CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-13 12:46:01 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 65 +1s)

Le W00T... Iceland is awesome!!

Epic sunset and sunrise all rolled into one a couple of nights ago at Gullfoss. The 24 hrs of daylight takes some getting used to but makes for amazing photo opportunities.

Yeah, this doesn't suck at all :)

Having a blast in Iceland with my good buddy +Colby Brown  and our awesome group of workshop participants! 

This shot was taken with my iPhone 4S using Slow Shutter and Snapseed apps.

2013-06-08 16:49:02 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 64 +1s)

Announcing || Italy Photo Tour - October 2013!

I’m very happy to announce our first Italy Photo Tour in collaboration with my good friend and fellow travel photographer +Ken Kaminesky!  http://bit.ly/it-photo-tour

As a travel photographer and artist, I’ve never found a country quite like Italy. From the stunning architecture, to the rich and textured landscapes, to the enormous wealth of culture and history, this beautiful country has captured my heart and soul. There seems to be no end to the unique photographic opportunities and I’m fortunate to have spent the last few years exploring, learning, and photographing many of Italy’s most amazing locations. 

After 6 months of planning, scouting, and preparation, we’ve put together an incredible tour that will lead you through some of the most beautiful and photogenic portions of Italy. From Rome to Tuscany toFlorence to... more »

2013-06-05 14:04:26 (19 comments, 77 reshares, 127 +1s)

I'm thrilled to announce my Italy Photo Tour for October 2013!

http://bit.ly/Italy-photo-tour

After six months of planning along with my good friend and fellow travel photographer +Elia Locardi  we are finally ready to move forward with our awesome Italy Photo Tour for early October this year.

On this epic tour of Italy we'll be taking participants to Rome, Tuscany, Florence, and Cinque Terre where you'll get the chance to see views like the image above (of the seaside town of Manarola at dusk) for yourself all while eating some of the most delicious food and drinking some of the best wine in the world.

This will be more than just a photo tour as we are working in museum visits, winery tours, food tours, history tours and of course epic photo opportunities! 

For more details on how this all came together check out my latest blog post:h... more »

2013-06-04 13:03:32 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 69 +1s)

One more day and Iceland here I come!

Can't wait to be back in Iceland with my awesome buddy +Colby Brown for our first of two sold out photo workshops this year!

If you haven't been to Iceland yet, do yourselves a favour and start making plans to do so. Colby and I will be back in September and are already planning our 2014 Iceland workshops.

No matter how many times you go to this magical country, there will never be enough time to take advantage of all the awesome photo opportunities that present themselves. Every season has its own brand of magic in Iceland. 

From ice formations that wash up onto the shore, to incredible waterfalls, mountain ranges, raging rivers, glaciers, geysers, and so much more… Iceland has it all.

This time I'm heading back with a whole lot of new gear to play with. New Canon cameras and lenses, afan... more »

2013-06-03 14:16:34 (3 comments, 7 reshares, 7 +1s)

The Chicago Sun-Times, fired its entire pool of 28 photographers…

…recently with the plans to source future graphics from reporters who will be trained to capture print-worthy images with their iPhones. Reported by former Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder on Facebook, the publication plans to give reporters mandatory training in “iPhone photography basics” as a replacement for the outgoing photographers.


Read more: http://bit.ly/ZHxZ3c

What a sad trend. CNN did the same thing last year, who's next?

2013-06-02 20:40:52 (0 comments, 6 reshares, 20 +1s)

Here's what Pangea (kind of) looks like mapped with modern political borders.

http://io9.com/heres-what-pangea-looks-like-mapped-with-modern-politi-509812695


This sure would make for interesting travel arrangements today :)

2013-06-02 13:32:04 (6 comments, 6 reshares, 68 +1s)

Welcome to Toronto!

The +TBEX: Travel Blog Exchange conference is going on right now in #Toronto and I want to welcome the people from all over the world who are visiting Canada to attend. Wish I was there to join in on the fun but I'm preparing to leave for Iceland in a few days and I have so much to do.

Hope you're having a great time at #TBEX!

2013-06-01 13:47:41 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 24 +1s)

90,000,000 and counting!

Canon has announced that it has now produced 90 million EF lenses since the launch of the EOS system in 1987. 

http://www.canon.com/news/2013/may29e.html

To celebrate this momentous event, I'll be letting +Colby Brown buy me one of each of the EF lenses that Canon makes!

