Free Landscape Presets for Luminar Neo

Would You Like Free Presets for Luminar Neo?

I have just created a new, free preset pack in Luminar Neo, crafted specifically for landscape images.

I love shooting landscapes, and I love editing landscapes. Both are super enjoyable to me. I’m assuming that every photographer loves to take photos, but I have heard lots of folks mention that they don’t really enjoy the editing part. I love to edit photos. It’s super relaxing and fun for me. But, to each his/her own, of course.

One thing though that can help you get an edit done more efficiently is to use a preset. It’s just a pre-organized collection of filters, all bundled up into a one-click solution. To be fair, I recommend using a preset as a starting point on your edit, simply because a preset can’t possibly look perfect on every image. It always needs some customization. But, using one can jumpstart your creative flow, or get you close to your final edit in a single click.

I’ve been busy making these presets for a while, and I was actually planning a whole bundle around landscapes, but I am going to postpone that for now. I have a lot of things that I am working on, and need to focus my time and attention on those items.

Part of that bundle was going to be this preset pack. I could add this to my store and charge for it, but as a token of my appreciation, I am offering it up for free instead. I love this community, and love to give back, and since you all do so much for me - well, I wanted to do something for you, too.

Sound good? Ok, great. :-)

The only thing you have to do to get this preset pack is to subscribe to my newsletter. And by the way, when you subscribe, you get access to several other free things too: an additional Luminar Neo preset pack, a couple of short ebooks, some free overlays (skies and textures), and even some LUTs.

It’s basically a bunch of free creative assets to help you make better looking photos. Subscribe below and get started making beautiful photos!

Besnfoto Hiking and Travel Backpack Review

Besnfoto Hiking and Travel Backpack - a great backpack for active, outdoor use!

View fullsize

Recently I was contacted by Besnfoto, a company that makes a lot of photographic accessories, about a new backpack design they were launching. It was promoted as being designed for hiking and travel - two of my favorite things - and they asked me if I would be willing to review it. I was about to take a little trip up to Colorado, specifically for hiking, and it seemed like a great fit. So they were kind enough to send me a review sample, I packed it full of the things I needed for my trip, and off I went.

I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to see how it performed in real world situations.

You can find the bag here if you want to check it out (Amazon affiliate link - I earn from qualifying purchases). And below are some of their marketing photos of the bag. The rest of these photos were taken by me while out hiking with the bag full of gear.

DISCLOSURE: I was not paid for this review. All opinions and experiences are my own. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

In short, it worked perfectly for me and performed exactly as the product descriptions indicated. I really like this bag. It is sturdy and durable, the comfort level is very high, and yes I even tested the water resistance and it was great!

One thing that I nearly ALWAYS want in a backpack is the ability to carry along my 16” MacBook Pro. I may do some editing on the road, along with all those other computer-related things, so any backpack that does not fit my laptop is a no-go. My laptop slid into the interior laptop section just perfectly. 

In addition, the interior is spacious enough for a decent amount of gear. Now it won’t hold a TON of stuff - it’s billed as a small to medium-sized bag - but for a weeklong trip with a few choice items in tow, it was just the right size for that. You can of course configure the interior to fit your specific needs, thanks to the padded Velcro dividers that are included.

In addition to the laptop, for my photography needs the bag carried:

• Sony A7R3 camera

• Sony 24-70mm f4 lens

• Sony 20mm f1.8 lens

• Samyang 75mm lens

• Sony RX100m7 camera

• Battery chargers for both cameras

• Extra batteries for both cameras

• Memory card holder

• DJI Osmo Pocket

• Manfrotto handheld mini tripod

• Small accessory bag for miscellany items

• Laptop and iPhone chargers

• ND filters and filter holder

• Flashlight

• Multi-tool accessory 

There is also a top pocket which provides quick access to smaller items, such as a small mirrorless camera or even a small drone. Alternatively, you can use the interior space on the reverse of that top pocket for storage inside the bag, because you can compress/collapse that pocket. I generally just packed some of my accessories there on the inside.

Additionally, the two side external pockets work great for carrying a tripod (or water bottle, etc), so I attached my Peak Design travel tripod to it as well whenever I went out to hike and shoot. Tripod attachment straps are included of course.

And don’t forget the front zippered pocket which is great for an iPad or other slim items. It even came with a rain cover, a lens cloth and an air blaster - quite the nice package!

View fullsize

That’s a LOT of stuff for a small bag!

The great thing is that the bag is very comfortable when wearing it. It is well-padded and very light, and there is also an interesting build design that they call the Anti-Gravity System. It effectively bounces when you walk, relieving pressure on your shoulders. This allows the backpack to feel lighter than it is, and it seems like that is the case in my experience. I did not get tired shoulders even when carrying a lot of gear around. Trust me that you will appreciate this on a long hike! I did 9 miles and over 22,000 steps one day while wearing this bag, and my shoulders were just fine at the end of the day. That’s a win for sure!

But one of the best features in my opinion is that the bag is water-resistant. I’m not willing to dunk it in the river with my gear inside, but inevitably when out hiking you set your bag down and it gets dirty. Several times I would sit next to a stream and just splash water on the bag to clean the surface. Worked great and looks clean and new again! This is much better than with other bags made of some woven material, which basically get dirty and stay dirty. I cleaned this one quickly and safely! The water just beads up and rolls off it - perfect!

View fullsize

All in all it is a well-designed bag and I can tell a lot of thought went into crafting it. It’s durable, can carry a fair amount of gear, and yet doesn’t wear out your shoulders when walking around with it on. I enjoyed using it during my trip and definitely plan to use it on future trips too!

Thanks to Besnfoto for letting me test out the bag, and don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my readers! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and thank you for following along on my adventures. More coming in 2019!

View fullsize

Think Tank Photo Urban Approach backpack review

The best photo backpack I have ever had!

Think Tank Photo makes incredible bags for photographers. I have used so many different bags over the years that I have literally lost count of them. I use them for a while, and then they either end up in a pile in my office closet where they are ignored and forgotten, or I sell them (assuming they are in fair enough shape), or give them away (nothing has been tossed in the trash yet). But I am keeping this one forever!

