I wore out my first copy of "Photographing Southwest, Volume 1 – A guide to the natural landmarks of Southern Utah" by +Laurent Martres. I loaded up my car and went on the road full time in September 2006, as my divorce started. Landscape photography, and that book, got me through a lot of rough times in the next few years. Eventually I started a Mono Lake and Yosemite regional guide, contacted Laurent, and by coincidence he was looking for someone to write a book to cover my home turf through San Diego! It has been a massive undertaking covering that much ground, but an amazing experience.
Most of the project has been accomplished while participating on Google+. G+ has a unique ability to handle what I call "long form social media", so I can include more information with posts. It also has the unique circle functionality so I can manage notifications and interaction by subject type, including geography. Add in Events for organizing things like photowalks, and Hangouts for capturing instructional demonstrations, and you have a formidable combination. Thanks to the excellent collection of technologies brought to fruition by +Bradley Horowitz +Yonatan Zunger +Dave Besbris +Vic Gundotra and no doubt hundreds of engineers I may never see or meet, we have powerful tools that can bring us together.
That concept of bringing people together was particularly effective from the beginning thanks to excellent community managers such as +Brian Rose, who valued and encouraged photowalks. Not only was I introduced to hundreds of photographers on G+ through photowalks, but as they occurred in Death Valley, Yosemite, the Eastern Sierra, Anza-Borrego State Park, on numerous state beaches and elsewhere, many G+ photographers were with me, in a very literal way, on the adventure of developing this book.
I've been a little busy this year sprinting done the final stretch to get this book out, but I'm looking forward to getting it out the door and getting back to more photography, and catching up, preferably in person, with many of the people around here that I haven't see in a while.
I didn't want this post to go on forever, so I've placed more on my blog. I'm sure that I'll have a lot more to say as this project winds down:
California Landscape Photography Guide Book
http://activesole.blogspot.com/2014/09/California-landscape-photography-guide-book.html
#landscapephotography #California #travel
Comments
So looking forward to this…
Nice, picture.
Nature Photographer, and, Nature Lover.
Nearly 100% of the activity on this post is overseas.
Who in the U.S can see this?
+Brian Matiash can you look into this?
Looking forward to what you've seen in Anza Borrego
I see it.
I see it also
I specifically named you and everyone who attended photowalks +Kurt Harvey . For default circulation however, my account seems to have been set to mainly international distribution for some time. At one point even YouTube statistics confirmed that I had significant followings in places like Eastern Europe and India. it started around the time Google developed the ability to have country-specific recommended user lists, in mid-2012 if I remember correctly.
I look forward to this very much great job Jeff
+Jeff Sullivan. That distribution is not so good for generating more for clients for photowalks.
It's a destruction of free trade +Kurt Harvey, of great interest perhaps to the FTC, EU regulators, and no doubt Google Executives outside of G+.
I wish I am good I know to take a photo like that. I like to zoom in and out. great shot, have a good weekend.
I can see it in the US, PA specifically, +Jeff Sullivan. I have you circled through the Photography and Art group, FYI.
I don't think it's like an on/off switch +Andrew Wisler, it's more like sliders, degrees of distribution/promotion of posts. My overall contacts have been dropping for months, even on days when I have highly popular posts, and in weeks when sites tracking the people with the most engagement rank me in the top 50 on all of G+. Something's deeply rotten there. People with far less popular posts and shared in fewer circles gain thousands of contacts.
http://www.circlecount.com/p/+JeffreySullivan
I'm looking forward to this being out. Love the cover.
Have a good weekend +Jeff Sullivan
Most excellent, +Jeff Sullivan!
Can wait to see the book Jeff! Since the day I met you and Lori in the middle of the Mesquite dunes in Death Valley It's been great to hang out and shoot with you!
Well, +Jeff Sullivan, I have to admit that you are analyzing this on a level I had not even considered. I do know that when I write a post I am pretty sure that only my dad and 3 crickets see it. I am going to read up on it a bit, but I do think that someone up the chain at G+ could and should answer your concerns.
BTW, congrats on nearing the end of your book project, and I look forward to seeing it.
Can't wait for the book, it's been a pleasure every time, congrats on nearing the final stretch
Awesome!
I will have to get this!
You used the Joshua tree for the cover? I remember your thinking upon that.You are very Blessed Jeff Sullivan.Your tragic times shaped you a brilliant future. Carry on gifted one.
Looks inviting
Nice
That's what I thought I've been there in 40 years. It's so beautiful!
An amazing photograph awesome shot thank you.
beautiful
Thank you for Volume 2. Ordering it now. I loved Volume 1.
Jeff the cover of your book is gorgeous. Let me know when I can get one.
wow…
Congratulation!!!!!
Congratulations and best wishes.
I see it, in Austin, Texas…. Breathtaking photo
Congratulations on finishing this large project. You told us about it several years ago at dinner after a sunset shoot on the beach. I will pick up a copy when I see it on the shelves.
Congratulations, awesome!