Change, Fear, and a Brand New Year

Some thoughts about what I hope to do in 2022…

I love when a new year comes around. It’s always a nice time to sit back and consider what you have done and what you want to do differently going forward. Sure, you don’t need a change in the calendar to do that, but it’s a nice symbolic time to do so. It just feels right to me. So, I have been spending the last few weeks thinking long and hard about my photography, and YouTube, and all that. This blog is my attempt to “get it all on paper” and share what I am thinking regarding my future direction.

I love creating photographs, and videos about making photographs. I’ve been actively taking and editing photos for about 12 years now, and actively making and sharing videos on Youtube for about 4 years. Both are just so satisfying to me. I enjoy the heck out of doing both of these things. They give me a chance to express my creativity and compel me to get out and just do something. These days, that’s something. The fact that anyone even shows up and watches my videos, or reads my blog, is just icing on the cake. I often find it hard to believe anyone would listen to me.

The Need for a Change

But I will admit that over the last year or so, I haven’t been out enough. Sure, I get out and shoot some here in Austin, but I haven’t really been out shooting enough, and of course the amount of travel I have done has been severely restricted, just like for everyone else. I have come to realize how much I enjoy travel. Sure, I already knew that I loved to travel, but when you can’t count on several trips a year like you could in the past, that has an impact on things.

I have mostly spent the last year or so (well, I guess more like 2 years now, but the last year it seems like I have been here even more) sitting here in my office, making tutorials and working. Nothing wrong with either, but admittedly I am tired of it. I need to stretch myself a bit more, creatively and physically. I need to move around, with or without direction. I need to go new places and get stimulated. I just need to wander.

I made a video recently where I talked about my plans for 2022. It’s below. It’s a good summary of how I am feeling, and what I am thinking.

In that video, I basically say the same things I just wrote about above. The net-net of that is this: I plan to get out more in 2022. Sure, we still have some restrictions and travel isn’t even close to what it used to be (and likely never will be). But, I can get out, and I can take you with me via video/vlogs. I don’t even need some big overseas trip. Heck, I can just go to a city within a few hours drive (or a short flight) and have a good time taking photographs. I can just go downtown here in Austin. For me, it’s the change of scenery that matters most.

In fact, we took a trip for New Years up to Colorado, and I recorded the below video there. It was my first attempt at this sort of vlog in a long while. I have done some of these in the past, but it has been quite a while and I will admit to getting a bit of “stage fright” about recording them. 

I am very comfortable sitting in my office and making tutorials, but going out somewhere public, recording a video and sharing some tips and thoughts while wandering somewhere else has been hard for me. I am always embarrassed to do so in front of other people, but I am going to force myself to get over it. I simply need a change. It was easy enough on that Colorado trip, because I was walking in the woods and only saw other people every once in a while. But I don’t live among desolate landscapes - I live in a city. And thus, I am going to have to get out and record myself taking street shots and cityscapes, and make something of it.

Imposter Syndrome

The other challenge I face is that I often have a bit of imposter syndrome when talking about photography, outside of editing tips. I am very comfortable with editing and “how to get things done” in the digital darkroom (especially with some of those key products that I make tutorials about). I use them enough that I feel like my opinions there are valid and hopefully useful, and I feel knowledgeable about them. I’ve just been doing that sort of thing for so long that I feel like I can “hold my own” in terms of discussing that on a video, or live with another photographer.

But with general photography knowledge, I feel like maybe I don’t know enough about it, or maybe I am not good enough to really share that sort of thing. It’s difficult to overcome that sort of feeling. I don’t have a lengthy background in photography, nor do I have any formal training. I literally picked up a camera about 12 years ago and started shooting. I have learned a lot along the way, mostly through trial and error and dogged persistence. But I am essentially self-taught, which means that I don’t know what I don’t know. And of course I don’t know “everything”. How can you, really?

But I do have some knowledge that I think is useful to a lot of folks, and that is what I plan to share. I don’t feel like I have to be an expert in everything about photography (who is?). I can hopefully help folks advance their art and have fun in the process.

Plenty of tutorials on tap for 2022!

And no, I am not giving up on tutorials. I still really enjoy making them. And yes I am going to continue making tutorials for the products that I love to use, namely Luminar Neo, On1 Photo RAW, Topaz and more. So no change in that regard. I simply plan to mix it up a little so I can satisfy my need to create in other ways. It keeps me from feeling stale, which is how I have felt for the better part of the last year.  

For me, I feel like it is about adding value for those who follow along. Sure, I can sit here and make editing tutorials all the time, but I need some variety and some different forms of stimulation, otherwise I am going to burn out on that. I have had a lot of folks ask me to share additional tips and tricks about shooting in the field vs just editing tips for the photos themselves. In other words, some tips about how to capture the image while out there. In order to do that, it requires that I get out and bring you with me. So that is on the docket for this year, and I am really looking forward to it. The recent video from Colorado has been pretty well received, and I’m grateful for that.

Expanding my creative skills

I am also looking at expanding in some other areas with my photography. I want to do a little more work with portraits, for example. No, I don’t plan to chase weddings gigs or official portrait sessions. But I enjoy going to events here locally (assuming there are some in 2022!) and taking portraits. It’s a nice change of pace from my usual subject matter, and stretches me in terms of better understanding lighting and posing, and more. And I always learn something. So hopefully I can get some of that done this year.

I also just picked up a small light panel and a light stand, and I ordered some Replica Surfaces photo backgrounds. I plan to delve into some product photography this year, too. This, like the portrait work, is just for fun and for my own education. But it’s another, different avenue to go down and experiment with. I am sure I will learn a lot about this stuff while trying it out. How else can I learn it, anyway?

So that’s a quick summary of my plans for 2022. I am actively considering some other avenues too, that I may delve into in a future post here, or in a video. But the main goal for me this year is to inject a little more fun into what I do. The last two years have been tough on everyone, including me. I miss getting out and going places. I’m going to do my best to make that different in 2022. Thanks for following along.

Always hopeful yet discontent

R.I.P. Neil Peart

The recent news of Neil Peart's passing hit me pretty hard. He was the lyricist and drummer for the progressive rock band Rush, and a true inspiration to me. I feel like I lost one of my heroes. No, I have never played drums (or even wanted to), but his writing literally felt like it was written for me. I pored over his lyrics for years. I still do. I have always loved poetry, and his song lyrics were exactly that - poems set to music. I found it nearly unbelievable that someone could write with such beauty and depth, and then turn around and play drums like he had 8 arms. 

You see, I came of age in the 80’s and Rush was “my” band at the time. I listened to it with my friends. We all talked about it. We dissected the lyrics and used our 16 year old brains to try and discern meaning. My first concert was Rush Signals as a freshman in high school. The cake for my 16th birthday party was a replica of the cover of 2112. 

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Sunset in Austin, TX

I remember first hearing Tom Sawyer and thinking how great the song was. Back then, I had to save up to buy a record so I dutifully did so and got myself Moving Pictures. It was amazing. Red Barchetta is still one of my favorite songs. Limelight is a masterpiece. The lyrics of Vital Signs are just mind-blowing. I knew right away this was not your typical rock-n-roll band. This was not party music. These guys had something to say! They were different - and I was hooked.

As I dove into their previous releases such as Permanent Waves and 2112, my respect and admiration for Neil’s writing and drumming (as well as the fantastic musicianship of Alex and Geddy) continued to blossom. While I do not consider myself any sort of poet, I have written quite a lot over the years and I really feel like my exposure to Rush lyrics is where it all began. I have a love of the written word, and I thank Neil for that.

There is one line in Tom Sawyer that I have always held dear. A little over halfway through the song, it appears:

“Always hopeful yet discontent”

At first blush, it’s just a continuing description of the character (at least the character in the song), and a line that helps carry that stanza forward, because it rhymes with the rest of the stanza.

“No his mind is not for rent

To any God or government.

Always hopeful, yet discontent

He knows changes aren’t permanent -

But change is.”

I suspect many people have passed it over, time and time again as they listen to and sing along with this classic, famous rock song. But for me it stuck, somewhere deep down inside.

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Last light in Cannon Beach, OR

In some ways it has become a bit of a mantra to me. A quick phrase to urge me on, to push myself to be better, to grow and change and expand. It was descriptive to me - and of me. I’m eternally optimistic (hopeful), but not always happy with my current state (discontent). This was a perfect grouping of 4 little words that contain such big meaning for me. This one was etched into my memory from then on.

And this brings me back around to photography, which is really what my blog is “supposed” to be about. I often find myself feeling a bit discontent with my photography skills, but hopeful about what is coming, or perhaps what *could* come from my efforts. I push myself to do better, to be better, to learn, to grow, to expand my thinking and my reach. I just want to continue improving.

Sure I make videos every week about how to do this or how to do that with your photographs. Doing so makes it appear like I know “everything” about photography. But I don’t - not even close. Half the time I feel like a complete beginner. I get questions that I have absolutely no idea how to answer. I may not even understand the question at times. I have so much to learn, and so much growing to do. I’m just a guy that loves this stuff, and likes to shares tips and tricks to help others on their own creative path.

But I am hopeful and discontent. And I keep trying to figure it all out.

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Sunset in Seattle, WA

Now just to clarify - being discontent does not mean that I am unhappy with my grasp of and accomplishments with photography in any way. Quite the contrary. I am rather excited and proud of everything I have done with my photography thus far. It’s just that I keep pushing myself to grow. I am discontent with being stale, or not moving forward with my art. There is so much more I can do, so much more I can learn. And so much more I can teach and share with the community. This phrase motivates me to keep pushing onwards, and looking upwards.

So I continue to invest in my photography, and keep trying to make myself better at it. After all, we are never done learning, unless we just choose to stop trying. And that is a choice I am not going to make. It’s just too interesting to stop. And I have a long way to go.

Thank you Neil Peart for the lifelong inspiration. The bell tolls for thee. 

50 Things I Love About Luminar

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See how much of an impact you can have on your shots?

It’s no secret that I love Macphun products.  I find them all to be easy to use yet very powerful, and they definitely help me craft my images with precision.  So when I started experimenting with Luminar, I expected the same thing: an intuitive and powerful product that could help me craft beautiful images.  That has long been my opinion of and experience with Macphun.

However, I was not prepared to be BLOWN AWAY by Luminar.  Sure, I expected to like it - even love it - but I didn’t fully understand what I was getting into.  I expected a great photo-editing app, but what I got was so much more.  I got an entirely new way of doing things and a simpler but more powerful photo-editing experience.

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A fun monochrome conversion with an added texture.

This is a serious game-changer, and not just for Macphun and their customers, but for the industry.  This product is highly capable and literally bundles so much together that it is somewhat mind-boggling.  However it fits everything in a fluid and intuitive UI that never feels crowded.    

It just works, and it works beautifully.  I am spending all my time in it right now, and I expect you will feel the same when you get it.  

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I did some cross processing and a bunch of other stuff to take this drab photo and give it a little more pop.

I also just created the below video showing how I edited the NYC skyline photo - take a look!

In this video, I edit a lovely sunset from NYC in the new Luminar from Macphun. In just a couple of minutes, I take it from drab to colorful, expressive and fun. Luminar is literally allowing me to save shots I would have otherwise ignored.

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The pre-order period for Luminar is about to end (the product launches November 17) so take advantage of the great deal while it’s available!  

