CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-18 12:14:53 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 24 +1s)

Somehow, back in the mists of time when this album was created, I managed to set it so that none of the images were permitted to be re-shared. No idea how or why and as it was originally just a miscellaneous album there seems no good reason behind it. 

So I have changed the permissions and thought I would take the opportunity to test G+'s new sharing experience on a whole album, from which you should now be able to re-share, should you wish.
:)

2013-05-16 18:35:37 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 57 +1s)

Been playing around with layer masks and blurred backgrounds again, unfortunately the best candidates that I have all seem to be bosts on the water!

2013-05-16 07:25:39 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Another +Heidi Anne Morris-inspired twirl. This one of my attempt of ICM with a sodium-lit tree trunk taken a few years back.

Not posted via Picasa Desktop so that I can enjoy endure the new photo-sharing experience of G+ It's gonna take some getting used to !

2013-05-15 21:39:09 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

What the Hell just happened to G+ !?!

I feel like I've just been FB-ified :(

2013-05-15 21:36:21 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

Spent a few hours today, re-working an old shot from last year - It may not look much but it represents more hours than I care to mention and several faltering steps in the PS processing path !

Not even close to emulating but totally inspired by +Josh Adamski :)

2013-05-13 10:40:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Not really what was intended for this week's #MacroMonday sub-theme but this is a shot of an LED torch and its solar panels, which is kinda close ! It was also finished by using an infrared software filter for another type of light

Also for #MonochromeMonday #DOFMonday #DailyDepthofField

2013-05-12 08:50:16 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Panoramas. I never really know what to do with panoramas. I take them when there is an awesome, wide view that I would like to try and capture and sometimes, just because my A77 has a "Scenic" option (and a 3D version too!) but I never really know what to do with them.

They are too expensive and large to frame effectively and unless you live in a large office space or warehouse, they're difficult to size correctly for any normal room. :(

Any tips on processing or presenting anyone...?

#panoramaphotography    #panorama #dawnonsunday   #sunrisesaturday  

2013-05-12 08:10:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Well they offer degrees in classical music, modern music and a host of others, so why not Metal ?

2013-05-11 11:09:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Another shot from a couple of weeks back when we had a cold, frosty night which led to some lovely, misty clouds lingering in the woods.

Looking North from The Churchillian Pub on Portsdown Hill for #dawnonsunday #benchsaturday #sunrisesaturday :)

2013-05-10 07:57:28 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

A new Carnation bud, just showing its true colours, for #FloralFriday and #DailyDepthofField

2013-05-09 08:11:35 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 17 +1s)

A warm sienna tint for my blurred Calla leaf image - I can see this as a nice big canvas, hanging on a wall I don't have :)

2013-05-09 06:47:57 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

Strawberry plants are looking replendant with vivid red stalks and bright green leaves. Here in the glorious, morning sunshine after having had their daily shower.

For #LeavesonThursday :)

2013-05-09 05:30:11 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Water drops on a leaf for a bright and sunny start to #LeavesonThursday
:)

2013-05-07 16:22:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

A quick re-work of the previous shot to remove the dark distractor !

2013-05-07 15:32:28 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

Another Calla Lily shot, this time with a 75deg motion blur applied for an almost painterly effect.

Does the dark area at the top-left annoy anyone else?

2013-05-07 06:55:30 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

My Calla Lily is reaching for the skies after the recent warm weather !

For #DailyDepthOfField and the #Purplecircle and maybe a late #DOFMonday entry :)

2013-05-07 05:46:14 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Didn't really make the grade or time for this week's #selfysunday  but managed to snap one shot for the first round of the Treasure Hunt Challenge.

2013-05-04 21:29:07 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

The past few days I have re-discovered patience, a new form of fishing if you will and all because of the Hahnel Giga T Pro II. I liken it to fishing as it has all the right aspects - Staring for hours at a time on a fixed point, hoping for some movement, finally giving up hours after you know your time has gone, with nothing to show for your troubles, fine-tuning your equipment to ensure the greatest chance of success etc.

