This was not the final image that I had in mind to post here. In the true final version, the pylon found towards the center right of the frame and the little bit of land mass in the upper left corner of the frame would have been cloned out. It’s not that they’re out of focus or a dust spot or anything like that.

Rather, they introduce a term called ‘tension’. We’ve talking about tension on our +Google+ Photos Chat Series HOAs. A lot of times, tension in an image is invoked when an object is dangerously close to the edge of the frame. In other words, there is a visual unease with the lack of ‘breathing room’ between the object and the edge of the frame. It isn’t something that would necessarily be too detracting from the image but it could cause subliminal consternation with the viewer and my core philosophy is that if there is anything that can shift the viewer’s attention away from simply enjoying the image, then it should be dealt with.

So, I hope this gives you some more food for thought when you’re out composing your frames. Make sure you scan all four walls of the frame and determine when you’ve given yourself ample breathing room.

My great friend, +hris Chabot, just posted a fantastic image of Mordor’s sunset and it immediately reminded me of an image that I had in the hopper waiting to be posted. I think the two complement each other quite nicely and would look great in a vacation brochure for Mordor’s board of tourism. :)

In reality, this was taken near the Coquille River Lighthouse in Bandon, OR. :)

You could imagine the foot traffic that the Cape Otway Lighthouse in Australia had on this gorgeous day. And why should it be any different? The Great Ocean Road. Plenty of warm sun. A beautiful lighthouse. It’s a recipe for lots of people enjoying themselves.

And then there is the photographer with the tripod and bag full of glassy goodness. The goal for me was to capture the full path leading to the Cape Otway lighthouse without anyone in the frame. Typically, I’d have to wait an exceptionally long amount of time to achieve this. Plus, I’d have to inconvenience the other tourists by asking them to stand back while I got my shot. Overall, not the most pleasant experience for everyone involved.

That’s why I added about 15-stops worth of ND filters onto my lens. :) Doing so forced me to expose the camera for a crazy long time – but it had two very positive byproducts. First, because it was blazingly bright out, all of those ND filters helped me get an evenly lit shot. Secondly, because the pedestrian traffic was moving at a steady clip (everyone was basically walking to or from the lighthouse), they didn’t stand still long enough to translate onto the image.

As photographers, it’s important to know how to use the gear you carry but it’s also just as important to know the positive byproducts of using them, as well!

In terms of processing
Not much done here other than basic corrections and slight tweaks in Lightroom 4.3′s Develop Module.

I’ve come to really love dancing around different parts of beaches as the tide comes in. Each wave offers new potential for the sort of motion that you can capture as it breaks against rocks. Originally, I intended on cropping this more as a pano but decided to keep the aspect ratio intact because of the strong, sweeping motion that you see in the foreground. There is something very cool there and I thought it strengthened the shot overall. You see, it never hurts to second guess yourself every once in a blue moon. ;)

This image was taken at Bandon beach. You can see Face Rock being lit up over in the distance on the left.

If there is one singular theme for this weekend, it’s just to go with the flow and enjoy what’s presented to you. Most of the time, I have no idea what I’d done to deserve all of the great people and things that have become part of my life but I am trying to remain thankful, appreciative and above all else, humble.

I return back to Portland this evening after being away from my most precious people (human and furry alike) for a week. After a short week with them, I’ll be driving back down to Bay Area and staying for good. It has been an emotional rollercoaster for sure and while there are still a few loops to ride through, I know that I can sit back and take stock in the friends and family who will always be there to ensure that the ride comes to a gentle stop.

For those who celebrate it, Happy Easter Sunday! For those who don’t, here’s to a calm, even flow for today!

Ultimately, you have to ask yourself just how willing you are to risk your safety, or more importantly, the safety of your gear to get a shot that you think will really sing. There’s nothing quite as dampening (pun totally intended) as getting your camera soaked with salt water, as I learned earlier this week while Vincent Mo commiserated with me and our Google+ colleague, Aravind Krishnaswamy.