LUMINAR PRE-ORDER OFFER INFO

1. Offer available: November 2 – November 17
2. Pricing: $240 Value Starting at only $49 for Current Macphun Customers
3. New Customer Pre-Order Price: $59 Includes Pre-Order Bonuses!
4. Current Users of any Macphun Software, including Aurora HDR Price: $49 Includes Pre-Order Bonuses

BONUSES:

• Professional video training from Matt Granger: Educating Tina-Directors Cut $99 Value
• Premium Membership + eBook from Will Burrard-Lucas: Build a Profitable Photography Business

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Here are 50 stream-of-consciousness thoughts about why I love Luminar and think that you will too:

1. It’s an incredible, powerful all-in-one photo editor.
2. No more jumping between apps to complete an image!
3. It’s a perfect complement to Aurora HDR.
4. Touch up an HDR or take the base HDR and stylize it completely.
5. Create stunning monochrome images.
6. The UI is adaptive and flexible so you can alter it to fit your skill level or preferences.
7. The entire package is very intuitive.  It never feels overwhelming despite all the tools it contains.
8. Easily add layers to gain creative control over your image.
9. Masking is easy and quick.
10. Extensive collection of blend modes for ultimate creative control.
11. Non-destructive editing of RAW files.
12. Supports PSD files.
13. Save in multiple file formats.
14. Easily share/publish online when editing is finished.
15. Editing brush with customizable size, opacity and softness.
16. Histogram that can display hot and cold pixels.
17. Use it as a standalone, a plug-in or an extension.  It will fit into your preferred host/workflow.
18. History panel allows you to jump back in time to view your editing steps.
19. Workspaces to personalize your editing approach based on the style of photograph you are editing.
20. Create, save, share, import and export workspaces.
21. Add a texture quickly and easily.
22. Completely replace a sky in a couple of minutes.
23. Extensive collection of presets in 6 categories.
24. Create, save, share, import and export presets.
25. Easily adjust presets to customize your photo.
26. Apply opacity slider to a preset in preview mode.
27. Radial masking filter.
28. Gradient masking filter.
29. Luminosity masking.
30. Significant list of standard editing filters.
31. Orton Effect filter - so fun!
32. Foliage enhancer filter.
33. Fog filter.
34. Split Color Warmth filter.
35. Split toning.
36. Filter descriptions.
37. Filters organized by category.
38. Apply blend modes to individual filters on a single layer.
39. Apply masking to individual filters on a single layer.
40. Rearrange filters that have been applied.
41. Crop and straighten image.
42. Transform image.
43. Noise reduction.
44. Object removal/spot healing eraser.
45. Clone and stamp tool.
46. Keyboard shortcuts for quicker workflow steps.
47. Up to 3000% zoom.
48. Before and After comparison.
49. Easily adaptable from landscapes to portraits and everything in between.
50. Just a lot of fun to experiment with!

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That's it for today my friends.  I really have been enjoying Luminar, and it's definitely right at the top of my favorite apps, along with Aurora HDR.  Between those two, that's all I really use now.  It's great to have so much power at your fingertips.  Let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for stopping by!

Full Disclosure:  I am an affiliate of Macphun, and if you buy through my links I receive a small commission which I reinvest in the growth of this site.  However your price is the same whether you buy through my links or not.  You are doing me a small favor - which I greatly appreciate! - and that allows me to continue bringing you great content week after week.  Thanks very much for your support!

1 photo, 5 looks - the versatility of Aurora HDR 2017

Aurora HDR 2017 is a lot more than "just" an HDR editor.  It's a full solution to processing any image.  Your creative output is limited only by your imagination.

I think that a lot of people - especially those that are not using HDR techniques in their photography - feel like all HDR photos look the same.  I don’t feel that way at all, although of course it’s rather obvious why they may think that.  I get it.

While I think we all end up with a particular look that we like, and thus employ in a lot of our images, HDR actually allows you quite a bit of latitude in processing and stylizing options.  In other words, all HDR photos are not the same, it’s just that we aren’t often being imaginative enough (and I include myself in that diagnosis).

I have accumulated a lot of software over the years, perhaps in hopes of having different tools handy which would presumably allow me to achieve more variety and different looks in my photos.  But having the tools and being good with them are entirely different stories.

I have just about everything there is, but I am no better with some of it than anyone else.  In fact, some of it I have never even used.  If you don’t use it, how are you going to get good at it?  What difference does it make then?  Sure, you have the option to use it, but that requires a time and effort investment to learn how to use it, and an even larger amount of time to get good enough at it that you could theoretically get really creative with it.

Back at the start of this year, I changed my philosophy about having a lot of tools, and decided that I would get more out of a product suite - and thus more creativity in my output - if I could just go deeper with a few programs and get really comfortable with them.  

That’s when I decided on Macphun, and I haven't looked back. (You can read about that here.)

Since that decision, I have dropped use of all the other software that I used for years, and now I completely use Aurora HDR 2017 (you can read about the new version here and here) and the other Macphun products in their Creative Kit (prior to the release of Aurora 2017, I used the previous version exclusively).  I use Aurora on about 99% of my images, so you might think that I would end up feeling limited in my processing options.  You know, that I might feel a bit restricted, since I pretty much just use one product.

Truthfully, I feel completely the opposite.  I feel much freer than before.

I no longer have multiple products to take an image into and experiment with, and multiple products that I have to spend time learning and staying up to date with.  I have a single product that I can go incredibly deep with, and by going deep and focusing I can get more out of it.  I can learn to be flexible and maintain control over my images by becoming a master of a single product.  And the only way to get really good at something is to focus, right?  How can you possibly master everything?  I don’t have the time for that, or the interest, frankly. 

I have learned that I can achieve ANYTHING I want to achieve with a single product - Aurora.  It’s that good and that flexible.  I loved the previous version, and Aurora HDR 2017 has gotten even better.

If you are interested in a free trial of Aurora HDR 2017, you can download that here.  Give it a test drive!

So as I was thinking about this article, I figured that the best way to illustrate my point is to show you some photos.  All of these were built upon the same 3 exposure HDR, and all edits were done strictly in Aurora.  No Lightroom, no Photoshop, and not even any edits in other Macphun products.  It’s all Aurora HDR 2017 (the one exception is the textured photo, because textures are not stored in Aurora, so I pulled that file in to apply to the image, but all adjustments were in Aurora).

I wanted to challenge myself to see just how creative I could get, and see if I could produce a variety of different looks to a photo - looks that I actually like.  You know, not different for the sake of being different, but to push my creative self and explore options that are pleasing to my eye.  And I hoped that I might expand my creative thinking in the process.  Isn’t that what this photography thing is about, anyway?

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. -- George Bernard Shaw

I feel like I achieved exactly that, and truthfully I feel like I could pull off several more versions of this photo that are pleasant.  It really does come down to experimenting, learning a product, and not being afraid to try something that you may not initially like.  You could end up with many photos that you like, instead of just one.

So pick a product, go deep, experiment, explore, mess up and try again.  Get out there and create something - anything - and then create it again, but differently.  It’s an amazing exercise in creativity, and you will certainly learn something along the way.

Here are 5 versions of the photo, all created in Aurora HDR 2017.  See how different they are?  Variety is your friend, my friends.  Don't hesitate to do some experimentation.

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The Textured version

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The moody version

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The crisp and cheerful version

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The blue hour version

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The stark monochrome version

See the variety here?  I even created the monochrome in Aurora HDR 2017, despite the fact that Macphun's Tonality product is the best black and white editor on the planet.  I use Tonality for all my monochromes - except the one above, of course.  That just further demonstrates the flexibility of Aurora HDR 2017.

Do you have a favorite?  Let me know in the comments section below!

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Download a free trial of Aurora!

If you are interested, take a test drive for free!  You can download a free trial of Aurora by clicking here.  No commitment and no worries - just try it out and discover for yourself just how flexible the product really is.  I believe you will be blown away.  Even if you don't do anything with HDR, the power and flexibility of Aurora is great for single exposures, too.

And if you need help while you are test driving it, check out my YouTube channel for videos that show you how I use it.  Here's one that I think will help get you started:

Thanks for stopping by!  Let me know if you have any questions!

100 completely random observations about photography

Here's a bunch of random thoughts, loosely tied together by photography, written down hastily in a stream of consciousness format.  And no, I'm not sure why I did this either.  :-)

I started writing up this list for no apparent reason, and I just kept going and going.  I guess that I have a lot of stuff in my head, and honestly, there’s not anywhere else to really dump it all.  So, lucky you?  

Though I have several photography friends here in Austin, I really don’t see them very often, so I don’t get a chance to discuss this stuff, and why bother?  It’s pretty much a bunch of odd ramblings, which don’t really make for interesting conversation. 

A lot of this is just my opinions, so don’t read too much into it.  This is just me commenting on my photography, the photography market, gear, software, life and more.  I decided I might as well share it before I change my mind and decide not to share it, because I do that a lot (see #62 below).  

Agree?  Disagree?  Feel the same?  Let me know in the comments.