2013-05-30 18:05:24 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Another great software deal to share with you from my friends at onOne Software!

Today is the last day for this special offer on Perfect Photo Suite 7.1 from +onOne Software 

http://bit.ly/11aj1h9

Purchase by May 30th and save up to $100 plus get a free bonus—the Creative Companion 3—loaded with over 100 bonus presets and textures. Plus, you'll get the free update to version 7.5 coming in two weeks!

When you become a Perfect Photo Suite owner, each month you'll receive free monthly bonus products and add-ons as part of the onOne Loyalty Rewards program!

2013-05-30 14:00:32 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 23 +1s)

One month after the Japan earthquake, my friend +Andrew Marston  biked across the entire length of the country.

Check out the very cool 60 second preview of the video he shot on this epic journey.

EXTRAS at http://www.JapanByBicycle.com/:
- Free 300 page eBook
- Detailed route map
- Documentary soundtrack (royalty free!)
- "How to Get Yourself to Japan" eBook

Way to go Andrew!

2013-05-29 13:39:35 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 23 +1s)

2013-05-28 13:12:49 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 15 +1s)

Instagram

It's always nice to be included in lists… Hmmm, now that I think of it, there are some lists I'd rather not be on but I digress…

This is one I'm quite stoked to be on and happy to share with you. If you're looking to follow some great talent on Instagram here are 30 people to follow who are doing some really cool stuff. It was a nice surprise to find myself included on this list 

http://photodoto.com/the-best-instagram-accounts-to-follow-for-photographers/

Who's your favourite Instagrammer? I'd love to see your suggestions on who to follow in the comments.

You can follow me here: http://instagram.com/kenk514/

2013-05-27 22:45:31 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 99 +1s)

One more week and #Iceland here I come!

Can't wait to be back in this incredible country once again and this time I'm joined by a great group of photographers who are  participating in the workshop I'm co-hosting with my buddy +Colby Brown 

This is the first of 2 sold out workshops in Iceland for 2013 and I'll be announcing more workshops in other awesome locations in the weeks ahead… Stay tuned!

2013-05-24 19:22:59 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

Looking for more online cloud storage? As far as I'm concerned, one can never have enough and especially free! 

Check out the newest service "Copy" that is offering a minimum of 20GB for free.

2013-05-24 14:44:27 (9 comments, 9 reshares, 81 +1s)

True natural beauty: Mystical light that occurs only a few days every year captured in a series of stunning images

_This mystical beacon of light shining through the arch looks like it has come straight out of an Indiana Jones film. 
But rather than be created with special effects, the orange glow is a natural phenomenon that only occurs during a few weeks of every year. 
Capturing the stunning and rare light on camera is one of biggest trophies for nature photographers in the U.S._

Read more: http://bit.ly/13338uQ

Photo © +Mark Brodkin 

2013-05-23 22:54:02 (8 comments, 7 reshares, 73 +1s)

In less than 2 short weeks I'll be back in Iceland teaching a photo workshop along with my buddy +Colby Brown,seen hear wearing his awesome +Arc'teryx jacket.

I grabbed this shot of him as we were setting up for a late sunset shoot at Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfalls near Kirkjufell mountain at Grundarfjordur. See the final version of my take on this spot here: http://bit.ly/10nAw0N

Can't wait to be back in this insanely beautiful country and this time share the experience with a great group of photographers.

Iceland is the ideal place to sport your Arc'teryx gear. Nothing is more versatile or better made for the ever changing weather conditions of Iceland. So stoked to to know that I'll stay warm and dry while shooting some of the coolest spots on earth. Thanks Arc'teryx!

See you soon Colby!

2013-05-23 13:36:29 (3 comments, 4 reshares, 14 +1s)

If you haven't seen Canadian astronaut +Chris Hadfield 's version of David Bowie's song "Space Oddity" recorded in space, then have a look. 

Pure aweomsauceinspace!

2013-05-22 14:49:50 (13 comments, 6 reshares, 47 +1s)

2013-05-22 12:57:51 (6 comments, 6 reshares, 39 +1s)

So there's no such thing as professional photographers it seems

Yahoo announces it's latest incarnation of Flickr to luke warm reviews and +Marissa Mayer slaps the whole photography industry in the face by stating: “With so many people taking photographs, there’s really no such thing as professional photographers anymore,” 

Classy, real classy Marissa.

