A raging Android and iPad/iPhone Discussion!

The new app Stuck On Earth accidentally set off a firestorm on Google+ the other day! See the article here. Here is a snippet of the beginning below:

Are Android people easier to anger than iOS people? (Or is it just me?)

So, yesterday, we announced +Stuck On Earth, and the first version is only iPad. Yes, we have plans to build Android, web, iPhone, etc in the future, but the kind of comments I got were often downright angry. !! It was so surprising.

I got comments like, “NO Android App available? Marketing Fail.” and “Android!!!!”

Now, maybe I am just too sensitive about this because it is my baby… and I’ve worked so hard on it and put so much love into it… I can barely stand the slightest critical comment. It eats right into my soul. I dunno… maybe some of you know what I mean.

Now, I can tell you with ontological certainty that making a quality app is HARD. It takes a long time and is expensive. Remember, by the way, this app is free. Ask +Kevin Rose about building apps. I’ve never met that guy, but I know he puts as much love into his work as I do…

When I gave a sneak peak a few weeks ago at the +Jason Calacanis LAUNCH event (where we were awarded Audience Winner! thx!), I was up there on stage by the eHarmony guy. Their app is equal in quality and polish to ours, and Jason speculated that it could have cost over $1 million, and I don’t doubt it!

Daily Photo – Painted Face in China

I was walking along outside the Forbidden City trying to find a special entrance, and I saw these guys sitting on a bench. It was so interesting and amusing… I dropped down on a knee to take a quick photo while things were perfectly strange. What do you think is going on in this photo?

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3S, Travel

New Video – New Google Talk! Artists and the Internet

Okay, it seems the WRONG video was uploaded by my clever friends at Google! Those guys… hehe… the previous one had all the photos totally blown out and they looked horrible dot com. Anyway, here is the PROPER video… Enjoy

Daily Photo – Great Wall in Evening Light

When I was at the Great Wall that evening, I kept hiking along the old wall as the sun set. I also had a zoom lens (28-300mm) with me, so I was able to get in tight on far away structures and shapes. Not too long after I took this shot, I walked along several lengths of the wall to get to these ruins. I stood there for a long time listening to music and taking photos.

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Photography Tips

Fake Chinese Disneyworld video

Here’s a video I made while at this very strange place…

Daily Photo – Abandoned Chinese Disneyworld

So, outside of Beijing, to the north, is a huge abandoned Disneyland. It was partially built, and now just the husk of it just remains. While driving around, I could have sworn I saw the top of the spires of Cinderella’s castle, so I tried to figure out a way to get in closer. After I finally got inside, well, it was as awesome as an abandoned, fake Disneyland sounds!

The official name and location is the Wonderland Amusement Park Chenzhuang Village, Nankou Town, Changping district. 昌平区南口镇陈

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X, Travel

China Daily Article

It’s a small world. My Aunt and Uncle are traveling through China now… and they opened the China Daily newspaper there to see this article about me! They were shocked…hehe…

Daily Photo – China Mysteries

This curious place was found in China…

Who can make up a good story about what is happening here? Any guesses as to what it really is while you’re at it?

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X, Travel

You Use Klout?

I’m still confused by Klout; I keep getting emails that people are klouting me or something. Do you use it?

Daily Photo – Under the Factory

As I explored the abandoned airplane factories in this old section of Beijing, I went down into the basement level to see what I could find. There were all sorts of iron fixtures, strange knobs and wheels, semi-circular openings to kilns that had been bricked closed, and endless layers of peeling, scorched paint.

I wanted to go back to this whole area to explore more, but maybe next time. I think this will be a great area for the next PhotoWalk in Beijing!

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X, Travel

Still enjoying Topaz?

I’m doing a few updates to my Topaz Adjust Review, because I was realizing that I am using it quite a bit! It’s great for final sharpening and a few other nice effects. I wonder if there will be a new version soon…

Daily Photo – Old Man on Steps near Drum Tower

After leaving the drum tower area, I started walking around some of the older streets. The number of little streets and these sorts of scenes in China seem more numerous than grains of sand on the beach. It’s a little overwhelming, in fact, when you come to a fork in the road. You know that either direction could be equally interesting, and you want to explore both. But, alas, you can only choose one.

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Travel

Big Announcement Today!

I’m out at Jason Calacanis’ LAUNCH event today. I’ll be taking the stage in late afternoon to announce and show off our newest iPad app. I’ll try to do a live Google+ Hangout from the event, so follow my Google+ profile for the latest!

Daily Photo – Rickshaws at the Drum Tower

I’ve visited Gǔlóu many times and never taken a photo. I just couldn’t figure one out.

And then, this most recent trip, I walked around the tower several times until I finally got an idea.

This is the giant drum tower built about a thousand years ago by Kublai Khan. An enormous drum rests in front, and it was beat rhythmically to announce meetings. The temple sits in the Inner City to the north of Di’anmen Street.

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X, Travel

New Print Styles Available

We have a new Limited Annum set of prints. If you click on most any photo, like the one below, you’ll see some print options at the top. Some entries will also have a print link immediately beneath the photo.

Daily Photo – The Great Wall of China

Wow I was alone here. As I walked along this ancient, original stretch of the Great Wall, I felt the ghosts haunting the old towers and little enclaves.

I finally found an extremely remote part that is far enough away from civilization to stay pure. The ruins of the wall in this area has been overgrown with vegetation. When you walk along the top, you have to snake your way between huge bushes and all sorts of trees. Stairs and parts of the walkways have crumbled away in the past thousand years. The old towers are slowly fragmenting as lichens and moss cover parts of the stone that are decaying away.