1.  Whether it’s work or play, photography is an absolute joy.
2.  I’m often concerned that my photos aren’t “good enough”.
3.  Sony makes a damn fine camera, and I am happy to have one.
4.  I spend so much time on my computer, and not enough time in nature.  I get excited when I am out shooting, almost giddy.  It’s way better than being on the computer, even though I absolutely love to process photos.
5.  Sunset is probably the most popular time of day to shoot.  Being a bit introverted, I prefer sunrise so I can be alone.
6.  I love to travel.
7.  Lightroom is totally kick ass.  The first time I moved the Clarity slider I was hooked.
8.  I can’t believe I stuck with Aperture for as long as I did.
9.  I hear great things about the Fuji mirrorless cameras, but I have no plans to change.
10.  I don’t shoot with my iPhone as much as I used to.  The quality is only fair, and the noise in iPhone shots really bugs me - but you can’t beat the convenience for a quick snap.
11.  HDR is ugly to some people but I don’t care.  Sometimes I overcook my HDR shots but I don’t care.
12.  More photographers use HDR or HDR-like techniques than most people probably realize.
13.  I think of photography as art, not journalism, so I like to craft my images based on how the place felt to me, as opposed to how it may have looked.
14.  I am often torn between creating more photographs, and creating better photographs.  I see a HUGE benefit in both, and after all these years I am still not sure which direction I lean.
15.  Photoshop feels like a big mess and I rarely use it.  I feel like I am “supposed” to be a Photoshop guy though.
16.  I use Aurora HDR on just about every single photograph, even iPhone shots and single exposures.  I think it’s by far the most capable product out there.  I call it “the magic shop”.  It totally feels like I am doing magic in there, and I love that.
17.  It’s incredibly hard to draw attention to your photographs.  There is just SO MUCH great photography on the web these days.
18.  Metering still seems like a strange word and strange concept to me at times.  I don’t know why, because I feel like I understand it, but still.  Maybe it’s just the word that feels weird.
19.  Long exposures are cool.  Really long exposures are really cool.
20.  I sometimes wonder if I should try street photography.
21.  I’ve been serious about photography for roughly 6 years - whatever “serious” means.
22.  I wish I had started younger.
23.  I never was into film photography so my whole photographic life has been digital.  Many folks seem to pick up film and experiment with it now, but I’m not interested.  There’s nothing wrong it, I just don’t feel like I have enough time to try something else when there are still a million other things I want to do.
24.  I really want to try some composite work someday, but I haven’t had the time for that either.
25.  I put pressure on myself with deadlines to get things done, yet this is art.  I should slow down sometimes because I always feel like I am hurrying.
26.  I only started messing around with textures when I started using Aurora HDR, but I love them now and have started “collecting” my own.
27.  In my Lightroom library, I create folders based on location, not year/date like most people.  That makes sense to me, because I don't really care about dates.  When I need to find a photo, it's a photo taken in a certain place, not on a certain date.
28.  I still use Flickr everyday.
29.  Social media is a huge time suck but I don’t see how you get by without it as a photographer.  Though I must admit there are aspects of it that I like, and chief among them is connecting with photographers from around the globe.
30.  Having a blog is like a full time job that pays much less than minimum wage.  It’s totally worth it to me though because I love to create and write, and I can do whatever I want to do with it because it’s all mine.
31.  I have totally gotten hooked on creating videos for YouTube.
32.  I get decent blog traffic from Pinterest although I spend very little time there.  I should pin more stuff, but there are always others things I find myself doing.
33.  I keep notes on my iPhone about things I want to write about on the blog or create videos about, or even eBooks that I want to author.  I read those notes and add to them all the time.  I always have a huge to-do list for my photography, but that’s fine with me.  I'm never bored or lacking in ideas, which is a blessing.
34.  I ignored black and white photography for so long, but now I kind of like it.  Tonality from Macphun is the reason I am converting some of my shots to monochrome now - that’s a great product.
35.  Grungy old stuff is fun to shoot, and processing those shots in HDR is fun as hell.
36.  I have only taken a few portraits in my entire life, outside of family gatherings.  They were ok but not really that great.  I could never do that for a living.  I would be bored to death, plus I would starve because I suck at it and no one would hire me.
37.  I’m so glad that I learned about split toning - it’s one of my favorite techniques.
38.  I used to shoot an Olympus EM-1 and my favorite lens was a tiny little Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7 prime.  It was perfect for handheld shots in low light, and since I love to travel light, it was perfect for me.  Though I loved it at the time, I don’t really miss my Olympus camera, but I miss that little lens.  Since converting to Sony, I picked up their 28mm f/2 and it’s nearly the same thing, so I am happy about that.
39.  It seems like everyone gets the “Photo of the Week” award on Pixoto.  I’ve never been to that site, but these things are always shared on Facebook.  It’s kind of annoying, because when someone wins it appears to auto-post onto Facebook but it never shows the photo.  What’s the point?  Does the “Photo of the Week” award give you anything beside a nice feeling?
40.  Is Leica really THAT good, because they sure are expensive?
41.  Sometimes I am too lazy to get out the tripod so I shoot handheld, even in lower light - and I still shoot brackets.  Occasionally this works out fine, but I get my share of blurry crap too, and then I chide myself for being lazy.
42.  I always feel better after shooting, even if the shots aren’t very good.  There’s something about going out with the intent to create that is just so satisfying.
43.  I have a weird love of graffiti and neon signs, and get a huge kick out of photographing them, especially when I travel.  No one is ever interested in these types of photos though, but I will always take them because I just love them.
44.  I have had an iPhone shot published once before.  Isn’t that kind of weird?
45.  I dropped a lens cap in a canal in Amsterdam.
46.  Someone asked me to shoot a wedding but I declined.  I am completely afraid of something like that.  I feel like I would end up being one of those “you get what you pay for” type of stories on PetaPixel or somewhere like that.  I fear it would have been a disaster, because the one thing I almost never shoot is people and I generally suck at it.
47.  It seems like every photographer has been to Iceland and/or New Zealand, except for me.
48.  If I had to pick one part of the world to live in and photograph, it would likely be Europe.
49.  If I had to pick one part of the US to live in and photograph, it would likely be the Pacific Northwest (and more specifically, Oregon) - although my favorite US city is San Francisco.
50.  I’m having fun writing up this list.  It's almost therapeutic.
51.  There are two photographers that I admire a LOT - and I won’t name them - but they are so freakin’ talented it’s amazing.  Yet, they are totally different.  That makes me wonder about my own style.  Do I lean towards one or the other?  Does it matter, really? 
52.  I haven’t yet figured out what I want to be known as in photographic terms.  You know, like “what kind of photographer” I am, or what my style is, if I have one.  I think this is a lifelong process of discovery.  Hopefully I look back some years hence and I have left something of meaning.
53.  I don’t have a favorite photography blog that I read very often, but there are some great ones out there, depending on what you are interested in.  But feel free to let me know if you have a favorite, because I love to read this stuff.
54.  Maybe I should get a drone.
55.  I’m not even remotely interested in the technical bits of photography or camera gear.  I just want to make and use “nice stuff” and not get into the weeds.
56.  I could never do a 365 project.  It feels like too much work.
57.  I usually edit quite a few photos at a time, and often won’t be back in my library to edit again for several days or longer.  I actually enjoy these breaks.
58.  There are some parts of Norway that look absolutely breath-taking, and I want to go shoot them.
59.  I have about 3-4 eBooks that I want to write, one of which is about half done, but I haven’t been motivated to work on it lately, so it’s just sitting there.
60.  Does anyone use Google Plus anymore?  It was so great at the beginning but it feels like it just died.
61.  I’ve begun to license photos with a couple of stock agencies.  I declined these invites in years past, but I figured why not give it a go?  Time will tell whether it works for me or not.
62.  At any point in time, I have about 5 different articles for the blog that are half-written, just sitting on my desktop.  I usually start a new one before I finish an older one, so my desktop gets cluttered with all these documents that I am writing.  I always start strong, but then they just sit there for a while until I decide it’s done and I get up the courage to post it on the blog.  I often feel that what I have to say is kind of dumb, so I delay sharing it.  
63.  Do you consider it cheating when someone replaces a sky in their photo?  I don’t, although I do think they should disclose that.
64.  Sometimes I come across photographers that have HUGE followings, but I had never heard of them.  It makes me wonder where I have been, because they are usually super talented and I am not sure how I missed them.
65.  For a while, I was completely addicted to shooting with my wide angle lens.  I would never take it off.  Now I look back on those days and while I love many of the shots, I realize I missed so many other shots because I wouldn’t change lenses.  These days, I am more addicted to the mid-range zoom lens on my Sony (the 24-70mm).
66.  Prime lenses can be both challenging and interesting to use.  
67.  I sometimes question why I spend so much time working on all this photography stuff.
68.  Once I shot the Milky Way, and needed help figuring out how to do so.  I keep thinking about giving it a go again, but now I don’t need the help, I just need to be away from the city.
69.  I don’t shoot much in the summer here in Texas because sunrise is so early and sunset is so late.  It’s somewhat depressing because it’s also very hot and humid.  In other words, I pretty much want to stay indoors for 3-4 months.
70.  I taught myself nearly everything that I know about photography, which may not be all that much really, but it sounds cool to say it.
71.  Perhaps someday I will lead photo workshops and photo tours in cool places.  I would love to do that; it sure seems like a lot of fun.  I’m sure it’s a ton of work, too, but fun work.
72.  My blog started as somewhere to just post a “nearly daily” photo online.  That was the first 4 years or so, and I did it because I thought that was the logical step for someone that was into photography.  In other words, I was just copying those that came before me.  Then I started sprinkling in longer-form articles, and I loved doing that.  Then I cut back on the daily photo thing, and went to 4 posts per week, then 3 per week, and then 2 per week - but each of these posts had multiple photos.  So it was more photos per week, but fewer posts.  Now I just post 2-3 times per week, depending on what I have ready and what I feel like saying - and the number of photos in each posts varies.  I also share news and other updates, and I write, add educational content, and do whatever.  I feel like I finally found a bit of a groove for myself and my blog.  This is fun.  I hope I can do this forever.
73.  I could shoot waterfalls every week and maybe never tire of it, as long as they weren’t the same ones.  However, I would have to live somewhere else to do that.
74.  European street scenes are just about my favorite thing to shoot, but of course I’m a long way from them, and rarely get to shoot them.  But still, I freakin’ love them!
75.  SmugMug is a great place to host your portfolio site, and I’ve used it for several years now.  I really don’t sell many prints, and I put absolutely zero effort into trying to sell my prints.  But I think of it as cloud backup for my finished work, which is something like 4,000 photos now.
76.  My traffic on SmugMug is weird - some days I get 3,000 views and the next day I get 13.  I’m not sure if it’s regular SmugMug users just poking around or folks that may be genuinely interested in buying prints, but I should look into that.  
77.  I still think Flickr is much better than 500px (at least in terms of what I want to get out of the site), but everyone who joins 500px considers themself a serious photographer and will probably disagree with me.
78.  500px feels mostly like a popularity contest, or at it least it did when I used it.  Then again, so does the rest of social media so what’s the difference?
79.  I have purchased just about every single one of the big photo editing product suites.  I always thought I needed something new to try because I like to experiment, but really I don’t need all the stuff I have now.
80.  Photos for Mac is pretty good for managing my iPhone shots, but that’s about it.  I’m so glad I dumped Aperture and went to Lightroom.
81.  When I first started photography, I had read that f/22 was good for getting everything in focus, so I shot every single photo at f/22 for a long time.  I had no understanding of aperture or really anything else at the time.  I also had absolutely no creativity around my shot selection or my editing.  Hopefully I’ve improved since then!
82.  Having photography as a creative outlet has significantly changed the course of my life in a good way.
83.  I love gear, although I don’t have a lot of it.  I always sell my old stuff when I buy new stuff, so I only have 3 lenses that I use with my Sony camera.  I’m not sure if I want any more.  I like to travel light.  Well, maybe one more.  :-)
84.  If someone gave me a chunk of money to spend on photography gear, I don’t know what I would buy.
85.  While grain in a black and white film photo may look cool, most digital noise bugs me - though it does depend on the photograph.
86.  I need to go take some photos now - I’ve been typing for way too long.  I get like that after too much computer time.  I need to take a break, go outside, take a photo, whatever.  It’s like the electricity of the computer wears me down, and I have to recharge somewhere without it.
87.  I have lost count of how many businesses have asked to use my photos for free.  It’s still an insult, frankly.  They don’t give away their stuff for free, do they?  
88.  It’s sad when a business asks for a quote on licensing an image, and after you provide it you never hear back, not even a “thanks but…” response.  My prices are reasonable based on many conversations I’ve had with other photogs, but I guess not reasonable enough.
89.  One of my photos is enlarged and hanging in the window of a convenience store here in Austin, though I never sold them a copy.  I'm not sure how or where they got it.  I keep intending to go speak with them about it, but I am always headed somewhere when I pass by, and I tell myself I will stop the next time.
90.  I always insure all of my photography gear.  When I see someone lose theirs or have it stolen and then they start a GoFundMe page to ask for donations, I want to scream.  Why don’t they insure it?  If they can afford the gear, they can afford the insurance, right?  Am I missing something here?
91.  I get a laugh out of looking at some of my old photos.  I scratch my head and wonder why I processed some shots in certain ways.
92.   I used to purposefully blur street shots in cities in the evening (the whole shot was blurry), that way you get all the little “bokeh balls” in a photo from the city lights, and I think it looks cool.  I had forgotten about that.
93.  Blue hour after sunset is possibly my favorite time of day to shoot.  Or, maybe sunrise.  Call it a draw.
94.  I think I am a pretty decent photographer, but then sometimes I see a shot that just blows me away, and I feel like a total newbie.  That’s actually inspiring to me, not depressing.
95.  I have tried the vintage look a couple of times with my shots, but it’s not me.  Some folks pull it off incredibly well, but I haven’t liked most of my attempts.
96.  I’m not even remotely interested in the selfie thing.
97.  I wish I had access to some cool urbex locations.  I see a ton of great shots online from around the world, but there aren’t any around here, at least to my knowledge.
98.  Roof-topping produces some killer shots, but I don’t know if I’m willing to break into a place to try it.
99.  I currently have 87 photos that are processed, finished, and ready to share online.  They sit in a folder on my desktop and I post a few to Flickr each day.  I only pick a few each week to put on Facebook - but everything goes on Flickr.  Flickr is essentially my entire photo archive of published shots.
100.  I have a Facebook page for my blog, but it’s nearly impossible to drive engagement there.  I spent years trying to build it up, only to get to the point where I feel like it’s fairly useless.  I keep thinking I am going to just delete it, but then I worry that maybe FB will change something and I might wish I hadn’t. 

Thanks for listening.  Feel free to leave me any feedback or comments below!

Dear Yahoo buyer, please don't screw up Flickr

Dear Yahoo buyer, please don’t screw up Flickr.

I like Flickr.  In fact, I like it a lot.  Maybe it’s not as popular as it used to be - and sure, some people pick on it - but I think it’s still a wonderful site for photography and photographers.  I have made many friends there over the years, I have discovered other photographers who I learn from, and I have discovered many photographers and photographs there that inspire me.  The quantity and quality of the content there is a constant source of amazement and inspiration for many, including myself.

