CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-20 14:45:30 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 15 +1s)

My Town
San Francisco, CA. 2012.

While I waited for the fireworks to start for NYE 2012, I captured 8 landscape shots to make up this super-wide panorama of the City By The Bay.

I suggest using G+'s zoom feature in the lightbox (click on the image, then use your mouse's scroll wheel), to try and find your favorite landmark in the city.

My favorite one has to be the beacon on top of the Transamerica Building, lit up for the holidays.

2013-05-19 18:12:53 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Last night I kicked off my charity auction for a 20x30 metal print and the ball is rolling!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Golden-Gate-Bridge-Fireworks-Photo-Print-Cancer-Charity-Auction-/200925654988?

If bidding isn't your thing, please help by sharing this with your friends - 100% of the winning bid will be donated to +Stand Up To Cancer !

2013-05-15 23:27:34 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

*Welcome to #AutoEnhance  & #AutoAwesome *

Earlier today at Google I/O, +Vic Gundotra announced #AutoEnhance  and #AutoAwesome  - two new features to help make sharing your photos more fun and more creative. To help you become more familiar with these tools, here’s a brief Q&A along with some sample images to enjoy. 

Can you give me some more details on how Google+ will enhance my  photos?
Sure! Auto Enhance analyzes your photos as you upload them, then optimizes brightness, contrast, details, noise, focus, and many other factors in order to help them really shine. Just click on the Enhanced hover button on newly uploaded photos to see the results. You can also manually turn on Auto Enhance on older images by clicking on ‘More’ and select ‘Auto Enhance’.

Will the Auto Enhanced version overwrite my original photos?
No.We will never o... more »

2013-05-15 14:32:28 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

You dont want to miss this. --

https://developers.google.com/events/io/

Catch the Google IO Keynote today, I hope everyone enjoys the new goodies that are going to be rolled out throughout the day.

Live streaming of the keynote begins at 9:00 AM Pacific time. (Follow the link on this post)

2013-05-15 14:35:19 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 38 +1s)

Out of time
Death Valley, CA. 2013.

When the sky turns these colors, I hear the seconds click over in my head, a countdown has begun, and just as quick as the show began, its going to end.

So much going on today, but at least I took 30 minutes this morning to bring you this.

Good luck to all the Googlers that have demos, presentations, and releases coming out tomorrow at IO 2013.

2013-05-12 05:54:30 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 32 +1s)

Green is my favorite color
Spanish Fork, UT. 2013.

Sometimes finding titles for these photos becomes harder than taking and processing the photo.

2013-05-12 05:14:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Some flowers at the Googleplex.

2013-05-12 04:51:44 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Night Lights

We had a photo walk in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan this weekend. Because of the heavy rain, it was very hard to take pictures (we had to protect our cameras, you know). Still, I was so happy to meet more than 50 Google+ photographers! We will have to visit the city on a fine day again soon.

土曜日に写真散歩を開催。あいにくの雨。それも大雨で、思うように写真を撮ることができなくて残念だったけれども、50人以上のグーグルプラス・フォトグラファーたちに会うことができて、とても楽しかった。でも、天気のよい日に、またみんなで横浜を訪れたい。

Camera: Nikon Coolpix A #NikonA  
#GPlusPhotoWalkJapan   #Yokohama20130511  

2013-05-10 18:56:55 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

I dont think i've ever been more proud or excited for the work and team of people that I work with.

Next week is going to be epic. -- I recommend that everyone catch the Google IO keynote streamed live next wednesday.

https://developers.google.com/events/io/

2013-05-15 13:29:32 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 42 +1s)

The little things
San Francisco, CA. 2013.

Looking forward to slowing down soon, and noticing the little things. Looking forward to the big photowalk with +Thomas Hawk, +Trey Ratcliff, and many others.

2013-05-15 13:29:17 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 42 +1s)

Christmas is almost here
Spanish Fork, UT. 2013.

Just in case you didn't know, #googleio2013  is almost here. We have been working at full speed for at least the last few month, and some teams have been doing it for longer to prepare what you're going to see next week.

