Sun Rays Showing Off
Sometimes the sky does things that make you happy just to be witnessing - let alone capturing.
This was one of these nights!

Perfect for +Landscape Photography  #landscapephotography  by  #landscapephotography by +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams & +Ke Zeng
For #colorsonfriday by +E.E. Giorgi +Gilmar Smith +Christina Lihani & +Erin Henderson
#PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek 

#pixelworld  +PixelWorld +Beautiful planet Earth 
#sunset   #sunsetsaturday   #sunsetphotography  

#WordlessOnWednesday  

Dark & Moody
South Grand Island Bridge
(I took like 10 of these shots and like them all so sorry if you're getting tired of seeing this photo!  I try and process them differently...)

#bridgesovertuesday by +Steve Boyko & +Clare Bambers
 #transporttuesday by +Gene Bowker +Joe Paul +Steve Boyko & +Michael Earley
#RepetitiveTuesday by +Ping Doherty +Andy Q. & +Frank Schillinger

South Grand Island Bridge
This is the one I couldn't wait to post.
Pretty happy with how it turned out!

#longexposurethursday +LongExposure Thursday by +Francesco Gola +Luca Gerardi 
#plusphotoextract +PhotoExtract Photography Magazine by +Jarek Klimek
#sharingiscaring   #westernny  

ISO 100 15mm f/8 30s

Project 52 B&W
Week 18: Speed
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +Susan Porter, & +Lauri Novak 

Still taking a bit of a break from G+ but didn't want to miss  #p52bw13
Be back soon.

Waiting right where you left me

For #longexposurethursday by
+Francesco Gola +Luca Gerardi 

First of many
This is my first photo processed with +Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro 2 thanks to +Kalebra Kelby!
I can't wait to get my feet wet figuring out all the new toys since I now own the complete collection!
Hope you like - feel free to leave me any tips or resource sites for Nik Software :)
#nikcollection  

Glass River - Lewiston, NY
I'm still looking for photographers to share in a circle.  2000 or less followers or less than +10 on a worthy photos.  Mention them or sound off yourself in the comments.  I will make the final selections.
Also - still interested in where my followers are coming from.
Did you circle me via:
A) Shared Circle
B) Hash Tag search
C) Classified Ad
D) Suggested by Google
E) Photo Theme
F) Bribe

#longexposure   #longexposurephotography   #lewistonny  +Stu Stu Studio 

My 1st Full Size Photo Upload
+Vic Gundotra announced last week that we can now upload full size images so I had to try!  Be sure to view large & zoom in :)

ISO 100 24mm f/8.0 30sec















For +Moody Monday  #moodymonday #moodymondayphoto with +Annelies Kroen +Philip Daly & +Carole Buckwalter
#nikcollection   #lewistonny   #EarthMyMother #photo #ForFriends #beautifulplanetearth   #10000photographersaroundtheworld  +Daily Photography Themes by +Robert SKREINER

Color or B&W?
Processed using #nikcollection  Color Efex Pro 3 & Silver Efex Pro 2

Project 52 B&W
Week 8: Isolation
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +Gene Bowker, & +David Bowden 

"Ice"-olation :)
This alternate might have fit the prompt better: http://goo.gl/B7BsY but I wanted to share the stronger image!

10 Seconds
At Niagara Falls on 1/19/13

#monochromemonday by +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Steve Barge & +Nurcan Azaz
#moodymonday by +Carole Buckwalter & +Philip Daly

G+ Effect
South Grand Island Bridge (Part 3)
Little different angle and processing here.  I had a lot of requests to buy prints of the last photo I posted which is pretty exciting and also validating!

For those that don't know:
Google+ has played a major role in getting me serious about photography.  I've been taking photos for years (mostly digital starting at 2.1 Megapixels), but never to process the photo or create art.  Like most people I was "documenting" and occasionally catching something worth putting in a frame around the house or something.

I couldn't name you 5 photographers in June of 2011 - then this G+ thing dropped and I was seeing amazing photos from all over the world that would stop me in my tracks.  Who were these people?  How do they do that?

Then in April 2012 I taught myself how to shoot bracketed shot and process them through Photomatix.  On Easter there was an amazing sunset that I captured with a famous local monument in the foreground.  When I ran it through the software I wow'd myself for the first time!!!

