A Lonely Boat Floats Across the Pastels... (The Bay at Portofino) This isn’t really Portofino, but it sure does look like it, eh? We might even make the case that it is more pretty than the real Portofino! This is a beautiful resort in Orlando, over at Universal Studios. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Horse of Sagas in Iceland I was in the middle of a beautiful drive in Northern Iceland just past midnight. The sun was about to dip below the horizon, and I was in the last hour of a five-hour sunset. Unbelievable! I passed a perfect grassy farm filled with perfect Icelandic horses ... from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The River Runs Through the Andes Getting to this position was not as long a hike as the others around Patagonia, but it was no cakewalk! It was one of those strange river-rock strewn areas where the rocks seemed to be the perfect size for spraining your ankles. I had the tripod extended to act like a walking stick, although it's not the most handy walking stick with a giant Nikon on one end of it! From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Treetop Temple Protects Kyoto Photographed here is the Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto. The city is known for its traditional Japanese architecture, slower-paced life, natural beauty, graceful geishas, and zen peacefulness. I probably could have stayed in Kyoto capturing scenes the entire trip. I remained here until the sky turned black, and then I headed back down some winding streets to find an old small restaurant where the food was mysterious and every course was served with a gentle bow. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Long Road to New Zealand This is one of countless beautiful roads that crisscross New Zealand. I'm afraid I've forgotten exactly where I was when I took this photo! I know that is very lame, but I bet people around here can help me pinpoint the area. As far as the camera settings, this is the kind of shot you can get with something called "compression," a method where you use a zoom lens and zoom in quite far. It takes images in the distance and makes them larger than life. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Secret Workshop of Jules Verne This is the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and is one of the least-known places in Paris. Everyone goes for the hot tourist spots, and this museum sounds rather boring, yes? But as you can see... au contraire! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Hong Kong from the peak on a summer's night After I got back to Hong Kong after a day in Shenzen, I was hot and sweaty and in the sort of meeting clothes that aren't great for being hot and sweaty in. But, everything about Hong Kong was still awesome and I had too look hard for things to complain about. The sun was setting, and I made it up to The Peak just in time for a shot. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Tableau Vivant of Wild Horses - It was about 2 A.M. and the sun was just dipping into the horizon for a short stint. These horses were frolicking about in a huge flat field a bit inland from the end of the fjord. They were all so lively and alert, jumping and posing here and there. And then they set up in a very interesting configuration, and I barely had time to put on the right lens before it all drifted apart. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Autumn in New York at Sunset Despite my kind Tweet to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, they would not let me take a tripod on the day I arrived. So, I was forced to do a hand-held HDR shot from the roof at sunset. It was a beautiful night across central park, and I did my best to hold it steady. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Bamboo Forest While exploring Kyoto, I eventually found my way to this fanciful bamboo forest. There had been a light rain most of the morning and everything was quite lovely. The rain does strange things as it moves its way through these sorts of trees. I waited and waited, and that was nice too. In the early afternoon, the rain stopped while the sun peeked through the top. It shone down while the earlier rain misted down from the tops of the trees. - From Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The new Android App is out... "Photo Voyages of Trey Ratcliff" - http://goo.gl/km5QW - It also looks great on your Google TV! - Enjoy, and Thank you!