2013-05-15 13:26:32 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 53 +1s)

Incognito
Spanish Fork, UT. 2013.

Sometimes we hide the best parts of ourselves. I chalk it up to 37 years on this planet, not every interaction and experience is going to be a good one, so we learn to shelter parts that can make us vulnerable. Usually the best parts of ourselves.

Happy saturday everyone!

2013-05-02 16:01:06 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 10 +1s)

Welcome to the new Google+ Photos page!

The photo community here on Google+ keeps inspiring us every day. Your passion for sharing beautiful photography drives us to keep thinking of new ways to make your images shine. This doesn’t just mean building new features you can use to share and discuss those important photos in your life -- we also want to help this vibrant community of Google+ photographers grow. 

So, say hello to the new Google+ Photos page! Here’s what you can expect:

You’ll get inspired. We’ll share beautiful and thought-provoking photographs, and shine a spotlight on the photographers who created them. 

You’ll meet great new people. Through Google+ Photographer Spotlights, the Google+ Photos Chat Series, and good-natured conversations within the community, you’ll be able to connect with people around the world wholove photos a... more »

2013-05-15 13:20:05 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 42 +1s)

In-between cycles
San Francisco, CA. 2012.

2013-05-15 13:19:56 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 45 +1s)

Holi Colors
Spanish Fork, UT. 2012.

2013-05-15 13:18:33 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 52 +1s)

E-Mail and Coffee
Utah, 2012.

How often do you really get your day going before a cup-o-joe?

2013-04-19 21:21:47 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 40 +1s)

Lagos' Lodge

This is a shot of +Ricardo Lagos from our trip to Death Valley this past winter. Ricardo was kind enough to put his camera down for a few seconds and peek out from this shack for a couple shots.  In honor of him I put this into B/W which I think highlights the textures of the shack and landscapes well.

This shack sits at an abandoned mine at the end of a road that truly tested our rental car.  We made it most of the way before having to hoof it the rest.  It's fun to get out and explore some of these lesser known places and to wonder what life was like for those that worked here.

#blog   #dvonewaytrip13  

2013-04-19 03:25:12 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Moderators can now move posts between community categories

Based on all the amazing feedback you’ve shared, we know that being able to move posts from one discussion category to another is at the top of your wish list. We’re excited to announce that moving posts is now possible, and will be rolled out to all moderators throughout the day. 

To move posts between categories:

1) Go to a community that you moderate, and find a post you’d like to move
2) Click on the post’s current category (located at the top next to the date)
3) Select the new category you’d like to move the post to

Let us know what you think in the comments, and please keep the feedback coming!

#googleplusupdate  

2013-04-19 00:02:16 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Way to go team!

2013-05-15 13:16:16 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 42 +1s)

The Monkey Bars
San Francisco, CA. 2013.

A second shot from this glorious San Francisco weekend. Hoping spring is here, and lasts a little while before the San Francisco summer gets here (SF summers are rather chilly).

2013-05-15 13:16:03 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 33 +1s)

Higher Tio
San Francisco, CA. 2013.

Its hard to get a sunburn in San Francisco, but I managed one this weekend. We had one of those perfect San Francisco sundays, sunny, just a slight cool breeze, and warm. So happy that I got to go to the playground with my niece.

2013-04-12 00:04:00 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 33 +1s)

Turns out that Bing is actually better than Google at finding something -- too bad that its malware.

http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/security/310268-bing-delivers-five-times-as-many-malicious-websites-as-google

2013-05-15 13:15:35 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 45 +1s)

Proud at One
Googleplex, CA. 2012.

I've worked for a lot of different companies all over silicon valley (and outside of it), and I can tell you without reservation that these guys are one of the best managers to work with.  Really few management teams take the time to explain their vision in a weekly and monthly basis, and reply to all the email they receive, so its a pleasure to work with +Dave Besbris and +Vic Gundotra.

