their impact. Lots of people take pictures underwater; but not everyone can create art while doing so. Even though the travel/landscape genre is not my area of expertise, I feel transported to a more peaceful time/place when I stare at her work. And it is this remarkable sense of paradise which provides the inspiration, which calms me, and allows me to focus on finding my own style/muse.

Although the Public post is locked, I wanted to share the link here to another of her images that really made me stop and stare, and listen.

http://goo.gl/mgCGI
Go check it out, then please come back.....

I'll wait!........

Is it just a sea shell, or is it a story waiting to be told? What might you hear if you put that shell up to your ear? What stories did the other wandering travelers before you hear? What does the image say to you?

I'm sure everyone appreciates growth of both followers and comments. But back to my original question: Is the desire for validation something we ALL share, no matter how big or small our status? One of the luxuries of having fewer followers is the ability to get to know more of them personally, and read each and every comment on posts. While I know this isn't sustainable long-term, I hope to maintain this mindset as long as possible.

Is validation (via shares, plusses and comments) a universal common denominator here on Google+? Or do we simply produce what we want, just for ourselves, and not worry whether or not anyone likes it?

I mention the following artists by name, in the hopes that some of them will have a moment to share their opinions on validation, and in what ways they feel their success has influenced their overall level of engagement.

+Elena Kalis +Scott Kelby +Colby Brown +Trey Ratcliff +Vivienne Gucwa +Alan Shapiro +Mihailo Radičević +Thomas Hawk +Star Rush

Reshared text:
Twilight

You have 142 people in common!

Yeah, I know what it means. But what does it really mean? Do you circle someone just because you share a bunch of common contacts? Or do you still take the time to review their profiles, and decide on an individual basis?

For me, I want to dig deeper, check out a few posts, read through the entire About page, and get a sense of what the person is about. And if they list Photographer among either their Profession or Hobbies, then I am definitely also going to look at their Albums, and not just the first three (most recent) that default on the tab view.

While the ability to share entire circles is a nice feature, I think it is exploding peoples' follower counts, and not necessarily in a beneficial way. Yes, I am grateful for those that circle me, and voluntarily choose to follow my posts. But I hope (perhaps naïvely) that they also (eventually) take the time to learn what I am all about...

How about you? Who are you circling these days? By what criteria are you evaluating placement into your various circles?

Heeeere kitty kitty kitty...

Another portrait from Comic Con 2013 (Philadelphia). Cat Woman was incredibly gracious, despite the fact that the actress seemed amused that I had no idea who she was. Perhaps the fact that I didn't recognize her worked in my favor?! Anyway, it was one of my better shots of the day.

I haven't finished editing the entire series yet, but I put up a couple of other shots at the following link, for anyone that wishes to jump over to that other network and check them out.

http://goo.gl/9ysJO

The idea of asking people to 'Like' my images simply turns my stomach. It goes against everything I learned about organic, grass roots marketing. But apparently FB won't take my photo page seriously until a sufficient amount of viewers check it out. Oh well, I refuse to let those little obstacles get me down...

Thank you Plus Peeps for your constant encouragement and support, which makes this Community far superior (in my opinion) to any of the other online social platforms out there.  You guys are awesome!!!

Do you CLICK?

If you are a photographer, amateur or professional, then you have probably heard of +Alan Shapiro. In addition to being one of my favorite image makers, he is also an incredible human being, always readily sharing his knowledge and experience with others.

He was recently interviewed on +BBC Click where he discussed the importance of metadata.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22736987

For convenience, I transcribed most of his interview below, in case the video doesn't play in your area, or you wish to further investigate the included references.

#photography   #metadata   #copyright   #bbcclick  

*****************************

Narrator:
"Turn over your photos from decades long gone, and you might find scribblings on the back: who, what, when, where... That was your grandfather's version of metadata. But today's digital photo file not only collects all the technical information from the camera, but allows shooters to add many personal details as well."

"Metadata software used to be a Pros-only world, but the giants ( #Lightroom  and #Aperture ) have both dropped their prices dramatically --- and very cheap apps, like ??? have emerged, offering the ability for anyone to add captions, keywords, ratings, and other metadata, quickly and efficiently."

