CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-18 18:48:20 (75 comments, 177 reshares, 598 +1s)

See? Those Russian dashboard cameras can capture other things besides the meteors. Well worth 5 minutes of your time.  Best video you'll see today. 

2013-05-17 21:51:14 (6 comments, 10 reshares, 67 +1s)

My personal Checklist for the new Google+

1. Disable 'What's hot and recommended" as it's full of animated GIF's that brought back memories of the old Flickr days
-> https://plus.google.com/explore -> click the settings icon and disable "Show Posts in home stream".

2. Disable "Auto Enhance" for uploaded photographs. This might be useful for some people who bulk upload their mobile-phone pictures but I'm spending quite some time on post-processing my work and I don't want Jack Nicholson to look like he is using the same skin cream as Beyonce.
-> Go to https://www.google.com/settings/u/1/plus - In the Photo section remark "Automatically enhance new photos".

3. Once all the GIF's are gone, enjoy the new beautiful design. I absolutely love the new multi column view. Great stuff.
more »

2013-05-16 03:08:12 (16 comments, 22 reshares, 394 +1s)

Profile of San Francisco

Because new G+ photo experience is cool!

2013-05-16 03:02:59 (7 comments, 7 reshares, 110 +1s)

New Google+!

Wow - what a nice surprise. The thing I always hated about Google+ experience was how terrible it was on the big screen with the short column and all empty space. Looks like they solved that problem, and gave a lot more space for photos.

Just nice!

2013-05-15 05:56:51 (39 comments, 59 reshares, 421 +1s)

Fluidity

2013-05-13 16:12:18 (39 comments, 3 reshares, 51 +1s)

Plus One Collection Update + NEW PRODUCT? Feedback needed

First, good news is that 2/3 of all the pre-orders for #PlusOneCollection2012  have now shipped. I spent the last two weekends doing that. Most of the orders that shipped so far are US-bound. Internationals will ship in the next couple of days, because they require a lot more work with customs paperwork. In the end, I'm hiring few high school students to help me get all books out the doors because otherwise it's consuming every minute of my time at home and it's taking too long.

Second, the book will be back on sale sometime later this month. A few of you haven't had a chance a buy your copy, or want to buy an extra copy. Let me sort out all pre-orders first!

Third, and this is the best news of them all - I've been talking to my friend +Kevin Harrington about building Plus OneC... more »

2013-05-12 15:13:57 (27 comments, 15 reshares, 294 +1s)

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm always little jealous of how much my kids love my wife Becca. But she deserves every little bit of it because of how hard she works and how much she gives away of herself to raise these little clowns. 

2013-05-09 16:31:58 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 35 +1s)

Have you heard? Luca Cesari and Mike Diblicek will lead a magnificent three day fine art photography workshop in the stunning city of San Francisco!!!
When? This 12-13 and 14th of July! Don’t miss it!

For further information head to:

www.glass-star-agency.com/event-services

We are offering 10% discount to the first three people registering. 

See you all in sunny California!

2013-05-06 02:23:53 (15 comments, 2 reshares, 102 +1s)

Plus One Collection 2012

Just returning home from +Ivan Makarov's place where we packed about half of the Plus One Collection 2012 books that need to be send out. +Barry Blanchard was helping too. He even gave some blood. Fortunately it was nothing serious and after he got a nice princess band-aid we were back in action.

Anyway, let me tell you that the book is just magnificent and well worth the wait (it comes from Iceland after all). Oh and I almost forgot: The special edition book comes with a beautiful print. Mine is a photo made by +Karen Hutton. I will enjoy it for a long time.

2013-05-02 21:45:56 (36 comments, 5 reshares, 157 +1s)

PLUS ONE COLLECTION UPDATE: The books are here!

Phew.. What you see on the left are two pallets with all copies of #PlusOneCollection2012 . What you see in the middle is my garage. And what you see on the right is the freight truck that dropped off a delivery from Iceland just moments ago. 