I own 2 Think Tank Photo bags right now, and had a 3rd one that I resold after a couple of years of use, for much the same price as what I bought it for. Yes, it was in great shape, and these things are built like a tank (though not nearly as heavy!). The only reason I sold that 3rd one is that I bought it years ago when I had a big, bulky Nikon DSLR and that bag, the StreetWalker Hard Drive, was just too big for my needs once I converted to mirrorless. It was like a single guy owning a 4000 square foot home. Just too much real estate.

So I went looking for a similar bag that would give me similar storage options, just in a smaller size. I found it in the Urban Approach 15 from Think Tank Photo. I also own their TurnStyle 20 sling bag - which is awesome too - but won’t be talking about that one here.

I bought the Urban Approach because I wanted something a little smaller than my previous backpack in terms of getting it under an airplane seat (I am a frequent traveler), but roomy enough inside for copious amounts of gear. After considerable research, I decided on the Urban Approach and I am very glad that I did!

View fullsize

View fullsize

Here is a list of everything I packed into it on my most recent lengthy (~4 weeks), overseas trip:

• Sony A7II mirrorless camera body
• Sony 16-35 wide angle lens
• Sony 24-70 midrange zoom lens
• Sony 28mm prime lens
• Sony battery charger 
• Panasonic Lumix LX100 point and shoot travel camera (great for quick, random snaps)
• Panasonic battery charger
• Complete VU Filters kit - filter holder, lens attachment, case with glass filters in it 
• Small bag of accessories - extra batteries, lens cleaning cloths, AC plug adaptors, etc
• Giotto rocket air blaster
• Think Tank Photo memory card holder
• Apple MacBook Pro 15” laptop
• Western Digital 4TB portable drive
• Chargers for both the laptop and my iPhone (my iPhone stays in my pocket, not in the bag)
• Small snacks for plane rides, vitamins, etc
• Eyeglasses case
• A paperback copy of Game of Thrones ;-)

THAT’S A LOT OF STUFF PEOPLE!

Additionally, I can easily attach my MeFOTO travel tripod when I head out shooting. The collapsed feet tuck into an external side pocket, and there is a small strap which buckles to the bag and wraps around the tripod. It works great. There is also another external pocket on the other side which can hold a water bottle.

Internally, there are two good sized pockets in which I can store small things that come into my possession along the way (trinkets or whatever). FYI these pockets are fairly flat, so they are not for bulky items. Lastly, there is also one more external pocket on the front of the bag, though it is pretty tight. I generally just drop coins in it - works perfect for that. I read online that some people were complaining about this pocket being too tight for their iPhone, but my iPhone is almost always on me so that’s not an issue for how I travel.

View fullsize

View fullsize

One other thing - in the compartment for the laptop, there is a secondary sleeve that will hold a 10” tablet such as my iPad Mini.

This bag is a dream come true for me. It holds everything I could possibly need (yes, it can get heavy when it’s full, but I don’t always take everything out each time) and still has plenty of space for growth. While I don’t consider myself a gear hog and don’t plan to acquire a lot of lenses, for example, I could still fit some stuff in the bag, especially if I am not carrying Game of Thrones around. That’s a 1000-pager folks! It’s pretty fat (but an enjoyable read).

Here are some other positives about this bag:

• Build quality is exceptional
• Adjustable internal compartments
• Zipper durability
• Padded back and shoulder straps
• Overlapping zippers for lock attachment
• Rain cover is included
• Internal dividers are well padded
• Slim profile for easy storage on an airplane or elsewhere

View fullsize

View fullsize

I can easily slide this bag under an airplane seat, even the aisle seats which often have a little slimmer space underneath for bags. Of course, it also fits in the overhead compartment, and on trains in Europe it’s easy to find a spot for it at your feet. It’s much less bulky than other bags I have used, but carries my mirrorless gear and other essentials without any issue.

I also like that the zippers meet at the top/front of the bag, so if I need quick access to something inside while I am on an airplane, I can just reach down and unzip it to get inside, because the lid just lifts up out of the way. Other backpacks often require me to pull them out a bit and stand them up to get at the internals, otherwise everything falls out. This is a little easier to me and a cleaner design. Plus, with all the little compartments (which you can adjust and resize) your gear does not move around at all. Everything stays in place, which is awesome!

Here are the physical specs on the bag, per the Think Tank Photo website:

• Interior Dimensions:  9.4” W x 16.3” H x 3.9-5.3” D (24 x 41.5 x 10-13.5 cm) 
• Exterior Dimensions:  11” W x 18.3” H x 7.1” D (28 x 46.5 x 18 cm) 
• Laptop Compartment:  10.2” W x 15.7” H x 1.2” D (26 x 40 x 3 cm) 
• Tablet Pocket:  7.9” W x 9.8” H x 0.6” D (20 x 25 x 1.5 cm) 
• Weight:  3.0 lbs (1.3 kg) With all accessories

Thus far all the photos are ones that I borrowed from the Think Tank Photo website, but I also thought you might like to see me prove my claims above about its carrying capacity. So here are some shots showing it loaded up with all the gear above, taken with my iPhone (since my cameras are in the photos).

View fullsize

Empty bag, and inside look at the compartments

View fullsize

Here's everything I am about to stuff into the bag!

View fullsize

Full of gear!

View fullsize

I laid the book on top and it still zips shut.

---

Conclusion - closing thoughts on this bag

In short, it’s the perfect backpack for me when I travel, since it can hold copious amounts of gear and yet not feel bulky or oversized.

I absolutely adore this bag. I glowingly give it two thumbs up! It's not cheap but these are very well made products that are well worth it!

You can get it on Amazon right here if you are interested. Thanks and let me know if you have any questions!

---

Disclosure: I use Amazon affiliate links when I discuss products, including in this review. If you click through and buy something - anything at all, not just the listed gear - I receive a small commission in return. The prices are EXACTLY THE SAME as when you visit Amazon directly, so this is a win for both of us. These small commissions allow me to continue to add additional content, provide free training and more, right here on the blog. Thanks for your support! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Welcome to Texas

I'm not a product photographer, but I'm willing to experiment.