"But photographers in the 21st century (like +Alan Shapiro) face another problem. They need to ensure that the metadata, which can include important copyright information, sticks to the photograph, wherever it goes online. Traditionally, that has been tricky."

Alan Shapiro:
"Metadata is important to everyone, whether you're a professional or an amateur. Anyone who wants to share their photographs... I've had family come for family reunions, and then some of them want photos... I just send them to my +SmugMug site, and they can download there, and then all of the data that I have added to my photo travels with it."

Narrator:
+SmugMug has become popular with photographers, because it was one of the first to acknowledge the importance of metadata, and leave it intact throughout the import, storage, export and distribution process. Some websites strip it without warning, to save bandwidth costs."

"But creating metadata with photographs can be a tedious and time-consuming project. +Photosmith 3 is a tablet app, that syncs with  +Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and allows for cataloging on the go. The first two versions (released by part-time developers who started it as a hobby) got mixed reviews, primarily because of Apple's iOS restrictions.  But this version (it's claimed) will finally unchain photographers from their desktops and laptops forever."

Mike Wren (Photosmith):
"Yeah, it absolutely puts metadata into the hands of the amateur for the first time in the mobile space. Certainly there's Aperture and there's Lightroom on the desktop and laptop space, but in terms of mobile tagging, iPhoto just isn't there on the iPad. Yes, you can edit the exposure, but you really can't edit the metadata in any meaningful way."

Narrator:
"The most logical moment to add metadata is of course when the camera is clicked, or in the few seconds after that. Devices can already add GPS coordinates, and even identify people within the frame. And the next batch of cameras, with larger processors, might be able to take dictation on the spot, turn it into text, and add it to the file."

 *****************************

For more information about organizing and modifying metadata using the software mentioned above, check out the following links:

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom.html

http://www.apple.com/aperture/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photosmith/id427757668?mt=8

#Lightroom   #Aperture   #Photosmith  

RESHARE:
Do you love Photography?

Are you a creative person that likes to be challenged?

THEN you will want to check your Stream in the next couple of hours, because something very exciting is about to be announced!

+Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt is about to start another round of adventures, and the spots fill up FAST, so get your typing fingers ready, and practice hitting your 'Refresh' button... 

+Chrysta Rae is a champion of the anything is possible mentality, and participating in her activities will definitely help you see the images around you in a whole new way.  Plus, not only will you likely make tons of new photo friends while networking in this community, you'll also develop an enhanced perspective about how to interpret your own artistic expression, and translate that into the stylistic choices you make in your images.

Sound like FUN? Well, like she says, it's the most fun you can have with your camera.

Since there were no veteran signups this time, we will all be signing up at the same time.  (Did I mention the spots go fast?!)  If you are not already sitting in front of your computer waiting nervously patiently, and don't think you'll be able to sign up exactly when the post comes out, then +Chrysta Rae has graciously allowed signup via proxy this time, so please make sure you have arranged in advance for someone to sign up on your behalf.  PLEASE NOTE, only one name per comment may be entered at a time.

I reviewed the postings prior to the signup, and here is a brief review of the proxy situation so far:

+Chris Bagley has offered to sign up on behalf of +Brandon Luk

+Swaroop Subbanna will proxy for +Girish Veetil & +Sam Breach & +Rahul Matthan 

+Sheila B. DuBois will use her magical powers to add +Stuart Dyckhoff to the list

The amazing +Paul Howard graciously agreed to sign up for +Gary Paakkonen & +Charlotte Therese Björnström 

+Tom Gort will astound us all with a special proxification designed to get +Kevin J. Chen into this round as well

+Eilidh McHale reached out for assistance, and +Rachel Houghton came to the rescue

+Derek Kind will be kind (as always) and sign up for +Kenny Shepard & +Allison Sekuler

GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE!
May your fingers be as swift as light years faster than your shutters...

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THE SIGN UP for the +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt will be held THIS THURSDAY, February 28th at 5 pm Mountain time zone.

Be online, and watching my stream at that time,
when the sign up post comes, 
be one of 500 people to say "I'm In"
and you will be entered into the MARCH 2013 Round of the Hunt.

IF the time zones have this in the middle of your night, or IF you have plans and cannot be online at this particular time, FIND A PROXY to sign you in.