On top of that they don't have an issue with me posting a fish-eye portrait of them during the Google Plus one-year anniversary party at the Googleplex.

#lifeatgoogle  

2013-05-15 13:15:20 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 70 +1s)

If she'd only give me the time of day
Spanish Fork, UT. 2012.

Quick share for a saturday morning.. running out the door to get lunch at a new place.

Have a great saturday everyone!

2013-05-15 13:14:39 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 53 +1s)

Look how you've blossomed
San Francisco, CA. 2013.

Hip Hip Hooray! -- I just noticed that G+ now supports full-res uploads to your G+ albums. -- Its true, check out this image in the lightbox, its 4928x3264, try zooming in on the lightbox.

Way to go G+ Photos team, now I know what I'll be doing with the 1TB of google storage that I got from my Chromebook Pixel.

I think this is one of the features that +Thomas Hawk has been asking for.  Do you plan on using the new full-res photo upload feature?

-- Here is how to enable full-res uploads.
    - go to your g+ settings
    - towards the bottom there is a checkbox for enablnig full-res photo uploads, click on the checkbox.

2013-04-02 00:33:51 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Next time you're distressed about a Voting Pool outcome, just remember that not even the Easter Bunny gets a #save from everyone...  ( Original photo and story here: http://goo.gl/GNPga )  :))

2013-05-15 13:14:26 (6 comments, 7 reshares, 59 +1s)

Surfing Holi
Spanish Fork, UT. 2012.

So nice to see a whole new wave of #festivalofcolors  photos from this year, it reminds me that I still have about 100 photos that I have yet to post from 2012.

I'll go back when I finish posting the 2012 set.

#holi  

2013-05-15 13:14:16 (11 comments, 3 reshares, 30 +1s)

I did about half of the shopping I needed to do today on Shopping Express. -- Saved a bunch of time, gas, and the headaches of going to the pharmacy.

Thanks Google Shopping Express. Same day delivery rocks.

https://www.google.com/shopping/express

2013-05-15 13:14:00 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 62 +1s)

Montmarte, Paris
Paris, FR. 2011.

Yup -- i've found myself super busy again, but I miss posting and sharing on G+ .. So today I'm going to recycle an image from my Paris trip in 2011.

Probably my best shot from that trip.

Looking forward to the weekend, looks like spring is almost here.

2013-05-15 13:13:31 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 58 +1s)

Amy
Death Valley, CA. 2012.

If you ever get a chance to travel with +Amy Heiden, make sure you bring your big-boy pants with you, or she'll kick your ass.  No whining, no complaining allowed, but you are sure to see some cool places, and come away with a nice set of images for your trouble.

#dvonewaytrip   #nikcollection  

2013-05-15 13:13:23 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 43 +1s)

Since +Nik Software is asking folks to share something they created with the Nik Collection, i'll re-share one of the first images I did using Silver Efex.

Circa 2011.

#nikcollection  

2013-05-15 13:13:22 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 55 +1s)

Me Time
Death Valley, CA. 2012.

I love this photo, not because of what it is, but what it reminds me of. We had been shooting as a group for a few days, and now were walking towards a salt basin were +Brian Matiash had spotted some water. I saw this little branch and the mountains behind it, and decided to have a seat on the desert floor and just take my time, the group went on ahead and soon I was alone.

I took my time, setup the tripod, pick a lens (my favorite 80-200 f2.8), took my time focusing (manual focused), then took about 10 frames. I think I must have taken about 5 or 8 minutes getting all this done, and it was so nice, I enjoyed every second of silence, the sound of the wind broken by the sound of the shutter every once in a while.

It reminded me of what I really love about photography, it gives me a chance to put everything else aside, and just... more »

2013-03-25 15:24:19 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

The Nik Collection by Google: photography first, for professionals and more

Here on the Google+ Photos team, we're busy building tools for all kinds of photographers. Today, and for all the professionals out there, we're bundling the complete set of Nik plug-ins as the Nik Collection by Google. We're especially excited about three things:

1) It's more affordable. The entire set of plug-ins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture only costs $149 (versus the previous $499).