View fullsize

I've never been one to try and photograph products, although I do like to shoot interesting subjects.  I've never set up a mini studio at home and tried my hand at shooting "objects".  I've seen plenty of incredible photos over the years, but it's admittedly not my thing.

But recently I was at Allen's Boots in downtown Austin and couldn't resist shooting all the amazing boots in the shop.  I can definitely get behind the idea of shooting this sort of thing.  I just love the look of leather boots.  You can bring up the details and make the colors pop, etc.  It's actually pretty fun to shoot and edit these.

I liked these blue boots, so I framed it up and shot.  In Luminar, I added a preset, a texture, and then a bunch of gradient masks to darken the edges.  It was fun!  I may have to go back there and shoot some more.  

Most importantly though, this has reminded me that getting in close and shooting some details is both a rewarding and interesting experience.  When I travel, I am often looking at the "big picture" sort of scene and frequently overlook things like this.  I am hoping this reminds me that even the smaller, close up stuff can make a worthy photograph.  Lesson learned (I hope!).

Planning for a great 2017!

2017 is going to be an amazing year.  Help me make it even better and get a free preset pack!

I shot this sunset a few days ago.  I have no idea why I used a sunset photo here.  AT the start of a new year, seems like a sunrise is a better idea.  MAybe I shouldn't mention these things lest you think I am kind of a dumb ass.  ;-)

As I mentioned in this recent post, 2016 was a great year for me.  I really loved just about every part of it.  But now that the year is in the rear-view mirror, I am spending more time giving thought to what lies ahead.  Sure, I probably should have done MORE planning earlier, but in my defense I have been on the road a LOT (I was home about 6 days in December, total) and I have done some planning already.  So I am not totally unprepared.  ;-)

What does lie ahead?  Well, I am not entirely sure - though I have a lot of ideas - and that’s where YOU come in.

As I said in that 2016 summary post, some things came my way last year that were huge blessings although they were completely unexpected (namely, doing a lot of video work for Macphun).  So to be able to sit here and accurately predict what I will do in 2017 is futile.  I will absolutely be wrong about some of it.  Maybe a lot of it.  But of course I am going to try anyway.  That's half the fun, right?  ;-)  And, it's always fun to look back at these things later and see what came true.

I know for sure that my focus in 2017, at least in the first part of the year, will include the following tidbits:

• I am creating a new preset pack for Luminar based on my travels in France (as you can tell, I like themed preset packs, even though they are general in usage design).  I have about 20 or so of them done, just need to add a few more and finish some testing on them.  I intend to launch these later in January.  You can find my other preset packs here.
• I am considering another new preset pack for Luminar, with a focus on cityscapes and urban environments (skylines, street scenes and more).  I have quite a few ideas that I want to employ here.  Cities are one of my favorite subjects and there is just so much I can do here with Luminar.  This is likely something for February or March as I have yet to start on it.  I have sketched out the general idea of many of these presets, but need to build them.
• I have many more ideas for my YouTube channel for both Luminar and Aurora HDR which I plan to record and share.  I anticipate one every couple of weeks or so, though I am not entirely sure of the content and schedule (I would love your input - please see below).
• I have quite a few longer articles I plan to write about Luminar, Aurora and how to get the most out of your Macphun products.  These are really fun for me, but take quite a while to write and edit, even though they are usually a <5 minute read.
• I have an eBook about travel photography that I have been writing on for a while now.  It's been a series of starts and stops.  I really want to finish and publish that one, just to get it out of my head.  Hopefully I can do that in 2017!
• Although nothing is currently planned, I do expect to have some travels.  I get so much inspiration when I am out in the world exploring, and I am way too twitchy to sit still for long.  We'll see where I can get off to.   :-)
• Obviously, I plan to continue processing and sharing photos from my previous travels and sharing those here each week.
• As far as social media goes, I intend to put more effort into my Instagram page.  I started getting into it late in 2016 and have really enjoyed it.  Yeah, I'm way behind there.  ;-)

A couple of other things I am thinking about and/or working on (these are maybes, and your feedback is certainly welcome):

• Releasing a texture pack.  I’ve been collecting textures for a while now, and thought if I could get enough that were different/interesting and make it available for a low price, it might be interesting to some.  I’ve enjoyed using them on some of my images, and with Aurora/Luminar it is just so easy and it opens up a world of possibility.
• Releasing a sky overlay pack.  This is another thing I have long collected, without really ever knowing why.  I just like skies and clouds, and I have a lot of them in my library.  As with the texture pack, if I found enough that were useful/beautiful/interesting and offered it for a low price, this might be of interest.

Are either of those two packs of interest to you?  Why or why not?

---

Here’s where I need your help (and this is your chance to win a free preset pack!):  

Obviously I create a lot of content around Macphun products, because I use them and love them.  That will clearly continue into 2017.  But the specific content I create can be fluid.  I want to create things that are beneficial to the community.  I have many ideas, but never really know if it's something of interest until I try it.  Some things seem to be well received, and others not as much.  But thus far, it's just been me thinking of stuff and creating it.  Now, I would like your input.

If you are a user of Macphun products (Luminar and/or Aurora HDR), please take a moment and consider the following questions: 

• What do you need most to help you get the best results in Luminar and Aurora? 
• How can I help you get there?  (Videos, ebooks, tutorials, etc?)
• What is missing, from an educational point of view? 
• What topics/subjects would you like me to cover in my videos?  Please be as specific as possible.
• What tutorials are you in need of?  Feature-specific articles?  Video tutorials? 
• How can I help?  Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Leave a comment below (be sure to include your email so I can contact you if you win) with some feedback or other ideas, and get entered to receive a free preset pack of your choice! ($5 value)*

Please take a moment, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.  After all, I love to create stuff that helps us all (I frequently use my own presets on my images, for example).  And when someone asks me for help, it sometimes causes me to go experiment and I often learn something new, or re-examine something that I had forgotten.  

It gives me a ton of satisfaction when I create something of value that helps people get better at their own photography, so please let me know what you think would be most beneficial.  While I cannot guarantee that I will be able to do all of it, I will go through each suggestion and if I can contribute something valuable, I would love to do so.  