Way to alienate a whole industry that you're trying to cozy up to. Is it any wonder that Marissa has a history of epic failures in her career?

http://www.n2growth.com/blog/why-marissa-mayer-will-fail-at-yahoo/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2013/02/26/4-reasons-marissa-mayers-no-at-home-work-policy-is-an-epic-fail/

http://www.businessinsider.com/insiders-say-marissa-mayer-just-made-a-major-mistake-2013-2
http:... more »

2013-05-21 13:42:13 (1 comments, 4 reshares, 19 +1s)

Great article over at +PetaPixel 

Beware the Coming War Against Personal Photography and Video

_Are you ready for the imagery war — the war against personal photography and capturing of video? You’d better be.

The title of this piece actually isn’t entirely accurate. In some ways, this war isn’t just coming, it’s already begun. Forces are lining up on both sides, under the radar for most of us so far, but preparing for action. And right now, if I had to place a bet (cash, not bitcoins, please), I’d reluctantly have to predict the anti-imagery folks have the better chance of winning._


Read more at http://petapixel.com/2013/05/20/beware-the-coming-war-against-personal-photography-and-video/#5rB8aAlAtcGZ9BL7.99 

Photo credit: Cleaner Croydon
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cleanercroydon/5561598347/

2013-05-20 07:15:43 (7 comments, 6 reshares, 71 +1s)

After a month on the road it's nice to be heading home.

I had such a great time in Italy with +Elia Locardi, +Naomi Locardi, and +Athena Carey as we explored Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and Venice. Italy never fails to amaze me with her beauty, history, and food. This time it was even more special as I got to share it with such awesome people.

Spain was a ton of fun too even if it rained quite a lot and was unseasonably cold. This iPhone shot was at the last location on this trip. Just as I first set up to shoot it began to rain quite hard. I found some shelter and lucky for me I was wearing my water proof jacket and pants from +Arc'teryx otherwise I would have been drenched. 45 mins later and the sky broke into an ever changing array of stunning clouds.

It's good to be patient :)

Heading home now. Thanks Italia and España, see you again soon!
more »

2013-05-17 16:07:14 (1 comments, 7 reshares, 30 +1s)

Seems only appropriate to quote Picasso while in Spain...

2013-05-11 12:34:40 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

Great to see +Brian Matiash  be featured by my friends at +f-stop  in their new video series "Life in Focus"

Check it out!

2013-05-09 15:55:27 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 35 +1s)

How do you make your first visit to one of the most amazing places on the planet even more awesome than you thought possible? 

Easy! You share a +Walks of Italy  tour with amazing friends and photographers like +Elia Locardi  +Athena Carey  and +Naomi Locardi  :)

We did the VIP boat tour and learned all about the history, politics, and architecture of the magnificent city of Venice... And we did it in style while traversing the canals in a sleek Riva boat along with our expert guide Kristina from Walks.

It was smiles all around during and after the tour and we all agree that our tour was a highlight of our visit. More information about all the different Walks of Italy tours can be found here: http://bit.ly/12gjz6K

What a great day!

2013-05-07 13:14:32 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 25 +1s)

Venice with two fab travel photographers? Yes please. :)

With +Elia Locardi and +Ken Kaminesky

2013-05-05 21:09:40 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Oh Italy
Just got into Venice a few hours ago and I am literally speechless.

This is my first time here and I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it is. After seeing zillions of photos and countless films based here i am asking myself why it took me so long to come here.

I'm waiting for my friends +Elia Locardi & +Naomi Locardi  to show up with new friend +Athena Carey before I drink all the wine I bought for us.

We are going to have a wicked week of shooting here thanks to +Formatt-Hitech , +f-stop , +Induro , +Carl Zeiss and Fujifilm. 

Let the good times roll!
Viva Italia!

2013-05-04 12:20:48 (1 comments, 8 reshares, 21 +1s)

2013-05-01 10:43:36 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Canon 5D Mark III Firmware Update Out: Clean HDMI Output and AF Upgrade

The new firmware update adds two highly useful features: a clean HDMI output option and cross-type AF at f/8.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/standard_display/EOS5DM3_firmware/

2013-04-30 12:58:51 (13 comments, 3 reshares, 61 +1s)

Making the best of a limited opportunity

As I was approaching the White House last summer on an insanely hot and humid day I knew that I would likely only get a few frames off before the police asked me to stop using my tripod. 

