CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-19 22:57:21 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

Gateway to the Sea

Both my littlies were in a concert today - pictures of that to follow, maybe. Anyway, I took the chance after the event to literally walk across the road and grab a few beach shots. No tripod so best I could do under the circumstance is this ISO100 8s #longexposure  with my B&W ND10 on.

Shared for #close2home  and...
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Landscape Photography Show +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +David Heath Williams +Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim  +Steve Gould +Jay Gould +Kevin Rowe +Dave Welling

2013-05-19 12:45:55 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Lunch Break

Last nights lunch break was spent "shooting the moon" - this is a so-so image that I'm really not that happy with and am still very much trying to understand what settings I should be using for this type of shot.

I know the moon is bright so to get it crisp requires a short exposure time. However to get the detail of the surrounding area I need a much longer exposure time. I can't do a composite (as in I can't) mostly because between the two shots the moon will have moved. Anyway, this was 30s at f/8 & ISO200 then processed in SEP2

2013-05-18 20:49:56 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

          Top 1000 most followed active
        photographers sharing content on G+
                  Circle One: J to Z

This  is the second of two circles,  The first was shaerd on 16 May here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/103236949470535942612/posts/FPsHj9E2QEo.  The circles have been divided alphabetically to help give more exposure to people with fewer followers and shared at different times to help keep down the stream saturation. 

Please plus, comment and share.  This circle has no requirements for future participation but your support and encouragement is appreciated. 

It has been two weeks since I announced my intent to update my circle of the 500 most followed photographers on G+.  I decided to do things a bit differently this time and so I'll share the top 1000.   To buildthe circles and the list I enlisted the aid of  +Bill Wood 
+Gemma Costa... more »

2013-05-18 20:46:04 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

There are times I love my job

Not too often but every now and again something happens to really brighten the day or night. Little bit of back story - for those that don't know I work as a "network engineer" - if you don't know what that means then I deal with the bits and bytes and transfer of data from one place to another. If that's too complicated then just think I help to keep parts of the internet working for specific customers.

So tonight a call lands in my queue.

"CPU__Total Utilisation is at 100.00 percent"
nb this is for a server and I don't deal with servers 

The details of the call then state:
We have checked in the server and found that eXcomms.exe taking more cpu in the server, Please check network.

This is off-shoring FTW. 

But I LOL'd. #geekstuff  #n... more »

2013-05-18 20:06:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

The Weekend Share-a-thon
I'm sharing you!
Reply with a link to your best work and I'll share it!
(But READ the RULES below first)

So I went to my profile this morning and yesterday's post is just gone.
All those wonderful comments from you folks, all your plusses and shares … gone.
I'm really frustrated with this photo upload bug right now so I thought, instead of sharing my work and the liabilities involved with the current #GooglePlusUpdate , I will share your wonderful work until it's fixed.

Here are the RULES

1– Go to your best shot in the lightbox and copy the link in the address bar and put it in the comments here. if the link you've gathered ends in "posts" it will go directly to your profile stream, NOT the image and I won't be able to share your best shot. I won'tspe... more »

2013-05-18 13:41:54 (83 comments, 2 reshares, 31 +1s)

My Top 50 Most Relevant G+ Peeps / Groups

Shout out to +Circloscope for this nifty new feature in their product - if you haven't tried it then it's the easiest way to manage G+ circles I know and having features added all the time such as this.

So what can I say about these people & group?

The 50 represented here are literally just the tip of the iceberg of those that have made my journey on G+ fun (above all), educational, inspirational and filled with beauty and knowledge and the pages aside I count you all as eFriends - I have to say that not one of the names in this Top 50 is a surprise though I am delighted to see some names I wouldn't have recalled otherwise.

May we all meet one day IRL - Namaste butties and I'd happily chew bread with any of you (as we Wenglish speakers would say)
more »

2013-05-17 19:58:38 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Another player in the desktop sync and online storage market ...

Copy brings you 15Gb for free - an extra 5Gb if you sign up via my link and chance for more if you then refer others.

Nice bit - no file size limits for the free version other than your storage limit.