How can I help you improve?  What can I do to help make 2017 your best photography year yet?  How can I help you take maximum advantage of the power of Macphun products?

Thanks much and I am looking forward to a great 2017!

*Free Preset Rules: I will take all comments, put the name of each commenter in a hat, and randomly draw out one winner.  I will do that during the weekend of January 7-8 sometime and announce the winner on January 9.  I will then contact you via email and provide you with the preset pack of your choice.  If you aren't familiar with my presets, you can find them on my preset page.  If you already have them, you can get a free copy of my next preset pack which will be coming out soon, or choose to forego your prize and I will select a different winner via random drawing.  Thanks much!

If you don't yet have Luminar or Aurora HDR, you can get them via clicking on the banners below.

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!

View fullsize

My 2015 summer plans

Look out Clark Griswold, here we come!  :-)

As I mentioned somewhere here on the blog in a recent post, I am in the midst of a wonderful and awe-inspiring family vacation.  It’s a bit like Clark Griswold and his clan doing the whole drive out to Wally World, though I don’t think we will end up with a dead Aunt Edna tied to the roof.  At least I hope not.  I don't even have an Aunt Edna.

This is something that we have been planning for a long time, and it is finally here (in fact, we are finally here).  “Here” in this case is Arch Cape, Oregon and it is an incredible place.  It’s a very small town outside of the slightly larger (and better known) town of Cannon Beach, Oregon.

We have been here before (for a week last time) and separately I have been to Cannon Beach on a couple of previous trips (including the first NXNW meetup, which was awesome).  In other words, it’s so beautiful here that I always want to come back.  I do love it, and for good reason.  This is the land of incredible coastlines, sea caves, waterfalls, forests, and those awesome big ‘ol rocks dotting the coast (most famous example: Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach).

Have you ever seen the 80’s movie The Goonies?  It was shot in this area.  So if you remember that scenery at all, that will give you some idea of what I will be aiming my camera at over the next 5 weeks.  (And if you don’t remember it, well come back and you will see a lot of it here!)

And yes, we are here for 5 weeks!

Isn’t that awesome??  We found a beautiful home to rent and it’s a short jaunt from the beach, so we will be spending a lot of time hanging around the edge of the Pacific Ocean and just enjoying the scenery, relaxing, and I will be taking photos.  Loads of them!

As I said above, we drove out here, and though you can cover the drive from Austin to the Oregon coast in about 4 days (at least according to Google Maps), we opted for the scenic route and picked a few spots we wanted to see along the way.  (We will plot a different route home, just for the sake of seeing different stuff - and thus taking photos of different stuff.  Win.)

(I have inserted a few iPhone pics below that I have taken in the last 10 days, just to give you an idea of what's coming, when I find time to process some of this awesomeness I am capturing!)

We stopped first in New Mexico simply because that is a place we could stop after about 10 hours of driving the first day.  Texas really is that big.  From there it was on to Sedona, and since we arrived a little early we popped over to the Grand Canyon.  It was my first time to see it and it was great!  After 3 blissful days in Sedona (and about a million pics!) we took off for 1 night in Las Vegas.

View fullsize

a lovely afternoon at the grand canyon

The stop there was really just to allow my daughter to see the Cirque du Soleil show “O” and to show her around a little.  She’s twelve and has seen pics of Vegas (and heard of it), and wanted to see it for real.  She's a fan.  Some of those casinos make quite the impression.

View fullsize

staring at cathedral rock in sedona, az

After that it was a straight shot over to the California coast.  We stopped in San Simeon for the night, with a couple of tours of Hearst Castle the next day.  It was my 2nd visit there, but first with a camera, and a first for my daughter (she loved it).  Then we took a leisurely drive up Highway 1 with a stop in Carmel, ending the day in Santa Cruz.

View fullsize

hearst's office which is on the "upstairs suites" tour - highly recommended and better than the "grand rooms" tour which we also did

The next morning had us on the road again, off to Ft Bragg/Mendocino, California which is a quaint little beach town with some great scenery around it.  We spent 2 nights there, then drove on to southern Oregon.  Here we opted for a 2 night stay in Bandon, since I was dying to shoot the beaches there (and I got a great sunset both nights!!!), and then drove on from there to our rental in Arch Cape.

All together it was well over 2000 miles of driving over 12 days.  Believe it or not, we enjoyed the drive.  It helped to have a couple of 2+ night stays thrown in at strategic points to break it up a bit, and of course some of the scenery was literally breath-taking.  We already want to return to Sedona.  Wow, that place!

View fullsize

along highway 1, somewhere north of ft. bragg, ca

Quite a journey, and it’s just starting.  Today is our first full day in Arch Cape (we arrived last night about 6pm).  It feels like we have been on vacation forever, and it’s actually just getting started!  Plus, I have already taken a couple thousand photos, considering all the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Hearst Castle, Northern California and Bandon Oregon stuff.  I totally skipped over shooting in Las Vegas, having done that as recently as this past February (well except for a few iPhone pics).

View fullsize

a wonderful sunset in bandon, or that i shot this past Monday evening

And yes I did promise to share photos from my recent trip to Nashville and Oklahoma City (and I will at some point, because I caught some great stuff in both places!), but I am so excited about all the new stuff I just captured that I may have to come back around to NV and OKC later.

We’ll just have to see - so much to process, and so little time.  And so much more to go shoot!  (Actually, I have some other pics processed that I will likely share first.  And as you can imagine, I could do about 5 different iPhone posts just from the drive up here - not to mention all the posts with images from my Olympus.  I guess I better get busy!)

And if you are interested, look at this iPhone gallery on Flickr for all my recent uploads, which includes a BUNCH of stuff from this trip so far (and more coming I am sure!).

Anyways, here’s a map I built that shows our route, at least in general terms.  We pretty much took the most direct route each time and stuck to major roads when possible.  Plus, we brought our dog (you can’t leave a puppy for that long, it’s like giving up a child) and had to pick pet-friendly spots, which believe me, is somewhat limiting at times.  But it’s worth it, because she’s a sweet little thing.

