CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-21 19:43:57 (35 comments, 0 reshares, 53 +1s)

Colorful Tuesday - Day or Should I Say Night One at the New Place

Oklahoma weather is beautiful and terrifying. In Tulsa, we missed the devastation our fellow Oklahomans in the Oklahoma City area (Moore) experienced yesterday. Actually, we were deep in the throws of moving and didn't even know about the tragedy in Moore until we got in the moving van and checked the weather.

This is a quick (noisy) smartphone shot I captured from the driveway of our new place in Broken Arrow last night. These clouds were unbelievable. My son DJ took a few shots with his dslr and I hope to share one later this week!

Back to day two of our move. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Moore.

Ps. I want to thank everyone who reached out to us to make sure the Johnson clan was Ok. That meant A LOT. ;-)

2013-05-21 19:10:18 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

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... more »

2013-05-20 13:14:58 (52 comments, 1 reshares, 93 +1s)

Monochrome Monday - Handle With Care

I'm submitting this "edgy" photo to the #monochromemonday theme which is curated by: +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller and myself!

I hope your week gets off to a wonderful start today! I am moving the family to our new rental house over the next three days, so I will be popping in and out during rest breaks to say HI and to check out your MCM submissions! The kids are excited about the new house, and so am I, because I'll have my own office in a quiet location!! :-)

2013-05-18 02:28:14 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Flashback Friday - Jukebox Music

I was heading into my second year of employment at my first real/career job after college when this song came out.

My best memory of this Garth Brooks classic came at a work friend's wedding in central Wisconsin. I can still remember sitting in a bar in a small town with another work friend (after the wedding ended) trying to close the place down, when this song came up on the jukebox! I liked it sooo much I almost considered ditching alternative rock music at the time... Not really! ;-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

2013-05-17 14:53:02 (53 comments, 0 reshares, 70 +1s)

Social Media Friday - Are You a Scroller?

When the pace of life picks up, I reach for my mobile devices. And when I am sitting at a coffee shop waiting for the arrival of a potential customer and/or friend, I enjoy pulling up G+. In most cases, I probably have 10 or 15 minutes to peruse my stream and I want to maximize my precious G+ time by catching as many photos or posts as possible. This situation causes me to go into Scroll Mode! Meaning, I scroll down through a circle and check out the thumbnail versions of photos and I only read the snippets of text that can be viewed without clicking on the post.

For me, these situations are simply an opportunity to consume content and I am not trying to engage friends and fellow G+'ERS when the busy meter has moved into "crazy" mode!

I am not proud of this confession, but I am curious if anyone else on... more »

2013-05-16 19:15:54 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

             Top 1000 most followed active
        photographers sharing content on G+
                  Circle One: A to J

This  is the first of two circles,  I'll share the second circle this weekend so that they're not so on top of each other.  The circles have been divided alphabetically to help give more exposure to people with fewer followers.

Please plus, comment and share.  This circle has no requirements for future participation but your support and encouragement is appreciated. 

It has been two weeks since I announced my intent to update my circle of the 500 most followed photographers on G+.  I decided to do things a bit differently this time and so I'll share the top 1000.   To build the circles and the list I enlisted the aid of +Bill Wood +GemmaCosta +Jen Baptist +Kat Scan and +Margaret Tompkins.  They built circles and vetted p... more »

2013-05-16 15:11:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 34 +1s)

Mesa Arch

We stopped by Canyonlands National Park yesterday afternoon, another stop on our three week driving trip. While not as big or as crowded as it's more well known neighbor, Arches National Park, it had plenty of beauty and a few arches to see as well.

Not your normal Window, but this is for #windowwednesday  +#Window Wednesday +Jules Falk Hunter +Simon Davis-Oakley +Jason Kowing +Cheryl Cooper +J.J. Bentley 
I missed #nationalparksmonday , but I have more images for future weeks. 