2013-05-17 14:27:38 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 35 +1s)

Project 52 B&W
Week 20: Framed
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Susan Porter +Lauri Novak 

OK so I opted to go with the classic thought behind the theme for this week and I framed an image. However I've gone old school and it's almost as if I've dug up an old picture and snapped that - but au contraire ... this is a #lensbaby  with the plastic lens  based shot of the apple tree in my front garden. It is currently in full bloom.

I've then done my usual shadow 7 highlight tweaks, converted to B&W and then applied a sepia tint and a frame. Et voila mesdames et messieurs est mon résultat.

2013-05-16 17:01:31 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Topaz Clarity

I like the Topaz photo tools range and the new to be available next week Topaz Clarity looks like a nice addition to the set.

There are some previews available via a webinar or two over the next couple of days - click through for the details. I hope they have discounts :)

2013-05-16 15:57:18 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Another player in the desktop sync and online storage market ...

Copy brings you 15Gb for free - an extra 5Gb if you sign up via my link and chance for more if you then refer others.

Nice bit - no file size limits for the free version other than your storage limit.

2013-05-16 14:01:38 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Hey guys.   So I have a mini assignment for you.  My cousin +Brian Remfrey who now lives in Zurich, bought a clock the other day that instead of numbers has places to put pictures.  He thought it would be cool to put pictures of numbers in the spots for each hour.  I thought it would be a great idea to send out to you guys.  How cool would it be to get images of numbers from all over the world.  

So, this weekend I will be out on the hunt for the numbers 1-12.  Want to join me?

Post your results on Monday with the hashtag  #1-12forbrian 

Brian is not really into G+ so it would be really cool if we could get this trending.  Pass along the post to who ever you think would like to play along. 

2013-05-16 11:50:56 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Hashtag Search is Broke

Last week I could drag up my saved search for #CoffeeThursday  and any posts using that tag would be shown. I could then either leave it at the default "best of" or change to "most recent" and all was cool.

Today my search on the same brings me this - out of almost a dozen posts only 3 are directly related to the hashtag - the others have one word such as coffee or Thursday in it. I even tried clicking directly on the trending hashtag ....

Please - whom do I make aware of this as it is so broken as to make hashtag search unusable? Maybe +Brian Rose or +Brian Matiash or +Natalie Villalobos but I bet they are all swamped today ....

2013-05-16 10:31:17 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Colour in Monochrome

Why do two colours, put one next to the other, sing?  Can one really explain this?  No.  ~ Pablo Picasso

I trust this burst of colour will bring light to your day and a smile to your thoughts if not your face.

2013-05-16 07:37:42 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

#CoffeeThursday is Quiet Today

I don't know if that's to do with the new layout and the hashtag search is broken or whether just because it's quiet.

But folks - be sure to share your images with us, your brew crew team and be sure to tag us all in to ensure we see all your wonderful shots +Jason Kowing, +Maki Silberberg, +Stuart Dyckhoff  +Sairam Sundaresan - it doesn't hurt to include #CoffeeThursday tag either ;)

2013-05-20 01:26:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Added photos to Landscape Photography Contest.

2013-05-15 16:24:16 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

A birdy tells me it's a certain +Alan Shapiro birthday today.

I wanted add my own personal thanks and to echo all the other comments I've read today - especially the ones about how helpful and willing a person Alan is to give of his time. I have personally experienced this and the implicit challenge thrown in with his help - so diolch Alan.

I thought long and hard about how I could help you visually celebrate this and the only one I could come up with is with the flower of Wales - "The Daff" and by wishing you Penblywdd Hapus

#AlanShapiroBirthdayStyle

2013-05-15 06:21:02 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

So It Begins

What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives? E.M. Forster

"So It Begins" ... that moment when day officially breaks across your part of the world. What are your plans and dreams for today? Dare you dream?

For those that are interested this is a 45 second long exposure using my B&W ND10 filter at ISO100 and f/13.

Please feel free to share or comment.

Plus Extract
#PlusPhotoExtract  +Jarek Klimek 
Landscape
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Landscape Photography Show +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +David Heath Williams +Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim  +Steve Gould +Jay Gould +Kevin Rowe +Dave Welling

2013-05-14 12:04:19 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Such is my view of the world today - rain and more rain. I can't even get on with my caravan repairs!