Thank you for your patience! All those who have seen advanced copies have commented that it was worth to print it this way. I can't wait to put all the pre-orders into the mail for you this weekend. It's going to be a fun one! Near San Jose, CA and want to help or pick up your copy in person? Send me an email via my profile. 

Yes! Yes! and Yes!

2013-05-02 02:06:55 (16 comments, 5 reshares, 90 +1s)

Want to know what's it like to work at +SmugMug?

Great article by +Resource Magazine on our company culture, with a quote from yours truly, and also the one and only +Michael Bonocore. 

http://resourcemagonline.com/2013/05/smugmug-the-family-who-works-together-stays-together/

2013-05-01 14:58:02 (27 comments, 16 reshares, 164 +1s)

Beautiful Websites - Show me and win a +SmugMug account!

Last night I asked you to share examples of beautiful photography websites. I got some good links, but it wasn't enough. So let's do it again this morning, and as an incentive, I'll give away 1-year of Portfolio account at SmugMug to a random commenter later this evening.

A simple task:  share an example of a beautifully designed photography site you discovered recently. If you want to enter more than once, share more another website in another comment. I want to see them all!

What are your favorite websites that you love visiting not only for photography, but also because they're just as well designed? 

A new rule though: you can only share someone else's website, like +Amy Heiden did, thus helping me discover Joey L. website below, which is exactly what I waslookin... more »

2013-05-01 04:03:32 (37 comments, 20 reshares, 249 +1s)

Examples of Beautiful Photography Websites?

So I'm thinking of making some changes to the design and organization of my site. HELP!

As I'm going through the websites of some of my favorite photographers to see what I like and dislike (like the one by Michael Levin, which I love!), I thought I'd reach out to you as well for some ideas. 

What are the recent photography websites you've seen that impressed you? In particular, I'm interested in beautifully designed sites, and/or those that are well organized.

Throw the link in the comments - would love to see more. And if you think yours looks good, don't be shy either - would love to see it. 

2013-04-28 16:37:40 (145 comments, 159 reshares, 903 +1s)

Breaking in new 6 TBs of storage. That D800 sure fills up my drives fast!

2013-04-28 03:54:52 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 77 +1s)

Yesterday, travel photographer +Trey Ratcliff came by SmugMug HQ to share amazing and inspiring stories from his life and career of spanning the globe and posting awesome photos and stories to his blog, http://www.stuckincustoms.com/

We were also lucky enough to have "Mr Americana", +Thomas Hawk join as well. Trey and Thomas sat on our couch and talked photography for over 90 minutes, while fielding questions from SmugMug employees and guests. Both sessions were filmed to share with everyone, so be on the lookout for these great videos in the coming weeks!

Check out more from +Trey Ratcliff at http://stuckincustoms.smugmug.com/

Check out more from +Thomas Hawk  at http://thomashawk.smugmug.com/

HUGE thank you to Trey, Thomas, +Karen Hutton and all of our guest! What a day! 

#Photography #SmugMug #Travel #StuckInCustoms  

2013-04-27 15:52:31 (11 comments, 7 reshares, 185 +1s)

Lost fuel station

Project 52 B&W
Week 17: Night lights
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +Susan Porter, & +Lauri Novak

2013-04-26 22:05:58 (16 comments, 1 reshares, 167 +1s)

Everything ready for +Trey Ratcliff presentation. Who's filming it? The one and only +Michael Bonocore.

2013-04-25 15:33:14 (25 comments, 40 reshares, 265 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral - full set

A few of you said they'd love to see the full set of the Cathedral images together. So here it is, and I think it works the best this way. 

If you like it, I'd be honored if you re-shared it. 

2013-04-24 23:59:56 (38 comments, 58 reshares, 540 +1s)

The Matriarch  
Photographer +Stephen Oachs

This beautiful cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), a protective mother of five, watches cautiously from atop a termite mound as two lions slowly approach her family through African grasslands. She stands ready to protect her young cubs...at any cost.