2013-05-15 14:53:19 (24 comments, 1 reshares, 74 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday
#wordlesswednesday
#silenceoveronthursday

2013-05-14 13:23:29 (37 comments, 0 reshares, 43 +1s)

Colorful Tuesday - Red Rose

Red roses remain an elusive capture for me. It is so difficult to recreate their true color in my experience! And I pulled a few thorns into the bottom right corner of this image to remind us that exploring a rose's beauty can be a dangerous proposition. ;-)

2013-05-13 17:04:20 (32 comments, 0 reshares, 54 +1s)

Monochrome Monday - Clover

I have developed a fondness for macro photography. Why? Well, for one, it forces me to explore the little things in life that I used to take for granted AND my smartphone also has a decent macro setting. :-) For example, I had never closely examined a cover flower before I took this photo. What a lovely pattern I discovered as I looked straight down at this small flower through the lens of my smartphone!

Submitted to: #monochromemonday which is curated by my friends +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller as well as myself.

I do hope your Mondays are off to a rousing start! ;-)

PS +Dominique Hilbert I forgot to post my original share to Public! Oops!

PSS If I told you the noise in this photo was film grain... would you believe me? LoL

2013-05-10 22:41:06 (32 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Flashback Friday - Depeche mode

I was smack dab in the middle of my college days when Depeche mode recorded this video in 1986. This band asked a lot of deep questions via there music which is proven out in this song's lyrics. I listened to this iconic group alot back I the late 80's and early 90's.

Enjoy the weekend everyone! :-)

The audio quality is not the best, but I like the live versions so we can see the styles of the day.

2013-05-10 18:23:07 (42 comments, 1 reshares, 44 +1s)

Social Media Friday - Name that Camera

I usually indicate somewhere in my post what type of camera I used to take a photo. Lately, I have been pondering why I do this. I've come up with a few reasons why I identify in my posts which camera I used to capture a photo (this field of windblown grass photo was captured with my smartphone), but I thought it would be interesting to hear your answer(s) first!

So... Do you name your camera in your posts? If you do, why? If you don't, why?

I look forward to hearing your input and have a fantastic weekend everyone! :-)

2013-05-08 15:03:05 (55 comments, 1 reshares, 87 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday
#wordlesswednesday
#silenceoveronthursday

2013-05-07 16:52:33 (57 comments, 0 reshares, 88 +1s)

Colorful Tuesday - Crystal Ball

After a lengthy rain a few days ago, I saw several raindrops captured on the small leaves of this hedge. As I approached the hedge for a closer look, with my smartphone camera in hand, this sphere grabbed hold of my eyes and demanded their attention! :-)

Hope you have a vibrant Tuesday everyone!!

2013-05-06 19:28:51 (48 comments, 0 reshares, 67 +1s)

Monochrome Monday - The Rock

I found several rocks in a shallow drainage ditch and this one grabbed my attention. I really liked its texture and creases.

Submitted to #monochromemonday curated by: +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller and myself. :-)

Today has been a second consecutive manic vs monochrome Monday for yours truly! I look forward to reviewing a bunch of MCM submissions later this pm! See you then!

This was taken with my HTC One X+ and edited with Snapseed on my Nexus 10.

2013-05-04 01:03:42 (19 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Flashback Friday - Pablo Cruz

This was my favorite song from an album I purchased before I had my drivers license which was a Looooong time ago!

Have a great weekend everyone! :-)

2013-05-03 16:33:06 (54 comments, 0 reshares, 43 +1s)

Social Media Friday - Who am I?

There was a period of time, long ago, when I posted on multiple topics of interest. Business, Technology, Social Media and Photography were all in the mix. But it seemed to me that this made it difficult for the people who follow me to know "who I am". Now I'm not talking about my core group of friends who I have interacted with for almost two years in some cases. I am referring to the men and women who are kind enough to follow me, because I posted a flower photo that they liked. If that is the case, then what happens when I post a business article the next day and a technology post the day after that? This could leave then wondering why the circled me, assuming they have no interest in business and/or technology.

It seems to me that picking a discipline or interest, like photography, and sticking with it is less confusing for... more »

2013-05-02 18:45:30 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

This is my Gratitude Circle

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

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

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:
... more »

2013-05-02 12:41:14 (66 comments, 0 reshares, 48 +1s)

*Smartphone Thursday - My Favorite Flower *

The lighting wasn't perfect for this shot and the smartphone also took away the DOF control I desired. But the magnificent azalea flowers still shined through my composition challenges and helped me retain a fond memory of my favorite flower! I hope you like it and I hope you have a fantastic day!