This has only reminded me that the main tourist part of the Great Wall is a very tiny stretch that has been re-built in recent years… so it is all fake and kind of Disney-wall. I don’t think I like that…

That day I walked from tower to tower, looking at the sinuous wall as it snakes over the mountains. It’s so huge that I won’t even begin to come up with analogies… but, speaking of snakes, a family here told me to watch out for them. I kept that in mind as I hiked back in the pure black of night. I had a little flashlight to keep me company, along with my music. I didn’t see any snakes, and I didn’t fall down, so all together it was a great day and night.

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X, Travel

Reorganizing My Library

So, I’m spending a few days organizing my digital library. Jeez. It’s never easy! Here are some things I am going through:

- My greatest find/purchase of this year is a Thunderbolt Pegasus drive. I bought it off the Apple website (not a freebie)… but, man… it is so awesome. I talk about it at 49:17 on the Hangout Video at

- Here is a screenshot of my increasingly organized Lightroom, thanks to the Pegasus:

- As for my whole workflow, I am going to give a talk here in Austin with Apple… It’s on October 22 at 7 PM. I’ll give more details on that later, if you want to watch. I don’t know if they’ll let me do a live Hangout, but I will try. I’ll give out some free copies of my Digital Workflow ebook from Flatbooks.com

- One quirky thing I am still working out with my Thunderbolt megadrive is that I have two Lightroom libraries (a small one for the road and a big one at home). I guess I am good with that. I just need to get my head around a good system for this. Maybe I just won’t decide and I’ll wait on this new Adobe Carousel thing to see what that’s all about.

- Speaking of that, WHEN will we know more about Adobe Carousel? I just joined their beta… so I will play with it and let you know… assuming they let me talk about it – I will ask.

Daily Photo – Inside the Dome

This beautiful dome was inside one of the side-cloisters in the Forbidden City. I remember spending about five minutes trying to line this up inside the camera. These can be very difficult to re-align in Photoshop. But, luckily, all my preparations paid off and it came out pretty good right out of the camera!

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X

Stuck in a Taxi

Here is a little video I made in the back of a taxi in Beijing so you can see a fairly typical situation!

Daily Photo – The CNCC

Here is the convention center in Beijing at Dusk. They call it the CNCC. I don’t know what that stands for, but I can guess what two of the C’s mean.

This is a strange thing I have noticed about Beijing. Many people speak in abbreviations. I had many people tell me of the CNCC like it was something I knew perfectly well. I would just end up nodding because when I would ask for what it stood for, they were confused.

“You should go to the CNCC!” they say.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Oh, you know! It’s the CNCC!” they respond.

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3S, Travel

Incredible Asian Airports

If it’s wrong and racist to say that the Asians can build the best airports in the world, then I don’t want to be right. What’s the deal? How can they kick such airport ass? I don’t know… but I do appreciate it…

Daily Photo – Airports in China

This shot was taken further inside the Beijing (PEK) airport as you are approaching the gate. I kept my tripod as carry-on here for a few reasons. First, so I could take photos in the airport. Second, so I would have it at landing just in case my bag was lost! That happened in Argentina once and I haven’t repeated that mistake since…

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X, Travel

Always Refining

I went back and read my previous Top 5 Tips here, and I realized a few of them could be improved… and I also rewrote everything… This is one of the good things about having a blog — I can always change my mind like a woman. (I see the benefits, now).

5 More Tips for Photographing People

I hope they help!

1) If you prefer to take photos of people as they are acting naturally, go ahead and take the photo before they notice you. You are a photographer, and this is you. You capture life… if you see something interesting whether it is a landscape, a pile of peaches, or a person that strikes your fancy, go ahead and do it. If you like and it is convenient, you can always go show them the photo after you are done. I do this whenever it makes sense, and I have a nice little interchange with the person.

2) Keep an extra camera ready for people shots. When walking the streets, I normally have my “big” camera ready to go for city landscape shots. My tripod is on. My wide-angle is on. It’s in that “mode.” If I am going to have to switch lenses, it will take forever, and the moment will be lost. So, I carry a second camera on a sling around my shoulder for people shots. On that camera, I have an 85mm or 50mm prime lens. Now, you don’t have to have this exact setup by any means, but having ANY kind of second camera for people shots is recommended.

2b) I find that the 85mm prime keeps me outside something I call the radius of intimacy. That is, when you use a 50mm, you are so close that people often stop acting naturally, unless they are a professional model or a natural thespian.

3) If they ARE likely to notice you, be confident and deliberate, softly asking permission with your eyes. This is a very subtle and hard thing to explain. I usually raise my eyebrows while I raise my camera, clearly indicating, “I’m about to take a photo. Everything is okay.” If they don’t want you to, they will make it clear. Usually, they say it’s just fine. People like to be thought of as interesting.

4) If they are very close, I ask permission out loud. Often times, I don’t want them to pose… so I say something (smiling!) like, “You look very interesting — can I take a photo?” Once they say yes (98% of the time they do), I usually ask them not to pose and carry on about their business. Then I start taking a bunch of photos and enjoy the pressure of capturing the moment.

5) Don’t be shy! If you feel overly shy, it may be a larger indication that you are letting fear motivate you rather than the opportunities that life provides. So, if you feel doubt or fear, just try to channel me and be brave and forthright.

Daily Photo – Old Woman in Beijing

I spotted this old woman walking along the outside of the Forbidden City. Just like above, I took photos without any hesitation before she noticed what was going on. I shared the photo with her after, and we had a nice little moment.

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3S, Travel