I was instantly hooked and have found a new passion that I plan on continuing for many years to come :)
#gpluseffect

What has Google+ done for you?  Share and tag your post with #gpluseffect

Also -  without this place I'd never know +Pam Chalkley-Boling +Andreas Levi +Simos Xenakis +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +pio dal cin  +Barry Blanchard +Robin Griggs Wood +Victor Bezrukov +Ivan Makarov  +Chrysta Rae +Charles Lupica +Toby Harriman +Peter From +martin shervington +Rahul Roy +Rinus Bakker +Margaret Tompkins or +Euro Maestro...
Have any of you experienced some  #gpluseffect ?
:)  (sorry for ping if undesired)

Balance
Had a great weekend taking care of things around the house.  Wishing everyone a wonderful week :)
Pictured is the South Grand Island Bridges located in Grand Island, NY taken 5/1/2013

For #leadinglinesmonday by +Pam Boling +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis & +Andreas Levi

My Train Tracks Photo
I've seen this done but so what!  Here's mine :)

For  #transporttuesday by +Gene Bowker +Joe Paul +Steve Boyko & +Michael Earley
and late for #leadinglinesmonday by +Pam Chalkley +David Murphy +Elle Rogers & +Michael Stuart

(Theme and curators copy/pasted from +Google+ Photography Themes Google Calendar)

Drops

#wetwednesday  +Wet Wednesday by +Jen Baptist

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

There will be a flower here, I am just a little early!  Didn't get out to shoot much this week since I'd practically need an underwater housing :)  Happy Friday everyone!!!

The flow never stops
Niagara River - Lewiston, NY

#LongExposureThursday #ThirstyThursday #10000photographersaroundtheworld #plusphotoextract #landscapephotography #breakfastclub

Good Morning Google+
:)

Project 52 B&W
Week 5: Color w/out the Color
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W  +Project 52 B&W   
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Gene Bowker & +David Bowden

A great prompt!  Which color rubber band would you like?

Last Call
I'm putting a circle together that will be shared tomorrow.  It will feature users that post good original content with under 2000 followers.  Sharing a photo or anything and getting 0 response can be discouraging (trust me, it happens on Facebook for me all the time) so let's see if we can change that for some folks!
Let me know if you'd like consideration or would be willing to share the post so I can notify you :)

Here's a post of mine with tips on getting more followers for anyone interested: http://goo.gl/LpWBh

#NatureArtThursday by +Dane Clingan & +Trisha Standard
#dailydepthoffield #bokehlicious   #abstract   #payitforward   #circlebuilding  

Project 52 B&W
Week 11: Old 
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +David Bowden, & +Susan Porter

"CAPT. L. S. HATFIELD - INF. U.S.A."

When Beauty Sets
Title & poem by +Chris Polli
 
The landscape was in awe,
It remained ever so still,
Mesmerized by the glow,
It gazed upon as the beauty set,
 
Under the cover of darkness,
Night sounds to emerge,
The landscape bellowed,
Oh god what a show!



Thanks for all the great title ideas everyone!!!

Here's a less warm version of this photo: http://goo.gl/IfXXi (tons of purple!)  I had a hard time picking which one I liked better.
Taken after disc golf league last Wednesday at Beaver Island State Park (Grand Island, NY)

#longexposure   #longexposurephotography  

Wow - 20,000 Followers!
I am so happy I could run around like a little kid! :)
Thanks for all the support and encouragement during my time here.  I feel that I've grown immensely as a photographer and have forged some great friendships in the process.  Not to mention all the amazing inspiration and amazing artists I've found here.
For anyone interested - I'd like to share what I believe is the key growing on Google+
(Note, # of followers is not nearly as important as engagement.  There is a core group of users everyone has that keeps them coming back for more!)

