Former California based pipe factory during blue hour
This afternoon, I'm heading down to Google to be a panelist on the 'Women In Photography' Hangout hosted by +Laurie Rubin. I'll be a guest amongst some other talented female photographers; +Alexis Coram, +piper mackay and +Jessica Ambats. It begins at 6pm PST and can be viewed via the link below!
Hangout Link: http://bit.ly/1e6QhAu
On June 29 last year, I made my first Google+ post after receiving an invite from Googler +Cody Bratt. At the time, I never realized that it would have such an impact on my life. I know, it sounds crazy right? (The people not active on G+ definitely think I'm a bit loony for making such statements, but it doesn't matter.) I continue to say with conviction, that Google+ has made a difference in my life.
Before I joined Google+, I took one or two photography related trips each year, mostly to the East Coast to explore abandoned buildings, but I stopped spending a lot of time shooting locally after a falling out with a few photographers. I was uninspired for a while, but that changed when I joined Google+.
Within six months of joining, I attended my first photowalk in San Francisco, followed +Thomas Hawk and a group of 50 photographers down to Death Valley for an extended weekend, spent a weekend camping in Big Sur with a group of photographers and hosted a Yosemite photowalk during the full moon. During those 6 months, I was not only getting out and meeting people in person, but I was interacting with other photographers online, engaging in conversations, joining hangouts and planning shoots with new photographers in the area.
I felt inspired again.
This week, I am attending three different photowalks. One of them involves a group of locals welcoming Canadian +Karin Nelson to California for the first time! (How cool is that G+?)
Sure, it might be crazy to spend a few hours everyday sharing photos, enjoying photos, laughing at the humor of friends and chatting with strangers on hangouts, but Google+ has completely changed the way I go about photography. If you put in the time and effort, interact and engage, you will find that there is a whole amazing group of people out there waiting to be discovered.
I was one of the lucky people who was fortunate enough to get an invite (thank you +Cody Bratt) to Google+ within the first week of Beta testing. Immediately after joining, I was discovering and conversing with a number of new photographers I found to be fun and inspiring.
A few months later in November, +Thomas Hawk organized a Death Valley trip on Google+. I drove my tired little Honda 1,200 miles round trip with +sly vegas (whom I had never met) to meet a bunch of new photographers in a place I had never been, while shooting something somewhat unfamiliar and it was one of the best trips I've ever taken.
Following the Death Valley trip, I used G+ to keep in touch with those I met on the trip, to meet even more photographers online and participate in a handful of hangouts until the early hours of the morning.
Then last weekend, a bunch of the photographers from Death Valley reunited in Big Sur because +Tony Payne sent out a post on Google+ mentioning that he would be up in the area and wanted to see if anyone would be interested in camping in Big Sur. About 10 of us jumped on the opportunity to shoot together and hang out again and of course, it was another great trip.
Next weekend, I will be going to Yosemite with some of the same people for a 3-night full moon photo walk.
For those of you who still don't believe there's a reason to join or be active on Google+, I can say without hesitation that joining Google+ has made such positive impact on my life and I am so thankful for and inspired by the people I have met there.
Golden Canyon (Trail to Natural Bridge), Death Valley.
Night. No moon. 4 minutes. Lit by incandescent flashlight.