BTW - I think I regularly pay too much attention to my camera and not enough attention to the object I am trying to capture. If that makes sense, does this ever happen to you?

2013-05-01 16:41:46 (38 comments, 0 reshares, 57 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday
#wordlesswednesday
#tortureonwednesday

2013-04-30 15:20:52 (23 comments, 0 reshares, 41 +1s)

Colorful Tuesday - Okie Skies on Canvas

Our Oklahoma skies often look like they have been painted due to their vibrant red, pink, or orange coloring. With that truth in mind, I decided to use Pixlr Express to place this Oklahoma evening sky on a canvas background.

Have a great day everyone! This week is looking to be a hectic one which is not to imply that it is a bad one at all. I am in G+ plus one vs comment interaction mode this week for the most part. :-)

2013-04-29 19:55:53 (31 comments, 0 reshares, 69 +1s)

Monochrome Monday - Holdout

With the help of the wind, this dandelion has sent forth its seed to spread its yellow glow to fields afar. But one seed refuses to let go...

Taken with my HTC One X+ and edited in Snapseed and Perfectly Clear on my Nexus 10.

Submitted to: #monochromemonday
Curated by: +Hans Berendsen +Dominique Hilbert +Steve Barge +David Orr +Martin Heller and myself!

I've been fairly busy with a professional challenge I'm attempting to solve for a customer and I apologize for my slim presence here on G+ today! I hope to spend some precious MCM time later this pm and tomorrow am! :-)

2013-04-26 23:00:18 (31 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

*Flashback Friday - Open Arms *

This song reached number 2 on the national charts in America during the month of February in 1982. I turned 18 on February 9th of 1982 and was rather fond of this power ballad at the time!

Have a great weekend everyone! :-)

2013-04-26 03:03:12 (70 comments, 0 reshares, 83 +1s)

Smartphone Thursday - Looking Up... Coming Down...

This was a crazy busy day for me, but it was a great day too!

This is a shot I captured while on a photowalk with my children. My #1 and #3 sons are descending from a street overpass on one of those corkscrew pathways. I edited this using the Snapseed and Perfectly Clear Apps on my Nexus 10.

2013-04-24 15:23:10 (28 comments, 0 reshares, 83 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday
#wordlesswednesday
#tortureonwednesday

2013-04-22 16:19:15 (63 comments, 0 reshares, 98 +1s)

Monochrome Monday - Light Reveals Beauty

Sunlight provides a flower with form, texture and beauty. I know it also provides color, but that is a topic for another day! :-)

BTW - This flower blossom was white, so I didn't have to rob it of its color for my offering to this week's addition of the #monochromemonday theme which is curated by: +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +David Orr +Martin Heller +Dominique Hilbert and myself.

I hope everyone had a delightful weekend!!

2013-04-26 03:04:15 (49 comments, 1 reshares, 72 +1s)

Social Media Friday - Saturation... Friend or Foe?

Almost every social media network today has a prominent photography component. And statistically speaking, color photography is what people love to share with one another.

With the above in mind, how do you decide how much saturation is enough saturation when composing a photo? I struggle with this, as I want to honor the colors I saw in the flower, yet it is true that if you see them in poor light, bumping up the saturation only seems like the fair thing to do! :-) Perhaps I am overanalyzing things??

l look forward to hearing your thoughts on this colorful topic and have a splendid weekend everyone!!

2013-04-18 18:33:22 (35 comments, 0 reshares, 56 +1s)

Smartphone Thursday - Rose Leaves vs Flowers

I was trying to snap a close up photo of this lovely cluster of rose leaves, but the wind was blowing so hard, the camera could not focus or adjust its exposure because of it. I confess I was frustrated at the time. When I first looked at all my shots, I found that none of them had turned out. They are fuzzy!! Then it hit me that the photos had a slightly painted look to them which seemed like a rather neat, serendipitous effect!

Edited in Snapseed. Taken with my HTC One X+.