Anyways, we made it work and here we are.  And it’s going to be an awesome summer!  Time to go shoot some amazing stuff - be back soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

View fullsize

Explore the Elements

My submission for the Thomas Cook photo-blogging competition

Today’s blog post is a little different than my normal “I went here and shot a bunch of interesting stuff” kind of post.  Today my blog post is actually an entry in a photo competition being hosted by Thomas Cook (the British global travel company).

I have never done anything like this before, but I was nominated by my friend Elia Locardi, and since he’s one of the best photographers in the world (and a judge in the contest), I figured I had better join in on the fun.  :-)

In fact, there are 4 judges for this contest, and I admire the work they all do - really a great collection of talented folks there.  (wow, talking about some major sucking up - sorry!)

Anyways, the contest is called Explore The Elements, and as the name implies, the contest revolves around the 4 elements of Earth, Water, Fire and Air.

Off the top of my head, I thought “No problem, I have loads of images for that stuff”, and I planned to bust out this blog post a while back, when I was first nominated.  But in reality, when I am putting together something like this, I found out quickly that it’s very easy to get extremely picky about my images (and admittedly, I have been extremely busy).  And then I found out - quite to my surprise - that I didn't have as many images as I thought I had that really captured the essence of any particular element.  So, it took me a while...but here it is, finally!

And sure, I post stuff here every week - and I think it’s good stuff...that’s why I post it - but when I know I am in a competition with many other extremely talented folks out there...well, I guess I give my work an extra layer of scrutiny (or 10).

And truthfully, I could spend an eternity trying to select that one image that perfectly captures the essence of any particular element.  But the contest has a deadline, so I don’t have an eternity to get it together!  

So here we go with my 4 images of the 4 elements.  I hope you enjoy the post today - and the images - and if you happen to know the judges, go ahead and give them a thumbs-up on my work, would ya?  :-)

Earth - represents the hard, solid objects of the earth

View fullsize

A view over Tent Rocks in New Mexico - observing the hoodoos and the distant mesa

Water - represents the fluid, flowing, formless things in the world

View fullsize

A wave comes to shore during a stunning sunset in La Jolla, CA

Fire - represents the energetic, forcing, moving things in the world

View fullsize

A hot air balloon takes flight in Austin, TX

Air - represents things that grow, expand and enjoy freedom of movement

View fullsize

The cloudy sky explodes with color over Town Lake in Austin

And no contest entry is complete without also nominating 5 other photographers and/or bloggers to join in the fun, so here are my 5 nominations - all friends of mine and all talented photographers in their own right:

1. Len Saltiel - http://lensaltiel.com/blog
2. Andy Atmtx - http://blog.atmtxphoto.com/
3. Jimi Jones - http://www.jimijonesvisuals.com/
4. Rob Hanson - https://robhanson.wordpress.com/
5. Pete Talke - https://places2explore.wordpress.com/

And for all the info you need to learn about this contest, the prizes, the judges, etc - just click thru the link below.  Join in the fun yourself, while you’re at it!

http://www.thomascook.com/blog/holiday-competitions-deals/explore-the-elements/

Thanks for stopping by today!

My plans for 2015

Wow, 2015 is already here - I better get busy!

Like my recent post about 2014, it’s fun to sit down and apply some thought to this photography thing of mine.  It’s actually cathartic in some ways to write about things, even though technically this blog is about photography.  But I do enjoy writing up longer posts, and so far it seems my readers have enjoyed reading them.  

If you are interested, you can find them all under the “Musings” category on my blog index page (click on Travel Locations at the top of the blog, then click on Musings), or you can click here to see them all in reverse chronological order.

Anyways, after writing that 2014 wrap-up post, I turned my attention to the year ahead.  What does lie ahead for me?  Truthfully, I’m not really sure, and how can you be anyways?  But, it’s fun to speculate about, so here it goes:

More photos

Ok, that may be a pretty obvious goal for 2015, but it’s an important one.  I have taken literally thousands of photos during my travels over the last few years, and most of them are still in my Aperture library, unprocessed.  So as I have been doing for a few months now, I will continue to share multiple photos per post.  It makes sense to group things together, and it allows me to get more photos published.  And I definitely want to publish many more photos.  I’m no Thomas Hawk (whose stated goal is to publish 1 million photos – what an inspiration he is to me – high volume AND high quality), but I do want to get many thousands of mine published in my lifetime.  No, I don’t have a specific number in mind, but “many thousands” is the goal – whatever that means.

Specifically in 2015, I want to take my Flickr portfolio (which has around 2275 photos in it currently – which includes iPhone shots) and grow that to over 3500 photos in 2015.  A stretch goal for myself is 4000 photos by end of year.  That’s a lot of processing I need to do!  I also want more photos out there because Flickr is very search-friendly, and selfishly I want folks to find my photography.  This is a business for me in some small ways, and I want to grow my licensing portion of it.  Someday it may be larger than it is now, and the only way to grow it is to invest in creating more.  So I am doing that.  (Wish me luck.)

I also plan to continue taking and sharing my iPhone shots, most of which are ending up in this set on Flickr - though I put some on Instagram.  I’ve been doing more and more with my iPhone over the last few months, and now have about 350 iPhone pics out there on Flickr.  But I have so much more that I can add there.  So hopefully with these shots plus my “real photos”, I will exceed the total of 3500 photos on Flickr in 2015.  I feel pretty confident, though that is an average of nearly 4 photos per day, all year long.  I hope I am up to it!

Regarding my portfolio site (where you can buy prints, etc) over on SmugMug, I want to take that from roughly 1250 photos today up to over 2000 photos by year-end.  While I don’t sell a lot of prints, I do want to make them available, and that’s my chosen platform (and one that I really like).  I also find SmugMug is search-friendly too, and frankly I use it as a form of cloud-backup for my finished photos.  So it serves multiple purposes for me, for what I consider a reasonable yearly rate.

