CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-19 00:05:29 (3 comments, 8 reshares, 11 +1s)

Free stuff!

Got your attention, didn't I? I needed some real brushes for a photo project a few weeks ago. I bought some paint, some wood, and made a bunch of brushes (over 90) I could use in Photoshop. I was thinking of selling the pack for 5 bucks, but then I decided, screw it. The G+ community has been so awesome to me, I want to give it away. In fact, take it, enjoy it, use it however you want. Just don't sell them. Using them commercially is fine. The only thing I ask, is that you reshare this post here on G+. :-)  Simple enough?

Download and enjoy, CS6 ABR Brush File: http://goo.gl/F0sPM

Warning, it's BIG because these are brushes shot with a D800!! ~128MB.

Enjoy!

2013-05-17 22:03:52 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 38 +1s)

Today my wedding ring no longer fit... it was too big. Now in actuality, it wasn't really my wedding ring. You see, my ring is titanium and it can't be resized. When I gained weight, I bought a second wedding ring of the exact same kind/style that was just larger. The larger one was the one that no longer fit. Today I was able to put my real, original, wedding ring back on. Just such a good feeling. I even asked +Sara Wiacek to put it back on my finger for me. :-D xo

2013-05-17 05:57:22 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

Ethan got time with dad tonight. This was fun. :-)

2013-05-16 08:43:04 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 23 +1s)

Finally took the time to update my portfolio, 20 or so images are still missing descriptions, but let's face it, you're not here to read captions, you want to see photographs. :-)

2013-05-16 08:41:01 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

I kind of wish I could block all of the new motion images from my stream. #AnnoyingMotion

2013-05-16 07:00:48 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 25 +1s)

Working on putting some new images in my portfolio and this tall shot from Time's Square kind of begged to be posted in the new G+ UI.

2013-05-16 00:51:35 (5 comments, 5 reshares, 14 +1s)

Hey photographers under

Home>Settings> 
you probably want to uncheck these two boxes

2013-05-15 21:18:10 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Get a taste of what Google Consumer Surveys has to offer for only $10

Now, with Taste Surveys (goo.gl/0vUhO) by Google Consumer Surveys, you can ask a single answer question for just $10 to get real data for your business. 

Do consumers care if you offer free shipping? Is your stubborn friend always betting you which movie will win the box office next weekend (goo.gl/qnsXt)?- ask the internet, and you’ll have the answer in no time. 

Even with this short taste survey you still get all the benefits of Google Consumer Surveys:
+ Responses from US Internet users
+ Compare responses by gender, age, geography, and more
+ Interactive charts and data visualizations

Find out what people planned to spend for mother’s day at goo.gl/NM9IF or who the US Internet is rooting for to win American Idol at goo.gl/caLdp and get a sense for what a tastesurve... more »

2013-05-13 06:16:59 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Sunday agenda = Took Ethan to gym class + Picked up the registration for Sara's new car + Lunch at Boudin + Walgreens + Home + Sara took a nap + Play time with Ethan while Sara rested + Home Depot to buy Patio Furniture + Hung Sara's bike from the garage ceiling + Assembled patio furniture + Got Sara Pancakes for dinner + Cooked dinner for me + Watched some TV + Rest!!!!  Fun busy day, lots of time together with Sara and Ethan - Good times!

2013-05-12 21:02:23 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I feel like a gernade has exploded in my upper back. Pain like crazy. :(

2013-05-11 07:57:43 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

Yesterday I shared a long exposure shot with my bigstopper filter. This is the same basic shot, but in color and not a long exposure.

2013-05-11 07:46:46 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 22 +1s)

One of the marketing doublespeak talking points of Adobe's Creative Cloud, is that Adobe is saying you're always up to date.  I'll call BS directly on this piece of fluff, here's why...

There is no reason why Adobe couldn't keep users of CS1, CS2, CS3, ..., CS6 up to date --- they just didn't want to.  There is and was no technical limitation that prevented them from rolling out new features to users, but there was a business one: they wanted to sell you a new version of the software.  

The move to the Creative Cloud subscription model doesn't resolve some technical hurdles that Adobe has magically overcome.  Chrome users almost always have the newest copy of the browser.  If Adobe really couldn't update the Creative Suite with new features because of technical challenges, then they could have always used Chrome's auto-updater whichdoes a... more »

2013-05-10 19:27:31 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Subtask looks like a pretty cool app for organizing your thoughts and projects. I want to play with it, but they're in invite only. If a few people sign up, we can get early beta access, so here, if you want to play with it, request and invite using my link:  www.subtask.com/s/-gAYpw

:-D

2013-05-10 00:58:23 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 35 +1s)

Alviso California - Last week.

2013-05-09 20:10:46 (0 comments, 11 reshares, 9 +1s)

A bill has been introduced in congress to make unlocking cell phones permanently legal. Go to this site and use it to contact your representatives. Let them know that they need to make it explicitly legal for you and not big business to dictate what you can do with what you buy.

Please reshare!!!

http://fixthedmca.org/unlocking-technology-act.html

2013-05-08 05:28:50 (41 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

I'm really surprised there isn't a kickstarter project for a viable photoshop alternative already, i.e. not gimp.  If folks start one I'll campaign left right and center to make it happen (plus put in some money).   #CreateCloudGate

2013-05-08 04:58:55 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Time to redesign my website. It's so generic right now that it hurts. Hrmm, what to do to make it look good without resorting to flash. 

2013-05-07 05:03:31 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

I talked to a bunch of artists via g+ and other social networks. My wife and I had long been trying to find a perfect painting for our living room wall, and we had a near impossible time doing so.  Just yesterday, we settled on a painter (who I'll keep nameless until I get the ok to share his info).  He's going to paint us something in a style we like.  It's the first time we've ever commissioned a painting, and I'm really excited to be able to help support the arts and own an original painting. So excited to get some photos of the work in progress. I'll share them here as I get them. 

2013-05-07 02:42:50 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

My mom with my brother and me on Christmas morning, many moons ago. :-)  #HeresToTheMoms

2013-05-07 01:16:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Photographers of Google+!

These are some of the best photographers out there on Google+! Make sure to circle them all! If you have any suggestions on some I can add please let me know in the comments below! Some amazing and hardcore photographers in here include the ever popular +Trey Ratcliff, +Colby Brown, +Brian Rose, +Vivienne Gucwa, +Thomas Hawk, +Doug Kaye, +Mike Spinak, +Michael Bonocore, +Gary Crabbe, +Jeff Smith, +Jeff Sullivan, +Folletto Folletto, +Noze P., +Muse TD, +Ant J, +Christi Nielsen, +Gordon Laing, +Cassius Wright, +dave cross, +Austin Thomas, +Tamara Pruessner, +Leanne Staples, +Tana Teel, +Terry White, +James Brandon, +Mike Wiacek, +Jeremy Cowart, +Mike Wood, +Jan H. Andersen, +Scott Kelby, and many many more!! Enjoy!!

#Photography  

2013-05-06 23:08:22 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

My back is killing me. Does someone have a +Mike Wiacek voodoo doll they are stabbing in the back? Please stop... please?

2013-05-06 18:49:38 (13 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

I wonder what percentage of the people talking about the great new Photoshop features are on the Adobe payroll/gravy train?

The people who are ignoring the ridiculousness of this change and are talking about features are clearly not being as objective as they should be.

2013-05-06 17:09:18 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Well it's happened. Adobe is going creative cloud only. Time to find something else, cause I ain't paying for software in perpetuity.

2013-05-06 01:19:05 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Giving baby Ethan a frozen waffle is like a magic device that keeps him happy and occupied for like a good 30 minutes.

2013-05-05 20:12:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

We're kicking off our new Cover Photo of the Week series later today!

Just a quick teaser post to let you know about a new series that we'll be kicking off. One of the best ways to inspire creativity for whoever visits your profile is to have a great cover photo.

To help with that on the +Google+ Photos page, we'll be showcasing an amazing new image on our profile masthead every Sunday evening for the week. It's just another way for us to help spur creativity and inspiration for all of you wonderful photographers and photography lovers!

Check back in a few hours to see the new look! :)

2013-05-05 09:18:40 (17 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Share your best photo. I want to see images that inspire.

2013-05-05 09:17:33 (4 comments, 25 reshares, 21 +1s)

This is so brilliantly clever it borders on bond villainesque. Good thing it's being used for a worthy cause and not to sell cereal. 

http://www.diyphotography.net/lenticular-photo-used-secretly-convey-hot-line-number-abused-kids

2013-05-04 19:20:26 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 28 +1s)

Having grown up smack in the middle of downtown Philadelphia, I never knew places like this actually existed. How can any skyscraper, factory, or shopping center, compare to what nature has made for us.

Banff National Park

2013-05-04 19:15:07 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 37 +1s)

As of today, I hit the 50 pounds lost mark.  FIFTY pounds, no more. All gone.  The best part - I probably added 20 years to my life. 20 more years to spend with Ethan and Sara, that's the best part.

2013-05-04 18:51:20 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

Somewhere in Banff National Park (Canada).

2013-04-30 20:06:30 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 36 +1s)

I totally missed +Lotus Carroll's invitation to join. I am a silly one.  Here's a selfie from a few years back.

2013-04-30 07:27:18 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

Took the day off today and:

Got car washed
Refueled the car
Fixed door guards
Got lunch
Went to Lowes and got cleaning stuff
Went to the mall and bought swim trunks
Came home and spent 3.5 hours scrubbing patio + furniture + grill
Had dinner
Went for a massage
Had some strawberries
Registered warranties on furniture
Paid doctor bill
Read a few pages of a book
Watched How I Met Your Mother
Relaxing

Feel good to clear this ever growing to do list...

2013-04-30 06:13:42 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

Can computers innovate for our taste buds?

2013-04-28 05:25:18 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

natural beauty

2013-04-24 20:40:00 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 49 +1s)

46.5 pounds down....  almost to the 50 pound mark, woohoo.

2013-04-22 07:44:04 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

#HiddenRothko  wall at a local shopping mall call my eye.

2013-04-21 10:35:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 28 +1s)

This entire room is a model. From front to back it's about 12 inches.  From left to right it's about 12 inches.  This is an image I took when visiting the Art Institute in Chicago last summer. The detail and work that went into these pieces is just insane.

2013-04-21 10:04:02 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Interesting things to shoot are all around us. I was cleaning up from an impromptu get together at our house tonight, and I thought the random arrangement of food containers was too cool to ignore.

2013-04-20 23:19:47 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 47 +1s)

First time Ethan allowed us to put him in a baby bjorn. Wooohooo!

2013-04-19 23:58:56 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

+Squarespace seems like it might be the place to move my site. Hrmm...

2013-04-18 08:00:57 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 35 +1s)

The Heart of the Angel

(Inspired by the amazing work of John Paul Caponigro.  I've been following him for a while, and wanted to make an image in his style. Credit where credit is due.  The source images for this piece are my own.).

2013-04-18 05:56:38 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

"The Rain When Not in Spain"

A photo from my first day in #Cuba. 

2013-04-17 07:24:10 (3 comments, 4 reshares, 16 +1s)

An example of advertising that not only sells a product, concept, or idea, but actually teaches a lesson we all could learn from.

Dove Real Beauty Sketches

2013-04-16 08:02:47 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Different crop of the last pic.

2013-04-16 07:59:58 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

New processing/crop of a photo from a shoot last year with +Alex Huff.

2013-04-15 20:01:01 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Lightroom 5 Beta!

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=labs_lightroom5

Features seem somewhat ho-hum from what I can tell so far. Visualizing dust spots is something I've been hoping would show up for a while.  I haven't played with it yet, so take all this with a grain of salt.

2013-04-15 19:13:05 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Grove

2013-04-15 09:17:28 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

The Canopy

2013-04-15 09:16:58 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

I've fallen in love with the Selective Color layer adjustment. :-)

2013-04-13 20:40:16 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 37 +1s)

Playing with my wacom tablet and the wet mixer brushes in photoshop.  Not a painter, but I like it.