The Gentle Path to the Beyond - Hakone, Japan The little train that carried me into Hakone started winding through misty mountains. The trees were thick and a fog was rolling in. I had a feeling that it would stay wet, moody, and fairly perfect. It had that heaviness that made you feel like it would remain like that for a few days, and it did. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Open Road in Iceland I had a long lonely weekend in Iceland, so I took my rental Jeep out into the wild. I drove all over the country from dawn till dusk seeing what I could find. The sky and landscape was an ever changing palette of colors and clouds. The sun is so low on the horizon during the winter that it is almost like a 5-hour sunrise followed by a 5-hour sunset. I drove up and down one of these highways to the next, listening to all kinds of strange and eclectic music on my iPod, occasionally jumping out to take a shot of something like this... it was a perfect weekend. From Trey Ratcliff at stuckincustoms.com
The Morning Fisherman (The Li River) Now, getting to this place was not easy! I arrived about 1 AM at a tiny family-run inn by the river. I was meeting a local guide at 5 AM, so I didn't get a lot of what I would call "quality sleep". Anyway, I got up very early and went downstairs in pitch black. There seemed to be a big white cloth box I had to go around to find the front door. My guide was outside. The door was locked and we could not figure out how to get it open. Everyone at the little inn was sound asleep and I was totally confused. Then, from inside the big white box, a body flew out of it! There was a 60-year-old Chinese guy inside that was sleeping until I woke him up with all my lock-manipulations. His naked limbs in the white sheets scared the bejeezus out of me and woke me right up! And then we were on the river about 5:15. It was still completely dark outside. And I mean COMPLETELY DARK. It was a thin bamboo raft with an outboard motor. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Reflections on the Eiffel Tower There was a big storm all day long, but I could see the clouds were beginning to break up a little to the west, and I knew there was a possibility the sun would dip into an opening beneath the heavy clouds. So, with that intense possibility, I headed over to the Eiffel Tower area hoping the light would turn out right... /private dedication from ec to mm. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
An Evening Stroll Around the Cabin - Montana I took a dusk walk around the main cabin. The horses come graze all around the meadow in the evening... I finally convinced one of them to stand still for a bit. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Fourth of July Fireworks on Lake Austin, Texas It was a tough night because I was on the edge of a bridge that was rumbling as cars went across. The evening was very windy, and there was a light driving rain right into my lens. I had to wipe down the lens after every few exposures and try to cup my hands over the top during the shot. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Secret Passageway to the Treasure After the crowds of Angkor Wat, it was nice to go find a remote temple in the jungle and be alone. This temple laid under the jungle, completely undiscovered for centuries. The hallway and mysterious chambers seemed to go on forever. from Trey Ratcliff at stuckincustoms.com
The Most Beautiful Road in the World I've looked at travel guides and driven on a ton of beautiful, scenic roads all over the world, but I think this road to Queenstown (on the way to/from Glenorchy) is the most beautiful in the world. The road winds down one side of a perfect, fjord-like lake, and every few kilometers, the mountain views change dramatically. Depending upon the time of day you travel it, the entire landscape transforms before your eyes. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Entering the Little Streets of Li Jiang (shared first to Google+ !) I'm just now getting into Li Jiang and I'm having a great time exploring this place with Tom Anderson. We've been taking our cameras all over creation, day and night. It's been very busy, but we're finally getting some downtime to process photos. I picked this one I just took a few hours ago and showed him how I did it (kind of my like an in-person version of my HDR Tutorial... it is free and fun... see it at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com/hdr-tutorial/ ). We've got a couple rooms at a beautiful place here called Banyan Tree. They have a few different resorts all over the world...very nice... (no they didn't pay me or give me free rooms.... I feel kinda like I always have to say this) Anyway, I recommend them because there are tons of good photo ops just around the resort itself.
The Icy Pit to Hell - Gulfoss, Iceland This is Gulfoss, the frozen waterfall in Iceland. Dark age theologians used to believe this was the entrance to hell, which was originally a cold place; the innermost circle of Dante's version was frozen. True believers would come here and cast themselves down into the chasm to try to rescue souls they were told had gone to hell. From Trey Ratcliff at stuckincustoms.com
The Solstice This came from one of my favorite nights in Iceland! This was shot around 2 AM, right when I started feeling loopy. I was on the edge of some precipitous volcanic rock, and there was a waterfall behind me. It fed this little area of rapids that emptied out into one of the fjords. There had been a light rain for a few hours, but the setting sun cut underneath the clouds to unleash some godly colors. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
This is Nathaniel Nathaniel is currently four years old and carrying wood with his two sisters down a dusty cart-road in an unmarked Amish village somewhere between Allegheny and Tionesta, Pennsylvania. In pauses between talking to me, he looks sideways at his older sisters, who peacefully nod towards him. I tell him that he looks big and strong and then I help him carry the wood to his parents' home, where he lives with his other nine brothers and sisters. from Trey Ratcliff at the blog http://www.stuckincustoms.com
The Azure Blue Pool at Hearst Castle "I was able to get a private tour throughout Hearst - so that made for an amazing and long day!Thank goodness I had a mass of memory cards... I got so much footage it was crazy! I could have picked a bunch of shots to be the ""first"", but I thought this one was particularly wonderful. There are two enormous pools at Hearst Castle, and this is the indoor one. This is a nice vantage point because this spot is actually quite difficult to reach! There is no door behind me... so I had to ""shimmy"" along that edge you see... It was NARROW... the shimmy was like a video game, except while holding a $10,000 camera! Sketchy! But I just had to get over here because I could visualize the shot before it happened... Here's a cool fact about this pool. Nearby, there is a huge room that was intended for a gymnasium that Hearst never constructed. The State then made it usable for IT and Archive area, so the water cools the computers... wild, eh?"