Lucky and unlucky for me that there was quite the crowd there that day. Lucky because the mass of people let me blend in and hide my tripod legs amongst the sea of human legs. Unlucky because in the crowd there were dozens of children, one in particular who had an affinity of banging the metal fence that I had gingerly snaked my 24mm-70mm lens through. There were mere millimetres on each side of the lens barrel and with each child induced bang I could feel the shake in the camera. 

This was not the ideal situation to get a properly focused image, especially considering I was doing brackets of 5 different exposures. I had to keep glancingo... more »

2013-04-29 10:37:18 (13 comments, 6 reshares, 11 +1s)

Just when you thought it was safe to post your photos online...

One more reason to add proper metadata and watermarks to your digital photos. 

So much for governments working for the people.

2013-04-29 02:29:52 (14 comments, 7 reshares, 104 +1s)

When iPhone photos can look like this.... You know that you're in Italy. 

Hello Cinque Terre, nice to meet you! 

How awesome to be here in such a magical place with wonderful friends like +Elia Locardi & +Naomi Locardi 

I just may never leave :)

2013-04-26 18:46:43 (10 comments, 6 reshares, 68 +1s)

The spectacular beauty of Tuscany

It is hard to believe that any place could be so picture perfect.

Even simple iPhone images are enough to give you a deep sense of the manicured perfection of the Tuscan countryside.

2013-04-22 19:40:08 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 12 +1s)

Beyoncé Bans All Pro Photographers From Her Concerts

Wow… Can you say giant mistake?

Beyonce should fire her publicist immediately and apologize for being an idiot.

Read all about it here at +Fstoppers 

http://fstoppers.com/beyonce-bans-all-pro-photographers-from-her-concerts

2013-04-21 16:02:24 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 28 +1s)

What's in your bag?

Hitting the road tomorrow for a month of shooting in Italy and Spain. Wooohooo!!

As you can see, I decided to pack light… I'm not bringing the 70-200mm ;)

I just added a list of gear I use to my blog as well. You can check it out here: http://blog.kenkaminesky.com/gear/

See you soon Italia!

2013-04-20 15:21:14 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

+Aaron Ansarov Shot a whole series of amazing Portuguese man-of-war photos like this one and you can see a ton more on +WIRED :

http://bit.ly/13BG5vC

Great work Aaron!

2013-04-19 16:30:34 (2 comments, 4 reshares, 21 +1s)

What does it take to be a National Geographic photographer?

Oh man… You gotta take three minutes to watch this!

Pure awesomeness.

2013-04-18 14:21:07 (16 comments, 12 reshares, 66 +1s)

We just had one space open up on our June Iceland photo workshop!

If you're interested in joining me and +Colby Brown  in one of the world's most incredible locations for nature and landscape photography then check out the following link.

http://blog.kenkaminesky.com/iceland-photography-workshop/

We are timing this with the summer solstice that will provide us with 24 hours of daylight. Come experience the land of the midnight sun. It's gonna be AWESOME!

2013-04-18 00:45:40 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 17 +1s)

The 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners — Feature Photography

Two rebel soldiers in Syria guard their sniper's nest in the Karmel Jabl neighborhood of Aleppo as light streams through more than a dozen holes made by bullets and shrapnel in the tin wall behind them. The dust from more than one hundred days of shelling, bombing and firefights hung in the air. Karmel Jabl is strategically important because of its proximity to the main road that separates several of the main battlegrounds in the city. Both sides (the Free Syria Army and the regime) rely heavily on snipers in a cat and mouse game along Aleppo's frontlines. (Photo taken October 18, 2012)

Copyright:  2012, AFP - Javier Manzano

http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2013-Feature-Photography

2013-04-17 17:03:21 (6 comments, 5 reshares, 36 +1s)

Viva Italia!

Only a few more days until I get back to beautiful Italy. 

I'll only be in Rome one night and likely won't have time to shoot there but I'm stoked to be heading to the Tuscan countryside, Cinque Terre, and Venice!

It's pretty much a photographic paradise and I can't wait for the adventure to begin!