In the news, we keep hearing that Yahoo is up for sale, and several big websites have already predicted the demise of Flickr, and suggested that we move on.  They tell us it will get sold off, or abandoned, and that we are better off moving to another platform.

I sure hope they are wrong.

I like Flickr, and I want to keep using it.  I don’t want it to get screwed up.  The organization system of Sets and Collections is just so perfect, and being a bit OCD myself, I like that - a lot.  I think it’s the best out there.  The mobile app is pretty solid all-around, and the Stats page works great for me.  

Sure, you could make all sorts of improvements to the site, but considering the state of things at Yahoo, we all know that isn’t happening at this time, and that’s ok.  It’s still incredibly functional in it’s current state.

It has brought me customers, friends, and inspiration - sort of the holy trinity in the art world.

I recently uploaded my 5,000th photo there, and I think it’s the best site on the web for sharing a wide collection of photographs and keeping them organized.  I love being able to go look at my photos from years ago, all organized both by Sets but also chronologically.  Seeing how my work and my processing choices and skills have changed over the years is educational and inspirational for me.  

I don’t even want to consider having to move them and start over on another service.  This is THE catalog of my work.  It’s not just a place I post photos.  Plus, I’ve already “released” the photos that are there - starting somewhere new is like re-releasing them.  It’s a waste.  I’ve got better things to do with my time, like process some of the nearly 200,000 other photos in my library.  ;-)  

I may host my portfolio elsewhere (it’s on SmugMug, which offers a great e-commerce engine), but Flickr provides great search functionality and people find me and my blog through Flickr rather often.  It has brought me opportunities that I doubt would have come my way otherwise.  It probably helps that Yahoo has a search engine - of course, I’m assuming it’s connected in some way.  If Flickr is sold off I assume that would go away, but I don’t care.  It still works for me.

Come to think of it, maybe it’s better if you do sell it off when Yahoo gets sold/dismantled.  It could be a great asset to the right buyer, with a huge archive of amazing photographs and a passionate and engaged user base.  Perhaps it could stand alone?

The point is, there is a ton of value in the site and the brand, and besides little old me, there are surely thousands (and probably millions) of other folks out there that feel the same way. 

Please don’t hang us out to dry.  That would suck.

Thanks,

The Photography Community

p.s.  You can find me on Flick here if you would like to connect.

---

Editor's note: Hat tip to Thomas Hawk, who has written extensively about Flickr on his blog, has some wonderful insights into the site and is surely the most prolific photographer that I know.  He has somewhere around 120,000 photos on Flickr (no, that is not a typo) and has a stated goal of reaching 1 million published photos in his lifetime.

Why I switched to Aurora HDR Pro

I completely stopped using Photomatix, and here's why.

I’ve spent years using Photomatix to create my HDR photos.  Over the last 7 years of crafting HDR images, I have created over 1500 of them in Photomatix.  While that may not sound like a lot of photos, it equates to a lot of time spent using Photomatix.  It was the first product that I ever used for HDR, and except for a short-term departure to use HDR Efex Pro (which I later reversed to return to Photomatix), I have stuck with it ever since.

Until I tried Aurora HDR Pro.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with Photomatix (or HDR Efex Pro, or any of the other products you can use to create an HDR photo).  It’s a good product for creating an HDR photo.  It’s just that it has been surpassed by Aurora HDR Pro, and not just marginally.  It’s been surpassed by miles.  It’s been lapped, basically.  Maybe twice.

You see, I am a creature of habit and I was just cruising along, using Photomatix with no issue, blissfully ignorant about Aurora HDR Pro.  I exported my photos to Photomatix, then made several roundtrips to other programs to apply filters or certain effects, and then another roundtrip to a different program for noise reduction.  I thought that was the only way to get it all done.  I didn’t think about the process being inefficient, because I just assumed that everyone did the same thing, and had no choice in the matter.

I was wrong.  I had no idea what I was missing, or that my photo-editing was about to get better - and simpler - in countless ways.

The truth is that I wasn’t looking for a new HDR editor, and I don’t make a big change on a whim - especially a change that is the key first step in my HDR workflow.  And to me, here’s the best part - it’s not just another HDR editor.  It so much more than that.  It’s my go-to editor for EVERYTHING now: HDR, single exposure, heck I even process iPhone images in Aurora!

Here's a cool little video I made with Macphun that explains my move...

A crazy-long feature list

Once I started creating images in Aurora HDR Pro, it was obvious IMMEDIATELY that this is a game-changing product.  It’s an “all-in-one” solution for post-processing any image - not just for creating HDRs - and it just happens to be the best HDR editor on the planet.  It has layers, filters/presets, noise reduction, textures, luminosity masks and more.  There is really nothing else like it.  It’s almost unbelievable, except that I believe it, because I use it so I know that this is all true.

I am still amazed that Aurora has such an extensive feature list, and it all fits comfortably in the product, and yet it’s still intuitive and easy to use.  It doesn’t feel crowded or bloated, and it just works.  I can’t imagine life without it now.  It completes me.  :-)

It took just a moment to realize that I needed to switch

After processing only 2 or 3 images, I knew immediately that I had to switch from Photomatix to Aurora, and I had to do it right then.  What’s the point in waiting?  Why drag it out?  And more importantly, why resist making a change that I knew would benefit me immediately?  I may be slow to change at times, but I'm not crazy.  I know an opportunity when it's staring me in the face (though some times it has to slap me to get my attention!).

I saw significant advancements in the product, an opportunity to streamline my workflow, and an opportunity to make my photo editing much simpler and better - so I switched.  Right there, in that moment, I switched.  I completely cast aside over 7 years of experience with Photomatix and immediately embraced Aurora HDR Pro - and I am so glad that I did.

I knew that I had to go deep with Aurora so I could learn the product well.  I knew it was a new direction for me and my photography, and I was eager to get started.  I dove in headfirst, absorbing everything I could find on Macphun’s websites - blog posts, tutorials, videos, and more.  I read everything and tried everything, and guess what?

In no time at all, I was extremely comfortable with Aurora, and I haven’t looked back since.  It’s been a fabulous few months since I switched over, and I wanted to share the reasons that caused me to have this realization, and make an immediate switch from Photomatix to Aurora.

Here are the major reasons that I switched to Aurora, and why you should too:

1) Layers

When I used Photomatix, I used to export my files to Photomatix, and once my HDR was built I would bring them back into Lightroom.  That was a roundtrip and all I did was get the base HDR put together.  In Aurora HDR Pro, I build my base HDR first, but thanks to the beauty of layers, I can do so much more right there in Aurora.

I can add Presets (more on that in #2 below), then create a new layer and stack another one on top of it (I frequently stack presets and use 5-7 layers per photo on average).  I can make selective brush adjustments.  I can adjust the opacity of any layer that I create to increase or soften the effect.  I can add textures.  I can bring out details.  I can adjust colors.  I can remove NOISE!  I can even replace a sky if I want to!  

Yes, it is all there in Aurora, and I love it.  It saves me a lot of time by eliminating the need to go elsewhere for layers and selective adjustments.  The time savings from that alone is worth it, not to mention the simplification of my workflow - and there’s no need to buy other products!  I can get it all done in Aurora!

2) Filter programs not needed

After I had built my HDR in Photomatix, I would then make another roundtrip to some other program to apply filters to the photo, in order to realize my vision for the shot.  This usually meant that I went to Color Efex Pro or Topaz Adjust and made some edits (and sometimes, both), and then returned back to Lightroom for final touch-up.

With Aurora HDR Pro, I no longer need those programs because all of that is built right into the product!  It has color filters, presets, split toning and more - and it’s all a standard part of the product.  So now instead of making another roundtrip to another external editor, I just make all these adjustments right here in Aurora.  Easy.  I save time and my creative process is un-interrupted because I never have to leave Aurora.  It’s a one-stop shop for all of my needs!

I do realize that Photomatix has Presets too, that allow for “one-click” HDR looks for your photos, but truthfully, I have never used them.  I just always wanted to have greater control over the HDR look in my images.  A Photomatix preset might look good on some parts of an image, but it never seemed to work for the whole thing, at least for me.  

But with Aurora HDR Pro, I enjoy the presets quite a lot, and often apply them across an entire image.  And, since Layers and Brushes are built into the product (#1 above), I can easily adjust/remove any part of a Preset that may not complement my image.  Using Presets in Aurora may be a radical departure from my old Photomatix ways, but it works so well and the ability to apply them selectively is just HUGE.

And as with Photomatix, there is nothing wrong with those other filter programs that I mentioned (Color Efex Pro, Topaz Adjust, etc).  They are great products, it’s just that with Aurora they have become a bit redundant to my workflow.  I no longer need them, and thus have simplified my workflow considerably by accomplishing everything I need to do to the image right in Aurora (though at times I may make minor adjustments in Lightroom, or use another Macphun product if I need to remove large objects, or convert to black and white, etc).

3) Noise reduction is built-in

But wait, there’s more!

Typically my final step when creating an HDR was to make one more roundtrip (at a minimum, this was my 3rd roundtrip, if you are counting), this time for noise reduction.  Whenever you bump up the details in a photo, you run the risk of creating some noise, and usually it’s most visible where you don’t want it - in the sky and water.

Personally, I like my skies and water to be pretty smooth, so this was basically an essential step for me.  But now, I just add a new layer in Aurora, make my noise reduction adjustments, and use a brush to paint it into the image wherever it’s needed.

This is a simple, awesome step that I absolutely love about Aurora.

It’s also unique, because generally noise reduction programs apply their “smoothing” across the entire image.  That’s what I love about Aurora - I make the adjustments and then just brush it onto the image where I need it.  In other words, noise reduction is a selective, localized adjustment thanks to layers and brushes.  It’s so much better this way, believe me.

Even more benefits 

The list of reasons why I have chosen Aurora over Photomatix is pretty long, but those first three are the big ones.  They have significantly affected my workflow in very positive ways.  I can do everything I want to do to a photo in Aurora, which saves me time.  

But the other, less tangible benefit is that it makes me better at photo editing.  Here’s what I mean by that.  In the “old days”, because of all the various round trips that I had to make, this meant I also had to be pretty educated about how to use multiple products.  This equated to a lot of time using the various products, or reading about them, or watching tutorials, so I knew enough to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish each time I went in to edit an image.  So I had to keep up to date on each product, new changes that came out for the product, and so on.

While it may sound like fun - and truthfully, it is - in reality it’s a lot of extra work, just trying to keep up with everyone’s tools (and I had all the major product suites, so that’s a LOT - and I never felt like I was "deep" enough with most of them).  Perhaps you have all the time in the world and you don’t mind spending it keeping up with all this stuff, but I don't want every waking moment to be spent on my computer (which is what it felt like it took).  I prefer to get my photos edited so I can move on to the next thing, which is editing more photos, or going out to take new ones.

With Aurora, I am keeping up with a single product, because it has replaced at least 3 other products for me.  So my life is simpler, and my workflow is streamlined.  No more time spent experimenting with some other tool.  Now that I have devoted myself to Aurora, I get it and I can get in and get my photo editing done efficiently.  Then I can edit more.  :-)

Here are several more reasons why I made the switch, in no particular order:

1. A cleaner, more intuitive interface - everything is contained in a single window, unlike the "floating windows" in Photomatix
2. Graduated filter is built in - this is great for making local adjustments across a section of your photo
3. Top & bottom lighting sliders - easily adjust brightness levels in targeted areas of the photo
4. Luminosity masks - create masks based on luminosity values
5. Cropping and straightening - fix that pesky crooked horizon!
6. Social sharing built in - if you are done with the image, post it somewhere!
7. Open in Creative Kit for further adjustments - a great family of products, easily reached from Aurora, that give you further creative control over your images

As you can see, I am a big fan of Aurora HDR Pro and it has completely changed my photographic workflow for the better.  I am quicker and more efficient with my HDR processing now, and it’s all simplified as well.  I absolutely love it.

