CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-18 08:23:45 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 38 +1s)

Google+ Glass Photowalk Finish -- San Francisco, California

This is the second group shot taken at the end of +Trey Ratcliff  and +Thomas Hawk's Google Glass photowalk earlier this week.

It will be interesting to see if there are more people in this shot or the one I took at the beginning.

Tag away! 

#glassphotowalk  

2013-05-18 08:29:00 (63 comments, 20 reshares, 72 +1s)

Thomas & Trey's SF Photowalk -- San Francisco, California

Here is the first of two group shots from +Thomas Hawk and +Trey Ratcliff's photowalk last night in San Francisco.

This was the largest photowalk I've ever been to and it was an absolute blast! If the walks keep getting bigger I'm going to have to bring a fisheye for these group shots... ;)

It was great to see everyone last night.

Let the tagging begin!

#GlassPhotoWalk

2013-05-11 20:49:36 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

The Perfect Rose -- Menlo Park, California

Yes I shoot with a +Phase One, D800e and more and more with a Sony RX1.

But the best camera is the always the one that you have with you!

#iphone

2013-05-11 19:24:50 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 36 +1s)

Steel, Glass, and Concrete -- New York, New York

2013-05-08 02:59:51 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Excellent conversation between +Joe McNally and David Allan Harvey about "the business".

2013-05-08 02:02:04 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Meeting Location:  Check Back Soon!  (Time is 5:30 PM PT on May 14)
After-Party Location:  Check Back Soon!
Hashtag:   #GlassPhotoWalk  

How to Win Google Glass:  This will be a random selection for people at the PhotoWalk.  You can join in and take photos live with Party Mode with your Android or iPhone.  Details to come!

Join +Thomas Hawk  and +Trey Ratcliff  for a once-in-a-lifetime free event!  If you've never been to a photowalk, this will be a great one.  We'll help teach you more about photography and you can join in the fun!  Bring a friend or come alone.  It's a family-friendly event, and we look forward to seeing you!

Thanks to +Brian Matiash  and the rest of the Google team for help in getting the whole event together.  We'll have a TON more details soon...  this will be a great celebration ofphotography!
more »

2013-05-07 14:42:31 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Vampire -- San Francisco, California

As a photographer your camera helps you meet all sorts of people. Sometimes those people are vampires wearing bear hoods.

I thought all the Vampires were in Santa Carla until I met this one while wandering around downtown San Francisco.

2013-05-06 02:07:27 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Give Me A Sign -- New York, New York

There are many of secrets and mysteries inside of Grand Central Station.

2013-05-02 19:02:48 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

A Talk With AP Photographer David Guttenfelder - http://theatln.tc/11Yrab3 - Yesterday, the International Center of Photography honored the recipients of its 2013 Infinity Awards. The winner of the Photojournalism category was David Guttenfelder, currently Chief Asia Photographer for the Associated Press. The design and video production studio MediaStorm was commissioned to create short films about each of the recipients, and was kind enough to share this one about David Guttenfelder's years of photojournalism in Africa, Afghanistan and Asia.

2013-05-02 18:42:14 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Howard Street Dragon -- San Francisco, California

Howard Street is the San Francisco home for a lot of major U.S. corporations and financials firms. I think that's why I love to see it get transformed into a giant, bizarro, nightclub each year during the How Weird Street Faire.

2013-04-29 17:42:12 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Startup Of The Year

Living in Silicon Valley means that when I'm not doing photography, I'm doing startups. Last week we won Startup Of the Year from the Oregon Technology Association (our HQ is in Oregon).

Feels good to see all that hard work recognized.

2013-04-29 05:50:25 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 24 +1s)

Embracing The Weird -- San Francisco, California

Blending into the environment is often times the best way to capture candid moments. So how do you blend in at San Francisco's How Weird Street Faire?

Ask +Chris Chabot  who was lining up awesome shots all day. 

2013-04-26 17:44:42 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Infrared Medium Format Backs!

I'd love to play with one of these.

+Cameron Siguenza will be interested in this.

2013-04-25 22:55:54 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

How Weird Street Faire -- San Francisco, California

It's that time of year again. How Weird is this Sunday in downtown SF. They literally fence off 5 blocks of Howard street for thousands of people (in all manner of dress/undress) to congregate, dance and party. 

I know +Chris Chabot is going (we had a blast shooting this last year). Will you be there?

2013-04-24 15:55:57 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

DigitalCameraWorld reviews Capture One Pro 7 and we get 4/5 stars.

"Capture One Pro has always been good at extracting the maximum detail from raw files, but the results from this latest version are spectacular."

What do you think?