More product reviews

I really enjoy writing up my thoughts on various software products that I use.  Just this year, I published several review of products from Topaz Labs (Simplify, Impression, and just recently Glow) and also Intensify Pro from MacPhun.  People seem to find them and end up on my site, which is great.  But also I really want these reviews to inspire folks to try new things and experiment.  That’s what I love about trying out new tools.  But no, this won’t become a review site.  I only want to review things I use frequently and enjoy, and when I feel like my review can add some value to what is already available out there.  I have several ideas on this front, so time-permitting you will find more of this stuff published here in 2015.

Just like the software piece, I enjoy sharing thoughts on various items I use in my day-to-day shooting.  In particular, since switching to a mirrorless camera this year, my entire arsenal of gear was swapped out.  That has given me lots of fertile ground for exploration, creatively speaking, but also things to consider building content around in the future.  I reviewed my Olympus OMD EM-1 camera and the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens this year.  I also reviewed my MeFoto travel tripod, which has proven to be a fairly popular review.  I recently picked up the Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7 prime lens (you can read about that in this post) as well as a fisheye lens (which hasn't even made it on the camera yet).  So those are two intriguing possibilities for me. 

While I don’t plan to review everything I have, there may be a couple more reviews this year.  There’s also some learning for myself in the review process, and that leads me to the next point.

Invest in myself

As I said in my 15 Tips for Better Photos post recently, I think it’s important to invest in yourself, and for me that means reading, researching, and practicing.  I plan to continue to do that as much as possible in 2015.  Even if the practice is just me holding up some fingers to frame a subject without a camera, that counts.  It’s being creative, and that’s the direction I want to continue to head in.

More travel-related content

No, I wont be doing any hotel reviews (at least, I’m not thinking about that sort of thing).  But I do enjoy writing up lists of the best places to take photos in certain cities (there are 15 of those on the site now, and if I get the opportunity, I will grow that in 2015), as well as posts like this one entitled 5 Things I Love About London.  Stuff like that is really fun to create, and gives me a nice break from the standard sort of “I went here and took photos of this” type of post.  Nothing wrong with those posts, as they make up a huge percentage of my blog, but variety is good.

More musings

Lastly, I want to continue to write more posts about stuff in general terms: travel, photography, social media, etc.  That style of post allows me an outlet for expression that I really can’t do anywhere else.  Sometimes, people actually stop by and read my ramblings.  LOL

And on top of that, I will likely do some more posts like this one, wherein I take a single photo and process it using various software products, just to compare how different things can be.  I may do more things in that vein in 2015.  It’s a lot of fun, and a fabulous creative exercise.

I also have a list of blog posts on various topics that I want to get to, so I will continue to write these things up and share them when they are ready.  They just take a while longer than a normal post, but as I said above, it’s rather enjoyable for me.

So as I mentioned in a post here way back in 2014, this blog has changed for me, and will continue to change and evolve.  These are iterative changes for me, mirroring the changes that I am going through creatively and photographically.  I'm finding more and more that I get satisfaction from certain things, and not from others.  I've essentially quit posting here 5-6 times per week, which is what I did in the beginning - each post with a single photo.

I find it much more rewarding to post 2-3 times per week with a group of photos per post.  That actually gives me more to write about, and I get more photos published each week too.  Plus, that gives you more to look at, which I assume is a good thing.  So I will continue down that path in 2015 - and I sincerely appreciate you coming along for the ride!  Hope you have a wonderful 2015, and thanks for stopping by!

So that’s it.  I am focused on creating and sharing what I create.  I am focused on a higher volume of photos, and hands-on reviews of stuff that I use.   And I am focused on travel and photography specific content, just because I love those two subjects.  Lastly, I plan to have a great time doing it all!

I think 2015 is going to be a wonderful year!  Thanks for your support!

Hope for a great 2015

Happy New Year!

Just a simple post today wishing everyone a Happy New Year filled with hope, joy, and photography of course!  :-)  We often look back on the past year at this time and reflect on what it brought us - but I am looking forward instead.

I look forward to more photos, more adventures, more travel, and more sharing of it all here on the blog.  I hope you join me in 2015 by checking out this blog each week, as I continue to share all these things I love.

Thanks for being a part of this adventure of mine in 2014, and here's to some exciting adventures in 2015 as well!  Happy New Year!

View fullsize

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone out there has a wonderful holiday season - whatever your beliefs and traditions are.  Just enjoy it, and I will be back soon with more photos (of course).

This is the Christmas tree in the Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin.  I shot this on Christmas Day 4 years ago, and though I have shared it here before, I figured it was the best image I had for today's post...so here it is.  Plus, I doubt many of you saw it back then.

Enjoy your holidays!

2014 - Year in Review

2014 was a great year for me - and here's the proof! (and this is not your typical end of year photo post)

Like everyone else this time of year, I like to look in the rearview mirror and gaze back upon the roads that I have traveled – both literally and figuratively.  It’s been a good year in many ways, and I feel blessed to be able to sit here – on my last trip of the year – and think back on all that has transpired.

Travel-wise, I have been busy, and I am thankful for that.  While I had many more work trips than family trips, I did have 4 amazing trips with the family, which is more than anyone can ask for in a year.  One week in Oregon at Spring Break, one long weekend down to Galveston Island along the Texas coast, nearly two weeks in the mountains of New Mexico in the summer (when we escape the Texas heat), and a week with the family in Paris over Thanksgiving – that’s a LOT of quality time to pack into a year.  I’m very grateful for that.

On the work front, my travels have taken me far and wide, including 4 trips to Europe (which I love to visit – and photograph!) and my first trip ever to lovely Sydney, Australia.  All of them were productive for work purposes, and productive in terms of image capture as well.  That’s a win all the way around.  