Please note - I will only take ONE "I'M IN" per post. The only way for me to control the 500 entries is by the comments themselves. When it hits 500, the post closes. I will ONLY take 500 people. IF you are doing a proxy for someone, enter yourself in first, then enter in the person you are helping out on a separate comment. Proxies say "+__ is IN" - again on a separate post from the one you did to enter yourself.

I will have a secondary post (if needed) with people who did not get entered but who really want to play, and after doing a first run-thru of people entered, there will be spots open at that time.

This round is going to be the best one ever.
wipes nose with sleeve
IT. IS. SO. ON.

bounces 

(PS - photo by +Derek Kind who light painted this backwards at 4 a.m.!)

We went out on a raft for some Whale Watching yesterday, and upon returning to Lahaina harbor were greeted by this lovely rainbow over the mountains.

#sooc #nexus4 #maui #hawaii

Good Evening, Plus Peeps!

I've been away for a while, but am slowly trying to get back into the groove of posting to the +Daily Photography Themes. 

While driving home, snow and sleet quickly gave way to rain, so I grabbed a quick snap with the new phone.

#WindowWednesday  
+Cheryl Cooper 
+Jason Kowing 
+Jules Falk Hunter 
+J.J. Bentley 
+Simon Davis-Oakley                                  

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Happy Friday!

Did you get any sleep last night, or did you (like me) stay up exploring all the new Communities?

Which one(s) are your favorite so far? Drop a link in the comments, so we can all check it out!

Have a wonderful weekend!

(Oh yeah, and +FloralFriday is today, too! So get those #FloralFriday  shots ready to share with Miss +Tamara Pruessner.) 

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving (for those that celebrated).

Any exciting plans for Cyber Monday shopping?  Or did you already find everything you wanted on Black Friday?

When you need a rest from all the mall madness, take a breather, and gaze into my hypnotic soda bubbles, and let your mind relax.

Time to Take a Deep Breath of Fresh Air, and Relax

My photos have been turned in for the Anniversary edition of +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt, so I can finally take a moment to sit down and rest.

+Chrysta Rae collected my album, and now we all await the upcoming reveals in the days ahead.  If you haven't already, make sure to add both Chrysta and the Hunt page to your Circles, so you can join in on seeing all the amazing interpretations of the assigned topics.  It's a whirlwind of emotions, but always proves both educational and entertaining.

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The image below is another shot from our recent trip to Nashville, TN.  The bench is among many scattered throughout the Hermitage estate and grounds.  There were so many wonderful sights to see in our Southern adventures, and I'll continue to share them as I have time to edit.

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Thank you +Rainer M. Ritz for curating the #BenchSaturday  theme.

Good Morning, Plus Peeps!

We are just about to head out for another day of shooting, but wanted to share with you this discovery from yesterday.

Although my wife prefers the untreated image (SOOC), I like this textured version better.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then it may not necessarily be considered Art, but like finding your own meaning in poetry, I leave it to YOU to interpret as you wish.

Have a great day!

Went to a local Air Show this weekend, and despite the cloudy skies and sprinkling raindrops, the aircraft performed all their loops and twirls for the crowds.

New Garden Airport, Toughkenamon, PA

#airshow #aviation

OK, Plus Peeps, after a very long Holiday weekend, it's time for me to hit the sack.

Hope you all have pleasant dreams, and awake refreshed to start the work week with a smile!

I snapped this last week while renting the 105mm macro lens, so that I would have some entries to share with the lovely ladies of #macromonday . +Macro Monday is curated by +Kelli Seeger Kim +Kerry Murphy +Jennifer Eden.

Don't be afraid to march to the beat of your own drum.


"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking.

Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Everything else is secondary..."

quote via Steve Jobs

[The image below was captured this past weekend in Washington, DC at the street festival. Cropping, editing, filter, texture and frame all composed on the iPad.]

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."
-- Katharine Hepburn
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I haven't really had anything to post in this theme since last December.
http://goo.gl/mfjJo
But I recently came across this playful image in the archives from our honeymoon, and thought this would be perfect today for the #WomenWednesday theme. These gals went on the four-hour horseback ride with us, followed by a hike up the waterfall. The trail leader taught us to scale the mountainside in teams, trusting our partners to monitor the slack in the ropes to which we were (safely) rigged. As you can see, the safety briefing needed a little levity, and these ladies couldn't resist the chance to demonstrate that trust exercise.