I have been closely monitoring the movements of various small birds in the garden over the past week, carefully seeding the ground with mealworms and seed and then with some nice, cozy dog fur, which the birds take with glee to line their nests. Eventually I decided that this branch was the prime location to capture a Sparrow, Blue Tit. Robin or Wren - the primary prey. I have observed Wrens sitting on this branch and close by, displaying for a mate and really had hoped thatI... more »

2013-05-03 13:40:47 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

A lush purple re-tint of a Carnation flower for #thepurplecircle

2013-05-03 08:21:24 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Managed to find a little Carnation softness for #FloralFriday.
:)

2013-05-03 08:16:26 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Typical. I
just uploaded this photo from Picasa Desktop, with a huge great long soliloquy about why I really like Carnations and how I can never manage to capture the essence of what I see with a camera and it managed to upload the pic but failed to post :( All those words of wisdom lost to the ether.

So, a second attempt at posting for #floralfriday  :)

2013-05-01 18:25:38 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

A green twirl from a top-shot of a Lily.

2013-05-01 08:17:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Yes, I know it is not Monday now, not anywhere, except perhaps inside the TARDIS but I shot this out of desperation and boredom on Sunday and then completely forgot to upload for a combiniation of #LeadingLinesMonday #DOFMonday #dailydepthoffield #MacroMonday and #MonochromeMonday and I'm too impatient to wait until next Monday (and may easily forgot once again)!

:)

2013-05-01 05:51:01 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Good to see that the autocomplete feature is working once again with the latest update to Picasa Desktop.

2013-04-24 07:43:05 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 4 +1s)

I pretty much grew up on Looney Toons, Tom and Jerry etc. so it was nice to find this modern remake of Wiley E. Coyote's escapades.
:)

2013-04-24 07:38:45 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

Apologies for the next few video shares but I clicked a link to wimp and haven't been able to let it go since. Lots of rubbish but some gems as well... :)

2013-04-22 08:11:50 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

One more Magpie feather shot for this week's #MacroMonday. This time with colours inverted.


Also for #MonochromeMonday (+Monochrome Monday) Curated by +Hans Berendsen , +Jerry Johnson , +Steve Barge, +Dominique Hilbert , +David Orr and +Martin Heller

2013-04-22 08:04:59 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 16 +1s)

This week's mini-theme for #MacroMonday is "Feathers" and luckily enough, a visiting Magpie left this one for me to play with.


With curators ( +Jake Easley,  +Jennifer Eden, +Kerry Murphy and +Kelli Seeger Kim).
 Also for #MonochromeMonday (+Monochrome Monday) Curated by +Hans Berendsen , +Jerry Johnson , +Steve Barge, +Dominique Hilbert , +David Orr and +Martin Heller

2013-04-21 18:59:11 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 23 +1s)

Went for a tramp in the woods this morning (he was furious - sorry, just had to!) and was lucky enough to catch this little Nuthatch foraging for bugs in the car park. Not the best of shots but pleasantly surprised to see one stick around for so long.
:)

2013-04-21 18:55:03 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 36 +1s)

Another layered sunrise shot from Portsdown Hill, looking towards the Southdowns, this time in landscape format, retouched to remove sensor blotches and fuzzy birds !

For #DawnOnSunday and +MeridianWeather

2013-04-21 20:51:33 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

A shot from just after this morning's sunrise from Portsdown Hill, showing (I think), Widley in the foreground, possibly Rowlands Castle, West Marden and probably Bugshill in the heart of the Southdowns National Park. Virtually SOOC using a 500mm mirror.

I just love the mist in the woods and the beautiful combination of layers. Tried tinting it as well and it works really well. :)

2013-04-18 20:40:56 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Absolutely stunned that after 2 years without sprinting at all and zero training, my little lad Jake managed to record a 10.7s 100m in his athletics GCSE today. Manually timed (with 3 time keepers) with a tailwind but still would put him in 1st place in his age group and 2nd in the UK overall in ALL age groups !!

Now to get him to compete officially again :)

2013-04-18 08:23:19 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

<sigh> That's all I can do offline for this morning, vpn coming up - Back to the drudgery :(

2013-04-16 08:03:10 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

I'm not sure what I like the most from this Aussie tourism post, the map of dangerous/scary things including "sharks with frickin' lasers" and Danni Minogue or the Q&A :)

These were (apparently) posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour (not to mention a low tolerance threshold for cretins!)

________________________________________________
Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK). 

A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die. 
________________________________________________

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? ( USA) 

A Depends how much you've been drinking.... more »

2013-04-15 08:00:31 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Strawberry tubers planted in a hanging basket ready for Summer - Bring on the sunshine!

2013-04-13 10:56:38 (14 comments, 2 reshares, 33 +1s)

A re-share of a shot taken back in 2011 from my conservatory of a little Jenny Wren building its nest in the thick ivy that used to grow up the south wall of my house.