Here’s a month-by-month summary of my 2014 travels:

January: San Francisco

February: Las Vegas, Dublin, Glasgow

March: Copenhagen, Oregon Coast

April: San Francisco, Dallas

May: San Francisco, Amsterdam, London

June: New York City

July: Galveston, Los Angeles, New Mexico

August: Cincinnati, Minneapolis

September: New York City

October: Sydney, Nashville

November: San Francisco, Montpellier (France), Paris

December: San Francisco

And here it is in airport codes (haha, this was fun and took a little Googling on my part!  And by the way, New Mexico and Galveston don’t show up here because we drove to both.):

January: AUS > DFW > SFO > DFW > AUS

February: AUS > DFW > LAS > DFW > AUS; AUS >

March: AUS > LHR > CPH > LHR > AUS; AUS > DFW > PDX > DFW > AUS

April: AUS > DFW > SFO > DFW > AUS

May: AUS > DFW > SFO > DFW > AUS; AUS > LHR > AMS > LHR > AUS

June: AUS > DFW > LGA > DFW > AUS

July: AUS > DFW > LAX > DFW > AUS

August: AUS > DFW > CVG > DFW > AUS; AUS > DFW > MSP > DFW > AUS

September: AUS > DFW > LGA > DFW >AUS

October: BTR > DFW > SYD > DFW >AUS; AUS > DFW > BNA > DFW > AUS

November: AUS > DFW > SFO > LAX > AUS; AUS > DFW > CDG > MPL > CDG > AUS

December: AUS > DFW > SFO > DFW > AUS

It was exhausting just typing all those airport codes – what a year though, wow!

And so I ended the year on a trip that I began the year with.  That’s fitting, and that’s a good thing. It’s a city I love to visit, even though I go there for work.   But I thoroughly enjoy my work, and that’s a good thing too.

here's an iphone shot from the ferry building in san francisco, taken on tuesday this week. looks pretty festive!  I was happy to end the year shooting in one of my favorite buildings anywhere!

Some stats and “Bests” from the year…just for the heck of it, because I’m in a sharing mood…

Miles flown: approximately 106,000

Number of foreign countries visited: 7 (Ireland, Scotland, England, Denmark, The Netherlands, France, Australia)

Number of photos taken in 2014: approximately 25,000 of which about 4,000 are iPhone shots

Best trip:  That’s a toss-up between the family trip to the Oregon Coast (which we love) and the family trip to Paris (which we also love).  But I have to give the nod to Paris because…it’s Paris, for crying out loud!! 

View fullsize

this is the entry to the palace of versailles, which we visited while in paris last month.  take me back!

Strangest moment: I woke up one morning during our Spring Break trip to the Oregon Coast, and overnight had dreamed that a whale had beached itself right behind our rented house.  I walked into the backyard and what did I see on the beach?  A dead sea lion, just laying there.  And yes, I grabbed the camera and ran down there.  It was awesome, though sad.  Nature at work.  And I just realized I have never shared the pics.  Dang.  Time flies.

Fondest moment:  Standing with my wife and daughter in front of Notre Dame in Paris a few short weeks ago, while darkness fell and the bells rang from the tower. 

Favorite city visited: Again, I have to give the nod to Paris for this one.  Everyone raves about Paris, and for good reason.  It’s just an incredible place.  But a close Second Place goes to Dublin, which I just have a soft spot for.  What a great little town.  I hope to return in early 2015!  And I can’t forget Copenhagen, which is just beautiful.

View fullsize

just one of many shots i took this year in wonderful dublin - love that city!

City with most visits: San Francisco, with a total of 5 visits (though I don’t always have time to shoot there)

Airport with most pass-throughs: Dallas, aka DFW – man I see that place a lot!  I love Terminal D, but don’t always get to pass through it.  The American Express Centurion Club is there, and it’s a great spot.  I also spend a fair amount of time in the various American Airlines Admirals Clubs, since that’s my preferred airline.

Photo outings in my hometown of Austin: 5 or 6, I can’t remember.  Sadly, I should get out more, but I tend to be busy with the family or processing photos from my other trips.  I will admit though that I have a running list of spots in Austin I still want to shoot that numbers nearly 20 at this point.  So much goodness and so close to home.  Perhaps I will whittle that list down a bit in 2015!  We shall see!

View fullsize

one of my very first outings this year with my olympus mirrorless camera - shooting sunset at the loop 360 bridge here in austin.  Love this spot!

Hardware purchases made this year:

Thankfully my photography made a profit this year, and thus I spent some of my hard-earned dollars on new gear, both hardware and software.  It’s great to have new tools, because I can do things I couldn’t do before.  Plus, it’s just fun to try new stuff and get creative.  I hope to continue that into 2015 – the creative part, not the spending money part.  Ha!

I switched from a full-frame Nikon D700 to a mirrorless camera – the Olympus OMD EM-1.  So far, so good.  I am still learning tricks with it, but it’s been a great camera, and being able to travel so much lighter is awesome.  I will admit though that I still have a lot to learn about the various capabilities the camera has – it will take some time (and some photo outings!) to get it all down.

At the same time I bought the camera, I picked up the Olympus 9-18mm wide angle, the Olympus 12-50mm mid-range zoom lens, and the Olympus 40-150mm long-range zoom.  I have enjoyed them all, but my favorite lens has been one that I bought a little later in the year… 

The Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens!  I have used this lens a LOT (and it’s the only thing I used during my two weeks in France – well actually, I put on the 9-18mm for about 20 minutes one time).  I love that 12-40mm PRO lens, and get outstanding results from it.  It’s such an incredible and versatile piece of equipment.

View fullsize

inside galleries vivienne in paris - using the olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 pro lens - and shooting stuff i rarely ever shoot - people!

Recently, I bought the Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7 prime lens, and the Bower 7.5mm fisheye, just for the halibut (hehe, silly fish pun there, sorry).  I am still working through some testing on both of those, so expect to see and hear more about those two later, as I put them to use and have things to share.  I will say that on this last trip to San Francisco, I was able to shoot a little with the Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7 prime lens, and I am really liking it a lot!  So small but so capable!

I spent most of the year shooting iPhone images with my quickly aging iPhone 4S, until early October came around and I picked up the new iPhone 6 (not the Plus – it’s too big for me).  What a great product!  I love that device, and using that camera all the time is – I believe – actually helpful to me in terms of improving my photography.  I’m a fan.  You can find a lot of my iPhone shots here on Flickr or over on my Instagram feed.