I highly recommend that you take a look at Aurora HDR Pro.  Even if you are not yet creating HDR photos, give it a test run for your single exposure photos.  Let’s face it - all the above points are just as helpful with single exposures, too - right?  Right!

If you want to see me using Aurora HDR Pro, you can follow me on YouTube here.  I create tutorials that demonstrate the power of this product.  I think you will enjoy them!

Get a deal on Aurora when you switch!

The good people at Macphun are running a campaign right now, working to convince others to switch from their current HDR editor over to Aurora.  Having made the switch, I can attest to the fact that it was the best move I have made in years.  Based on what all you have read above, I trust that once you are using it you will feel the same way.

Download a free trial by clicking the banner below, or click here.  Why not?  It doesn't hurt to take a test run, does it?  I truly believe you will enjoy it, and benefit from it.  Or click the screenshot below to see the special offer!  It's $20 off!

Key Features of the "Switch to Aurora" offer:

• Exclusive live webinar with Trey Ratcliff
• *Special Competitive upgrade price: $79.99 (a $20 Savings)
• 20 Minute Deep Dive Aurora HDR tutorial with Trey
• Jeff Carlson HDR ebook
• A collection of full resolution textures from Flypaper textures
• How to HDR with Matt Suess

*competitive upgrade pricing requires screenshot of your existing HDR app to qualify

Thank you for stopping by, and please don't hesitate to leave comments or questions for me!  I hope this helps you in your decision process!

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Macphun, and if you purchase anything from them using the links on this site, I get a small commission which I reinvest in the growth of this blog (or, maybe I will buy a pony!). However, your price is the same whether you use my links or not.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this - and thank you for your ongoing support!

Thank you, 2015

2015 is basically in the rear-view mirror, and while I already shared my thoughts on the year, I just wanted to take a quick moment and thank you, my readers, for coming by the blog this year.  I really appreciate it and want you to know it.

It was a great year, full of a lot of travel and photography, and I am hard at work on some new things for 2016, which I will be talking about soon. I know it will be an amazing year ahead.

I appreciate the support and wish you and yours a Happy New Year!

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The summer of awesomeness

We just had the best summer of our lives.  We left austin for 7 weeks to escape the summer heat, and returned home with different ideas about what we want our lives to look like.

(this is a somewhat personal post, and it doesn't have any pics - just a fair warning)

To get away from one's working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one's self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change. ~Charles H. Cooley

As you have read here before, I spent a good chunk of this summer on a cross-country road trip with my wife, my daughter, and our dog - and a car so stuffed I thought it would burst.  But it was a fantastic trip.  We saw so much, did so much, and I shot so much that it will be hard to put into words...but of course I am going to try.  :-)  

I thought it would be fun to share a summary of what all we did, because I can't think of any other way to summarize than to just give you some basic quick facts, which puts it all in perspective.  (Plus, I have fun putting these things together.)  I will be coming back here with lots more photos as I get time to process them.  I’ve posted quite a few already actually, but I’ve only scratched the surface.  Hopefully you've enjoyed what I have shared so far, because there is plenty more coming.

In case you missed those posts, you can click the links below to check them out...and they are in the reverse order from which they were posted (oldest is at the bottom):

Catching a ferry to the islands   --  I grabbed a bunch of pics on a ferry ride to the San Juan Islands in Washington.

A stunning sunset in Cannon Beach  --  I love Cannon Beach, and this sunset will help explain why!

Sunset at Hug Point  --  We stayed right near this spot, and I shot it A LOT.  Here's a beautiful sunset for ya!

Golden hour at Haystack Rock  --  Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach is very touristy, but oh so worth it!

Driving Highway 1  --  Everyone loves driving up Highway 1 in California and these pics illustrate why.

An unbelievable sunset in Bandon, Oregon  --  My first great sunset of the trip, and what a stunner it was!  Wow!

Sedona seduces  --  This was my first visit to Sedona, but I sure hope it's not my last!  

My 2015 summer plans  --  An overview of what we intended to do with a few iPhone pics thrown in for fun!

And now that I just provided those links, I didn't even realize that I have shared that many posts about the trip yet, so I'm kinda impressed with myself!  I'm usually months or years behind LOL.  I feel like I am accomplishing some things!

Here are some quick stats from the trip:

52 days of travel (25 nights in hotels, and 27 nights in a VRBO rental in Arch Cape, OR)

10 states visited or driven through, not counting Texas (NM, AZ, NV, CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, UT, CO)

5700+ miles of driving (roundtrip) - and countless tanks of gas!

9368 photos taken with my Olympus

1900+ photos taken with my iPhone 6

3 jump starts for our car, resulting in 1 new battery

1 oil change somewhere in Idaho

More Subway sandwiches than I can count!

Our route took us from Austin, TX up to Arch Cape, Oregon (that was the main destination), with many stops in between, and then a little further into the Pacific Northwest (Friday Harbor, WA in the San Juan Islands, to be specific) before turning back towards Texas.  Here’s a map of our route that I cobbled together on Google Maps:

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we took the southern route across NM and AZ on the way out, and returned on the northern route through UT and CO.

Apart from the main destination of Arch Cape, OR the primary stops were Sedona, a couple of spots along the California coast (San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle and Mendocino area to finally see that place!), Bandon in southern Oregon (OMG what a gorgeous coastline!), Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands and Park City, UT although of course we stopped en route in many other places for matters of convenience (or exhaustion).

To say this was a monster trip would be an understatement.  We planned it for months and months (and saved up for it for months and months too), and tried our best to plot our route for maximum viewing of awesomeness along the way.  In some cases we were genuinely surprised by the beauty (Sedona, AZ for example) and in some cases we got within a few miles of something that we've always heard is awesome but did not have the time to stop and take it all in (Moab, UT for example - we'll have to go back).

Change is good my friends

It would also be way off base to say that we all returned as the same people, just 52 days older.  There is something about an epic trip (especially an extended one) that really does change you, deep inside, regardless of where it is you went.  You return feeling somewhat displaced, not in your element, like a fish out of water - call it whatever feels right to you.  The bottom line is that you are different, and when you return home, it feels like everything else is still the same.  

This is not to say that we are better than we were before - we're just different.  And I am not saying that the "same old stuff" in Austin is bad in any way (and for the record, I absolutely love Austin) - it's just that we have moved in a different direction.  And in which direction we have moved is still not decided...but it's clear to us all that we want something new.  We want something different.  We enjoy consuming new experiences and we enjoy traveling.

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.  ~Lillian Smith

We have reunited with friends and family, and it's been great.  We missed them.  But all of us can't help thinking that there is something more out there, something grander and more fulfilling than the life we typically lead in Austin.  To be clear, that is not a comment on our friends, our family or the city of Austin - it's just that we are all yearning for something new and different.  It's difficult to come back to what you know from the past and to just hop right back into that routine.  We are sort of straining against it.

And in many ways, we don't want to hop back into that routine.  We enjoyed being on a different, more flexible routine, and we liked it.  We liked it a LOT.  And admittedly, the scenery and everything else we saw was INSPIRING.  And who doesn't want to be inspired?  (Hey, I can't help that Dead Poets Society is one of my favorite movies.)

When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view.  ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

One thing we were abundantly clear on during this road trip is that we enjoy being able to quickly get to "new stuff".  Since we live in the center of Texas, it's a damn long drive to get to any other state.  You can't get anywhere on a weekend trip.  It's ~9 hours to New Orleans, for example.  I can drive for about 6 hours and get to Oklahoma City.  Or I can drive for a good 10 hours and get to Albuquerque.

But here's the thing - I have been to all of those places many times, and want to see something new instead (apart from New Orleans, which we are actually talking about planning a trip to).  I've been to OKC numerous times, and it's nice, but it's not inspiring.  New Mexico is very beautiful, but it isn't new to me.  When we talk about "new" we really mean new - like some of the places we saw on this trip, or some that we missed but wanted to see.  It's a big country out there, and there's a lot to take in.

And this isn't all about the great Western US.  The Eastern US is chock full of awesomeness.  There are a million spots I want to go experience in the Eastern US.  Perhaps we can do a similar trip or two towards the East?  Who knows?

And just for comparison purposes, if you lived in Zurich, Switzerland for example (I chose this as a starting point since it is fairly central in Europe), in 10 hours or less you can get to any number of amazing places: Rome, Budapest, Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, anywhere in France...the list goes on and on.  The point is that in the center of Texas, our ability to quickly drive in search of new experiences is somewhat limited, based on geography.  And let's face it, you don't head off to Dallas or Houston in search of inspiration.  :-)

So all of this inevitably leads one to think of "big picture things", such as the biggest one of all: what do you want to do with your life?  That's a big question we all ask ourselves, then some years hence find ourselves working in some job and realizing you never answered yourself.  Hell, maybe you forgot the question.  That doesn't mean the job is bad, or you're bad, it's just that a trip like this one causes you to think, and think a lot.

I'm still thinking.  And admittedly, there is a lot to think about.

The truth is that I will probably be digesting all of this for a while.  When you are on a trip, you are very much in "consumption mode".  You are consuming sights and experiences at a rapid pace (and I am accumulating a lot of photos, of course).  That's often the point of a trip.  You want to go and consume, and you don't have the time while you are gone to digest what all you are taking in, because you are consuming more new stuff all the time.  Every day is a new adventure, with something awesome around the bend, or at the next exit (or train station, if you are in Europe).

This accumulation of experiences eventually stops, and - at least for me - that's when I can start to look back upon my experiences, form opinions, decide which things I liked and didn't like (and what I liked or didn't like about them), and start to form conclusions about it all.  That's where I find myself now - trying to digest it all.  And I am also asking myself a lot of questions, such as:

Did I learn anything about myself?  Did I learn anything about photography?  Did I expand upon my vision as a photographer?  Are there changes I want to make in my photography?  In my life??

And the answer to all of these is a resounding "Yes".  That's where we are now, and it's electric with possibility.

Thanks for stopping by and listening.  I guess I just had a few things to say.  :-)

Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.   ~Miriam Beard

6 weeks without Facebook

4 Things I Have Learned, and 5 Things I Have Been Doing Instead of Logging Into Facebook

I accidentally quit using Facebook for the past 6 weeks.  I didn’t have a meltdown, get pissed, and storm away.  I just sorta quit looking at stuff there and slipped away quietly.  It’s been nice not being there.  I will go back at some point - I’m not quitting the site, and this isn’t a rant about the horrors of Facebook - but I’m not in a hurry to jump back in, either.  Life is too short, and there are other things I want to do.

I’m not really anti-social per se, but I have become more introverted and less social-media-engaged as I’ve gotten older.  And that’s a funny thing, considering that my passion is to take photos, blog about them and the associated travels, and then share them.  Online.

In some ways, what I like to do and what I “need to do” to promote my photography are not aligned.  I like (love, actually) taking the photos and processing them, and writing about them, and all that goodness.  It fills my soul, actually.  I need to do it.

But all the social media stuff is exhausting, and feels like a “supposed to”.  And truthfully, it’s not that fun.  It’s work.  While I am not opposed to the idea of work, usually work has a tangible return, or at least an emotional reward of some sort.  Social media doesn’t really do that for me.  Or at least Facebook doesn’t.

I was on a business trip at the end of June (which kept me really busy), and as soon as I returned we took off on our family road trip.  Before I knew it I came to the realization that I had not gone to the site or shared any of my posts on Facebook in a while.  

I also realized that I didn’t care.  So I just kept not going to the site.

One of my big concerns over the years was that if I did not share my photography on social media (with Facebook being the primary place) that no one would find my “stuff” and my blog would dwindle and die a horrible, neglected death in a dark corner of the internet.  So I dutifully logged in and shared things.