Glad to hear its massive song return to the garden at full volume today and to see it darting around, hopefully looking to build a new nest in the dark recesses of the ivy which I have purposely left on the garage.

The weather is of course lousy but with a little luck I may get to snap some fresh pictures over the coming weeks of my latest visitor.

For #songbirdsaturday . Check out the RSPB pages at (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/wren/index.aspx) to hear this little guy's incredibly big voice. 
:)

2013-04-12 08:50:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

One for any #fourwheeledfriday  fans who happen to be in the area this Sunday. With a promise of better weather, it should be a great opportunity to snap some vintage cars.

"Vehicles are expected to arrive from around midday and be on view as part of a family fun day. Activities will be available at Fort Purbrook from around 11.30am and the band ‘Isthison’ will provide musical entertainment, this is also an excellent venue to enjoy a picnic."

2013-04-12 08:21:53 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 8 +1s)

I guess this is old news as it was forwarded to me by my Mum but wonderful creations either way demonstrating a ridiculously huge amount of skill and dexterity.

Won Park's restaurant tips :)

2013-04-10 21:14:56 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

HOW ANIMALS EAT THEIR FOOD

Stop everything and watch this!!!

2013-04-09 06:33:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I was flicking through the channels last night during some rare kid-free tv viewing and happened upon the "Robot Combat League" on SyFy (Still prefer SciFi tbh). Looked interesting, with giant robots boxing their way through a knock-out league and was more than a little surprised when I saw that one of the contestants was none other than +Annika O'Brien, a passionate Techie and robot-builder whom I circled way back in the beginnings of G+ !

Time-zone differences and my overwhelmed circle subscriptions mean that I rarely see posts from anyone in that part of the world nowadays but a quick check on Annika's profile shows her in action from the series. :) If you are interested in robotics then check out her hangouts and presentations and draw from her passion for the subject.

If you are interested in giant, fighting robots, then check out the series - I can honestly see... more »

2013-04-07 21:10:29 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Inspired by +Mark Hall 's 'quick edit' I persevered this afternoon until I managed to produce something that I felt was acceptable in removing the lens flare of a previous post - Much more to learn as ever...!

:)

2013-04-07 08:34:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Andy Turp was tagged in Andy Turp's album.

2013-04-07 08:27:46 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Added photos to The Selfy Sunday Project.

2013-04-06 10:30:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Andy Turp was tagged in Andy Turp's album.

2013-04-06 09:27:36 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

A bit of a disappointing morning thus far... :(

Up bright and early to catch the sunrise until the pooch realised I was about to leave him on his own and decided to have a 20minute investigation of the garden, just to be sure nothing had snuk in overnight. Arrived just as the sun was breaking the horizon and set about giving myself a further education in how not to take LE shots in the bright, dawn sunshine (and freezing cold).

From my slender collection of shots, I find I only have a couple of 'possibles', this being one of them if I can remove that annoying flare on the left. I usually like a bit of lens flare on sunrise shots but this bit just has to go.

A couple of hours playing around with PS and I still can't remove the damned thing in any manner that I find acceptable. I've tried lots of different tools and tricks with the best results so far using a... more »

2013-04-04 20:01:46 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

An eye-for-an-eye justice system...?

2013-04-04 07:54:11 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 18 +1s)

A monochrome version for sharing with the +Nature in Monochrome community (let's see how a plustag translates when shared from Picasa Desktop!).

What it loses in vibrancy it gains in contrast and mid-tone detail. Again for #LeavesonThursday.
:)

2013-04-04 07:44:30 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Some fresh, Spring growth, backlit by the late-afternoon sun for #Leavesonthursday .

Shared again directly from Picasa Desktop which now appears to work correctly and not generate thousands of notifications. Now if they could only get hashtags (Edit: hashtags do seem to post correctly, just can't autofill - obviously) and Community sharing to work as well :)

2013-04-03 21:11:26 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 16 +1s)

Now if only I was as gifted as the great +Dunken K Bliths in animation magic, I'm sure something good could come of these...!
:)

2013-04-03 20:58:48 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Sharing directly from PIcasa Desktop for the first time in over a year - Hopefully the excessive notifications problem has now been solved as the default checkbox has now disappeared.

A new visitor to the garden - A Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), yet to be scared off by the agressive Blackbirds and Robins.