2013-04-16 22:59:27 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

Glad to See Photoshelter joining the G+ community in a bigger way!

I'm a travel photographer and work for all kinds of editorial and commercial, and social media travel related clients. I also write a travel photography blog and teach workshops in places like Iceland and Italy.

I've been a big fan of Photoshelter for years and happy to partner with them on some of their great free guides. 

2013-04-16 13:45:55 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Woooot! Lightroom 5 Beta from Adobe labs Now Available!

2013-04-16 12:55:16 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

This page came up within an hour or so of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Well done +Google , well done.

2013-04-16 02:14:13 (5 comments, 11 reshares, 46 +1s)

Beautiful Portraits Of Unaware Animals Wandering Into Majestic Spaces

Photo credit ©Karen Knorr 

See more at: http://designtaxi.com/news/357048/Beautiful-Portraits-Of-Unaware-Animals-Wandering-Into-Majestic-Spaces/

2013-04-15 16:58:39 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Instagramming Italia!

Great Idea from my friend +Elia Locardi  today to share Instagram feeds here.

We are both going to be in Italy next week for a two week shoot and will be sharing a ton of stuff on Instagram. We both just share our iPhone photos on Instagram and no DSLR stuff. 

You can follow me here at: kenk514

http://instagram.com/kenk514/

What's your Insatgram handle? Leave the link in the comments.

2013-04-15 00:04:19 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 37 +1s)

Native Americans: Portraits From a Century Ago


In the early 1900s, Seattle-based photographer Edward S. Curtis embarked on a project of epic scale, to travel the western United States and document the lives of Native Americans still untouched by Western society. Curtis secured funding from J.P. Morgan, and visited more than 80 tribes over the next 20 years, taking more than 40,000 photographs, 10,000 wax cylinder recordings, and huge volumes of notes and sketches. The end result was a 20-volume set of books illustrated with nearly 2,000 photographs, titled "The North American Indian." In the hundred-plus years since the first volume was published, Curtis's depictions have been both praised and criticized…

Read more at: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/04/native-americans-portraits-from-a-century-ago/100489/

Via +In Focus 

2013-04-13 17:36:45 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 5 +1s)

Stunning imagery from +Von Wong 

Love seeing people be innovative, creative, and eager to share their projects like this. 

Enjoy the video!

2013-04-12 15:55:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Ship my pants

#lmao

2013-04-12 13:43:16 (57 comments, 41 reshares, 80 +1s)

Uh oh…. This could really suck for photographers in the US

Representative Betty Nuovo, of the Vermont State House, recently introduced a bill that if passed would “make it illegal to take a photograph of a person without his or her consent, or to modify a photograph of a person without his or her consent, and to distribute it.” This could have some ugly consequences for photographers in Vermont and if it passes there I would not be surprised to see other states try to follow suit.

Read more at +Fstoppers 

I'm not sure how they could possibly enforce this now that everyone has a camera in their phone. It will be interesting to see if the bill passes and who — if anyone — is the first to be fined or arrested. 

What a waste of taxpayer dollars and time.

2013-04-12 00:47:52 (1 comments, 8 reshares, 21 +1s)

Canon Introduces a Virtual DSLR Website to Help Beginners Learn the Basics

If you’re just starting out in photography, there are a lot of resources out there to help you understand the basics before you just jump in. And while books and videos are certainly helpful, one of the more fun ways to learn your way around a camera is by using an online DSLR simulator. We’ve shared one with you before, and now Canon Canada has released a simulator website of its own dubbed Outside of Auto.

Read more at http://petapixel.com/2013/04/10/canon-introduces-virtual-dslr-website-to-help-beginners-learn-the-basics/#pJXpJLeDblW8rWfB.99 

2013-04-11 14:17:04 (13 comments, 5 reshares, 91 +1s)

I'll be back in beautiful Italy soon and I'll be in good company.

Not only am I going to be there with good friends +Elia Locardi  & +Naomi Locardi  to do some recon work for an upcoming photo workshop that Elia and I will be doing in Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and Venice but I'm working with Fujifilm , +Carl Zeiss Lenses, and +Formatt-Hitech  filters on a few different projects while in these amazingly beautiful locations. Fun!

Read more at: http://blog.kenkaminesky.com/2013/04/10/in-good-company/