But I have learned a couple of things over this 6 week period that are worth knowing:

• Search is way more important than social media in driving my blog traffic (~80% of traffic comes from search vs ~3% from all social media sites combined)
• Popularity on social media isn’t my goal
• I’m happier, more productive and have more free time to invest in my creativity
• I don’t miss all the meaningless updates

Do I miss any of it?  Sure.  I miss seeing all the great photos and updates from all the great photography friends I have and photographers that I follow on the site.  I miss seeing and occasionally participating in the various conversations around photography, travel, gear, and the like.

And...that’s about it.  So yeah, maybe I am a little anti-social after all.

So what have I been doing instead?  Loads of stuff.  I am with my family on a multi-week road trip across the US, which has been fabulous in a lot of ways. 

Here’s how I am spending my time:

1) Taking photos

This may be very obvious, but it’s true - I have been taking loads of photos on the road trip.  Arizona, the California coast, southern Oregon, and now along the coast in northern Oregon.  After here, we are headed to Seattle and Friday Harbor, WA and then turning back towards Texas (with a few stops planned on the way home).  I’ve shot amazing sunsets and so much more.  So far I am well over 4,000 photos with quite a bit more coming (and over 1,000 with the iPhone, many of which have already made it onto Flickr).

2) Processing photos

As I tend to be a morning person, I get up earlier than everyone else and start processing photos.  I’ve been doing that every morning, and it’s awesome.  I’m getting 10-15 processed each day.  I get a creative start to my day, then go explore stuff with the family the rest of the day and have fun.  It’s a great way to kick off each day, and it’s getting me further ahead of my goals for the year.

3) Writing

In some ways I have gotten away from writing as much here on the blog as I intend to.  Part of it is time constraints, and part is that I have so many photos to share, which are quicker and easier for me to prepare and post than writing up a lengthy article.  But I have been writing more lately, and it feels great.  I’m also coming up with more things to write about, which I will be working on and sharing when ready!

4) Reading

I used to read a lot, but my photography has consumed so much of my free time that reading has taken a back seat.  But I’ve been doing more of it lately, and it’s pretty awesome.  The simple joy of reading for pleasure is something I had forgotten about.

5) Thinking

With my usual hectic schedule, I rarely spend time just thinking about stuff.  But I’ve had more time for that lately and - just like reading - this is a great way to disengage from the “have to” stuff and just chill.  And my thoughts flow between thinking about the little stuff (I hope sunset is nice; I’m hungry; where did the dog run off to?) to the bigger things (do we want to live somewhere else?  where else do we want to travel to? what do I want to do with my life?), and everything in between.

(In addition to the above, we hike a lot, do touristy things like ride bikes on the beach, and just hang out.  And guess what?  IT'S AWESOME.)

While many people manage all of the above AND post frequently on Facebook, I did not.  It just seemed like I was mindlessly scrolling on the site and really not getting much in return - and not getting some things done (which quite frankly are more important to me and certainly more rewarding).

I will say that I have been sharing photos all this time on Flickr, and will continue to do so.  I really enjoy that site, though I will admit that I am not super-engaged there.  I have put more photos on Pinterest, which isn’t so bad after all and the nice thing is that the posts there seem to have a longer shelf-life than on FB.  I drop a photo here and there on Trover, which is an interesting site and has been fun so far.  Once in a while I will post on Instagram.  Otherwise, I just blog here and work on personal photography projects.  It’s been great.

What does all this mean?  I don’t really know.  

I’m changing and continuing to figure out what I want to do in this short life we are all given, and mindlessly logging into FB isn’t what I want to spend much time on.  I’ve realized that I don’t want to be dependent on social media for my blog, and at 3% of my blog traffic, you could say that I have achieved it already.  LOL

I don’t know where I am going with this post, other than just sharing my thoughts on why I haven’t been on Facebook for a while.  I doubt I have been missed though, with all the other noise there.  I will return at some point, I just don't know when.  I guess I felt compelled to write about this, since some of you may follow my posts there.  I just wanted to say that instead of scrolling through the stuff on FB, I have been out in the wide world working on my craft, traveling, hiking, enjoying my family and having a life.  It's pretty refreshing, actually!

And no, I'm not going to go share this post on Facebook.  That would be ironic, wouldn't it?  :-)

Thanks for listening.  I’m going to do something creative now.  See you back here on the blog real soon!

Old photos, new results

Some thoughts on going back to the well

(alternate title: There's gold in them there archives!)

I love to take new photos of new places - that’s part of what drives me as a photographer.  I long for the new, I guess.  And over the last few years, I have built up a decent-sized library of images through all my travels (about 130,000 pics now, and counting), most of which are still in need of post-processing and publishing.  I’m getting to it, albeit more slowly than I would like.

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But hey, this isn’t a full-time job for me, so I make time when I can.  I will say that I am cranking them out pretty quickly this year, which was one of my goals in 2015 - so I have that going for me.  :-)  In fact, so far in 2015 I have published well over 200 photos (including iPhone shots), which you can find in my Flickr photostream - that’s where I keep everything.  I like how Flickr let’s you organize things.  (You can read some of my musings on Flickr here.)

With a large backlog of things I want to share (not just photos, but a couple of product reviews, and a laundry list of other topics to write about), you may find it odd that there are times when I dip back into my previously published photos, and do some re-editing.

I don’t really have time to do this, but sometimes I do it anyways.  It's a great exercise.

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But sometimes, it's a necessity.  This recently came about because a customer contacted me about an image I shared several years ago.  It was an HDR of a sunset in La Jolla, CA and - according to my current thinking - it was more of an over-the-top HDR.  Ok, it was a very over-the-top HDR.  It’s not even remotely close to what I would do with the photo today.  But they liked it, and they wanted it, and I was happy to oblige.

You see, my style has changed quite a bit since the “early days” of 4-5 years ago, and (in my opinion at least) my application of HDR is much more subtle - most of the time.  Now and then I hammer those pixels, but mostly not so much.

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But here’s the thing - the photo was done in such a way that I HAD to re-process it in order to make it larger for them to print (I made a LOT of mistakes early on in this creative pursuit of mine).  But the problem was this: I had no idea what I had done to get the photo looking the way it did.  I knew generally what software I used, mostly because it was all I had at the time, but as far as the steps I used to create it, specifically?  No idea.  No. Idea. Whatsoever.

So what did I do?

I did the only thing I possibly could do - I started to re-process the photo that I first created about 5 years ago.  It was a lot of trial and error, though mostly error.  And guess what?  It took me forever to get it looking even remotely close to what the client was expecting.  (No surprise.)  I finally got it there, but the whole exercise was a great learning process.  A bit painful I might add, but still a great learning process.  

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Here are some things that I encountered, observed, and learned by going back to the well, and why I recommend it as a fabulous creative exercise:

Your stylizing choices really do change over time - and perhaps drastically.  

Assuming your processing is somewhat consistent from image to image (I am often a creature of habit), don’t hesitate to chronicle this somewhere, as a point of reference at least, should you ever need it.  I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast, so a journal of this stuff could come in really handy someday - like last week!  :-o

Your workflow has probably changed quite a bit too, and likely for the better.  

But just like the last point, if you chronicle this somewhere you can refer back to it.  Can you remember which filters you applied, and in what order, when processing your pics in years past?  Can you remember which software products you used?  I know what I do today, but that’s different from last year, much less several years ago.  You could even keyword this stuff into the image in the library, I guess.  And I am not suggesting you do this for every image - because that’s a little too OCD - but maybe some just general notes about your “style”.

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Use this exercise as a yardstick to measure your development.

Your skills have likely matured - a LOT.  Most of the images in today’s post were processed years back, but just sat there on my hard drive because I didn’t like the results at the time.  They were flat, boring - even ugly in some cases.  Perhaps I just didn't have the right skills in post-processing to bring the image to life, and I certainly lacked the confidence to "put them out there".

Now that I have come back to look at them with fresh eyes - and better skills in post-processing - I have been able to create photos that I deem worthy of sharing.  These are also all single exposures.  Part of the reason I never did anything with them in the past was that I was just TOO addicted to HDR and these, being single frames, just got passed over in favor of “better” shots to share.

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Software gets better over time...

That’s another thing about today’s photos.  I don’t think I could have gotten the results you see here 5 years ago.  Maybe I could have with a lot of work, but with all the advances in software, it sure makes things quicker and easier on us...and at least in this case, it saves these from being banished to obscurity forever.  And I rather like these photos I am sharing today.  I’m glad that I dug them out.

...but it also gets different.  

I used Topaz Adjust on the original image 5 years ago, and thus used it on the re-edit, in an attempt to "get it right".  That product has gone through a LOT of changes in the last 5 years (and I’ve used it all this time, though not on every image), so even remembering the way you did things back then might not lead you to the same end result these days.

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This is an endless source of entertainment... 

I realize some photographers consider what they published in the past “off limits” because it’s a snapshot (no pun intended) of where they were at the time - artistically speaking - but I am not that way at all.  I have occasionally gone back to previously published photos and done a re-edit, just for the hell of it.  It’s damn fun, especially going into it with the mindset that it’s damn fun!  You can easily pass a few hours doing this.

...so know where to draw the line.  

When you have a large library of photos, you have to decide what’s worth a re-edit, and what’s better left alone - otherwise, you could spend all your time just messing around with the old stuff and never get the newer work published.  Nothing wrong with it of course, but I suspect a lot of photographers are like me, and want to create new work from recently captured images.  There’s an addiction to the new, so to speak.

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You may create some amazing work - and you didn't even know it was there.

Although I would do this whole photography thing for free (and in some ways, you could argue that I do!), I do want to earn some money from my efforts if possible, in order to fund new purchases and travel.  So why not dip back into some old favorites and give them a new look?  Or like I did with these photos - dig out ones that you never did fully process, and never shared, because you thought they weren’t “good enough”.   You may find some real keepers buried deep in the archives.

It’s your art, and it’s your right to do so.  Why not then share those pics wherever you host your shots for viewing?  I add mine to my Flickr photostream as well as put them into my portfolio site on SmugMug.  No one will ever discover them if they just sit in my library, collecting virtual dust.  What good is that?  You’re not doing anyone a favor, least of all yourself.  So share that stuff!

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And now thanks to this little accident of mine, I have this whole post worth of images to share, because once I fixed that one old photo for my client, I started looking at all the others I took of that sunset...and it was a beautiful sunset.  Real beautiful, in fact.  So then I got busy processing, and processing and processing...and all of these photos above are the results.  

And guess what?  I added all these to my portfolio site, and they are going on Flickr too...because that’s where they may get discovered by people that might just be looking for a California sunset picture.  So don't hesitate to dive back in to some old files - you really may find a diamond or two in the rough!

And if you read this far, then you may be asking "where is that HDR you are referring to, Jim?".  Well, here it is - this is my re-creation which mimics the stylizing I did on it 5 years ago...not at all what I would do today, but 5 years ago, well...things were a little different for Jim here.  :-)  I was VERY in to pushing those pixels around.

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And yes, curiosity killed the cat, so you can bet that after finishing this for my client, I went back to it and decided to reprocess as an HDR in the style that I prefer today...so below is that version of the pic.  It's still a somewhat aggressive use of HDR - depending on your definition of aggressive, of course - but it's way closer to what I would do with the photo today, and more closely resembles my current tastes.  

And lastly - yes, in case you are curious, that first photo at the top of today's post is a single exposure from the bracket set used to create this HDR.  That's another reason I am doing less and less HDR - I find I often get a result I am pleased with when using just a single exposure.  Not always, but often.  

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Thanks for stopping by - I’ve got to go process some old photos now - and some new ones too!

Finding my own path

Creativity is a Winding Road

“Let us move on, and step out boldly, though it be into the night, and we can scarcely see the way.” - Charles B. Newcomb

I love photography and blogging - it’s all so very interesting.  There are so many great photographers and they have lots of different ideas about how to succeed - and I think that is great, because we all know there is more than one road to success, and someone else’s path may not work for you.    We’re all different and have different needs and different goals.  You have to find your own road, and figure out what feels right to you, and what makes you happy.  In the end, I think that’s all you need to aim for.