2013-05-14 11:34:14 (10 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

Go sign this petition to save Orangutans and other wild animals, please ...

"To President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Minister of Forestry Zulkifli Hasan, and Governor of Aceh Zaini Abdullah:....."

Petition can be found here: http://bit.ly/12wYp4v

2013-05-14 09:16:26 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

                                    Photo Of The Day!!!!   

                       The River Falls Wide | Crystal Mill, Co

     This is a n exceptional location for shooting in the fall in Colorado... It takes a 4 mile hike or some pretty rough off road to reach it but once you are there and if you are lucky enough to get good weather you can shoot something like this!! I am lucky enough to own a Jeep and am very familiar with off roading so getting to it was a piece of cake as they say... The only problem was that not having been there before was a bit confusing so instead of taking the 4 mile quick and easier route we took the 16 mile long and slow loop.....
     We finally Arrived having taken the longer, but funner way. It was worth it!! I used a Lee Big Stopper 10 stop filter to smear the water stacked with a polariser to clean up thewater and sky. I am very pleased with the... more »

2013-05-14 07:51:12 (14 comments, 5 reshares, 23 +1s)

So It Begins

What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives? E.M. Forster

"So It Begins" ... that moment when day officially breaks across your part of the world. What are your plans and dreams for today? Dare you dream?

For those that are interested this is a 45 second long exposure using my B&W ND10 filter at ISO100 and f/13.

Please feel free to share or comment.

Plus Extract
#PlusPhotoExtract  +Jarek Klimek 
Landscape
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Landscape Photography Show +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +David Heath Williams +Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim  +Steve Gould +Jay Gould +Kevin Rowe +Dave Welling

2013-05-13 10:35:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Apple Blossom

The apple blossom is already looking beautiful this year -so pretty. It's just a shame it doesn't last that long. Still, looks like a good crop of apples will be had from the tree this year.

2013-05-12 08:05:32 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Ogmore Castle pre Dawn

Yes I was up at silly o'clock today .... Not really done any major changes to this other than a poor attempt to edit out a blue horse box.

2013-05-12 07:23:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

 
I've started a NEW CIRCLE of photographers who are Beginners

If you need a hand with anything photography related and think I might be able to help please feel free to ask to be included 

:O)) ♥ 

2013-05-12 06:01:18 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 13 +1s)

Another Day

Here's a little something I snapped this morning after the sun had risen (sunrise shots to come later / next few days or so) - I turned my camera 180° and bagged this. Other than the electrical lines on the left hand side, the metal gate and the shed / oil container to the right this could be straight out of the 19th Century. I may return to this and work on trying to rid the "extras" just as a challenge to myself.

For now - enjoy the sun shining as the ever happy BBC weather presenter tells me rain is heading in. Again!

2013-05-10 15:58:41 (17 comments, 1 reshares, 38 +1s)

Project 52 B&W
Week 19: Food
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Susan Porter +Lauri Novak 

Now I see this on the screen it doesn't look as appetising as I promise you it is. This is my home made blueberry nut loaf and is so moist and delicious but also very small on the calories. It also tastes fantastic with a slab of butter on it....

2013-05-09 17:10:25 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

54 Senanga Rd, Lusaka

I just love this photo of me - I look so daft and hanging on to our dog pSarj (with a silent P) whom for the first 3 months of ownership didn't make a sound then made up for it by howling for about half a day non-stop!

This is my brother, my sister and me outside our rented accommodation in Lusaka whilst our parents hunted out a more permanent home. In the background you can just see the security guard for the street whom used to create a fire circle and put a scorpion in the middle and whom eventually got sent to prison for stealing from the very houses he was looking after!

Shared for +Blast From The Past  #blastfromthepast  and its curators +Cheryl Cooper +Mark Rodriguez & +Isabelle Fortin

p.s. note me barefoot - pretty much how I lived my life and my youngest has followed in that tradition.

2013-05-09 02:15:08 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 24 +1s)

It'ssssss Coffee Thursday

Last week I took this --> http://bit.ly/11U3KSA shot (do click through for comparison) and +Tiffany McLaughlin suggested a shot with an espresso from the little cup in the big cup.