With exceptional eyesight, this excellent mother can evaluate danger from great distances. In the wild, cheetah cubs have a high mortality rate due to predation by other carnivores. The cheetah is naturally adapted for its environment, and being the fastest land mammal on record, able to cover distances up to 500 meters in bursts of 70-75 mph, it has the ability to protect and provide food for its young. In this case, the lions were chased off and the cubs and mother were able to continue with their pursuit of living wild and free.
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more »

2013-04-23 16:40:29 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 177 +1s)

SAMARITAINE
Pont Neuf, Paris

(best viewed large)

2013-04-22 20:23:20 (31 comments, 32 reshares, 309 +1s)

The Milky Way, A Meteor, And A Cabin Walk Into A Bar - Mt. Shasta, CA

On Saturday, +Casey McCallister +Joe Azure +Natalia Stone and +Eric Leslie drove up to Mount Shasta to look for a cool place to photograph the annual Lyrid Meteor Shower. We stumbled upon this awesome little spot, where we could easily photograph the Milky Way and Mt. Shasta in the same frame....but we had to wait until 3:50AM when the moon set. I took a number of exposures, but this one had the best meteor trail out of all of them. Another weekend of 40+ hours without sleep...but it was all worth it (Minus the curious horses knocking over our timelapse rigs at 3:00AM)

And yes, this is my very first photo of the Milky Way. What was I waiting for?

Thanks to +Chris MacAskill for lending me his 14mm f/2.8, which I used to capture this photo

And how is that homework coming +TobyHarr... more »

2013-04-20 20:09:58 (24 comments, 39 reshares, 419 +1s)

2013-04-15 18:32:30 (19 comments, 9 reshares, 261 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral - Study 19

So it's #monocromemonday  ? I have some of that to share. Here's the beautiful altar of Liverpool Cathedral. 

To fully appreciate it, click on the image, and then push SPACE bar. 

2013-04-12 23:02:46 (24 comments, 4 reshares, 116 +1s)

Plus One Collection 2012 Book Update

Hot off the press

Finally had the first production copies hot off the press, I have to say that it looks fantastic. The fine art printing carried out by Oddi from Iceland is top class! 216 pages of 150gsm Finess Premium Silk with all images UV matt varnished - is really something to behold. The quality in both colour and mono reproductions are beautiful. 

Delivery
Dispatch of the books will be ready to send out in about 3 weeks, as the final shipment is winging it's way to +Ivan Makarov's garage as we speak! :) Anyone who wants to join Ivan in the pre shipping party, be sure to let him know, I'm sure he could do with your help!! 

Attached a few 'rough' images of the book, I assure you the book looks a lot better than these quick fired shots...

Thanks again to everyonew... more »

2013-04-11 16:38:58 (25 comments, 29 reshares, 435 +1s)

+Brian Day ponders stepping in to another dimension. 

2013-04-09 16:44:15 (25 comments, 44 reshares, 368 +1s)

Foggy Road  - Pt. Reyes, California
Photo By +Casey McCallister 

Our April Cover Photo Contest photos were incredible, and the judging is almost complete. Look for the winner's announcement later tonight or tomorrow!

Check out some of the incredible submissions on the event page

bit.ly/ZJLTuR

In the meantime, feast your eyes on this amazing photo from one of the contestents in our April Cover Photo Contest, +Casey McCallister.

"I had been to this unique road before, but in sunny conditions. I knew I had to come back to get this photo in the perfect foggy weather. Having recently relocated to Mountain View, CA from Denver, I know how hard it is to predict weather in Northern California. But when the weather called for cloudy conditions by the beach, I knew I had to give it a shot. Even though I would wind up spending the entireda... more »

2013-04-09 06:15:32 (14 comments, 10 reshares, 105 +1s)

Quiet Paris

Please view in fullscreen and HD

#paris  

2013-04-09 03:30:09 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 17 +1s)

Know someone who knows stuff about online advertising?

