Dilettante Photography: Retrospective

Visual indexing I am experimenting with a "visual index" on one of my transplanted Google Collections. [ https://arnoldslions.blogspot.com/ ] An index to a retrospective view of Dilettante Photography might look similar.

Retrospective? Would a partial archive of Dilettante Photography on Blogger serve any purpose? I have discovered that mere membership in a Google+ Group allows me to download something on Google+ Exporter [ https://medium.com/google-plus-exporter ] I haven't opened the partial file yet (it is huge and I stopped it midpoint), so I don't know what is in it. I know from experience with the software that, though improving steadily, it is not perfect and sometimes images are lost. So I ask members and Mods who have not, so far as I know yet agreed on the future of Dilettante Photography, if there is any purpose in having a member preserve something of our past . What do you think? Google says: "time is of the essence." https://medium.com/google-plus-exporter

I'm still trying to identify this critter. Meanwhile, this shot won an award on Viewbug. But nobody has come forward to identify it yet. Photographed in upstate NY, USA. https://www.viewbug.com/photo/82980468?type=awardgg%26ggdesc%3Dpa

Is there a Community on Facebook with policies similar to this one? Is anyone thinking of starting one? The rules might have to be modified to pre-screen submissions before display. I'm also not sure if copyrighted material is adequately protected on Facebook. I found a page/community using the "Dilettante Photography" name on Facebook . It appears to be the home of a single photographer, however. (As a Facebook newbie, I'm not at all sure what I'm seeing. It could be a site or a page or a nascent community or something else.) One drawback I see with Facebook groups is that there apparently is no filtering possible within the group to organize categories of posts. Are the Dilettante Photography owners/mods thinking of moving this Community elsewhere after August 2019? It is great and I would be disappointed if it were to completely disappear from public view with the sunset of Google+.

Thanks to Andi Droid for this introduction to the possibilities of using Flickr as an alternative for Google+ when the G+ service sunsets on 2 April 2019. I am exploring Flickr myself. Sadly, there will be no substitute for the camaraderie and friendship I have found here on Dilettante Photography! Thanks to all!

Hold my hand, please! I suspect most here already know of this program. I didn't until just now. That only makes me some 7 years out of the loop! I much prefer the idea of mentoring to constant travel back & forth to "Help" pages! Originally shared by Jeff Diver Since 12 December 2011, Google+ has had an outstanding Mentorship Program for Photographers. Click the link below to visit the site, then click the About link to see the following with active URLs and contacts: "*Teaching is the best way to learn.* ––––– "Welcome to the G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers, organized and run by the program directors, Robin Griggs Wood, Ron Clifford, Alex Lapidus and founded by Randy J. Braun "The G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers is an online, mini-mentorship program that gives emerging amateur photographers the opportunity to reach out to working professionals, gaining technical, artistic expression or career advice in a friendly forum. "Why ...

Using basic software (Picaso, In Pixio) I am becoming acquainted with the limits of my Android phone's camera. "Nasturtium" is unadulterated. Do you have a preference? Why? (Google allows no privacy here. Your "vote" is public even if you do not comment, but I hope you'll comment!) Click the images to enlarge.

Errors, mishaps, intrusions sometimes lead to inspirations. Initially, I was irritated to find a Black-Eyed Susan sticking its head into my study of Phlox. Then, I had an idea for a little mystery.... And that made the whole situation into a great deal of fun. As an added bonus, I could tease the viewer, too! Originally shared by Jeff Diver On the shores of Peek-a-boo Pond For those who like riddles and Those not so fond, Where in the world is "Peek-a-boo Pond?" I named the location after this photo, where that rascal Black-Eyed Susan poked her beautiful head into this study of white Phlox. You may share and print this photo as you please. Enjoy! #ImaginaryGardens #Flowers #Gardens

Going for glory in the garden this year, the evening shadows of the solstice attract my attention. This Climbing Hydrangea, back lit by evening sun, also reflects a blue sky above. It's yours to print & share with credit. Enjoy! #DiverFamilyFavorites

Danger! I've caught myself advice-giving again, and as usual, have probably missed something obvious. This brings up two questions in my mind for the Dilettante Community: 1. What did I miss? 2. Would Dilettante Moderators/Owners be willing to develop a Collection of Dilettante Member interviews on "how I'm learning photography" similar to that hosted by the 400,000-member Street Photographer Community [ http://bit.ly/InterviewsofaStreetPhotographer ] ? I suppose this also raises a 3rd question (who's counting?). Would Dilettante Members be willing to be interviewed? And a 4th: Why limit the interviews to a single topic? Originally shared by Jeff Diver How to become a much better photographer than I am. It's a cinch! Every one of us has our own way of learning and the internet makes this much easier than it used to be. If you learn well via coursework, [ http://bit.ly/BestPhotoCourses ] will be a gold mine for you. Most photographers are independent fo...