2013-04-22 23:42:25 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 37 +1s)

Flatiron -- New York, New York

Order a print here: http://goo.gl/5hOIj

Slowly making my way through a list of spots in NYC that I've always wanted to photograph but for some reason have never have. 

Take this building for example. I've walked past/near/in it for years but never found the time (or desire) to really photograph it properly. Did I take it for granted figuring that I could always get to it later? Or did I really not see it for what it truly was? Hard to know.

What I do know is that as I get older, I'm realizing that it takes some distance and a change in perspective to really see things clearly.

2013-04-14 18:14:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Pressgram -- It's like your own Instagram but using WordPress!

Help fund this project. I just did.

+Matt Mullenweg 

2013-04-14 16:12:23 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 2 +1s)

The Search for Responsive Images

I'm researching the best ways to add responsive images to WordPress. Here are a few...

I'm looking for a purely plugin based solution that effectively does what you see here on Google+ image lightboxes.

2013-04-14 16:04:08 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Pinterest, You Can't Ignore It Any Longer

I'm starting to get a lot of traffic from Pinterest so I started researching plugins that ad the "Pin" button to images.

Also, be sure to signup for Pinterest Web Analytics to see how many people  are pinning each of your images: http://business.pinterest.com/analytics/ . I was shocked to see how many of my images had already been pinned.

Anyone else having success with Pinterest??

2013-04-12 22:05:59 (46 comments, 20 reshares, 95 +1s)

Makankosappo! -- Stanford, California

Had a great time last night at the #southbayshooters  Stanford photowalk organized by +Lisa Donchak.

I always try to mix it up a bit on these walks and setup a mini-location shoot with some lights. Last night's shoot was a Makankosappo portrait.

Makankosappo literally means "Magic Penetrating Killing Ray" and is an attack move popularized by the Japanese anime series Dragon Ball.

Photos of Japanese school girls wielding Makankosappo have recently turned into a full fledged Internet meme due to the upcoming release of a new Dragon ball movie.

There are three lights at work here. First is an +Elinchrom LTD Quadra Ranger hidden behind Lisa's arm pointing straight up. This is used as both the key light for the innocent bystanders and the rim light for Lisa. The other two lights are NikonS... more »

2013-04-11 18:00:24 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Wow. This is impressive for some many reasons.

2013-04-04 17:45:16 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 45 +1s)

Upstairs Window -- Hartford, Connecticut

Destroyed by fire and neglect this manor house was recently rebuilt and remodeled back to near original condition. It's now an amazing bed and breakfast.

We stayed here a few weeks ago while passing through Hartford and I couldn't resist making the spooky figure in the upstairs window shot...

2013-04-04 16:25:00 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Clouds of neon-colored powder enveloped villages across northern India last week as the sprig Holi Festival began. (Photo by Tinto Alencherry, Your Shot)

Take a look at more photos from the annual celebration: http://on.natgeo.com/14F8C35

2013-04-02 17:06:28 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

I Thought This Getty News was an April Fools Joke...

Evidently it's not.

I don't shoot for Getty but this is going to be more fuel on the brightly burning Getty fire. Their low royalty payouts are the reason folks like  +Thomas Hawk and +Trey Ratcliff have moved to +Stocksy United.

Wish I could get a Stocksy invite to try it out.

2013-03-29 01:06:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

* +Phase One IQ2 Series Backs*

Just digging in now... these look mighty impressive. I would kill to have 2 hour exposure time on my IQ140.

Speaking of the IQ140, it doesn't look like the IQ2 line has a 40 mega-pixel version...

2013-03-29 00:43:42 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 9 +1s)

Crappy Vs. Snappy?

At one time or another, every Pro I know has had to deal with this objection from prospective clients:

"Why should I hire you when i can take the photo myself with my own DSLR."

Photog James Hodgins decided to turn the objection into a marketing effort by asking clients to shoot along side of him. He then takes their images and  shows their work along side his on the "Crappy Vs. Snappy" page of his website.

I'm not sure i would do this personally, but you have to admit it's a neat concept.

2013-03-29 00:38:34 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

How Not To Submit to a Gallery

Great advice here from gallery owner Jennifer Schwartz on how to (and not to) submit work to a gallery. A must read for those looking to tap into Gallery Sales.

2013-03-28 18:01:05 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 39 +1s)

Lake Lagunita -- Stanford, California

Yes this is smack in the middle of Silicon Valley (Stanford actually).

+Lisa Donchak is organizing a Stanford photowalk for April 10th. Why not join?

2013-03-27 05:32:26 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

I just started a photo magazine on the new Flipboard. Check it out.

2013-03-27 03:38:01 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 33 +1s)

The Sonora Engine #7 -- Felton, California

We shot at Roaring Camp Railroads this past weekend as part of the Santa Cruz Photowalk. If you missed it, don't worry because +Karen Hutton did a great job broadcasting a +Virtual Photo Walks™ of the whole place.