Tips:
- Be nice & genuine but try to bring value to any comment or post
- Don't post and run: reply to comments, spend time in the stream looking at other people's posts
- Browse hash tags to find people you may not follow that post topics you enjoy (like #leadinglinesmonday  or #defaultbokeh )
- Pay attention to the movers and shakers:  what do they do right?
- Pick a theme or at least pay attention to the % of posts you share.  A profile that shares 20 posts a day is burying it's own content quickly and may dominate someone else's stream in a negative way
- Share: why expect anyone to share your posts if you never share yourself?
- Use +CircleCount ( http://circlecount.com ) to track shared circles, posts statistics, and find new users to follow


Some specific users I'd like to thank:  First off +Vic Gundotra & +Bradley Horowitz for building such a great service.  Then some of my strongest supporters & thought leaders:
+Rahul Roy +martin shervington +Charles Lupica +Peter From +Robin Griggs Wood +Alberto Carreras +Pam Chalkley-Boling +Thomas Hawk +CircleCount +Euro Maestro +Margaret Tompkins +Rinus Bakker +Chrysta Rae +Gene Bowker +Robert SKREINER +Meilani MacDonald +Amanda Blain +Gemma Costa +Jarek Klimek +Jaana Nyström +Susanne Ramharter +pio dal cin +Victor Bezrukov +Jerry Johnson 
The rest of the +Leading Lines Monday team: +Simos Xenakis +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Andreas Levi and alumni +C.J. Sros & +Jakob Nilsson 
And of course my loving wife +Nicole M. Stuart!!!

#sharingiscaring #thankyou #googleplustips 

Project 52 B&W
Week 14: Transportation 
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +David Bowden & +Susan Porter

Playing with the #nikcollection  some more.  Can't wait to take another stab at some of these shots now that I know a thing or 2 about the right settings to use and have a decent tripod.

Today is Gene Bowker's Birthday!
One of Google+'s finest
1. Circle +Gene Bowker
2. Visit his site: http://www.rustedrailimages.com/
3. Follow him on Twitter: @genebowker
4. Have a photo of a train?  Post it today with the #happybdaygene tag

Couldn't find a train photo but here's a bridge processed with a style I hope you like Gene!
(South Grand Island Bridge - Grand Island, NY)

#happybdaygene

Looking forward to a wonderful week!
Lewiston, NY

For #leadinglinesmonday by +Pam Boling +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis & +Andreas Levi

CIRCLE SHARE - From the ground UP!
Please add & share!
Starting anything from scratch can be challenging.  I've put a circle together here of users with less that a few thousand followers that are posting good content and hoping to get more interaction here on Google+!  I've personally checked out each included profile and recommend you help them really enjoy what this place has to offer :)
Oh - and to prove this has nothing to do with personal gain I am NOT included in the circle (but +Stu Stu Studio is just to keep an eye on things!)

#sharedcircle   #sharedpubliccircles   #circleshare   #followfriday   #payitforward  

Special shout out & thanks to those who already agreed to share or helped promote or build the circle: +Brian Alberghini +Rosie Nixon +Raven Partida +Alex Lapidus +Eric Raeber +Bette Kauffman +Johan Johansson +Leo Deegan 

Thanks to these users for leading the way on circle sharing initiatives:
+Toby Harriman "Under Rated / Under Followed" http://goo.gl/XeOiI
+Margaret Tompkins "Great Photographers with < 1000 Followers" http://goo.gl/xUuY8
+Charles Lupica +Rinus Bakker +Peter From +Robert SKREINER +PixelWorld 

For anyone that doesn't already utilize +CircleCount  I recommend you do to track what shared circles your included in.

If you're looking for more users to follow check out some of these pages: +SSS Circles +G+ Weekly Theme Circles +Promote Photography +Best Shared Circle +BTP Editor's Choice (Best Top Photographer's page) +HQSP Info 

And finally - calling in some possible favors (please don't feel obligated): +Trever McGhee +Jens Graikowski +Robin Griggs Wood +martin shervington +pio dal cin +Sheila B. DuBois +Meilani MacDonald +Peter Scharff +Euro Maestro +Rahul Roy +Simos Xenakis +Victor Bezrukov 

Thanks so much everyone!
If you've read this far you deserve a reward: Sunset in Youngstown, NY

#WordlessOnWednesday  
(edit: #PlusPhotoExtract )

Always worth an attempt
If there's ever something cool you want to do, don't talk yourself out of it.  *Do it!*
This photo was taken on an evening where I had to go to my Father's house to try and sort out the chaos.  He had passed September 2011 and it was July 2012 and the house still seemed like I could never finish it.
I had brought my camera but as my spirits drained and exhaustion kicked in I started to doubt "the sky would look good" or that my "shots would come right"
At about the last posible moment I jumped in the car and drove the .5 mile to where I knew about a tunnel under the road to the beach ( http://goo.gl/EUIHG ).  I was greeted by a beautiful scene and was very happy with what I captured.  Probably my favorite shot.  I'll have to try and reprocess it now with Lightroom just for kicks.
My advice:
Free yourself from doubt for 2013!
:)

#mybest2012  

#landscapephotography by +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams & +Ke Zeng

#close2home by +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel &
+john adams (calling it "home" 1 last time...  The house sold in November!)