I’ve decided that that is exactly what I am aiming for.  I want to find my own road.

When I started, I felt compelled to “get something out there” almost every day (though in recent years I have settled on 5 posts per week, each with a single photo).  I naively thought that was the only way to do it.  I thought it was required.

I was following someone else’s path, instead of making my own.

I don’t feel that way anymore.  Photography and this blog are my passion, but working hard to get something posted 5 times per week is a LOT of work, and it is starting to feel like work.  I am constantly working to get photos ready, write something about them, plan ahead because I might be traveling, and of course do all the social sharing that helps to get the word out.  I have self-imposed deadlines and goals, and spend a lot of time on social media.   What’s happening is that I am taking all the fun out if it.

I’m tired of all that.  

It’s not exactly like people are hanging around, waiting for me to hit “Publish” so a post goes live here.  This stuff isn’t mission-critical.  To use a quote from a customer of mine, when confronted with a delay in a print getting shipped: “That’s ok, Jim.  There are no art emergencies.”  I love that quote, and it’s so true. 

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iPhone shot of some graffiti I found in Dublin, Ireland...

I’m now at the point that I want to do things that I want to do.  I don’t want to follow someone else’s model of “how to succeed”.  I want to write more here on the blog, and share longer-form blog articles about photography, travel, and maybe some other things.  Maybe I will write some tutorials, or share processing tips.  I’m not sure yet.

It’s a balance among the things I enjoy, instead of feeling like I “have to do” something.  That’s part of the beauty of having a blog - you can pretty much do whatever you want to do.  You don’t have a boss.  Speaking of which, you should start blogging.

It’s time to make some changes.

So I guess what I am saying is that I will start to reduce the number of weekly posts that I share here on the blog.  I have been sharing 5 per week, but will start to draw that down, though not sure to how many.  I don’t have a “goal”, and I don’t want to put a number on it.  But if each post is longer, there will have to be fewer of them.

I want to add more photos, more writing, and frankly more depth to each post.  Will they all be long articles with a bunch of photos?  No, I don’t think so.  Sometimes I may just post a single photo and a short blurb about it.  But my thinking right now is that I will create longer posts with more photos, all related to a single place or event and my experience shooting it (or a portion of it).

Am I going to be less involved in creating content for this blog?  Absolutely not.  In fact, I believe I will actually end up with quite a bit more on this blog, because each post will have multiple photos and more “meat” behind it.  I am not stepping away from the blog, I am stepping forward with it.

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iPhone selfie from my recent trip to Oregon - so beautiful there!

Social media is consuming.

But I may take a step back from social media.  Sharing things on all the various sites multiple times per week is a time sink, and the payback is somewhat limited and very intangible.  Though I actually do enjoy it, if I redirect some of that time towards my photography and writing, I believe both will improve and thanks to the magic of Google, people will find me.  I really believe that.

And yes the social sharing does help drive traffic, but like I said above, I believe that good content will drive traffic just as well, or better in fact.  Through the almost 5 years I have been blogging here, my main source of traffic is still organic search via Google.  It’s not driven via social media, and frankly social media isn’t even close.  So, I am not going to spend as much time on it.  It’s not worth it, honestly.

I recently had 2 trips to Europe, and 1 family getaway to Oregon (plenty of photos and writing to be done about all three of those trips!), and as a result I wasn’t online too often - and I loved it.  I felt so free.  And that’s what got me thinking about all this.

The bottom line.

Well folks, that’s where I am, right now.  I still love both photography and blogging, and am working towards getting better at both.  My free time that used to be consumed by social media and scrambling to get 5 posts a week on the blog will now be consumed by developing deeper content to share right here.  

I will keep traveling, taking photos, sharing photos, and writing about my trips and photos - and you will find it all right here.  It’s just going to be more in line with the direction that I want to take this blog while finding my own path, and less focused on the self-generated pressure to get something published here 5 days a week. 

End result: MORE photos here, MORE writing here, and a happier Jim.  Sounds like a win for both of us, doesn't it?

I am looking forward to it, and hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy creating it!  Thanks for stopping by!

How Flickr got its groove back

Some thoughts on the "new" Flickr

I’m going to go ahead and say it - I like Flickr.  I don’t think everyone else does anymore, but I still do.  And I’m liking it a lot more these days.  

A quick little bit of history...

Like everyone else, when I started sharing my photos online, Flickr was the first place I went.  That’s where everyone went, partly because it was just about the only good choice at the time.  It was certainly the largest and best known (and still is, it seems) and that drew us in. You sorta “had” to be there.  And I believe to a certain extent that we were all dependent on it.

Then, we all progressed in our skill levels, and it started to get old.  We grew weary of the silly “Post 1, Comment 2” crap that the Groups there required.  We probably all tried that in some form or fashion, because we thought it was something we “had to do” as part of the community.  And frankly, we wanted the views.  It made us feel good.  I freely admit that I did all that, in the vain hope of getting views. But boy was it hard to keep up, and I think many of us started scratching our heads and wondering if it was really worth it.  After all, getting views doesn’t really mean anything, does it?

And we all realized that hey, these are mostly just other photographers on Flickr.  They’re never going to actually buy my work, are they?

About that same time, a lot of us also started a blog or website, and at some point realized it made more sense to drive traffic there than it did to Flickr, so we slowed down our engagement on Flickr and backed away from all that craziness.  Some of us left for good, and others just quit uploading photos there.

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I’m not engaged there - but I am active.  There’s a difference.

It has been a few years since I was highly engaged on Flickr.  Now, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been posting there - quite the opposite in fact.  I have continued to post there, sharing all my blog images on Flickr and recently many of my iPhone photos too.  In fact, I have probably accelerated the amount and type of photos that I upload to Flickr.  It’s just that my pattern has changed, and my self-created pressure to “get my image out there” is gone.  (Besides, the key images I add to the blog, and that’s my focus.)

Admittedly, I never wanted to leave Flickr, even though I have tried alternatives such as 500px, but haven’t found something that I feel does as good of a job (and you can read my thoughts on that here).  Once you have spent years building up a collection of shots which are well-organized and searchable, and you have a decent number of views on them - who wants to start over?  Who has the time?

And yes, I do find that I get traffic from Flickr over to my blog, which is what I want.  I think that many folks who are searching for images for a project know to look on Flickr, whereas other sites aren’t as well known and certainly don’t have the volume of images as Flickr does.  Size matters, in this case.

Not being dependent is good...

I now post my blog images there when I find the time to do so, and I don’t feel like I have to put something out there everyday.  If I am traveling, I don’t worry about getting the shot up on Flickr the same day the blog image goes live.  I don’t hurry, and I don’t care.  I will get it up there, even if it’s two weeks later and it goes up alongside 10 other blog images.

In other words - I am no longer dependent on Flickr.  That’s a good feeling.  It’s tough being bound to some site besides your own.  Yes, I am totally bound to my own blog here, but that’s different in my opinion since it is mine.  I can do things here that I can’t possibly do on Flickr, and I can customize it all I want.  It’s my little business, and I can do what I want with it.  That’s why I started it, after all.

And they’re back...

Flickr bumped around for a few years with almost zero updates and honestly, it felt really stagnant.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep sharing images there, and I have spoken to several photographers who felt the same, and let it drop.  I stayed because I really like the organization there (Sets & Collections), and liked the idea of having all my shots out there for search purposes.  I get some traffic from Flickr, and always have.

And I have to give kuddos to Flickr - over the last year or so, they have really taken their game to a completely new level.  It seems like they have come back from the dead, and are back with a vengeance.  I always felt like it was a gem in the Yahoo crown, and am glad to see that it has been reinvigorated.

I have now found myself more drawn to Flickr than I have been in a really long time, and am glad that I never dropped it.  And while I am not spending lots of free time there like I did when I first got started on this journey, I do engage more than I have in years and it’s because of all these great updates and changes they have made.

This is how Flickr got better:

Larger, crisper, better-looking images

It was probably Google+ that got Flickr back on track, in a couple of ways.  I think they saw all the goodness happening on G+ with larger and better-looking photos and thought they better either get busy or just hang it up.  And of course their CEO came from Google, which probably didn’t hurt.  But whatever the cause, pictures look great on Flickr now.  Bigger, prettier, crisper...isn’t that what a photo site should offer?

Also, I love that when someone views my photo like below they also get a Preview of other shots in my photostream.  I think that drives even more overall views and engagement which is good.  Also, below the comments a viewer can click on one of three choices: a letter "i" with a circle around it, which gives them the EXIF info from the photo; the little square which will show them other photos in your photostream as well as a Preview of photos in the same sets as that photo; and the little tag symbol, which of course shows them what tags are applied.  I find all this incredibly useful, and believe it is helping drive much more interaction with our shots.

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Much-improved landing page

The old landing page had tiny thumbnail images from a few of your contacts, and it was ugly.  It was also populated with what I consider a bunch of junk (photos from various groups, etc).  Then you had to click through for more images, which I never did.  Even worse, it looked that way for YEARS.  It never changed.  It was stagnant and boring.  

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But now there are large images which look great, and you can scroll and scroll and keep seeing more images from your contacts.  MUCH BETTER.  MUCH EASIER.  MUCH MORE BEAUTIFUL!

Easier to Comment

Another key change is that you can now Fave, Comment and Share straight from the landing page as you scroll through.  That means I don’t have to click through to someone’s photostream and comment on the image there, then back up to the landing page and start over.  I used to never leave comments, because it took too long.  Now, I can just comment right from the front page of Flickr as soon as I scroll by.  I never leave the landing page.  I don’t have to.  

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That makes it much easier, and I find myself commenting more and getting more comments too.  And by the way, images that you have previously commented on continue to percolate up to the top of your landing page feed, as they get more comments and when others interact with them.  It’s working based on social engagement - the more interaction a photo gets, the more often it bumps up to the top of the heap.  They are trying to drive engagement, and it’s working!

iPhone app

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I love the Flickr iPhone app and use it all the time.  While I skip using the built-in filters (I prefer Snapseed, ProHDR and Camera+), the app is great for getting me into the heart of what I use the app for: uploading my mobile shots.  That’s right, I upload iPhone photos there all the time, and they get lots of views (and yes, I know views aren’t important by themselves, but I believe it helps with search purposes).  

I’ve had an iPhone set on Flickr for a very long time, but never really used it much.  It was difficult.  I would have to email the photo to myself and then upload it, but that’s a pain.  Now, I can take it and adjust it on the fly, then upload when I am anywhere with a free couple of minutes.  It’s awesome, easy, quick, and fun.  In other words, it’s exactly what mobile photography ought to be, in my opinion.

And though I am finally on Instagram (yep, a little slow joining that site) I still upload my mobile images to Flickr.  I just like the idea of having a lot of content out there.

It’s a social network, dummy

It’s taken me a while to realize this, but Flickr has essentially become a social network dedicated to photography, and I think that is a really cool thing.  They really are in a unique position relative to all the other big sites, and I am glad that they are starting to take advantage of it.  Competition is good, and since photography is a big part of social networking (regardless of the site you are on), it just makes great sense to continue to innovate here.

Although this isn’t new per se, I believe it is different now.  In the past I think it was just a photographic dumping ground for a lot of people.  But with all these changes, they are driving more usage and more engagement, and that translates to more social interaction there and more time on the site.  So this is a big improvement, because let’s be honest: we have a plethora of social media choices.  

Summary

I really feel like Flickr has combined some of the best elements of photo-sharing sites, along with social media capability and a pretty slick iPhone app - and put it all into one place.  Will they take over from Instagram for mobile users?  I don’t think so.  Will they draw users away from Facebook or Google+?  I doubt that as well.