Roaring Camp Railroads has these awesome train rides through the redwood forrest using old fashioned steam locomotives. This is a shot of the Sonora Engine #7 (a three-truck, 60-ton Shay engine built in 1911 by Lima Locomotive Works, factory number 2465) and it's engineer Eric Corder.

Lighting on on this was a single SB-900, gelled warm, high to camera left on 10ft stand. The flash was zoomed to 200mm so it's just skimming the engine adding some specular highlights to the black steel but really it's just hitting Eric in the face.

Speaking of Eric, he was such a nice guy. So much so thatw... more »

2013-03-26 01:50:06 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

The Bonocore -- Davenport, California

+Michael Bonocore can bring it. So it was brought. 

Dirty lens and all.

#santacruz2013   #thebonocore   

2013-03-25 01:10:09 (17 comments, 9 reshares, 49 +1s)

Friends -- Davenport, California

That was the theme of the day at the semi-annual Santa Cruz photowalk. After a day of landscapes and sunsets and we did a little location shoot with +Barry Blanchard and +Michael Bonocore (http://goo.gl/D5rRo).

I used the same lighting setup but this time the ladies were up!

After a few attempts at capturing mid-air summersaults and cartwheels, these two former Olympic athletes settled into this awesome pose -- which I think says it all.

Good times +Karen Hutton and +Lisa Donchak!

#santacruz2013  

2013-03-24 19:14:58 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 39 +1s)

Men In Black -- Davenport, California

Photowalks are amazing things. Let's face it, all the plus ones and comments in the world can't hold a candle to actually getting together "in real life". So that's exactly what we did yesterday at the semi-annual Santa Cruz photowalk organized by +Barry Blanchard.

We started in the redwood forrest, ate our way through the Greek, and then headed out to the coast for sunset. It's a day of beautiful landscapes for sure, but I typically bring my studio with me to mix things up by doing a small location shoot.

I have to admit, this shoot had been a while in the making. +Michael Bonocore has been wiping the Internets into a frenzy with #thebonocore  pose. If you follow any photographers, then chances are very good that you've seen them posing with a giant DSLR decorating their collar bone.
T... more »

2013-05-16 00:34:10 (35 comments, 6 reshares, 51 +1s)

Santa Cruz Spring 2013 Photowalkers -- Felton, California

What a day! We started in the forrest and photographed all the way to the beach.  It was great to see everyone again and meet new faces.

Lots more to come but here's the group photo.

Let the tagging begin....

#santacruz2013  

2013-03-19 04:14:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

Stunning day

2013-03-14 02:59:34 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 39 +1s)

Tree Of Life -- Santa Cruz, California

Sometimes it pays to slow down and be in the moment. That's exactly what I did this weekend by walking the entire scenic West Cliff Drive instead of driving it like I normally do.

The typical shot here is a telephoto stacking of the cliffs and shoreline but this weekend it was two bicycles that caught my eye.  

The two surfers that these bikes belong to were so excited to get down to the beach that they had just stashed their bikes on the side of the hill instead of locking them up.

Framing this shot I couldn't help but feel the sense of the reckless abandonment that comes along with being young and carefree.

Prints are here: http://goo.gl/3WUFu

2013-03-12 05:44:24 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Stanford Holi Festival of Colors Anyone?

Can't get to Spanish Fork Utah this year? Come celebrate the Holi festival at Stanford. I shot this festival last year (photos here: http://www.instartupland.com/?p=459) and it was a blast.

I'm planning on going back to shoot again this year on April 6th (Saturday). If you want to go you need to buy tickets now as they sell out quickly! Order tickets here:

http://www.stanford.edu/group/tickets/holi

If there is enough interest I'm sure we can organize a little post festival get together...

2013-03-10 20:33:44 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 33 +1s)

Nantucket Sleighride -- Nantucket, Massachusetts

Two things I really miss after editing this photo: 6x7 format and purple sunsets on the beach in Nantucket.

I think i may need to chase a sunset tonight.

2013-03-01 01:00:16 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

The Rolleiflex TLR. Best Street Camera Ever

Istvan Nagy has great essay about this camera over at LuLa. I got all nostalgic while reading it. This was my first medium format camera and I used it to take some of my favorite images.

Maybe that's why I can't think of selling it like i did with all my other film cameras last year.

2013-02-28 16:33:16 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Turning Visitors Into Newsletter Subscribers

I just started looking into better ways to promote my newsletter signup throughout my website. Some really good food for thought in the article below. 

What do you all do about this?

2013-02-25 02:52:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

Visitors -- Stanford, California

I wanted to see how the new Sony RX1 (see my review here: http://goo.gl/IE1Ko) would hold up when shooting 100 second exposures. 