Sunset Squared
Revisiting this shot as a square crop and editing from a single exposure.  (previous comp https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/104355888553035365377/albums/5743740821661301697/5785286120211980738 )
Taken in Lewiston, NY 9/6/2012

#landscapephotography by +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams & +Ke Zeng

#close2home by +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel &
+john adams

105 Second of a Lewiston New York Sunset
Loving thing B+W 77mm 3.0 ND 110 Filter
:)

#hqsplandscape by +Delcour Eric +Ara MO +Rodolfo Seide +John Minor
#longexposure   #longexposurephotography  

Project 52 B&W
Week 16: Fade
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Susan Porter & +Lauri Novak 

ISO 100 24mm f/22 90sec 

Flowing Purples
Another shot from the 1st sunset of spring in Lewiston, NY
ISO 100 24mm f/10 30s
#nikcollection  

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

I had a hard time picking which shot of my son I liked the most for this weeks theme.  He's talking to a squirrel up in the tree!  :)
Alternate takes:
https://plus.google.com/photos/104355888553035365377/albums/5746089224502925233/5860752375908746210
https://plus.google.com/photos/104355888553035365377/albums/5746089224502925233/5860752388318912082

I got about 10 good shots this night.  Sometimes the stars are aligned :)  Here's what they looked like "Straight Out Of Camera"
#soocsunday by +John Kosmopoulos
#sooc

Peace Bridge
Buffalo, NY
#drivebyphoto  
For #leadinglinesmonday by +Pam Boling +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis & +Andreas Levi

Lake Erie - Hamburg, NY
7/3/2012
Playing more with Nik's HDR Efex

Clouds Over Little League
So much to my disappointment my previous Google+ workflow for sharing photos seems to be broken.  :(
I have traditionally added a photo to an album (I avoid "photos from posts" whenever possible) then utilize the automated share dialog that came up after the face detection.  This is gone now.  That wouldn't be a problem if I could then share the image from the album keeping it in sync/place with +1s and comments but I'm guessing that won't be the case.

I don't think anyone likes multiple copies of a photo as it get's confusing.  Also - the functionality as it stood before the UI update allowed a user to the arrow through other photos in the same album.

Maybe:
- it will all work out when I click share
- it's just a bug
- I'm missing something

Taken last night - 3 shot HDR processed with HDR Efex, Lightroom, then Dfine (to reduce noise)

#hdr   #hdrphotography   #nikcollection  

#wordlessonwednesday  

Color or B&W
Full Size / Long Exposure Edition!

#LongExposureThursday by +Le Quoc & +Francesco Gola

Project 52 B&W
Week 1: Happy New Year
#P52BW13 |  +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Gene Bowker & +David Bowden 

The last chance for light play before the decorations were taken down.

#treetuesday +Tree Tuesday by +Christina Lawrie +Shannon S. Myers

Processed with Nutella®
For #AlanShapiroBirthdayStyle
Happy Birthday +Alan Shapiro!!!

The Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University
Reprocess of an older shot.
+Gino Barasa & +Thomas Hawk you like the mirror effect?
;)

Peace Bridge - Buffalo, NY
Thanks to +Matt Kloskowski for a new set of free Lightroom 4 presets!
See his post about them here: http://goo.gl/s5IyU
Or head directly to Matt's blog: http://www.mattk.com/2013/01/28/free-lightroom-presets-black-white-hdr-presets-for-landscapes/
:)

#BridgesAroundTheWorld by +Carra Riley & +Knut Arne Gjertsen
#bridgesovertuesday by +Steve Boyko & +Clare Bambers
#lowanglephotography +Low Angle Photography by +Jeremy Lavender
#moodymonday by +Carole Buckwalter & +Philip Daly
#buffalony  

Love the updated organize feature for photo albums!!!
Great job +Google+ Photos!  So much better & easier to use.

Here's my "Long Exposure" album :)
#longexposurethursday   #longexposure   #longexposurephotography  

Seeing the world differently
I'm noticing things these days I would have never taken the time to look at in the past.  Thanks photography for opening my eyes to the lesser seen world around me :)

Now experts: what is this?

For the awesome #macromonday +Kerry Murphy +Jennifer Eden & +Kelli Seeger Kim
#minimalmonday

Project 52 B&W
Week 3: Frozen
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Gene Bowker +David Bowden

High key processing for a cold outdoor feel.

Project 52 B&W
Week 7: Abstract 
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Gene Bowker +David Bowden

Different crop & treatment from yesterday's Valentine's Day post.
(This doesn't count as recycled does it?  I took this week...)

#lowanglephotography +Low Angle Photography by +Jeremy Lavender

Outside the local coffee shop
I love this type shot.  It's the early morning 8-9am light and just some random little detail photo before going in to the Orange Cat Coffee Co.
Happy Sunday :)

#85mmsunday by +Jonathan Davis
#sunsunday +Sun Sunday by +Shauna Dominguez +Greg Dominguez
#dailydepthoffield +Daily Depth Of Field by +Vince Ong +Nuraini Ghaifullah
#plusphotoextract +PhotoExtract Photography Magazine by +Jarek Klimek

Cool image or bad composite?
The sky was flat grey yesterday so I played with some compositing which I haven't done in a while.  (Especially on G+)
Sometimes I find this hard since I know what it looked like before.
Interested in feedback.

Update I posted an alternate version after getting so much great feedback: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/104355888553035365377/albums/5796556432705456385/5854537068250783714?hl=en also here's the original without any compositing http://goo.gl/LBHzr

#RepetitiveTuesday by +Ping Doherty +Andy Q. & +Frank Schillinger

Paint me a sky
Taken 8/11/2012

Old & New
For #tuesdecay by +Ian Ference
(This is going to be one of the first prints of mine to hang in the new studio.  +Nicole M. Stuart helped me pick some last night!)
#sooc 

Thanks +Robin Griggs Wood for all that you do!
Sometimes all the love you spread comes back to you ten fold!
Hope you enjoy your weekend ;)
And these +G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers classmates are so great - you really know how to pick them!

#appleforteacher #gmapp3main  #gmapp3 #gmapp #apple #feather #couldn'tfindeither

One more from yesterday
Lewiston, NY
:)

Happy Mother's Day
To all the Moms out there :)

#mothersday   #mothersday2013  

#WordlessOnWednesday  #WordlessWednesday

Another alt take on my #1 most viewed photo ever
(See that post here: http://goo.gl/HN1eU )
Last night's square crop version got over 80 +1's so if it ain't broke...

Please consider sharing if you like!
+PixelWorld +Beautiful planet Earth :)

Peace Bridge - Buffalo, NY
You drive over bridges all the time but until you stand next to one, you don't respect their size and structural beauty.  The Peace Bridge is no exception.  Opened in 1927 this thing is solid spanning 5800 feet over the Niagara River connecting Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
This was taken on our +The Google + One Year Anniversary Photowalk.

Seemed fitting for #bridgesovertuesday by +Steve Boyko & +Clare Bambers
and #RepetitiveTuesday by +Ping Doherty +Andy Q. & +Frank Schillinger
as well as #lowanglephotography +Low Angle Photography by +Jeremy Lavender
& #BridgesAroundTheWorld by +Carra Riley & +Knut Arne Gjertsen
Oh, and of course #landscapephotography by +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams & +Ke Zeng

(All themes & curators copy/pasted with +Google+ Photography Themes Google Calendar)

Lewiston New York overlooking Canada
Found a new/old exposure from 9/27/12.  I almost left this image straight out of camera but I had to brighten up the reflections on the water a bit to my liking.  That sky is untouched though!






#10000photographersaroundtheworld by +Robert SKREINER @ +10000 PHOTOGRAPHERS around the World
#close2home by +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel &
+john adams
#landscapephotography by +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams & +Ke Zeng

Peace Bridge - Buffalo, NY
Pointing the camera out the window not even seeing the composition may seem silly at the time, but when there's shots like this after I think it's a good idea to try.
#drivebyphoto
The "Bridges" album is starting to come together.  This makes 23 photos.