View fullsize

just 1 of the nearly 1200 iPhone photos i have taken since i picked up the iphone 6 in october - this is inside the louvre in paris.  (louis xiv's apartments)

Software purchases made this year:

On the software side, I have been really enjoying some creative exploration thanks to several products from my friends over at Topaz Labs.  First I started using Simplify to create artworks from my shots, but then Impression came out and that one quickly became my go-to software choice for getting artistic.  Then at the beginning of this month, they launched Glow, which is real fun and has given me another jolt of creative awesomeness (and a lot of color).  So in other words, the good folks at Topaz have had a good year too.  

View fullsize

one of my current favorite shots that i edited with topaz glow - this is the entry to christiansborg palace in copenhagen - shot last march.

One other product suite that I picked up is the Perfect Effects Suite from OnOne Software.  I have always heard good things about it, and have just recently started using it.  So far, so good, though I will admit I need to spend some more time working with the products (or rather, find some free time).  Thus far I have mostly just used Perfect Effects 9, and I now use that almost exclusively for processing my graffiti shots.  I just like all the texture choices and so far have found this product works well for my tastes on that subject matter.  I’m sure it works well on other subjects, too.  I’ll be back with (possibly) some reviews of that Suite once I learn more and feel like I can contribute something meaningful.

And of course I cannot forget about MacPhun Software.  I started using their products this year too, and love them.  Tonality Pro and Intensify Pro are REALLY, REALLY good products, and I will continue to use them into next year.

This reminds me of a very popular post I did earlier this year.  It was entitled “One Photo, A Million Possibilities”.  Basically, I took a single photo but did the editing in lots of different software products, and came up with many variations on it.  It was a great creative exercise, and I highly recommend it.

I’ve also been an Apple Aperture user for years, and the news that they are killing the product was not welcome news to me.  In fact, it stings a little.  So I did what any rational being would do, and I picked up a copy of Lightroom 5. My thoughts on it?  I have no idea.  I have tried a few times to use it, but don’t understand it and haven’t had the time to learn it, because of everything else you just read.   I’ve been too busy. So, maybe this year I will learn more about it, and possibly even convert to it.  Then again, maybe I won’t.  The jury is still out on that one in my book.

So how about this blog, Jim?

Great question.  This blog has had a productive year as well, and so has my photography in general social media terms, and even financial terms.  It’s been a good year all the way around, really.  Here are a few highlights:

Blog visitors: up 34% 

Blog page views: up 25%

Flickr views: up 180% 

Number of photos on Flickr: approximately 2200

Number of photos on SmugMug: approximately 1200

I spent most of my time this year on building quality content for my blog.  I truly feel that if I create content that is worth viewing, people will come view it.  I plan to continue that into 2015.  I just enjoy it so much.

I also dialed back my social media engagement a bit this year.  At some point I figured I was wasting good, productive time just viewing things on Facebook, and I worked to reduce my time there.  I would rather create content for the blog.  It’s more rewarding to me, and more helpful to whomever comes here to view it.

View fullsize

broadway avenue in downtown nashville, tn - with a little topaz glow thrown in for fun!  shot this in nashville back in october.

I actually increased my engagement on Flickr a slight bit, and increased my posting volume there substantially.  More people find my work there than anywhere else, so it makes sense to populate my page there with more photos.  That trend will continue into 2015.  I have thousands of images still in the library that have never seen the light of day.  That will change.

I basically quit using 500px altogether.  I may have posted a couple of photos there this year, but it doesn’t feel like a good use of my time either.  Hardly anyone comes from there to the blog, and I don’t have time to engage there.  The work is beautiful though.  It’s a great place for inspiration, that’s for sure.

Google+ seems to have dropped in terms of popularity, though I still post 2-3 times every couple of weeks on that site.  It’s definitely very different from a couple of years ago.  

I joined Ello like everyone else, but I am not very active there.  I like the site ok, but I don’t think it’s going to change things for me in any sort of way.  I post there once in a while.  I will continue to try it, but don’t plan to invest a lot of time on it.

Instagram has been somewhat fun for me, even though I don’t post there a lot.  The funny thing is that I take LOTS of iPhone images – I just don’t share them all there.  Most of them end up in this set on Flickr, and I will keep doing that in 2015.  I’ll continue to use Instagram some as well.  I like the site.

View fullsize

this is a mountain lake near questa, nm - shot it this past summer while in the area escaping the texas heat!

So, what are my plans in 2015?

Well, I’m not totally sure, though I am certain that whatever I write about 2015 at this point will surely change by the time I get to the end of 2015 and look back on that year.  In other words, I don’t know yet, but I am preparing a post to share some thoughts on that, which you will find here in a week or so.

Well, I guess that’s about it for 2014.  This post is approaching 2500 words (which might make it my longest post ever), and you may be bored by now.  Or hopefully you got some popcorn and enjoyed this.  I enjoyed writing it, but since I lived it, it’s a bit more interesting to me I guess.  I will say that I’ve had a nice trip down memory lane though, so thanks for coming along with me, and thanks for the support! 

You were a good year, 2014 – thanks for the memories (and the photos).  I’ll look back on you fondly!

Testing Olympus at the Loop 360 Bridge

I bought a mirrorless camera - oops!

Haha, I will be back later with some more details around this whole mirrorless thing, but I did pick up a new Olympus OM-D EM-1 which is a radically awesome little camera.  Despite the small size, it packs in a lot of awesomeness.

View fullsize

And since I have this new toy, I have been trying to find some free time to shoot and give it some practice in the field, so it can get used to living with me.  So far, so good.  We are getting along just fine.  :-)

View fullsize

On two separate occasions, I have zipped over to the Loop 360 Bridge to fire some test shots.  Both of these were relatively quick trips, but gave me some time to get familiar with the camera while shooting at a place close to home. My thinking was that if I screwed something up, at least it wasn't a big trip somewhere exotic.  

View fullsize

Anyways, so far the camera is doing great, and it's actually causing me to re-think a number of things I have been doing with the Nikon over the last several years.  I like that.  I will write about that later.

View fullsize

So, here are some shots I grabbed over the last few weeks at the Loop 360 Bridge in Austin.  It's my favorite spot to shoot in town, and it's close to home, so that pretty much makes it a perfect spot!

View fullsize

Thanks for stopping by today!

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!

View fullsize

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:

View fullsize

 

 

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!

View fullsize