We're hiring for that position at +SmugMug. If it's you, or someone you know, please let me know!!! Apply on LinkedIn or directly through me.

http://www.linkedin.com/jobs?jobId=5328267&viewJob=

EDIT: feel free to re-share..

2013-04-08 02:24:53 (36 comments, 20 reshares, 429 +1s)

Sleeping Beauty

Just took what could be my favorite photograph ever. But I'm a little biased..

2013-04-05 20:40:09 (42 comments, 23 reshares, 502 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 8

2013-04-05 17:35:00 (4 comments, 6 reshares, 142 +1s)

1 Z E R O one

This image was more of a challenge to myself. I've always felt that digital photograpic tools seem to compliment the more contemporary approach to architectural photography. The sharp, clean lines of the digital image coupled with the long exposure effect seems to have the most impact to the viewer. Being that I always seem to go against the grain, I've challenged myself to not only use my Hasselblad for my recent approach, but also to use only short exposure times. 

No doubt it has been a challenge, but i've been learning a lot.

Have a great Friday!

Hasselblad 501C/M
Zeiss 80mm CB
1/60 @ f/16
Ilford Delta 100 @ 100
Ilfosol 3 1:4 @ 5 minutes

#filmfriday  by Mr. +Richard Call 

2013-04-04 00:05:48 (17 comments, 6 reshares, 254 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 7

2013-04-03 18:08:57 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 91 +1s)

Time for a little "hey look at me!"

No really... I am excited to announce my upcoming exhibition at the 4x5 Gallery in San Francisco. I will be there for the official opening on Saturday, April 20th from 4-7pm. 

The 4x5 gallery is a new space that recently opened up in the Lower Haight district of San Francisco. I'm hoping to see some new and familiar faces out there. 

As always... Thank you. 

2013-04-03 06:36:53 (4 comments, 5 reshares, 135 +1s)

2013-04-03 06:29:40 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Late night See's chocolate is the new Stolichnaya.

2013-04-03 01:33:59 (4 comments, 8 reshares, 60 +1s)

FESTIVAL OF COLORS {The Jarvie Take}
(This is what I see when I think of the festival of colors)
http://youtu.be/1qp7nPQ6xFg

My biggest youtube project yet
2 full days of filming and pictures (first one there last one out)
A day and a half of downloading sorting and selecting 
A day+ of editing and retouching
I figure I have at least 40hrs into this video

Do you like?
I hope it's worth a few views... maybe a reshare... or twenty ;)

2013-04-02 15:41:03 (9 comments, 7 reshares, 207 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 5

2013-04-01 20:55:20 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

Very excited to announce the launch of the #TheBonocore  official store that so many of you have asked for. Now you can get your TheBonocore on your t-shirts, on hats, and more!!

Please visit the official site - http://TheBonocore.com

Thanks!

-- Michael Bonocore

2013-03-28 20:01:55 (14 comments, 13 reshares, 275 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 3

2013-03-27 19:26:44 (8 comments, 7 reshares, 250 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 2

A few of you have asked why am I sharing images out of order? Study 1, Study 4, Study 13, etc. I was sharing my top ones, and I'll now share the rest, in order. You can see how my eye and my shoot progressed that day. 

2013-03-26 17:02:14 (11 comments, 3 reshares, 91 +1s)

+Brian Matiash. Meet Google.

Ever since its launch, +Google+ has always been my favorite place to share imagery and to be inspired by the creativity of this community. It truly is a wondrous place for photographers to learn, grow, and network. That’s why I’m so excited to announce that I have joined the Google+ team as Community Manager for Google+ Photos. 

You see, while photography is the thread that weaves through everything I’m made up of, it is the social aspect of sharing, teaching, and inspiring that fuels everything I do. My aim is to help show the world why Google+ and its community of photographers and photography lovers are some of the best on the Internet, throughout the world.