I am learning how to process photos to emphasize focal points. This one also hints at the speed with which my loving companion departs from our planned route! I've posted another such experiment in my [ bit.ly/DiverFamilyFavorites ] Family Favorites Collection. Originally shared by Jeff Diver The dog will be leaving the path soon! Is it that fresh spring grass? The secret is seldom shared with me. It's a wonder we make any progress at all...in the direction I want to go, that is! P.S. to those interested in details: Shown here is a head halter, not a muzzle. [ http://bit.ly/HeadHarness ] As per the Humane Society, "You've probably seen one, and you may have thought, "That looks weird!" But although it looks a bit like a muzzle, a head halter is actually just a special kind of collar designed for dogs who like to pull their people when they walk." They work. On the chest harness, I'm battling for control. The head harness makes walks much more p...

SnowShadows and another of my cell phone experiments [ bit.ly/SunTraces ] depend on very special climatic conditions. Strong spring sun, cold ground temperatures and air temperatures at freezing or just below combine to produce fleeting opportunities for photography. I am reminded here of an observation from one of my painter acquaintances, that all shadows on earth are actually shades of blue. #FamilyFavorites

Exploring the limits of my dinky cell phone camera.... Originally shared by Jeff Diver Sneaky photographer catches Minnie sleeping! Ah, the joys of having a handy cell phone camera. Celebrating a wonderful cat, we are! #FamilyFavorites

Somebody just "liked" this year-old post to the Psychology of Photography Community. Folks in Dilettante Photography might also be interested. Originally shared by Jeff Diver Over the years, how has photography changed your life perspective? As a consumer of photographic images, I span the historical space between the 19th and the 21st centuries. My grandfather used glass plates. My father set up his dark room with developer, water bath and fixer in our kitchen. Most of their work was black & white, color processing being left to commercial labs. When color arrived, I found my world expanded. Life magazine and National Geographic set standards. Now I am bombarded with excellence here on the internet. Has the explosion of photographic excellence improved my perception? I think I appreciate more. I also think I'm missing a great deal in life and am more conscious of other's life experiences. I wish I had more than one life to live and yet in some way--through photog...

I have been posting some of my amateur efforts in my "Family favorites Collection." This was a "surprise" shot taken with my android phone just because it was handy. Modifications were made with Picasa and Water Marquee. Originally shared by Jeff Diver Yours to share! Though I have a copyright on some of these photos, you are welcome to share or print them without charge. This is a Ben Franklin Tree blossom -- a rather unexpected success from my backyard. Please acknowledge when you share. Thanks! #FamilyFavorites

I continue to experiment with Google Street view derivations and occasionally get a bit philosophical. Use of the cell phone in public areas has sure changed the pulse of urban life! Syncopated times, perhaps? Originally shared by Jeff Diver Life, Stilled The "still life" of the 21st century is a far cry from that illustrated by 19th century artists. Since the advent of the cell phone, pedestrian traffic no longer flows predictably, but is a dance of random motions, the demented play of musical chairs. Do we stop when the music starts, or is it the other way 'round? Makes things complicated when we are all dancing to different music! https://goo.gl/GsHgR7 Meriden, CT #9X2

Featured today in my Outstanding Photographers on Google+ Collection, Dirk Gonthier has great talent and little tolerance for the "rules" of the craft. Read the "about" section of his profile for more on his philosophy behind the lens. I am particularly impressed with his cloudscapes. Originally shared by Dirk Gonthier Sunset III.

Just out of curiosity, are any Dilettante Community members engaged in "therapeutic photography?" Photography is evidently used in psychology. Makes sense, but I hadn't given this much thought beyond those nonsense drawings that are supposed to resemble whatever you think they resemble. Do you ever think of categorizing your work by mood? Do you deliberately attempt to manipulate the mood of the viewer to provoke a specific emotion? Would you be willing to share examples here? Are you successful? All these questions came to mind when I discovered the rather inactive "Psychology of Photography" community.

As has been pointed out in another community, photoshop users can embed invisible QR codes as watermarks in images. See https://goo.gl/Po2IVe Is there a way to do this without using photoshop? By the way, I enjoy seeing visible, non-intrusive ownership marks at the bottom of images when viewing shares, as I then can Google for more photos using that info should the poster fail to direct me to a photographer's home page. (Not that that ever happens!;-) https://goo.gl/Po2IVe

Focal play. Dr. Pierce's Neighborhood Gossip Dream Book http://goo.gl/tMJ2wz has been enhanced with this view of Ward AR, from which Mrs. Charles Garrett once testified that "I cannot praise Dr. Pierce's 'Favorite Prescription' enough for the good it has done me." I like the way this Google Street View derivative image https://goo.gl/u8uIqO toys with the viewer, whose eyes want to wander off to the left while the scene itself conspires to keep them (ahem) on track.