Well, me being me I went one two better and created a triptych of coffee shots. The empty big cup. The big cup with a shot of espresso in the little cup in the big cup and the shot of espresso from the little cup in the big one.

And yes, this is especially for #CoffeeThursday  - be sure to use the hashtag and tag in your fun loving - pop eyed - vein throbbing curators +Jason Kowing +Maki Silberberg +Sairam Sundaresan and myself +Stuart Dyckhoff  to be certain we see your images.

2013-05-09 00:57:46 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Here it is!
The TRUE 2013 MARCH
Chrysta Rae PHOTOGRAPHY SCAVENGER HUNT circle!!!

Over the course of the next couple days 
the reveals for this round of the scavenger hunt will be posted!!
All submissions are in and being judged as we speak! (squeal)

These are the photographers who are participating!
Outstanding people, talented photographers, they are fun, engaging and definitely worthy of being added to your circles!

Thanks to all of you for playing!!

2013-05-08 13:03:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Penblywdd Hapus +Gene Bowker 

#happybdaygene

2013-05-07 10:55:34 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Wild Pansies

Spotted these on the sand dunes (yes, sand dunes) near me for our family stroll to the beach yesterday. Snapped with my Lensbaby Composer +Plastic optic and f/5.6 aperture disc.

2013-05-06 17:25:22 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 47 +1s)

 Loneliness of the Sand Castle Builder

Ended up strolling further than we planned today but it's all good. The point of return was here at the beach where a pleasant hour sunning / playing in the sand ensued.

Snapped with my Lensbaby +Plastic Optic +f/5.6 aperture disc

2013-05-06 09:16:17 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Just spotted this so ...

Peblywdd Hapus +john adams 

2013-05-04 18:30:13 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

Ysgyryd Fawr

From today's family stroll up the Blorenge. The colours were fantastic but the breeze was just a tad stronger than we had hoped for ... still the weather mostly held off.

Ysgyryd Fawr  is the most easterly of the Black Mountains in Wales, part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It is also known as 'The Skirrid' or 'Skirrid Fawr'. It is 486m high

2013-05-03 15:31:54 (35 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Indulge me in a little experiment please

Below is the same image 4 times. For now put aside any issues of post processing or not or whether you think the shot is good or not. 

What I'm interested in is of the 4, which one appeals to you the most in terms of rule of ⅓'s? What I'd really like to know is why if you are able to articulate that. If not, no worries but please could you +1 the relevant comment below for the image you prefer.

Thank you :)

2013-05-03 13:43:41 (20 comments, 0 reshares, 28 +1s)

Project 52 B&W
Week 18: Speed (aka crystal meth)

N.B. In reality this is just sugar

My apologies up front for this one but I'm not intending to cause offence with this image. But as soon as I saw the topic for this week my first thought was of the drug crystal meth which has a street name of 'speed' in the UK - what I don't know however, is if this is the way speed is taken.

I have not and never will use a recreational drug - not that I say folks can't just that my choice of preference is to not.

Anyway, shot with my Lensbaby composer and converted to B&W in LR4 and then toyed a bit with in SEP2 (yes, proud new owner of the suite from Nik) and a minor crop.

2013-05-02 18:21:39 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Little or Large?

At 4am this morning (GMT+1) I noted that #CoffeeThursday  had already started trending. After my sleep I note we'd hit #2.

Now, after a couple hours away from my keyboard I see we have #1 - so thank you everyone for making us trend on our very first day back as the Brew Crew of +Jason Kowing +Sairam Sundaresan +Maki Silberberg and me +Stuart Dyckhoff 

So from the very bottom of my heart I say thank you every one of you that has helped get us there. 

You lot are the best.

2013-05-02 16:47:33 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I almost missed it but just spotted that it's +Giuseppe Basile birthday today.

So from a remarkably sunny South Wales I say: "penblywdd hapus i chi" Giuseppe. I hope you are enjoying it.