I now have the opportunity to inspire creativity and community within this global population of talented people who are looking to share a piece of themselves... onephoto a... more »

2013-03-25 15:07:06 (22 comments, 26 reshares, 267 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 18

In honor of #nikcollection  being promoted by Google today, here's another image from the recent walk around the Liverpool Cathedral in England. B&W conversion for the series was all done in Nik Silver Efex, which I've been using since the product launched. 

2013-03-23 18:54:24 (13 comments, 10 reshares, 258 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 12

2013-03-22 18:52:31 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 73 +1s)

What's in my Camera Bag?

Few weeks ago our +SmugMug blog champion +Schmoo Theune asked me to describe what's in my camera bag these days. I did it together with +Michael Bonocore (items 1-7) and +Sam Nichols (16-25), so all of our camera crap is shown in one gearporn picture. 

I don't have as fancy of a setup as Sam, nor do I live in sin by shooting Canon like Bonobaby. But if you care, take a look anyway. My stuff is 8-15. 

http://news.smugmug.com/2013/03/22/whats-in-your-bag-smugmugs-ivan-makarov-aka-uncle-scrooge-and-g-superstar/

2013-03-22 17:28:07 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 78 +1s)

http://www.juliaannagospodarou.com/ - Welcome to my home!! :)

Finally launching my website after almost 2 months of hard work to make it and the blog look like me and express my photography credo, which is searching for excellence and perfection in the world around me and expressing it in my work. You'll be able to see my most beloved and appreciated creations here, read on the blog about them and about my photography workshops & other events, also order limited or open edition prints of any of the works you're seeing.
A HUGE thank you goes to the gorgeous +SmugMug  and its extremely professional people. They are all top and I would at any moment warmly recommend both the site as well as +Ivan Makarov  (you all know him), +Ann McRae  (greatly helpful in finding solutions for everything) and my absolutely wonderful web designer +Joey Washburn ! Thank you all! SmugMugand... more »

2013-03-22 15:40:22 (18 comments, 10 reshares, 202 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 13

Click on the image, then hit "SPACE" bar for best viewing. 

2013-03-21 15:57:15 (46 comments, 17 reshares, 347 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 4

2013-03-20 23:24:25 (33 comments, 12 reshares, 301 +1s)

Liverpool Cathedral, Study 1

That was quite a place to shoot!

Largest cathedral in UK, second longest and fifth largest in the world. And no one there cares about my huge and obnoxious tripod! 

So I ended up spending a few hours inside shooting the interior and will share few of my favorites in the next few posts. 

2013-03-20 22:58:22 (15 comments, 2 reshares, 73 +1s)

Look who I met!

Couple of weeks ago I was with our +SmugMug BizDev team in Birmingham, England for Focus on Imaging, the largest photography tradeshow in UK. I'm not really part of the BizDev team, so don't direct any questions at me, but our team is cool enough to let me tag along to some of these events and meet local photographers, which is always fun. 

One of the highlights of that week was meeting my hero +John Arnold. When I was starting in photography years ago, John's great podcast +PhotoWalkthrough was my Bible - a really great listen. I followed John's photography as well, and his B&W photo processing laid the foundation for mine. I remember I spent hours and hours trying to replicate the techniques he was teaching about getting that "Ansel-like" look to our B&W images.

What a surprise it was to have John randomly pass byou... more »

2013-03-19 16:19:41 (31 comments, 12 reshares, 340 +1s)

Pont Neuf, Study 1

Paris is an amazing place for photography - that's what everyone was saying to me when I asked them about my upcoming trip. 

That proved to be very true. The architecture, the lack of large crowds, the stone the city is built from - it is a paradise. 

The only thing I didn't get lucky with was the weather. It was raining and even snowing almost the whole time I was there. It was nice on a Saturday a week ago, so I'm glad I spent a morning shooting along River Seine. 

Pont Neuf was a great subject for some B&W work.