Continuing with Album Sharing Weekend:
My "Sunsets" album!  106 total photos in this one :)

#sunsetsaturday   #sunsetphotography  

Aquarium
I had a great time today at the Niagara Falls Aquarium with my wife & son.  Afterwords we went for pizza & wings at Buzzy's!
Weekend family outings are the best :)
Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Heading down to the water
Lewiston, NY

Curiosity
To some the World never ceases to amaze.
(starring Sierra & Willis)

#monochromemonday by +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Steve Barge & +Nurcan Azaz

City Hall - Buffalo, NY
Didn't "love" this before so I never posted it...  Still not crazy about it but I'm trying to be less picky.  Hope you like!
#towertuesday  +TowerTuesday by +Jiri Papakiriakos
#tonemaphdrtuesday by +Drew Pion +Stephanie Suratos

The Dew
Can't get much "closer 2 home" than the front yard! :)
I like shots like this - often referred to as #ratsview  or #antsview .  Imagine how big must the world seem from an inch off the ground.

#close2home +Close2Home by +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben  +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams

Lewiston, NY
Another shot from the first sunset of spring.

#close2home +Close2Home by +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben  +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams

Happy Valentines Day
On this day in 2004 I asked the love of my life to marry me...
It was a snowy blizzard and we had reservations in downtown Buffalo for an up scale dinner at Lord Chumley's.  I had made prior arrangements for Champagne and for our waiter to bring out the ring on a silver platter.  When I got there the host didn't seem in on the plan & I had to make the key hand off without arising suspicion.  Since I couldn't make a scene I had to just leave the ring stuffed in a glove at the maître d' stand and take a quick trip to the bathroom once we were seated to get the plan back on track.  Once I was back at the table time went by slower than I've ever experienced and hiding my nervousness was getting harder and harder.  But then it came - I dropped to 1 knee and:
She said yes!
We had one of the most amazing nights of our lives!!!
Love you +Nicole M. Stuart - this flower is for you baby :)
 
#thankfulthursday +#ThankfulThursday by +Bonnie Pickartz
#close2home +Close2Home by +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben  +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams
#textureblendthursday +The Official TextureBlendThursday Photo Theme Page by +Matt Suess +Christine Hauber 
#ValentinesDay #ValentinesDay2013

Untitled

My beautiful wife.
We both love the Hunt
Therefore #huntlove

I can't remember where this was taken...

"We ain't gonna fall for no banana in the tailpipe!"
I just went through some of my top circles and hand picked 58 users that I really think do G+ right!
You could learn a lot from following them whether it be from great posts, shares, or community initiatives.  In fact - if any of you feel your stream is lacking or Google+ is "boring" you should 100% add this entire circle and share it to your friends.  Instant fix!

This is based on my opinion and I'm sure I forgot or missed worthy people.  Feel free to suggest or recognize others you feel have this place down to a science :)

If you've received an email it's because you're included in the circle!

reference: Banana in the tailpipe!
There are also a few people included here "just because" - after all it is my circle!  If you were in my MSD (must see daily) circle fear not - it's alive and well.  I just wanted to create a new outside the box circle like my first circle that required members to have seen +Star Wars. 

#followfriday   #circleshare   #sharedcircles   #sharedpubliccircles   #sharedcircleoftheday   #smallcircle   #beverlyhillscop  
+Best Shared Circle +The Best Circles on Google+ +Full Circle +Circle Plus 

Have a  #bokehlicious  Friday!
Slowly growing the "Flowers" album :)

#floralfriday  by +Tamara Pruessner, +Eustace James, +Beth Akerman, & +Kiki Nelson

Project 52 B&W
Week 6: Rule of Thirds 
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W  +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +Gene Bowker, & +David Bowden 

Are anyone else's albums acting weird?  I usually just add 1 photo to an album then it shares that image only.  Yesterday and today it's trying to share the entire album :(
I had to cancel the share, organize the album placing the rule of thirds image first then share the album to get what I wanted.  (And if someone comments on this image it might make one of those mystery posts)
Anyway...
Happy Friday!

Project 52 B&W
Week 17: Night Light
#P52BW13  / +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +Susan Porter & +Lauri Novak

70 seconds of night light :)
Enough time for me to jump in the frame...