2013-05-02 15:37:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

                                            The Return of Coffee Thursday
                                                         #coffeethursday  

                                      With special Thanks to our wonderful hosts
   +Jason Kowing , +Maki Silberberg , +Sairam Sundaresan  & +Stuart Dyckhoff         
                                                                       ♥♥♥

2013-05-02 06:24:51 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

Goodnight G+

Even though the sun has risen here in the UK it's time for my bed. Night shifts are like that. But let me leave you with the last shot I took on my castle trip that other day.

This is a 225 sec long exposure using my B&W ND10 and Xume Adapter - the yellow glow is from the floodlight behind my left shoulder.

Sleep, perchance to dream. Catch you all in a few hours.

2013-05-02 04:02:19 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

A little birdy (Google) tells me it's +Ken Kaminesky birthday today.

So from this side of the Atlantic I say "Penblywdd hapus i chi" from the land of song, mythical creatures, sheep and rain.

2013-05-01 23:01:33 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

This is just some of the coolest stuff I've seen & heard in ... well forever.

If you're not a fan of the Cello hang tough and give this a listen. When the video hits the 1:05 mark you'll be amazed. I promise.

2013-05-01 14:32:09 (14 comments, 1 reshares, 33 +1s)

Another from last night's sunset shoot at Coity Castle. This one is a 45second exposure at f/9 and a little bit of shadow / highlight / contrast tweaking in LR4.

The first can be seen here: http://bit.ly/11Xs7iB

2013-05-01 13:32:50 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

It's Almost Here

#CoffeeThursday  rises from the grounds and takes it's place amongst your favourite photo themes once more.

Tomorrow (yes, tomorrow!) is Thursday May 2nd. So why not espresso yourself, get your coffee fix on and take a photo of it, share it with all of us using the tag #CoffeeThursday - brought to you by your Brew Crew of +Jason Kowing +Maki Silberberg +Sairam Sundaresan and +Stuart Dyckhoff - between us we cover the globe and the clock (almost).

And remember drinking too much coffee can cause a latte problems.

2013-04-30 23:42:25 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 24 +1s)

When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.
George R.R. Martin

This is not far off from being straight out of camera. Finished my 12hr shift and got home to what looked like it could be a glorious unset. Spoke with my lady and agreed that I'd pop down the road to our local ruin - Coity Castle - and see what I could grab.

Was very happily surprised to find the place still open despite an advertised close time of 4pm. This is just one of many angles I took and am happy with and best of all I was just packing up when the caretaker turned up to lock down the place for the night. He tells me that he tries to leave it open until dusk when he can. But best of all as I'm packing my gear in my car he approaches me and says "if you want to come back and do night shots then just call me - no problem". 

Top stuff. Plus I had a very pleasant chat... more »

2013-04-30 11:20:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

In it to win it

It's an old adage but it's true - only those who are in will stand a chance of winning and by using this link I stand a greater chance I'm told.

2013-04-30 10:28:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Lions Tour 2013 to Australia

Full squad is:

Backs: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Sean Maitland (Scotland), George North (Wales), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Manu Tuilagi (England), Owen Farrell (England), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales), Ben Youngs (England).

Forwards: Dan Cole (England), Cian Healy (Ireland), Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Matt Stevens (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dylan Hartley (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Tom Youngs (England), Ian Evans (Wales), Richie Gray (Scotland), Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Geoff Parling (England), Tom Croft (England), Toby Faletau (Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Dan Lydiate... more »

2013-04-27 23:12:52 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

Project 52 B&W
Week 17: Night Lights +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw +Susan Porter +Lauri Novak 

A wee bit late with this one but this was the idea in the back of my head the entire week. In the UK the small round candles are known as tea lights or night lights....

2013-04-27 12:09:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Imagination takes flight

If it's your downtime then do enjoy it. If it isn't then take it easy.

2013-04-25 23:00:11 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

1965 - That Wet Patch

This is me in July of 1965 and probably not far off the last time I went in the sea in the UK. It is so a #blastfromthepast  +Blast From The Past and even though it's the wrong week I feel I have to share this in honour of my doing something today I hadn't thought I'd do again. Simply put, I purchased a pair of trousers that are the next size down from the ones I've work like forever it seems. So an image of the chubby me I was aged 18months with my Gran, Aunty and wet patch (not caused by the seaside) just seem apposite.