+Women Wednesday is curated by this lovely team of ladies:
+Niki Aguirre +Athena Carey +Lee Daniels +Kerry Murphy
+Teresa Stover +Christina Lawrie

Day 5 of 366

Toward the end of 2011, I read a lot of PotD posts where people lamented that they were out of ideas, or couldn't make it anywhere special to shoot, so they ended up taking random pics around the house... I took this as a challenge, and decided to start my journey in this way, with some of these self-imposed limitations. I restricted my subjects to things we might normally pass by without really noticing. Today's image is yet another example of an everyday object we probably all have somewhere in our homes. What do you think this is? [PS. This was shot on my Samsung Galaxy phone, and converted to B&W in Adobe Photoshop Express for Android.]

Now there are reports this was felt all the way up in Toronto, Canada too. So far, from comments on my previous posts, people felt it in:

Chester County, PA
Toledo, OH
Winchester, VA
Dayton, OH
Raleigh, NC
Greenville, SC
New York City
Baltimore, MD
Washington, DC

I can't believe we felt this here in our office building, hundreds of miles away from the actual quake in Virginia... The floors and walls were shaking for about 30 seconds here in downtown Wilmington, DE (USA).

Our household recently switched from PC over to Mac, but I was excited to learn that the Chrome browser works on both... I am curious what people think about Safari (native Apple browser) versus Chrome. Do you use both? Which do you like better, and for what purposes? Since I use only PC at my day job, and now Apple at home, I find Safari doesn't seem as fast as Chrome. I even tried Safari on my PC for comparison, but was unimpressed. If you have a preference, please share your experiences below. Thanks!

Happy Friday, Plus Peeps

"May your day and the upcoming weekend be filled with joy and adventure!"

I would also like to take this opportunity to extend warmest Birthday wishes to +Rosie Nixon and +Sarra Robinson.

#HappyBirthdayRosie   #HappyBirthdaySarra  

And of course, since it is the end of the week, that means it is time once again to pay homage to the flower queen +Tamara Pruessner for her wonderful theme: +FloralFriday  #FloralFriday   

New York City, here I come...

"The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose." ~ Kahlil Gibran

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Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Whatever curves and twists you find in your path, may you also discover the beauty hidden there as well, enhancing your journey.  While walking through the gardens in Hawaii, I came across some very unusual flowers. And while they might not necessarily fit into the traditional garden album, who knew that when the time came, I'd have just the right submission for today's theme...

So here is my #MacroMonday  entry today for the theme-within-a-theme: Curls. Many thanks to the hard-working ladies of +Macro Monday who always make participating in this theme fun and challenging each week.
+Kerry Murphy +Kelli Seeger Kim +Jennifer Eden 

Have a great week, everyone!

Had a migraine headache this afternoon, and this is what I imagine it looks like inside my head when that happens...

“The caterpillar does all the work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity.” 
~George Carlin

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#MacroMonday  with +Jennifer Eden +Kelli Seeger Kim and +Kerry Murphy +Macro Monday 

#OnTheWingsOfButterflies  curated by +Cicely Robin Laing +Sharon Jeannette +On the Wings of Butterflies! 

#BreakfastClub  curated by +Gemma Costa and +Andrea Martinez +Breakfast Club 

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Good Morning, Plus Peeps!

The image below is from our recent trip to Nasville, TN.  This beautiful butterfly (and many others like it) were perched atop the floral gardens at The Hermitage, museum estate of former President Andrew Jackson.

#Nashville   #Tennessee   #TheHermitage   #Butterfly   #FloralPhotography   #ButterflyPhotography   #ButterfliesEverywhere  

Good Evening, Plus Peeps

Hope you all had a great day!  Last weekend I passed this unusual flower.  I'm not sure if this is its full bloom, or if it opens up...  In any case, I liked the vibrant purple hue against the lush green foliage, and decided to share it with you.

Sweet Dreams!

Good Morning, Plus Peeps

We made it to the middle of the week, and are halfway to that upcoming long weekend.  Anybody have exciting plans for the Holiday?  