"We'd get there faster if we warped"
Look what I setup this morning:
http://clients.stustustudio.com/prints
:)

Processing inspired by +Thomas Hawk

We Can Learn To Love Again
Title by +Sherrie von Sternberg 
:)

#nikcollection  

Vote for Google+
Want a way to thank Google+ for the awesome social network they built for us? Go vote for them at the Webby Awards! http://pv.webbyawards.com/ballot/4

via +Rahul Roy

What are the Webby Awards?

--> A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile
Two winners are selected in each category, one by members of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and one by the public who cast their votes during Webby People’s Voice voting.
The award is one of the older and better-known internet-oriented awards and has come to be associated with the phrase_ "The Oscars of the Internet." -- wiki --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webby_Award
http://pv.webbyawards.com/ballot/4

Please share so others can vote too!

ping: +Trever McGhee +Guy Kawasaki +pio dal cin +Daniel Ely Rankin +Daniel Peckham

Thanks for getting me to vote +Rahul Roy! Not taking your post, just wanted a different graphic and wording - all credit for this call to action goes to Rahul!

Youngstown, NY
The last few minutes of today's daylight!

For #landscapephotography by +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams & +Ke Zeng

Still time left
Be sure to check my Knot Getting Followed? post here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/104355888553035365377/posts/Ktbjs5JZETo since I'm putting a circle together...

For #leavesonthursday +Leaves On Thursday by +Ray Bilcliff +Anne Durand & +Stephen Thackeray

30 seconds in Lewiston, NY
3/20/2013
#longexposurethursday +LongExposure Thursday by +Francesco Gola +Luca Gerardi 

The Mighty Niagara Falls
"highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls

#landscapephotography by +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams & +Ke Zeng
#ThirstyThursday by +Mark Esguerra & +Giuseppe Basile

#wordlessonwednesday   #wordlesswednesday  

Buffalo, NY
I made the supporter section on PhotoExtract.com with this photo!!!
http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2013/1/31 (at bottom)
Thanks +Jarek Klimek!

Buffalo album: http://goo.gl/yKCnY

Edited in #snapseed taken with iPhone on way back from work.
Is it worth getting on the computer and removing power line? I rarely open mobile shots in photoshop...

Composition
Now that I'm understanding photography techniques better it's interesting to look back at older photos.  This has been a favorite of mine.  Taken while testing out my (then brand new) 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens.  Simple shots like this can be very strong in my opinion.
Hope you like!
Originally posted 8/24/2012 receiving 38 +1's
#mybest2012  

1st LE with new ND filter!
Really looking forward to messing with long exposure for a while!  This is just a test from lunch.  This exposure was 4 seconds.  I started out holding down the trigger for 2 minutes lol!  (sucha newb)
I got the B+W 77mm 3.0 ND 110 Filter for Christmas

Sunset on Lake Erie
Taken in Hamburg, NY

This is one of my favorite shots I've taken.  Sorry for those who have already seen it :)

Hope you like!

+Beautiful planet Earth 

Loose Peacock at Buffalo Zoo
Probably looking for the other one: http://goo.gl/Wiy7u
:)

#wordlessonwednesday   #wordlesswednesday  

1st sunset of Spring in Lewiston, NY
30 seconds of ahhhhhh

#close2home +Close2Home by +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben  +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams
#longexposurethursday +LongExposure Thursday by +Francesco Gola +Luca Gerardi 

Project 52 B&W
Week 10: Reflecting 
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +David Bowden, & +Gene Bowker

#wordlessonwednesday  
#wordlesswednesday  

The shot that got me hooked!
Reprocessed through HDR Efex this time (Photomatix last time)
I really liked how +Nik Software's version came out.

It was taken on a whim right before a dinner last Easter, but it made me a full blown believer in the power the of HDR technique.  This year I could pull off a much better shot I think.  3 things are working against me here (I didn't understand how this all worked then):
- ISO 800 (noisy)
- f/3.5 (soft)
- Handheld

#10000photographersaroundtheworld  +Daily Photography Themes by +Robert SKREINER
#everythingeaster +#EverythingEaster by +April Gamel +Sonja Miller Williams +Monique Yates
#hdrtheworld +HDR the World by +Karl Geiger Jr +Karl Geiger
#hdr   #niksoftware   #lewistonny   #nikcollection