2013-04-17 16:13:14 (37 comments, 2 reshares, 89 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday
#wordlesswednesday

2013-04-16 14:59:57 (41 comments, 0 reshares, 92 +1s)

Colorful Tuesday - Redbud Pink Flower

The Redbud tree is Oklahoma's state tree and it is worthy of this honor in my opinion! When the buds bloom, they can have several different hues which range from pink to purple. Why? I have no idea! :-)

Have a colorful and enjoyable day everyone!

2013-04-15 19:53:40 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)

Extremely tragic news

2013-04-26 03:02:33 (40 comments, 0 reshares, 99 +1s)

Monochrome Monday - Perspective

I'm having internet issues today and I returned from my unplugged day away from the internet (Sunday) to find my profile picture was missing! Something is amiss, so please forgive me for my reduced G+ interactions today. :-(

This dandelion thinks it's bigger than the distant 50 foot pecan trees. Who am I to tell it that it is wrong! :-)

For #monochromemonday curated by: +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller and myself!

2013-04-12 18:36:12 (39 comments, 0 reshares, 62 +1s)

Social Media Friday - Wolfman of Tulsa?

Is your social media presence identical to your offline identity? I want mine to be, but I think I am much nicer online than I am in person. In part, this is due to the fact that I believe it is much harder to communicate critically in writing than it is in person. Therefore, I simply avoid anything that could be perceived as overly critical.

I am comfortable with this and my delight in interacting with people is authentic, yet sometimes I feel like the wolfman who is mild mannered during his social media "daylight hours", only to grow an ample supply of fur and large teeth with my wife, children and local friends if/when I'm having a bad day offline "when the full moon comes out".

Can anyone relate to this feeling?

PS. I confess that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but I... more »

2013-04-11 14:12:16 (61 comments, 1 reshares, 75 +1s)

Smartphone Thursday - Tiny Beetle

I learned two things while composing this macro shot of a tiny beetle that wanted to be my friend...

1 - The detail one can capture these days with a smartphone is amazing. You can actually see the reflection of nearby trees on the beetle's shell which is smaller then a pencil erasure!!

2 - I needed some hand lotion most definitely! LoL :-)

2013-04-10 18:48:26 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 35 +1s)

Zen Bench — Zen sezení

♥, Jan

2013-04-10 14:32:29 (27 comments, 0 reshares, 94 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday
#wordlesswednesday

2013-04-09 16:28:24 (48 comments, 0 reshares, 79 +1s)

Colorful Tuesday - Paper Petals

Nothing special for today! I found this little wood violet hiding in a clump of weathered grass in an open field. It is so small that my eyes couldn't really make out its details until I examined the photo on a larger screen. It was then that I noticed the petals have a lovely paper-like texture!

Have a colorful day everyone! :-)

2013-04-08 17:31:36 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

A Sad Day

I don't think I have ever sat down and tried to determine who my favorite politician would be during my 49 years on this planet? But if I ever did, Margaret Thatcher would be hard to beat.

2013-04-08 13:00:00 (42 comments, 0 reshares, 63 +1s)

Monochrome Monday - Purple Nettle Without the Purple

My rediscovery of photography two years ago has literally changed my view of this world in countless ways. For example, weeds had always been BAD. But now, I see weeds as amazing photo opps! :-)

Submitted for #monochromemonday which is curated by: +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller and myself.

2013-04-05 16:18:17 (28 comments, 2 reshares, 42 +1s)

Social Media Friday - FB Home is Making Waves

I read several articles yesterday about the new FB Home product. But as my interest lies in photography which was not directly considered in any of those articles, I thought it would be interesting to get my photographer friends' take on FB's attempt to take over your Android home screen. Specifically, if you are reaching out to viewers and would be customers on multiple sites like: G+, 500PX, Flicker, Twitter, a blog, etc, does it anger you that FB might be forcing you to emphasize their platform?

I share images for social reasons only, and I have no desire to allow any single platform to own me and my photos. I would think that anyone who is trying to sell their images would have an even stronger distaste for FB's Home product or a similar offering from Google for that matter. Am I right, wrong, or a little of both?... more »

2013-04-04 22:22:26 (48 comments, 1 reshares, 84 +1s)

One More for Smartphone Thursday

I don't often post twice in a day, but I felt the urge to share a softer high key image to hopefully compliment the low key sharper textures found in my last post/photo! This one has a more spring'ish feel to it. :-)

Off to grille some burgers for the clan. Catch ya later!

