الثلاثاء، 17 أبريل 2012

Here are 3 new articles from Aaron Hockley

Here are 3 new articles from Aaron Hockley

Dogsledding With GoPro = Fun

Posted: 17 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT

While I was in Alaska last week with GoPro1 our group had an opportunity to ride on dogsleds. In addition to just being fun, it was a good opportunity to try out using a GoPro camera.

A few cameras ready to be used in our dogsled adventure while in Alaska on a trip sponsored by GoPro.
Got GoPro?

There were about 10 dog/sled/guide teams for our group. Among the bloggers/journalists we paired up and rode along with a musher. I partnered up with Joanne (of Joanne Loves Science fame) and we rode along with our guide John who was very much a rugged Alaskan. He’s lived in Alaska for 27 years and been mushing for over 20. After a quick orientation, Joanne and I sat in his sled for the first part of our adventure. After sitting for a bit, John invited us (one at a time) to join him on the runners so that we could experience the vantage point of standing behind the sled. It provided a good opportunity to create some footage looking over the sled.

We swapped positions, with me back in the sled and Joanne on the runners. This allowed me a good opportunity to create video looking forward towards the dogs.

Shortly after the halfway point of our adventure, we had a bit of a mishap coming around a corner. Here’s what it looked like from the camera strapped to my chest:

It’s all good… nobody on my sled was injured. It was an interesting experience and it was fun to have this as my introduction to recording with GoPro. I look foward to trying out other things with my camera.

Joanne, myself, and our ride
Joanne and I with “our” team.

  1. Disclosure: GoPro sponsored my trip and I was given a GoPro Hero 2 camera. ↩

My Photo Sharing / Social Network Wish List

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 08:02 PM PDT

We’re in a bit of flux right now in the photo sharing space. Flickr, the powerhouse for several years, has stagnated and in the meantime Facebook became a daily destination for most of the internet. Facebook now hosts far more photos than anywhere else, but serious photographers (both pros and hobbyists alike) are yearning for a great way to store, share, and discuss their images.

Looking upward at a large skylight feature in the center of the main library in San FranciscoWith a variety of photo sharing websites in play, it seems that photographers haven’t yet found their ideal social network.

What might 2012′s perfect photo social network look like?

My Ideal Photo Sharing/Social System

Here’s what I’d like to see. My ideal photo network…

  • …is accessible via the web
  • …has great native apps for iOS and Android devices.
  • …has an open API so that developers can build support into other third-party apps.
  • …allows for easy sharing of images in an embeddable format on the web.
  • …allows for easy sharing of images via other social networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc).
  • …allows me to easily follow other photographers and see their latest images.
  • …allows me to put said photographer contacts into arbitrary lists (so that I can categorize them).
  • …allows me to specify a license for my photos.
  • …has a way to view the most popular recent photos on the site.
  • …allows users to setup groups around a common theme or interest, with the groups allowing for shared images and discussions.
  • …provides optional integration with a professional lab so that I can sell my photos (at a price I set) as prints.
  • …allows me to sell digital versions of my images.
  • …allows me to create a profile page where I an introduce myself and link to my other online places.
  • …doesn’t look like crap (yes, this is totally subjective, but it matters).

Right now, no single photo sharing site/network meets all of these criteria. Some come close. Arguably, Flickr is the closest, with the mobile experience being the big stumbling point. One can also debate where it resides in the “looking like crap” category, but recent updates such as the contacts page are a move in the right direction. Earlier today, Thomas Hawk argued that Google should buy Flickr. It’s an interesting thought, but with Flickr’s major shortcoming being the mobile experience, and the Google+ mobile apps being nearly worthless for photo sharing/browsing, I’m not sure that’s a perfect match.

What do you think? Did I leave any essential features off of my list? How do you want to share your images?

Interesting Links Roundup: April 16th

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT

As I wander the web I find interesting things. I share:

What have you seen lately that’s interesting?
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