Look, everyone can play it safe, stand from a distance, and let someone else take the fall (boom, second pun totally intended). But I’d be willing to bet that the risk-taking photographer out there will walk away with some pretty killer shots… or have a cool story to tell.

Live on, photographers!

This has been, without a shred of doubt, the craziest week of my life. As I wind down my first week as a Googler, all I can think about is kicking back this weekend with a cold beer. :)

I think more than a handful of you can relate, no?

I really was overwhelmed yesterday by the amount of kind and positive responses to my announcement of joining Google as the Community Manager for Google+ Photos. Typically, I don’t really publicly discuss the gears and machinations of my personal life, especially as it relates to the back end of my professional one but I felt it would be appropriate to share this image as it will serve as a visual indicator to how this whole change played out.

You see, 95% of the process for me filling this role took place while I was over 7,000 miles away from home. Virtually all of the meetings and conversations were done via hangouts and GMail. It was a Google process through and through.

And then the fateful call came in just as the sun began to rise, around 5AM local time in the Barossa Region of Australia. The first words: The good news is that I’ve got good news. A simple, yet profoundly impacting statement. When I turned around to look for Nicole S. Young, this is the exact sight I saw. Please believe me that this is 100% exactly how it played out. A beautiful double rainbow over the room we were staying in.

If that isn’t a sign to scream I ACCEPT!, then I don’t know what is.

And with that, let the Double Rainbow references begin. :)

In terms of processing
I can’t honestly remember what I did to this image as far as stylization goes which is atypical for me. From the looks of it, I don’t think I did too much to it.

I do remember making a cognitive decision not to correct for the distortion with the vertical lines. I felt that there was a sort of piousness in the way the hotel was bowing towards the rainbows so I left it be.

Ever since its launch, Google+ has always been my favorite place to share imagery and to be inspired by the creativity of this community. It truly is a wondrous place for photographers to learn, grow, and network. That’s why I’m so excited to announce that I have joined the Google+ team as Community Manager for Google+ Photos.

You see, while photography is the thread that weaves through everything I’m made up of, it is the social aspect of sharing, teaching, and inspiring that fuels everything I do. My aim is to help show the world why Google+ and its community of photographers and photography lovers are some of the best on the Internet, throughout the world.

I now have the opportunity to inspire creativity and community within this global population of talented people who are looking to share a piece of themselves… one photo at a time. I am truly looking forward to taking this role head-on and doing my part to make Google+ the premier place to share your story.

In terms of processing
As a nod to my new teammates and our recent announcements for our new G+ Photos component, I am posting two new images. The first was edited using Silver Efex Pro 2 and the second was stylized using Color Efex Pro 4 – in case you missed yesterday’s ridiculous announcement about the changes to the Nik Collection by Google.

I’ve always been a believer of knowing what your capabilities are with your camera when you’re out in the field. But, it also is worth expanding on that idea. It’s also important to know what your incapabilities are, too. It’s about knowing what you simply can’t achieve because of physics or time. It’s also about knowing what images you have to get in the field and how to achieve your vision using your digital tools back home.

In the case with this image, what you see here is the same exact wave from when it first hits the shore in the background and all the way through to my camera’s tripod. I knew that it’d be physically impossible for me to get the shot in this specific way in one exposure. So, I took three exposures knowing full well that I could blend them together during post.

I know that we spend so much time extolling the importance of getting it right in camera, and that certainly is a crucial concept, but it’s also worth remembering that there are many different roads you can take to get to your destination. It’s all about knowing where they are and how to navigate them.

On a side note, this image is used in Episode 52 of Perfect Inspiration. This is a particularly special milestones for me because it marks 1 year of posting a new episode to this series every single week without fail. I put so much of myself into it and it means the world to me that we were able to make it to this point. I hope you’ve enjoyed Perfect Inspiration as much as I have.

In terms of processing
You can view the entire workflow video of how I edited this image right over here.