2013-04-04 17:01:54 (37 comments, 0 reshares, 54 +1s)

Smartphone Thursday - Bumpy Leaves

My fascination with the lines and textures found in leaves continues onward! Although I usually prefer the dried up version of leaves, I found these living specimens and their bumpy texture quite interesting as well!

Have a smart Thursday everyone! ;-)

2013-04-04 16:14:32 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)

Cantabria Infinita: Costa Quebrada
Beautiful Places in Cantabria-Spain - Costa Quebrada


#plusphotoextract  by +Jarek Klimek  
#blackandwhitephotography #monochromephotography #blackandwhite #exposedphoto #Photography #BWphotography   #HQSPMonochrome #monochromeartyclub #EuropeanPhotography    #10000photographersaroundtheworld #breakfastclub #monochrome #happy
#LandscapePhotography #pixelworld #promotephotography #besttopphotographer
#MonochromeWorld

2013-04-03 14:52:07 (29 comments, 0 reshares, 88 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday
#wordlesswednesday

2013-04-02 15:13:56 (39 comments, 1 reshares, 76 +1s)

Colorful Tuesday - Submerged Leaf

This is pretty much SOOC and it is far from being a pretty photo! But I still like the colors and patterns in this leaf which had nothing but its stem dwelling above the surface of the creek's water. And although it was not planned, I rather like how the outline of my hands holding the camera appeared just below the tip of the leaf!

Have a fantastic day everyone! JJ

Ps. Things are finally starting to green up around here and I hope to get out and capture some of the spring flowers over the next few weeks as they begin to bloom!

2013-04-01 15:50:37 (59 comments, 0 reshares, 68 +1s)

Monochrome Monday - Distorted Reality

With all the April Fools content flowing freely across the internet today, I thought this photo of my son would be appropriate for #monochromemonday ! :-)

MCM is curated by: +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +Martin Heller +David Orr and myself!

I hope everyone survives their delivery and/or receipt of April Fools pranks today! I almost posted a color photo today for MCM, but decided against it at the last second. hee hee

2013-03-29 21:35:20 (37 comments, 0 reshares, 63 +1s)

Social Media Friday - Aspect Ratios

I took this hand held shot with my Samsung Android camera a couple nights ago. The moon was so bright that I was able to use a very high shutter speed!

Question for all my photographer/social media consumer friends out there. How do you decide what aspect ratio to use for your photos knowing that people will view them on a smartphone, tablet, laptop OR external monitor?

My default has been 4:3 as of late, but I do experiment with several others.

Thanks for sounding in and have a spectacular weekend everyone!

2013-03-28 15:23:21 (41 comments, 4 reshares, 45 +1s)

Smartphone Thursday - Kipper

Here's one for fun and hopefully a smile or two!! :-)

This is our dog, Kipper, who has found some sleeping companions that were left behind by my three younger children. He's old and sleeps a lot and I think it is rather unfair that as I age, I sleep less! Oh for a dog's life.... hee hee

2013-03-27 13:53:19 (20 comments, 0 reshares, 64 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday & #wordlesswednesday

2013-03-26 20:51:21 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 42 +1s)

+HQSP Monochrome #hqspmonochrome with +Blake Harrold +Luis Vivanco ans +Johnny Minor
+Monochrome Monday #monochromemonday with +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller
+HQSP Animals #hqspanimals with +Joe Urbz and +Marina Versaci
+I LOVE BIRDS
+Canon Users #canonusers with +Gene Bowker and +Elizabeth Hahn
+Daily Depth Of Field #dailydepthoffield +Vince Ong +Nuraini Ghaifullah +Virgil Cowen and +f.a. fiebig



Did you ever feel like you were being watched?
This is Bella the cockatoo and Mimmy cat hanging out on Bellas house. He doesn't seem to mind the cats but we never leave them unsupervised. Truth be told I would worry Bella would hurt the cats! Manx...no  thanks!