2) It's really powerful. The Nik Collection by Google gives you tools for everything from noise reduction and HDR imaging to creative effects and image sharpening (and lots more).

3) It's free to try. You can visit niksoftware.com for a 15-day free trial of the Collection.

If you've already purchased one or more Nik plug-ins in the past, then don't... more »

2013-03-23 16:10:06 (1 comments, 8 reshares, 29 +1s)

Suddenly I feel an urge to drink Starbucks


Howard Schultz to Anti-Gay-Marriage Starbucks Shareholder: 'You Can Sell Your Shares'

http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2013/03/22/howard-schultz-to-anti-gay-marriage-starbucks-shareholder-you-can-sell-your-shares/

2013-05-15 13:12:46 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 45 +1s)

A splash of color
Spanish Fork, UT. 2012.

The cold that has been hounding me for a day or two, finally caught up to me, sore throat, runny nose, and worn down. On the bright side, I have no choice but rest and get better, and stay home. On the down side, there are deadlines, and goals, and milestones that still need to be worked on.

I dont know what that has to do with this image, but I thought it was time to process some of my wedding dress #festivalofcolors  shots. - I need a vacation.

#holi   #festivalofcolors  

2013-05-15 13:12:32 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 48 +1s)

You're not that funny Tio
San Francisco, CA. 2013.

So this is not my usual workflow for photos, in fact this was done with the G+ edit tools, which are basically rather basic global adjustments. (I really want a brush to fix the eyes).

Anyways, since I was tooling around with our edit tools, I thought i'd share this image, I love her expression, just wish I had better tools at my disposal right now to make the image look better.

2013-05-15 13:12:00 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Road Weary
San Francisco, CA. 2012.

I was on Muni this day, that much I remember, but not much else. There was something that compelled me make this image, something about that stare, looking past me, past the floor of the bus.

2013-05-15 13:11:47 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 37 +1s)

Just a few friends
Spanish Fork, UT. 2012.

The hill below the Krishna temple at Spanish Fork, UT. full of people. This was day one of the festival of colors.

#holi   #festivalofcolors  

2013-03-05 16:49:07 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

This week on @114084346097505894743 we will welcome the fabulous photographer, mountain climber, and Google guru @102528718122061029071

Host @115571998474046088312 will, as usual, share a cool and useful Photoshop tip.
@108215644829092784557 has been away for two weeks on a humanitarian trip to Haiti, but may make it back to pop in for the conversation.

We also have some great panelists lined up, including @110466688127241330787 and @113583543500649745431, perhaps a couple more surprise guests, and I, @105845861210914905032 will be pushing buttons and pulling levers behind the scenes.

Live chat will be available on Blyve at this link: http://goo.gl/Wc4T6

For future updates, show times announcements and recordings of previous shows, follow our Page at @114084346097505894743

and please share, it's always appreciated

2013-05-15 13:11:44 (16 comments, 1 reshares, 74 +1s)

Just Now
Spanish Fork, UT. 2012.

I dont think I do enough of this in my life, celebrate being alive, enjoy the moment, instead I spend too much time thinking about the future, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, and 50 years into the future.

Right now I'm working on the future.

#holi   #festivalofcolors  

2013-05-15 13:11:42 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 63 +1s)

I'm stuck on you
San Francisco, CA. 2013.

This is not the same image I posted a few days ago again, its the same bridge but this time shot in a single frame wit the 10-24mm.  The image is nice,but I'm not preferring making these sort of landscape shots with stitched portrait frames with fast prime lenses, its just sharper.

Anyways, you can compare and make up your own mind (the other shot: http://goo.gl/X3aDK

Life is happening at internet speed nowadays, one work day is blurring into the next, Google gets like this as we get near the Google IO (about 14 weeks aways now) -- Really excited to be working on software that now millions of people use.

2013-02-27 07:59:12 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

First Lady Michelle Obama is kicking off a nation-wide tour to celebrate the third anniversary of Let’s Move! and you’re invited!