But they are doing a great job of getting all the elements in place to cause people to upload more photos and spend more time on their site.  I think it’s working, and can’t wait to see what’s next for them.

What's your experience with Flickr?  Are you enjoying the site nowadays?

Is there more that Flickr can do?  Of course, and I suspect there are some smart people working on some cool things as we speak.  But I have to say that I am impressed with how far they have come in the past year, and I am looking forward to seeing what they do next!  See you out there!

(And BTW, feel free to leave a link to your Flickr site in the Comments Section below)

Farewell 2013

Farewell 2013 - you were good to me!

2013 was a great year for me in a lot of ways.  Photographically speaking, it was amazing.  I went a lot of places, shot a lot of things, and shared a lot of photos.  In other words, 2013 rocked!

Here are some key travel stats for the year that I wanted to share:

• Hit these great cities/regions in Europe: London (3x), Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin, Paris, Loire Valley, and Normandy
• Visited multiple US cities (some multiple times): San Francisco, Phoenix, Nashville, the Texas Coast, multiple spots in the Texas hill country, Dallas and Ft Worth, Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, and Maui
• Shot several great spots here in Austin (downtown, Bull Creek, Loop 360 Bridge etc)
• Made it down to Panama in Central America once too!
• Flew ~100,000 miles (about the same as 2012, oddly).  Thanks American Airlines!

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And here are some blog stats that went along with the above:

• Blog views up by 40+%
• Blog visitors up by 25+%
• Facebook fans up from ~1400 to over 4100!!  
• Google+ followers up from ~14,000  to ~27,000!!
• Flickr views up over 125%!  Wow, Flickr went big for me this year.
• I added several “Top Photo Spots” lists to the blog and they are really popular!

And a few accomplishments:

• I finally launched a gallery/portfolio site where you can buy prints - and you can find it here (courtesy of SmugMug): http://nomadicpursuits.smugmug.com/ 
• I completely overhauled this blog to the new version of Squarespace (v6), giving me much more creative control, a responsive design, and many new options that I still need to explore and take advantage of!  Thanks Squarespace!
• I was honored to be named on this list of the Top 100 Travel Photographers in the World: http://blog.chillisauce.co.uk/top-100-travel-photographers-in-the-world/ 
• Licensing and print sales were more than 3x that of 2012 (though admittedly the numbers are relatively small), including some recent licenses to a company in Copenhagen which will turn one of my photos into an iPhone cover:

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As far as the blog goes, my most popular pages and posts in 2013 are:

• Top Photo Spots in Austin
• Top Photo Spots in London
• My main blog landing page
• Top Photo Spots in San Antonio
• Top Photo Spots in San Francisco
• Top Photo Spots in Las Vegas
• Flickr is getting better.  500px is getting worse.
• Top Photo Spots in Nashville
• Top Photo Spots in The Texas Hill Country
• Top Photo Spots in Dublin

That list of my most popular pages tells me a few things.  First, people like lists.  Guess that’s common knowledge but wow 8 of my top 10 pages were lists!   Guess I should write more of them!  (And I plan to, but of course that depends on whether I go places enough to feel comfortable writing one.  I currently have 1 in development.)

It also tells me that my article about Flickr and 500px was either controversial or popular (or maybe both), because I only published it in mid-October but it made #7 for the year!  That’s really interesting to me for another reason: I enjoy writing.  It’s only been in the last few months that I’ve really gotten more into writing, but I really do enjoy it, and plan to do more in 2014 (more on that soon - I’m still writing my “2014 plans” post LOL).

And lastly, where does my traffic come from?  This one is always interesting to me, because it lets me know what is working, and I want to double down on things that work as I wrote about here.

• Google organic search leads the pack by a wide margin
• Direct traffic (someone typed in my URL specifically)
• Facebook is 3rd and by far the highest in the social networking category
• Lightstalking ranks 4th thanks to getting mentioned in the weekly roundup done by my friends at Toad Hollow!
• Yahoo organic search is 5th
• From there it falls off a bit: Bing, Google+, Stumbleupon, Pinterest, HDR One, Flickr and a few others... 

Well, thanks for stopping by today, and for all your visits in 2013. I hope that I can continue to create compelling content to draw you back in 2014.  And of course, I plan to continue taking, processing and sharing LOTS of photos in the new year, because I love to do so!

Thanks so much for your support, I sincerely appreciate it.  Happy New Year!

I'll be back soon with my look ahead to 2014, so come back soon!

And since this is the last day of 2013 - or the sunset of the year, if you will - here is a beautiful sunset that I shot earlier this year in downtown Austin.  Enjoy!

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Flickr is getting better. 500px is getting worse.

Flickr is getting better.  500px is getting worse.

Who’s on 500px?

If you are a photographer, then you probably answered “me”.  It’s a great site.  The photography there is incredible.  The amount of talent is mind-blowing.  I have seen some of the most beautiful photographic art there that I have ever laid my eyes upon. 

But, the site does nothing for me in terms of growing my “business”.  And apart from just enjoying the wonderful photos, it’s a total waste of time.  Let me explain…

It’s Flickr, all over again

I hate to compare 500px with Flickr, because they are vastly different, yet I find that in many ways they are the same, and any differences are disappearing rapidly.  They are becoming more alike, because Flickr is improving, and quickly.

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Flickr has significantly upgraded the user experience, via larger image displays, infinite scrolling, better engagement, a great iPhone app, and more.  I suspect they have also changed some things “under the hood” so to speak, because over the last couple of months my daily view count has gone up by 5-10x.  While that makes me feel good, in and of itself my statistics are meaningless.  It doesn’t earn me anything for someone to look at my photos.  View counts are only good for the ego.

And that brings me back to 500px.  I won’t dispute that the work there is beautiful.  People only share their best, and that keeps the quality up and the customer base happy.  That was one of the knocks on Flickr – there was all sorts of questionable stuff posted there, and lots of it made Explore.  It’s become a general catch-all photo site for anyone taking pictures of anything, and those of us who are “serious” about our photography (whatever that means to each person) have grown tired of it.  We grew tired of the whole “post 1, comment 2” thing.  Groups became a chore.  Everyone just wants to get their views up (which I still argue is meaningless).  So, most of us opened up accounts at 500px.

For a while, it was the pretty new girl in town.  Images looked better, and quality was much higher.  You can even set up a portfolio or blog through 500px if needed.  (However, I have both elsewhere.  My blog has been here for 4 years now, and I am happy with it.  I recently set up a portfolio site at Smugmug, and love it.)

But in my opinion, 500px has sort of become a higher-quality version of Flickr.  Whenever you post an image, inevitably you get some Votes and Faves, but you also get comments like “V+F, please look at my photos” or something to that effect.  In other words, people are engaging with your shots solely for the purpose of you (hopefully) returning the favor.  That’s just an attempt to get more views.  It’s the same thing that I used to get all the time on Flickr.  But interestingly, I don't get that on Flickr anymore.

And maybe it's just me, but I don't find as many inspiring images on 500px anymore. While it helps get your views up if you make "Upcoming" or "Editor's Choice", I find that the shots there don't "wow" me like they used to.  Maybe I've changed. 

Chasing affection

Why do people leave the pleading comments, begging for you to look at their work?  They are looking for attention, and they want to increase their view counts as well as their “affection rating” (higher number is "better" - but it's really just a measure of popularity).  But again, I contend that it’s all meaningless.  It doesn’t do anything for them, other than stroke their ego.

Many also “cross-post” their 500px images to Facebook, letting folks know they just posted one there and they would appreciate a vote.  This is another way to draw views and increase an affection rating.  And while there is nothing wrong with it, I just don’t understand why they care.  Is anyone actually buying anything from you on 500px?

I'm trying to figure out if I am missing something here.  Am I?

It’s just a bunch of photographers (albeit great ones)

Here’s my conclusion:  all the people on 500px are other photographers, even more so than on Flickr.  They will never buy your work.  And by the way, you can sell digital downloads on the site, but for $3 each, I don’t even turn it on.  It’s an insult, frankly. 

And because everyone on 500px is a photographer, the only thing I can think of that they would be inclined to buy is some tutorial that would help them improve their own work - but I am not selling those. Maybe someday I will start to do so, and then 500px will be more useful to me.

But...it can work

My good friend Jimmy is a great example of finding a way to benefit from 500px – he recently had some images that were very popular there, and they sent business his way.  He sells tutorials, and people want to learn from him, because he’s good.  They saw his images, and wanted to learn how to do it.  Sold.  That’s a good deal for Jimmy, and I’m glad for him.  He’s a great guy and he's talented, and he’s working hard at turning photography into his career.  So it's clear that it can work, but it just doesn't for me. You?

The vast majority of us are not selling such things as tutorials, and as such I am finding less and less about 500px that makes it worth spending any time on.  People there just want a higher affection rating so they feel better, but it doesn’t mean anything.  I don’t care about that.

My blog is my focus, primarily

The only place I really care about view counts is on my blog, and to a lesser extent on a couple of social networks.  Engagement in those places has proven to be tangible, in the sense that I have gotten referrals for print sales and print licensing from them.  That’s valuable to me.  Plus, my blog is the center of my entire photography "universe".

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When I overhauled my blog a month or so ago, I spent some time in Google Analytics, taking a look at what was working on my site (drawing in visitors) and what was not working.  In the process, I killed a few pages that no longer fit in with what I am interested in, and weren’t drawing visitors anyways.  But the other thing I did was analyze my visitor traffic and where it was coming from.

I found that while Flickr was in the top 20 of referring sites, 500px was not.  It wasn’t even close.  It was #107. I was surprised at how high Flickr was, but wasn’t surprised about 500px.  You might think it has to do with how much (or in my case, how little) engagement I do on those sites, but that’s not the case.  I do the same thing on both sites – I post and run.  I just don’t have time to go view everyone’s work.  

I post on Flickr (owned by Yahoo) primarily for search purposes (and by the way, Yahoo owns a search engine) - and it appears to be working.  I was posting on 500px in order to hopefully grow my viewership, but it isn't working.

I have countless examples over the last few years where people either email me via Flickr, or contact me via my blog and send me a Flickr link for a photo they want to buy /license.  And how many similar leads have come from 500px?  Zero.

I think if someone is searching for a photo, they are more likely to look for it on Flickr than on 500px (and they may be a Flickr user themselves).  Flickr is much better known as a place to find photos, and I am making an assumption that the user base is much larger on Flickr.  Plus, it’s not all“real photographers” on Flickr – there are a lot of “consumers” there too.  In other words - potential customers.

Guess which other site was in the top 10 for referrals to my blog?  Yahoo.  Yep, Yahoo organic searches was #10 in referring sites to my blog.  Yahoo owns Flickr.  There must be some connection there. 

So here I am.  I get lots of clicks thru to my site from Flickr, and very few from 500px.  As a result, over the last few months I have put less and less into 500px, and may even downgrade my status there to just the basic free account.  I previously had the highest level account (what they call "Awesome"), but downgraded that a few months ago to the middle tier ("Plus").  Maybe I will drop to "Free".  Why pay them, when I get nothing back?

Over beers in London a few weeks back with my good friend Mike Murphy, we were talking about this, and he said he just has the free account, and it works great for him. He said he was offended by having to pay to be called "Awesome".  Hell yeah, great thinking Mike!  Who appointed 500px as judge of whether someone is Awesome or not anyways?   I've seen Mike's work, and he is Awesome.  So there, 500px, chew on that.

That’s where I am on this subject.  What are you doing, and what’s working for you?  More importantly, am I missing something about the usefulness of 500px?

Ok, end of rant-ish post.  Not sure this qualifies as an actual rant, since I am not pissed off, and I am not yelling, or particularly fired up about this.  I am however, curious what you think - so let me know in the comments section.  Thanks!

(And to be clear...I didn't write this to bash 500px, because as I said it’s a beautiful site.  I just don’t get anything from it.)