We are staying in, catching up on our favorite programs, a little overdue rest and relaxation, to rejuvenate the body and refresh the mind.

Happy Hump Day Wednesday!

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Has It Been A Year Already?

This was the first album I uploaded to G+ back on August 6, 2011.  I joined on July 20th, and posted a few lame entries, but had no idea what I was doing...

It was a couple of weeks before I discovered photo sharing, and brought a few pics into the mix.   #MyFirstPost  wasn't all that exciting, and subsequent entries were mostly inquiries about how to use the platform.

Around the middle of August, I sort of found my groove, and after discovering http://findpeopleonplus.com got the hang of reaching out and building connections to people with similar interests.

Thanks to +Jari Huomo we can all take a trip down memory lane, and see our posts from oldest to newest, to easily observe the chronology of how we got to where we are now.  If you don't already know how to use the tools he built, jump on over to his profile and ask him, he'll gladly share the secret with you!

Finally, as we approach this Anniversary, I'd like to acknowledge a few outstanding individuals, who not only helped me get acclimated to this network, but whose support and nurturing continued throughout the beta phase and into the amazing community we have now.

So without further adieu...  *THANK YOU* to the following Plus Peeps who every day make my experiences here more memorable, and have been around since the very beginning when I started:

+Bill Jones, Jr. +Melody Lynn +Kev Isabeth +Alma Alvarado +Amy McCloskey Tobin +Mike Spinak +Simon Kitcher +Nichole Dobo +Wes Lum +Randall Beggs +Sonja Miller Williams +Sarra Robinson +Shana McCormick +Marc Jansen +Mark Rodriguez +Sara Ataie 

I'm sure there are many more people I should mention, but these are just a few of the folks that plussed and commented consistently throughout the first couple of months, and to whom I am still connected today!  I am SO grateful to have found this community, and learned what an incredible value social media adds to an artist's life.

To all my new friends, you're the best!

Happy Anniversary, Google+

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A few candids while getting the hang of Street Photography.....

Good Evening, Plus Peeps!

While trying to develop a style that suits me, I've been experimenting with a bunch of different elements, including both hardware and software changes.  Having shot so many flowers recently, I wanted to see if I could reproduce the #macro  feel using a standard lens...

Instead of using my D90, the shot below is from my older D50, using the 18-55mm kit lens.  A few tweaks in post, and voila!

Does it pass?  

YOU be the judge!

You can please some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time; but you can't please all the people all the time.
--Abraham Lincoln

My wife wasn't crazy about the black and white version this morning, so I'm posting the same flower again in color.

Which one do you prefer?

Good Morning, Plus Peeps!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and is off to a great start for the new week.

Here's another image I shot with the (rented) 105mm macro lens.

for +Monochrome Monday & for +Macro Monday 

#monochromemonday  is curated by +Charles Lupica +Jerry Johnson +Hans Berendsen +Manuel Votta +Steve Barge 
#blackandwhitephotography  

#macromonday  is curated by +Kelli Seeger Kim +Jennifer Eden +Kerry Murphy 
#macro   #macrophotography   

Good Morning, and HAPPY FRIDAY!

Are you ready for the weekend?

Do something special for the one you love, even if especially if that someone special is you!

Have a great day!

+FoodFriday is curated by
+Lucretia Yeh +Bobbi Lance +Nicholas Ong +Natty Netsuwan

"You're a vegetarian? What do you eat?"

I can't tell you the number of times I hear that every week. It's astonishing, because I've never gone into the Lunchroom at work and asked any of the carnivores what's on their menu du jour.

I eat lots of things, like salads, breads, pasta, fruits, vegetables, grains, etc... But then there's that time when you just crave a sub sandwich, with spicy mustard and melted cheddar. So what went into mine? Lettuce, tomato, onions, peppers, pickles, jalapenos, pepperjack and cheddar cheeses, on a multi-grain sub roll. Yummy!

#vegetarian #vegetables #365project #androidography

Day 26 of 366 of my +G+ 365 Project

Will Google+ work well as a blogging platform?
I've noticed a number of people simply posting links to their external blogs, with maybe a one or two word intro about the topic... But I was pleasantly surprised to see a few people actually writing what appear to be Blog posts right here within the G+ stream. I think there is great potential here in the future -- but for the moment, since those topics aren't really searchable yet, it might be problematic.
What do you think?

