Interview on GigaOm

The tech blog GigaOm came out the conference to grab me for an interview — here are the results!

Gladius

Did anyone else ever play this old game?  It was one of my favorites…  I was reminded of it by the Colosseum photo today…

Daily Photo – Cafe near the Colosseum

While I was taking a photo of this scene, a fight broke out!  I wasn’t in the middle of it…  but I was close enough to hear the nature of the argument.  It involved a bunch of drunk guys and mentions of futbol players from various countries.  There was even a barstool that was brandished!  It was very exciting, but I had to wait for everyone to get their grip before I took the photo…

Filed under the categories: France, Nimes, Photography Tips, Travel

Behind-the-scenes – A War Worth Fighting

My friend Curtis Simmons posted this story on his blog — some more about what has been happening recently behind the scenes

And… speaking of funny YouTube videos

My kids and I love watching funny animal-related YouTube videos… the more the better!  Any you want to share with me?  I promise, I’ll click on any YouTube link that has some possible destination of animal hilarity!

Daily Photo - Suspicious Chipmunk

Why is the chipmunk so suspicious?  How much intrigue and backstabbing can there be in the world of the woodland creature?  What are the other unexpected emotional states of chipmunks?  Mildly-surprised-chipmunk?  Angst-ridden-chipmunk?  Walk-of-shame- chipmunk?  Only the internet knows…

And the internet DOES know… go do a Google video search for “Dramatic Chipmunk” – you’ll never forget it

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3S, Paris, Travel

Gordon and his Panasonic

Gordon shows Thomas Hawk, and Karen Hutton the kit he chose for this trip to the US… It’s a quick little video I made in SF.

Traveling with a Pegasus

I’m not in Paris now (today’s photo is from earlier in the year), but I’m currently taking this 20-lb Thunderbolt Pegasus drive around with me for about 60 days.  It holds about 12 TB, but I do need access to all that data!  Since I’m on the road for such a long time, I simply need more data locally than I can successfully get onto my laptop or USB drives.  It’s a bit of a problem… I deal with lots of data and I can’t figure out a better way to do it.

If I only had 15 TB on the cloud that was instantly available… oh well… maybe someday… 2016 maybe?  I’ll mark my calendar and come back to see!

Daily Photo – Gardens in Paris

It was a cool and rainy morning when we left our hotel in the Latin district of Paris.  The rains stopped just as soon as we walked into the nearby gardens.  The sun would peek out from between the clouds and splash some extra light on the flowers below.

I took a bunch of photos before the sun came out, thinking it was the best I could do.  But then after the sun came out, I had to run around and re-create the exact same photos with the proper lighting!  So, it took us twice as long to get through the gardens… but that is not such a bad thing.

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris, Travel

A Week at the Louvre

I have half-a-plan.  I think one summer (when it is cold in NZ), I’m going to rent a flat somewhere near the Seine for a month.  And then, every day for at least a week, I’m going to visit a different area of the Louvre with my sketchpad and snacks.   Well look… okay… I’ll just go ahead and plan on it… no need to “think” about it anymore…  I’ll just do it.  There, I talked myself into it.

Daily Photo – I Love Paris

Sometimes the most fun things to buy are things you can’t get on Amazon.  But that also means you have to carry the thing.  I have gotten a little spoiled by not-buying things in person.  Often times, I’ll just scan the image with my phone and then have Amazon ship it right to my house so I don’t have to carry the thing.  I know this is lazy, but it is also kind of cool.  But, then you are in little markets here and there and you see nice little custom-made things…  and that trick doesn’t work any more…

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris, Travel

Free PhotoWalk in Monterey

There are over 200 people RSVPed for the event… I hope to see you there!  For more information, see this link.

Speaking Soon at EG

Right after the photowalk is the EG Conference, which goes on for a few days.  The tickets are about $4,000 or so, so my talk there won’t be open to the general public.  It will just be a short talk this time, I believe…  Here is my talk from last year’s EG Conference.

Daily Photo – Little Telephone Booth in France

I went through a small market not too far from Notre Dame that was filled with thousands of little curios.  I had my 50mm prime on my camera, so I went a little crazy.  It’s a tough thing, really… how do you know when to stop?  There were literally 1,000 different cool photos to take in the little market… I made due with about 50 and called it a day.  Here’s one of them that I quite like…

Filed under the categories: France, Paris, Travel

Drobos No More

I updated my Drobo review because I no longer really use them. There is nothing wrong with Drobos, I just fell in love with the speed of my new Thunderbolt Pegasus Promise drives. I bought two of those 12 TB drives, and they are so wonderfully fast — it is just like they are in my main computer.

Daily Photo - Country Home in French Meadow

This beautiful little country home sits in the meadows and gardens of Versailles. I’ve taken a few photos around this estate, and I really like this arch with the ivy.  It made me want to have an arch with ivy at my own house!

This was taken with the trusty old 14-24mm lens from Nikon. I tend to use this lens about 30% of the time I think. Most of the time nowadays, I use the 28-300mm with a few percentage points in there for the 50mm and 85mm prime.

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Travel, Versailles

PhotoWalk in Los Angeles today with me and Tom Anderson!