It's hard to get a good star trail in Silicon Valley because of light pollution so I like to head over to Stanford for interesting foreground compositions.

The horizontal lines are the stars. The other lines are, well you know... visitors... on airplanes...

What did you think I was going to say? That Stanford has some super secret space lab or starport in an unmarked building (just to the right of to the Knight Management Center) that they launch spaceships from? ;)

2013-02-22 04:49:22 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 53 +1s)

Stanford Memorial Church -- Stanford, California

Here's a favorite shot taken with the Sony RX1 (see my review here: http://goo.gl/IE1Ko). Still amazed at the dynamic range this tiny camera.

2013-02-19 05:51:00 (17 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

Two Weeks With The Sony RX1... I'm in Love!

I just finished my review of the Sony RX1 and wow am I impressed. This small mirror-less camera has a full frame CMOS sensor and produces what I think are DSLR quality images.

Some call it a poor man's Leica. I call it a "must" for any DSLR shooter that wants the small size of a mirror-less camera but without any sacrifice in image quality.

For more info check out my full review at the link below.

2013-02-10 20:44:23 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 24 +1s)

Remember The Alamo -- San Antonio, Texas

Was down in San Antonio for a board meeting this week and headed over to check out the Alamo late one night. The Ranger on duty was kind enough to give +Mark Chmarny and I a history lesson while we took a few shots.

I shot this handheld with the Sony RX1 which is a 24MP full frame CMOS camera that is the same size as the NEX series. Major differences are it's larger sensor and fixed 30mm f/2 lens. This little camera is truly amazing. I am going to have a very hard time returning it the folks at +BorrowLenses.com. ;)

More on that in another post...

2013-01-31 19:47:43 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

This is kind of fun. 

2013-01-29 03:17:04 (23 comments, 0 reshares, 32 +1s)

The Barrynator -- Pescadero, California

This one has been a while in the making but yesterday proved to be the perfect moment to catch +Barry Blanchard in full armor with weapon loaded. 

That's the sun behind him. Shot this with aa single SB-900 speedlight, full zoom, full power, high and behind the camera. Synced at 1600th/sec to handle the ambient light.

The funny thing about this portrait is that if you didn't know him you'd think Barry was the biggest bad-ass. Reality is he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

2013-01-29 01:51:42 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 49 +1s)

Pigeon Point -- Pescadero, California

Shot over on the coast yesterday with +Barry Blanchard. We spent most of the day shooting the breeze and scouting locations before ultimately settling on Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

I can totally understand why there were so many shipwrecks here. The wind was so cold that I'm thinking the captains of these sunk boats must of said "hell with this, I'm going inside where it's warm."

That's exactly what we wanted to do but, unfortunately, both had a case of the just-one-more-shots...

2013-01-26 02:40:38 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 42 +1s)

Happy Birthday +Barry Blanchard

The man, the myth, the legend. Able to stop a crashing wave with a single glance. Shooter of tiny mushrooms and big 'ol sky. The black slime doesn't even think about getting under his feet. He once wrestled a elephant seal for his spot on the beach. That's Barry for you.

In all seriousness he's also the nicest guy you'll ever meet which is probably why he's the unofficial mayor of Santa Cruz. Don't believe me just try walking down Pacific with him...

Most importantly he's a good friend and someone that you just can't help but wanting to spend time with.

Hope you are having a blast today.

2013-01-24 18:43:58 (22 comments, 1 reshares, 54 +1s)

Mt. Hood -- Timberline Lodge, Oregon

Had a chance to visit Timberline Lodge for the first time a few weeks ago. Timberline is a historic lodge built in the "New Deal' era as a public works project. This was shot from a ridge across from the lodge. You can just see the ski chair lift off to the left.

The sky's were perfectly blue that day so I converted to B+W and then finished in +Nik Software Silver Efex.

2013-01-21 07:15:29 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 21 +1s)

What Do These Surfers All Have In Common?

They can all ride the most dangerous waves in the world!

Despite some great lens advice from +Jim Goldstein, I didn't wind up shooting today's Mavericks Invitational surf competition from a boat like +Robert Scoble, +Michael Bonocore, +Chris MacAskill, and +Ivan Makarov did. Instead I headed down to the beach to shoot portraits of surfers before they were towed out a 1/2 mile to ride what looked like 30+ foot swells.

Full size images are here: http://www.peteradamsphoto.com/?p=3606

Keep reading if you want to know how I shot these in mid day sun...

It was a gorgeous sunny day today but unfortunately that meant it was f/1000 on the beach. Luckily that's not a problem when shooting with a +Phase One and leaf shutter lenses which allow you to sync flash at shutter speeds as high as16... more »