Here's another shot from our recent vacation in Colorado...

for +Mountain Monday  #MountainMonday  
curated by +Michael Russell 
#mountainphotos   #landscapephotography  

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WIN-WIN SITUATION

I don't know very many photographers who love selling, and having to aggressively market their own skills and talents... What if there were an easier way for photographers to find new clients, or allow those clients to find the photographer that best matches their wants and needs?

I'm really excited about this project announcement from +Chris Chabot. If you are a photographer, sign up on his post right away, so you can get in on the ground floor of what looks to be an incredible opportunity.

Thank You +Chris Chabot for working with your team (and industry veterans) to create a network that provides a model from which we can all carve out our own path to success.

Can't wait to find out more about #Snapsation ! 

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Introducing Snapsation

Amongst the greatest human needs is the need to tell stories, to record memories, and to share our moments with the people who matter the most to us.

When you need an awesome dating profile picture, a business portrait, photos of your family reunion or milestone events. You need an amazing local photographer to help you to capture all of  life’s moments.

As a local business you want to show off how amazing your restaurant is, the decor in your Bed and Breakfast, to show off your beautiful store or great new products, to record your industry happenings and events.

Finding a photographer is intimidating. And harder than it should be.

Photographers need customers. No matter how experienced a photographer is, there never seems to be enough time to focus on getting new customers. And for the many passionate and talented amateur photographers looking to begin making money of their passion, knowing how to market themselves or find opportunities can be overwhelming.

Finding customers is intimidating. And harder than it should be.

It doesn’t have to be this way! Snapsation will connect local photographers to local people and make the entire process for all parties a snap! 

As of today we’re launching our invite-only beta program, so when you try it out you may find some rough edges.

Go to http://www.snapsation.com to learn more and to register for your invite!

We’ll be at LeWeb London June 5th, so come say hello if you're there!

#snapsation  

"I don't usually drizzle coffee flavors all over my flowers
But when I do
I use the White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino Blend!"

Happy Birthday +Alan Shapiro 

#AlanShapiroBirthdayStyle  

“A tree trunk the size of a man grows from a blade as thin as a hair. A tower nine stories high is built from a small heap of earth.”
~Lao Tzu





+Tree Tuesday is made possible by the tireless efforts of veteran curators +Christina Lawrie and +Shannon S. Myers who recently welcomed new curators to the #TreeTuesday  crew. Very excited to see +Allan Cabrera (obviously no stranger to the forest), and +Ralph Mendoza on board to help carry the torch branch for this weekly theme!  *Welcome!*

"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction." ~ Chanakya

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Good Morning, Plus Peeps

Have a wonderful day, and may you find beauty everywhere you look, and in everything you do!

Snow Birds?

Hmm, I think these geese forgot to fly south for the Winter, as they looked quite comfortable waddling around in the snow.

Good Afternoon, Plus Peeps

Hope you are all having a great day so far!

Take time to walk outside, get some fresh air, and enjoy the view.

#TreeTuesday +Tree Tuesday
+Christina Lawrie +Shannon S. Myers

"My sorrow, when she's here with me, thinks these dark days of autumn rain are beautiful as days can be; she loves the bare, the withered tree; she walks the sodden pasture lane."
~Robert Frost


+Tree Tuesday  #TreeTuesday  
+Christina Lawrie +Shannon S. Myers  

Sorting Filters I'd Love To See

I saw a post this morning from +Jacob Dix http://goo.gl/FMpht where he shared a circle of Relevant followers, according to the mysterious algorithms used by Google.  While I don't disagree that in many cases they get this right, I'd prefer to have some input on what I consider relevant.

Locating followers quickly by First Name or Last Name is very convenient, but it isn't always the method that achieves my desired result.  If I want to share a Circle with my followers of people who engage interactively on a regular basis, I'd like to be able to identify those strengths.

On the attached mockup, I added some new choices to the menu drop-down.  For those who are following nearly the maximum 5k allowed, and who have many times that who are following them, this would be an ideal way to organize shared circles based on engagement metrics.  I realize, of course, integrating this data into the native app could take dev teams quite some time.  However, +Jacob Dix inspired me to throw this thought out there, and see if anyone agrees it would be a useful tool.

What do YOU think about sorting by Engagement?

#googleplusmockups   #googleplusfeaturerequest  

Good Morning, Plus Peeps!

I hope you all had a bee-autiful weekend.  My wife and I traveled down to the +Drink and Click D.C. on Saturday.  Haven't had a chance to edit those images yet, but looking forward to sharing them over the next couple days.

One of the highlights of our adventure was meeting +Jennifer Eden in person.  What an incredibly lovely individual, which many of you already know from following her stream.  But what we quickly discovered after spending a few hours with her is that she is warm and kind, funny and sincere, sweet and sensitive.  Sometimes when you meet someone for the first time in real life, that you'd previously interacted with only online, there can often be nervous anxiety or insecurity. As you might have guessed, Jennifer is the real deal: humble, thoughtful, genuine.  

A special thank you to +Anna Lowry not only for organizing and hosting the event, but for navigating the stressful scheduling changes brought on by the stormy weather.  Not one to let a few raindrops put a damper on the festivities, Anna artfully coordinated getting everyone to the right place, and making sure we all had a great time.  It was a fantastic experience I hope to repeat again soon!

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On our drive home Sunday, we stopped for lunch in Port Deposit, MD.  There's a little cafe with a flower garden outside the back deck.  I saw this little guy, and had to grab a couple shots!

Nikon D90 & 35mm prime

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Calling All Camel Jockeys:

Your Caravan Circle Has Arrived!


As you can see from the post below, +Jerry Johnson is shepherding the flock, to "connect the world, with enjoyable recollections and entertaining discussions."

I can't wait to meet the exciting people from around the World that Jerry brings together, and hear their stories.  For those of you that currently have Jerry in your Circles, you already know what I'm about to tell you.

Some people talk about the value of community, but don't follow up with action.  Jerry is one of the most passionate and engaging members of the G+ community, and regularly comments on posts across the spectrum.  He will enrich your stream not only with beautiful photography, but also with intellectually stimulating conversations.  Sometimes you might even witness a philosophical debate or two...

I rode a camel at the zoo, probably more than a decade ago.  And I'm not even sure it was for more than 20 steps (although the zoo arena was a decent size).  But I bought a ticket anyway, and just had to give it a try, because I knew I might not ever get the chance to do what some of the other members of this circle will likely share, riding though the desert in Egypt, or crossing the sand next to a pyramid...  

So hurry up and jump over to his post to share your camel experience, and join the caravan!

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Google Plussers Who Have Ridden a Camel Circle

My friend +Jasbir S. Randhawa and I have been having an ongoing G+ conversation about a circle that I told him I was eventually going to build on G+ for people who have actually ridden on a real live camel. Jasbir, thank you for the encouragement (gentle nudges too) to pursue this!!

I have never curated a shared circle (I will qualify this by disclosing that I am involved in the weekly MCM Theme's shared circles) and I have been on Google+ since early July of 2011 which is within a couple weeks of its launch as a beta.

So why do I personally want to curate a circle NOW; and one that is defined by people who have ridden a camel? That's a great question!! There are several reasons, but here are the top two:

#1 Google Plus is connecting the world together. I have made friends on several continents via this platform and I wanted to come up with a unique way of demonstrating how international the G+ platform is! In my opinion, it facilitates the development of new international friendships like no other social media platform!

#2 There are so many serious challenges that people are facing these days around the globe. I'm not going to mention any of them because some are world issues, some local and some personal in nature. But each of us could give a decent sized list of daily challenges, we know about or experience, I'd be willing to bet!  So I thought it would be fun to pick a unifying activity that will bring out some memories that are either enjoyable to recall or at the very least, entertaining to discuss. :-)

Well, here are the "rules" for my circle:

-You had to have actually gotten onto the back of a camel by yourself and it walked for a distance of more than 20 feet before you got off its back!

-One (dromedary) or two hump camels are acceptable. hehe

-Age matters not! You could have ridden a camel at a local carnival when you were 4 years old OR perhaps, like me, you hopped on a camel in Egypt at the ripe old age of 43!

-You do not need to have a photo to document your camel ride. But if you do have a photo and you're willing to share it with me, please include a link to it in your comment. I would also appreciate it if you would let me know in your comment whether or not i can share it (potentially) with others at some point in the future. *If you don't indicate one way or the other, I will not share it.