• Time/Date: Sunday Feb 26th starting at 4:30PM – Arrive early to shake hands!
• Location: We’ll meet in Santa Monica at the base of the pier. http://g.co/maps/upf36
• RSVP here on Google Schemer
• Not yet on Google Schemer and want a free invite?  Just click this invite link: goo.gl/RoxQg

The event is open to all skill levels.  Even bring your mobile phone camera!  And it’s also a family-friendly event, so feel free to bring your kids.  See you soon!

And, upcoming PhotoWalk in Austin during SXSW!

As usual, all skill levels are invited as is the whole family

• Time/Date: Saturday, March 10 at 2 PM.
• Location: The hidden G+ lot (TBA!)
• RSVP on Google Schemer: http://goo.gl/LkaKO
• Secret Google Schemer Invite link: goo.gl/RoxQg
• No SXSW badge required!

We’ll have great prizes and more… stay tuned!

Daily Photo – Tree and Path and Little Tower in France

Walking across the country gardens of Versailles can make you feel as lazy and relaxed as royalty.  And that’s not a bad thing.  Well, unless you are a photographer, which means you can’t ever just stroll along and forget what you are seeing.  It’s a blessing and a curse… the need to always be “on” and taking hyper-notice of everything around you.  I’m glad for it though, really.

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris, Travel, Versailles

TWIT Photo Interview

Here is my most recent interview on TWIT Photo from this week.  I hope you enjoy and find it interesting/helpful!

New Comment System

Well, we’ve had this new comment system for a while now on the blog – what do you think about it?

Daily Photo – Bizarre Necropolis in Paris

My hotel was very close to the Panthéon in the Latin section of Paris, so it seemed a shame not to explore the inside.  It wasn’t really what I expected.

I thought I would have seen the traditional European cathedral stylings that are always so familiar and pretty.  I never get tired of those, but the Panthéon was a curious collection of strange crypts, giant pendulums, and other assorted agnostic items.

The necropolis holds the remains of Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Emile Zola, among others.

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris, Travel

Popular Video – Paris How-To

Since I am posting a new photo of Paris today, I wanted to share this popular video that maybe some of you missed the first time around!

Daily Photo – Airport in Paris

Upon arriving at the airport, I headed straight for the subway system.  When you enter this area of the airport, all the architecture changes into this neo-gard of sorts.  The lines and struts and bridges and rails and light all make such interesting lines and compositions.

There was no terrible rush for the train, so I took my time to walk around and capture as much as I could to bring it home to you… so you could maybe be as impressed with this place as I was!

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris, Travel

New: Google Currents

Google Currents is a fun way to read the latest, be stimulated, and see new things. You can get it now on your iPad or Android device — it’s free! I am on there in two places — I’m in the “Curators” and in the “Lifestyle” category. It’s kind of an alternative to Flipboard… and quite a good one! If you get it, tell me what you think.

Daily Photo – The Cathedral Under the Cathedral

What an awesome place this is… This is the cathedral that is on the bottom level of Sainte-Chapelle. I did my best to capture the feeling of this place, and I hope I did an adequate job.

This is a handheld HDR taken with 5 exposures. It was really quite difficult to hold the camera still. I felt a bit like a sniper in Call of Duty.

Limited Quantity! 2012 Calendar Now on Sale!

When they’re gone, they’re gone.

We’ve decided to do something new this year and put together a monthly calendar! This is an 11 x 8 1/2″ saddle-stitched calendar featuring 12 of my favorite images from the U.S. and around the world. We’re very excited to offer this … it’s very different for us to offer something in a physical medium. I mean, we do sell prints of the photos (just click through any photo on the blog to go to the SmugMug gallery and click “Buy” ) but we’re mostly into the digital goods. Nothing beats a nice wall calendar though, yes?

It’s a great gift for you, for your family, and for your friends.  Oh heck, get a few!

If you want to see more, see the 2012 Calendar page!

$19.99 (U.S. and Canada)*

Stuck in Customs 2012 Wall Calendar Full calendar with high-quality-saddle-stitched page High-quality glossy one-hundred-pound cover with eighty-pound pages inside 12 beautiful images from around the world

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris, Travel

2-3 years without a miss!

Publishing a new photo every day is really hard! 4-5 years ago I would miss 5-10 days out of the year, but I think I’ve been pretty solid for the last 2-3 years. Sometimes, I miss the midnight deadline that is self-imposed, but I always get one up before the following midnight. But, it’s no problem, really… obviously I enjoy doing it!

Daily Photo – Man Sketching in Uzès

After spending the day walking around the old market, I started to walk back to where I started. Weaving through small alleys, I would occasionally enter larger courtyards. In one of them, I saw this man, sitting on a step, and sketching the scene.

When I took the photo, he looked up and gave a little smile, then went back to his business.

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3S, Travel

The Future of Photography???

As far as the photo below is concerned, would you guys find this photo-viewing experience to be better if you could change the focus? (you know, by clicking around different bits of the photo?)

Daily Photo – Little Girl in a Tiny French Market

There was a small market in France with all sorts of little wonderful objects. Little fanciful things rested and leaned here and there. I had a lot of fun moving around with my 50mm to grab shots as I peeked and poked about. I chose to compose this scene in just this way and focus in just this manner.

I believe the shot below tells just enough of a story, and sets up just enough of a scene to let the a wandering mind wander…

Am I just a romantic that likes to do things in this way? Am I a fuddy-duddy that finds the idea of people re-focusing my shot as they click about to be “tech for the sake of tech?” Maybe I am…

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris