Gee Dub's blog

Every year for the past 25 years one of the best beach volleyball tournaments is held in Hermosa Beach California. It is a cool place for walking along the strand or riding your skateboard or bicycle. Hermosa Beach has a pier where you can walk out was watch the surfers up close.

AVP Hermosa Beach

AVP Hermosa Beach

Hermosa Beach is a small beach community along the South Bay area in Los Angeles County. It is not as Big as Santa Monica or crazy as Venice Beach

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica, California

For the Santa Monica Album go here: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/48733

Hermosa Beach May 2007*

People of Hermosa Beach Califo…

Hermosa Beach May 2007*

Corona Girl Series - Hermosa B…

For the 2007 Hermosa Beach Album go here: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/50351

This year I went to the AVP Finals on Sunday. Last year I went on Saturday and the preliminary rounds were open to the public. At the finals you have to go the main court only and it was sold out. So I didn't get to photograph any pro volleyball players playing in action. So, you have to bear with me and only get to see the sights and people of Hermosa Beach around the tournement!

AVP Hermosa Beach California 2…

AVP Hermosa Beach

For the AVP Hermosa Beach 2008 album go here: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/69950

I had a great time and got some really nice images. Over 300 photos are in the album.

Enjoy

Gee Dub

I am not sure if it is really new, but I just found out how to do it, so it is new to me.

It is called PIP. I recently was looking at a new post by a friend and noticed that one of the images had several notes on it clustered together. When I moved my cursor over the notes a new image (slightly different than the main image) expanded in the frame. Immediately I though how cool. Now I can group several images together in one post.

I asked the friend how he did this and he graciously explained and directed me to group that has only PIP images. It's pretty easy to do. Here is a link to the group (PiP ★ Picture in Picture):

http://www.ipernity.com/group/zoomin  Instructions on how to do it are right on the front page.

I often take continuous shots to make sure I get at least one good one. I also often shoot in exposure brackets. As a result I often times get several equally good shots of the same subject but slightly different. Posting a series of images slightly different usually diminishes the impact of the subject. Viewers pick one and just look at it and don't bother with the rest.

Sometimes I shoot a fairly complex image with several parts that could work as a good cropped blowup. Now I can combine all the details together in one image. Now the viewer doesn't have to download the image to zoom in to see some of the details. This is especially nice with some of my high resolution images.

Here are a few samples of images where I have used this new feature: (Use the link to see how PIP was used)

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/2176456

PIP - AVP Hermosa Beach Califo…

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/2176453

PIP - AVP Hermosa Beach Califo…

 http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/2170535

PIP - AVP Hermosa Beach Califo…

 You can get creative with where you place the PIP notes. There is not any limits as to the number of notes/images you can add, as far as I know. I think this is really great for the viewer as well as the poster. You can now post more images with just one post. It take a little planning and a little work but I think it is worth it. I will now keep it in mind when shooting and when editing.

Give it a try.

Gee Dub

I have created 2 new albums:

Top 10 Most Visited Gee Dub Photos http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/69495

#1 Most Viewed

#1 Most Visited - Right Place,…

&

Top 10 Most Appreciated GD Photos  http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/69493

#1 Most Appreciated

#1 Most Appreciated - African…

Is your favorite Gee Dub image part of the Top Ten?

I have over 4,000 images posted so far. I add an average of 20 new images every day. I created these albums to make it easier to see the best according to viewers and Ipernity. Surprisingly there is quite a difference between the 2 sets.

The "Top Ten" is based upon Ipernity's count of my images. This is determined by Ipernity and viewers of my posted images. These are not my personal choice for top ten, although some of them would make my personal top ten. Maybe in the future I will create my own personal top ten album (I don't think I could limit it to just 10 though).

These albums will be updated every couple months if there is a change in the top ten.

These albums consists of photos only from all categories of images.

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old Pasadena on May 18, 2008.

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

 Over 100 new and vintage Ferrari's were on display on Colorado Blvd in Old Pasadena, California. This is the same place where they run the Annual Rose Parade on New Years Day. Many of the autos were one of a kind with fewer that 7 ever made. It was estimated to be between $50 - $100 Million worth of automobiles were on display.

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

A bright clear day with record setting temperatures in excess of 100 degree F. Two blocks were blocked off and visitors could just walk around the cars. Most of these cars were real street cars and were driven to the event by their owners.

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Along with the beautiful cars there were many beautiful women. I was able to use my Canon EOS 40D to get some very sharp and clear images. It was a great time and was free!

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Unfortunately I could not record the sound of the cars starting up and roaring off down the streets at the end of the show. The sound of a Ferrari is as important as it's looks.

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

With gasoline approaching $5.00 a gallon here and the need for more fuel efficient vehicles, I think we are seeing the end to an era. The need to go 220mph and get 5 MPG are not for the everyday type transportation, but it sure would be nice to drive one once in a lifetime.

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

Concorso Ferrari 2008 in Old P…

The album contains over 200 images of some of the hottest cars and people I've ever managed to photograph. I hope you enjoy the collection.

Gee Dub

I'd like to thank all of the viewers of my photostream for the past 6 months. It was a fitful start, moving from Flickr to Ipernity. While many of my viewers were former Flickites, many were also new viewers from Ipernity. The Ipernity management and members have made me feel very welcome.

The number of views I get here are a small fraction of the views I get at Flickr for the same images. But I value the views I get here much more highly. Here it seems that the average member has a higher level of understanding of what photography truly is. Here viewers know what an f/stop and aperture is. Here it is not enough to have a photo of a beautiful girl to get high views (although that might contribute ;-). Composition and proper use of DOF are necessary and that an image should be more that just a pretty picture.

I know that I produce more quantity that quality but with the comments and viewership of my images I can learn to produce higher quality work. That is the true value to amateur photographers of a web site such as Ipernity.

A special thanks to all members who have taken the time to stop and see what I have produced from my small corner of the world. I hope that I can continue to produce interesting work that will warrant your return visits.

A collection of photos taken on the grand opening day of Southern California's newest themed outdoor shopping and entertainment center.

To go to the album directly: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/64549

I was driving down Melrose Ave on my way home, stopped at a traffic signal, when off to my left I see the models in a window display are REAL! I then realized that a filming crew was there and they were shooting a commercial or something of that sort.

Look Good Naked*

Look Good Naked

All the models were of everyday type women. Not your typical anorexic models, but real everyday type women. The slogan on the window was "Look Good Naked". I circled around the block managed to get few from a different direction. Even the people on the sidewalk were amazed.

Look Good Naked

Look Good Naked

This was a real store front window display for "Mint Collection". It's not everyday that you see live real people in a window display in their underwear.

Look Good Naked

Look Good Naked

Sorry for the poor quality. I only had my P&S so my zoom was limited and it was early evening so the light wasn't too good. I did the best I could in post processing and converted a few to high contrast and B&W. Lots of problems with reflections off the glass and shooting from a moving car.

Look Good Naked

The above image shows what the store normally looks like. I hope you like this little collection. To see the complete album go here: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/63696

I just love it when I walk into a great candid street photo opportunity, totally unexpected. I was returning from a trade show with my wife. It was on a Saturday afternoon and we had a few hours to kill and were looking for place to stop and get something to eat. I remembered seeing the "The Citadel" on the way down to the convention and thought it would be a good idea to stop on the way back home. I'd gotten a good deal there on some sunglasses a few weeks before and was interested in going back and seeing what other kinds of stores were there.

Deal or No Deal Audition

We pulled into the parking lot and it was hard to get a parking spot, which was unusual. As we pulled into the shopping area there was a sign saying there was a sidewalk sale that day. As we got to the first outdoor stall I asked what all the people were lined up for nearby. At first I thought it was about the sidewalk sale, but there were a lot of dressed up people and no tables with good on them. The saleslady said there was audition going on for "Deal or No Deal" and that they were lined up since early that morning.

Deal or No Deal Audition*

"Deal or No Deal" Audition

I always take my Canon Powershot S80 P&S camera with me everywhere I go. You never know what you might run into. Lots of interesting people, all expecting to be selected to be on the TV show. You can just see that some were never going to be selected. Husbands being dragged there by their wife. They were all standing in the middle of the courtyard with no shade with the temp around 80 degrees. Every few minutes a group would be asked to step up for interviews and a big "WHOOP" would come up from the front of the cue. It was very interesting to watch all the different types of people that were there, all thinking they were going to meet Howie and win $1 million dollars.

"Deal or No Deal" Audition

Deal or No Deal Audition

I tried to get a good cross section of the people that were in line. A few images I think came out pretty nice and converted into high contrast B&W's. Take a look at the album and look at all the people in line. It is fun to try and guess where they came from and why they were there. If you ever want to get on a TV game show, this is what you will have to do to get on such a show.

"Deal or No Deal" Audition

I hope you enjoy the show and my album.

Gee Dub

The Gee Dub Den or family of Ipernity groups now consists of 5 separate groups.

• People in Motion. This is my newest group. This group requires the posted image to show people in motion. Posts should be images that show people doing something active. It can be of a athlete competing in a sport or a jogger on a morning run. Mountain climbing, bicycling, water skiing or just plain walking all show people doing something active. People can be a single person, or couple or group of people as long as the main subject(s) is/are involved in some kind of active roll in the image. People reading, sleeping, sitting & posing for a photo are NOT acceptable. And because this is a public group, we cannot post activities that would be done behind closed doors, even if it is very active! This should be a fun group with a lot of interesting images. Please join if you like these kinds of images and even post a few if you have some in your portfolio.
• Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/pim

GW Archive

Distractions

______________________________________________________________________________________

• Photo Potpourri. The first group was created in December 2007. It now has over 310 members and is often seen on Ipernity's "Discover" groups page. It consists primarily of images that don't really fit any one type of category. Variety is the main element of the group. What is important is that the poster thinks it is a good image. Over 3600 images posted so far.
• Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/photopotourri

Mini Skirt

Fly on Succulant Flowers*

______________________________________________________________________________________

• Men. This group was created at the beginning of 2008. A simple group with a simple objective. Post images of men. Ordinary everyday men. With over 270 members and 1000 images posted so far. The quality of the images very surprising and has also been listed on on Ipernity's "Discover" groups page . This is a moderated group. All images must be reviewed before being posted.
• Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/men

Street Performer Mar 07*

Hermosa Beach May 2007

___________________________________________________________________________________

• Transportation, Unlimited. If you can ride it, fly it or drive it, IT belongs here.
  Trains, planes, automobiles, motorcycles, or skateboards. Basically anything that moves a person from one place to another. There have been many unusual means of transportation posted there. Go take a look if you have not visited before.
• Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/transportation

• RR*

  Woody

____________________________________________________________________________________

• People in Black and White: This is my latest group. As anyone knows, who has visited my photo stream, they will soon see 2 of my favorite types of photography are high contrast B&W and images of street people. There were groups for people and groups for B&W but not one of both B&W and people. Now there is. Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/bwpeople

Golden Dragon Parade 2008*

Golden Dragon Parade 2008

________________________________________________________________________________

Some of the other groups that I co-admin or help moderate are (but were not started by me):

• El Portal del Erotismo en el Mundo de Ayer y de Hoy. I don't read Spanish but if you like hot sexy/erotic images of women this is a group for you.http://www.ipernity.com/group/p.erotismo
• Candid Couples. Candid street images of couples. Co-Admin-ed by Edv, one of the best candid photographers around.http://www.ipernity.com/group/candidcouples
• Anything Goes. As the group name implies, you can post any image you want. http://www.ipernity.com/group/25476
• The Midnight Funk Association. Long time friend from Flickr who make some great funky music. If you want some funky tracks to go along with some excellent photography, this is a place worth stopping by. http://www.ipernity.com/group/35429
• Candid Girls. Similar in style to the Girl Watchers Club I started at Flickr. The oldest and largest candid street images of women group on Flickr. Co-admin-ed by droit-de-regard. http://www.ipernity.com/group/candidgirls

Running a group can be a time consuming job. I like my groups to have a simple and easy to understand focus. Very few rules or limitations. Comments are welcome but not necessary. Please feel free to stop by and see some incredible photography. I am sure you will find something you will like.

If you like what you see, you just might want to join and even post something if you have something that fits. Joining groups is the best way to share your images.

Gee Dub

2 New groups and 1 new album.

New album with over 470 images.

The Gee Dub Den or family of Ipernity groups consists of 4 separate groups.

• Photo Potpourri. The first group was created in December 2007. It now has over 270 members and is often seen on Ipernity's "Discover" groups page. It consists primarily of  images that don't really fit any one type of category. Variety is the main element of the group. What is important is that the poster thinks it is a good image. Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/photopotourri

Hanging On

Golden Dragon Parade 2008

• Men. This group was created at the beginning of 2008. A simple group with a simple objective. Post images of men. Ordinary everyday men. Over 700 images posted so far and the quality of the images very surprising. This is a moderated group. All images must be reviewed before being posted. Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/men

Golden Dragon Parade 2008

Golden Dragon Parade 2008

• Transportation, Unlimited. If you can ride it, fly it or drive it, IT belongs here.
  Trains, planes, automobiles, motorcycles, or skateboards. Basically anything that moves a person from one place to another. There have been many unusual means of transportation posted there. Go take a look if you have not visited before. Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/transportation

VW Truck

Golden Dragon Parade 2008

• People in Black and White: This is my latest group. As anyone knows, who has visited my photo stream, they will soon see 2 of my favorite types of photography are high contrast B&W and images of street people. There were groups for people and groups for B&W but not one of both B&W and people. Now there is. Link: http://www.ipernity.com/group/bwpeople

Golden Dragon Parade 2008*

Golden Dragon Parade 2008

Running a group can be a time consuming job. I like my groups to have a simple and easy to understand focus. Very few rules or limitations. Comments are welcome but not necessary. Please feel free to stop by and see some incredible photography. I am sure you will find something you will like.

If you like what you see, you just might want to join and even post something if you have something that fits. Joining groups is the best way to share your images.

Gee Dub

How do you get more views of your photos, videos or music?

We all would like to get more views of our work. That is why we are posting here at Ipernity or any other media sharing web site. This is more than just vanity. If you don't really care how many views or favorites you have, why bother to post in the first place. Getting views validates your work. It also provides feedback as to what gets viewers attention and what doesn't. Sometimes you can actually get some good suggestions from the viewers.

Here are some suggestions to get more views:

• Join groups. This is the best way to get more views. Groups are created for just about every type of photography that you can think of. Most photographers have a particular type photography they prefer the most. If you can't find a group for your kind of work, create a group yourself.
• Give comments. If you see something you like, say so to the poster. It doesn't matter what language you speak. The sentiment is what counts. If you say a few kind word to a poster, they will likely do the same to you.
• Post more work. Don't be shy about posting new work. It doesn't have to be the best of the best of your work. Use posting here to learn what people like. I am constantly surprised by the images that have proved to get the most views. If a image doesn't attract much attention, you can always delete later. You can also learn what type of you excel at.
• Post more often. Be a regular poster. By that I mean post at the same time all the time. Post every day or every week, but stay with it consistently. Viewers will look forward to seeing you new work at regular intervals.
• Spread your posts out.  Don't post all your work at one time. Viewers will get tired of looking at all 150 images you took on your recent outing. You will get more views by posting 10 every day for 15 days, than you will if you post them all at once.
• Add tags. Tags make it easy for people to find your work. Be sure to put only tags that relate to your work. They are not hard to add. I keep a word doc with standard lists of tags for various categories of images. Then just copy and paste them in.

Use the tools given you by Ipernity to help you get more views. It is not just about ego. It's about promoting yourself and learning from others. Your work will improve. When you view the work others have done, you can be inspired to try new things. When you see the quality of others work, you will try to improve your quality too.

There is a tremendous amount of great work being posted here that never gets seen. The reason is that posters have not used the tools provided to get more exposure. You have to give to get. It requires some time and work but it is worth it.

I have added 2 new photo sets to my growing sets of Ipernity photo albums. Many images in the sets are for friends only. If you like street photography, become a friend and see some really nice street images and some really beautiful California girls too!

•   Miramar Air Show, San Diego, California. This set of 180 images covers my day trip to the Miramar Air Show. My son is in the US Navy and is stationed in San Diego. He invited me down to see the show with my grandson. I have just gotten my new Canon EOS 40D with 28-135mm lens. I had it only one week so I didn't know how to use it very well. My first DSLR camera. Many of these shots were first posted to Flickr. I know I have some more aerial shots and when I find them I will be posting them to the set
• http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/48986

• Miramar Air Show, San Diego, C…

• Miramar Air Show, San Diego, C…

•   Santa Monica, California. This set was taken over the Labor Day weekend in September 2007. This is the first posting of any of these images anywhere on the Internet. Santa Monica is a small seaside city a few miles from Los Angeles. It is a favorite destination for many Angelinos on hot summer days. The Santa Monica Pier has lots of carnival rides and restaurants. It has an old fashioned wood plank deck and is also a popular fishing pier. Within walking distance is a place called 3rd Street Promenade. Fancy shops and street performers line this outdoor shopping complex. It is a place you will sure want to visit if you are ever in the area.   
•                                http://www.ipernity.com/doc/geedub/album/48733

  Santa Monica, California

• Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monic…

Being from Los Angeles, I have always had an interest in cars, especially fast cars. You cannot go anywhere in LA without some form of transportation. We have commuter trains, subways, and many airports. Scooters, motorcycles, to surfboards, people are always on the move here. The variety is unbelievable. From the Peterson Automobile Museum to Travel Town's historical trains. From classic Ford Model A's to the latest from Ferrari can be seen every day.

I have so may images of these beautiful moving works of art, that I decided to make a group dedicated to transportation. And because I hate limitations, I made it Transportation, Unlimited.

So if you have some photos of trains, planes, automobiles, motorcycles, skateboards or basically anything that moves a person from one place to another, this is a group for your photos.

If you have a photo with your girlfriend next to your hot rod, that's OK too.

Here's a link to the group: http://www.ipernity.com/group/transportation

It is that time of the year when we often reflect on the passing of time. Another year gone by. Another year older. Seeing who won the dead pool and selecting your choices for next year. News reports of who has passed away last year. A time for reflection.

Often at family gatherings, during the holiday season, someone will get a old family photo album out. We marvel at the way we looked so long ago. It seems like just yesterday that most of the photos were all black and white. Our hair styles and clothes have changed. Many of us have added a few pounds over the years as well. Our cities and homes have changed too. It is hard to believe that old clunker in the back yard was the most desired car on the block.

Photography is about time. Not just the shutter speed or when it was taken. No matter what we do in life, one thing we cannot do is stop time. Time marches on, is a favorite cliche. Time stops for no one is another. Yet, with a photograph we can freeze time. Take a moment and preserve it forever. The earliest photos are still here for us to see today, long after the person in them has gone.

Now we can share this power of the photo with people across the world in a matter of seconds. We can see people, places and events that we could never see before. Some day in the future, our families will look back and thank us, the photographer nut, for taking and preserving these moments of today.

Gee Dub 

I have created a new album called "Flickr GW Archive". While I like shooting the normal landscapes, floras and other normal subjects, my preferred subject is candid street photography. I am known at Flickr as "Girl Watcher". I created many groups and moderated many others. I had built up quite a portfolio in a little over 2 years as a Pro member.

Over that time I generated over 800,000 views, over 200 images with a minimum 1000 views, and nearly 2000 images were saved as favorites by Flickr members. After I first started posting candid street images I soon found out that a small percentage of viewers strongly objected to my candid street work. Most viewers see it as harmless images depicting people in everyday life. I take images of all people, young, old, male, female, beautiful or obese.

What I found was that viewers preferred to see beautiful women. While the majority of viewers were men, many women were also members. All my images are taken in public and do not violate a persons right to privacy in my country. I live in Hollywood and the way people dress in public is all over the place. From the most conservative business suits to wearing see thru day dresses with string bikinis in mid-town shopping centers. Everybody is trying to out do everyone else. What I am trying to produce is a view of what the people in my city really look like. Not the Hollywood you see in movies or TV.

Flickr has recently put some restrictions on candid street photography. Rather than try to comply to restrictions that vary from day to day, I have decided to remove my images and put them into an archive here at Ipernity. I got tired of worrying that some day enough people from the religious right would complain to FlickrHQ and have my account closed.

I love my candid street images because they are of the everyday people, un-posed, and real. You will see the real people of Hollywood and surrounding cities. Because of the real nature of my images I have made this new album private for friends and family only. You must make me a friend on Ipernity before you can view this new album. Before you ask to be a friend you must not object to this kind of photography and will not complain to Ipernity HQ

Thanks to all my friends both here and at Flickr who have supported my work over the years. This album will allow my friends to see some of my best work, not to mention some of the most beautiful women of the world in a un-posed "real" way.

Gee Dub

For those who care, a little background about myself in relation to my interest in photography.

My first camera was a Kodak Brownie. A friend of mine in Junior High School wanted to join the photography club at school, so I joined with him. We would learn about developing film and go on neat field trips to take photos. I borrowed my Mom's Brownie because I didn't own a camera at that time. About as basic a camera as you will ever find. It shot Black and White only. I learned how to use a darkroom and make contact prints. One of my images was used for the school yearbook cover.

For the rest of my years at school and later college I would keep my interest in photography but did not advance much in my photography skills. After college, one of my first jobs was for a lighting company for television and theater. This company also owned the distribution rights to Konica cameras in the United States. I was able to get a pretty good deal on a 35MM rangefinder camera. It was so long ago I do not know it's model. It was a serious upgrade to the Brownie. I took some nice images with it and have a few 8x10's framed that I have hanging on my wall today. I loved the camera but the cost of development and film were too costly for me to pursue anymore than just a passing hobby.

Fast forward though 3 marriages and several other companies and 1 Nikon N2000 SLR camera to 2003 when my wife's brother from Japan bought me a Fujifilm digital camera. First I thought "What can I do with this little toy camera?" I didn't expect very much. Only 3 MP and 3x zoom. I had been into computers since the intel 286 days of DOS. I use a computer everyday. When I brought up the images from that first digital camera, less than 4 years ago, boy was I surprised at the quality. And it cost almost nothing to operate. No film to buy. Not waiting weeks for prints to be made. Plus, with the Internet, someone to share my work with.

I have had different hobbies over the years. But, mostly I was a workaholic. I work for a major studio in Hollywood. I have a marriage that is pretty strong. A son in the Navy and a 4 year old grandson that is just the cutest little guy. But, the photography bug has really gotten into me. I spend all my spare time devoted to photography now. I own several P&S digital cameras and just recently got the Canon EOS 40D with 28-135MM lens.

I hope you will enjoy some of the work I have produced. Your views and comments are what I live for today. A special thanks to all those who have favored any of my images. I know that most of my work is not much better than good. I definitely have more quantity than quality. But there are a few that I think are actually pretty good. I can see that my quality is getting better all the time. This blog here will chart some of that in the months ahead.

Thank you all, who have managed to read all the way to the end of this beginning. I plan on putting up some more docs on my ideas on photography, especially concerning candid street photography in the near future.

Gee Dub