That's it for the rules!!

Please put your comment in this post if you are qualified and willing to be in my circle! If you are not qualified to join now, consider planning your camel ride today and share that conviction in the comments as well! I plan on refreshing this circle of camel riding "experts" every 4 months or so. Therefore, if you're not included in this round, hopefully you'll be in the next one! :-)

Finally, please feel free to reach out to anyone you know who has ridden a camel and send them my way! Right now, my circle includes: myself, +Jasbir S. Randhawa, +Manuel Votta (he gets bonus points for riding an Egyptian camel like me!) and I'm fairly certain +Shannon Adelson has also partaken of this lofty challenge (pun intended)! I have a dream that I might even be fortunate enough to break the 500 participant circle limit! But time will tell what type of a response my rather eclectic circle share will draw! THANKS

What is your favorite flower color?

My wife's favorite color is Purple.

We got home early enough last night, to take a walk through the neighborhood as the sun was setting. A few streets down from ours, there was a garden walkway, and I grabbed a quick snap of this lovely purple bloom. No idea what variety it is, but she liked it, so here is my rendition, with all cropping, editing and filters done in the iPad.

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Why are you following me?

I often meet new people because they came across my profile via a shared circle. Maybe I encountered you via your comments on a daily theme? If I am in your stream, but you haven't yet read my About page, then here's a quick summary thanks to +Chris Aldrich which he has titled The Interest Post.

#TheInterestPost

Most of my posts are Public. Here are a few things about me, which might help you place me in the appropriate circles:

Photography Many of my posts are related to imagery of one sort or another. So if you are a fellow photographer, and regularly put up images, there's a good chance I'll be commenting and sharing your pictures.

Music As both a performer and listener, I enjoy a variety of posts on this subject. Back when I was on stage more often, you could find me jamming on violin, vocals and keyboards. My musical tastes range from a classical upbringing through jazz and blues, finally landing somewhere in the rock genre.

Vacations My wife and I love to travel, and have been to some beautiful locations, including Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Aruba, and the Cayman Islands.

On the DVR We love watching television programs, but rarely have time to do so when they air. As a result, my wife and I occasionally use weekends to catch up on episodes we missed. Here are a few of our favorite shows: The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, CSI:NY, White Collar, Spartacus.

Household Hardware My wife prefers her PC laptop for both business applications and recreational web surfing. But since we are a primarily Apple household, you are more likely to find me on either iPad, iMac, or AppleTV.

Business Pages Although they don't all post on a daily basis, these are the photo industry Pages I keep in a special circle, so I never miss their content: +NAPP +KelbyTraining.com +creativeLIVE +LensProToGo +onOne Software

I hope this helps give you all a better idea of which subjects we might share in common, or what topics might come up in conversations on my page. Look forward to seeing you in my stream! 8¬)

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The Interest Post

This is an experiment I started last year geared towards connecting and networking with more folks here on Google+ who are interested in similar topics. Aside from individual topic-specific posts and your profile, this works as another piece of content other Plusers can discover you by.

I call it The Interest Post ( #TheInterestPost ). Feel free to do one for your circles, as well, but remember to make it Public if you want to maximize the exposure. See mine below, as an example...
________

Here is mine, subject to further additions.
(broad subject: topic - topic - etc)

Web Design & Development: Web Strategy - User Experience - Wordpress - Mobile Application Development

Entrepreneurship

Internet Marketing: SEO - Email Marketing - Social Media Marketing - Blogging

Oceans: Scuba Diving - Coral Reefs - Live Rock Aquaculture - Sharks - Ocean and Reef Conservation

Marine (Saltwater) Aquariums: Coral Propagation - Marine Fish & Invertebrates

Travel: Florida Keys - Caribbean - Bahamas

Cars: Shows - Drag Racing - Drifting - Turbos - Mopar

Ice Hockey: Anaheim Ducks - Toledo Walleye - NHL - ECHL

TV Shows: LOST - The Walking Dead - Hell on Wheels - The Office

Misc: Photography - Technology - Music
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Give it a whirl and see if any like-minded Plusers find you! Don't forget to tag it: #TheInterestPost