On March 4th, the First Lady will join her first-ever +Google+ Hangout to discuss Let's Move!, her initiative to ensure that all our children grow up healthy and reach their full potential. Mrs. Obama will join families from around the country in a virtual conversation moderated by Kelly Ripa, co-­host of +LIVE with Kelly and Michael.

For a chance to join the Hangout with the First Lady, share your thoughts and questions on raising healthier families and communities on the Let's Move YouTube channel by Thursday, February 28, 2013: http://youtube.com/letsmove

Then tune in to the First Lady’s Hangout live on the White House Google+ Page or Let's Move YouTube channel at 11:10 a.m. ET on March 4th.

#firesidehangout  #LetsMoveT... more »

2013-02-26 16:23:12 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 49 +1s)

It blooms during the night.

2013-05-15 13:11:38 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 36 +1s)

Ships in the Night
Spanish Fork, UT. 2012.

I'm pretty glad that I put aside most of the shots from the festival of colors to process at a later time. Not only do I feel more confident processing color now than I did then, but there is the added benefit of time separation, makes me less attached to the images than I did then.

Many photographers that I've met through G+ put aside plenty of their work to be processed later, whats your strategy?

#holi   #festivalofcolors  

2013-02-24 17:22:42 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 61 +1s)

My Town
San Francisco, CA. 2013.

Maybe I embellished my story a little on that last post I made. I did also get some in-focus images. Since I started making panoramas with prime lenses, I can't really be satisfied with the sharpness of my wide angle lens at night.

The challenge this night was that we'd hiked so close to the bridge that I could barely fit the north tower into the frame, but I think I just barely made it work.

This is a point of view that I hadn't shot before, and I really like it, the north tower is massive. This shot was made sometime after midnight, there was some cloud cover that captured light from San Francisco, and the east bay.

This is a 5 frame pano stitch, final resolution is around 55 megapixels, you can see the entire image at Gigapan:

http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/124180

Adjustments made... more »

2013-05-15 13:06:55 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 75 +1s)

Binge night
San Francisco, CA, 2013.

We went out last night, ate way more than any doctor would recommend in one sitting, drank a few glasses of sangria, and had dessert. -- And then someone decided that shooting the Golden Gate would be a good idea.

I dragged my body to the cliff side, prepped my tripod, camera, and then got a few shots.

This morning, this is what I found.

2013-02-22 16:10:46 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 10 +1s)

So the Chromebook #Pixel  is pretty crazy. But why does it exist? I'll try to tackle that in this video.

Chromebook Pixel: Explained!

Props to +Jean-Louis Nguyen for the inspiration to make this video. Feel free to +1/Share if you enjoy!

2013-05-15 13:06:48 (34 comments, 1 reshares, 94 +1s)

My first licensed image

So I was waiting for the Pixel announcement before celebrating my first licensed image.

The +Google Chrome team picked this image to be included in the ChromeOS Wallpaper choices for the new Chromebook Pixel.

If you pick one of these bad puppies up, I hope you enjoy this image and the many other really great high-res wallpapers that come with it.

About the photo.

Taken at SFO as I was readying to board on my way to Paris in 2011. - The tilt-shift effect was done in software in the camera. A Nikon D5100, lens is the 12-24mm f4. 

The image that is included in the Pixel is higher resolution that the image posted to G+.

2013-02-21 21:13:19 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

This is one of the most exciting products that I've had the chance to dogfood at google (Dogfooding is the term used for internal beta-testing).

The screen on this chromebook is just plain gorgeous. At work it has replaced my Macbook pro 100% of the time for the last few weeks.

2013-02-21 09:46:04 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

Well, finally Nikon makes a non-pro body that can shoot more than 3 frames when eposure bracketing and at more than 1 EV steps.

From the spec sheet:

Exposure Bracketing 2 to 5 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 2, or 3 EV

HDR Lovers out there rejoice!

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Digital-SLR-Cameras/1513/D7100.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-TechSpecs