Gentle Home in French Countryside (Tiny House in France) So, Versailles is a monstrously huge place. I'm not sure how you could see everything in a day. I chose to concentrate this trip out in the royal gardens, and a confusing walk got me into this place. It's not exactly secret, but I didn't know about it until I walked up upon it! It is called "The Hameau de la Reine", and is generally known as the Queen's Hamlet. It was built for Marie Antoinette between 1785 and 1792. It is lovely, and this is only one of the many little places I captured there. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Times Square at Dusk Times Square is one of the most photographed places in the world. I usually try not to do touristy thing, but hey, it's Times Square. I thought I would try a new take on this shot, arriving just as the sun started to set. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Lone Tree in Texas (Her Evening Elegance) A Texas sunset settled on the farm as we patiently waited for the sky to repaint itself every few minutes. It was a very relaxing hour, watching the sun slowly descend through the clouds, interrupted on occasion by a stressful swapping of lenses. I hate to get dust in the chamber, so the changing of lenses is always a high-anxiety event! But the anxiety faded away pretty quick as we started watching the sunset again. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Beautiful Space Shuttle Blooms Inside a Cloud As soon as the Endeavour worm-holed into the cloud layer, the strange staccato-bass of torn air came skipping across the water into the press area. The sound was not at all what I expected, but it was awesome dot com. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
An Icelandic Horse in the Wild I don't shoot a lot of animals, because I find it hard to improve upon what other great animal photographers have done in the past. However, here is a tip for shooting animals. It's kind of a lame trick, but it always works. Use a wide-angle lens and get in close. It always makes the head look really big and cute. Humans love big-headed animals and it always makes them smile. Why this is, I have no idea... Note this trick also kinda works with babies. By Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
鼓楼 Copies of the Rickshaws at the ancient temple Gǔlóu... Sometimes a copy is just a way for someone to transport themselves from one place to another... some day, perhaps, they will arrive at your home with an offering… from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
THE LONG AND TWISTY ROAD I lament I can’t remember exactly where this is in Iceland. I think it was up by lake Myavatn, but I’m not totally sure. That word Myavatn is related to little mosquitoes. I wondered why it had that name until about 5 AM one day. There were millions… and I mean millions of mosquitoes that came out of nowhere! It was one of those weather-things were the temperature is just perfect and they get up and go crazy for a few hours before settling down again. I had to retreat into the car mostly for reasons of sanity! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Sunset in Ibiza Ibiza is a fabulous island off the coast of Spain that is the "in" destination for all the Euros that like to get trashed, party, dress in white, do medium-level-drugs, and stay on the beach without many clothes. I saw this girl bouncing around and very happy about something, so I went over and said hello, introducing myself. She didn't speak much English, but I managed to ask her if I could take a photo of her. She enthusiastically said yes, and I explained the sitch as we walked over to the water, mostly using interpretive dance to span the language gap. She was Italian and her name was Wendy. I think that is a strange name for an Italian, but I didn't question it. Anyway, I asked her just to walk off into the ocean and I would take a photo. She did just that, and I grabbed this shot just as the sun was dipping below the horizon. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Paris as Art I have just finished processing this photo and wanted to share it with y'all first. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Light La Sainte-Chapelle is really an amazing place. I can't believe it took me so many trips to Paris to finally see it. It wasn't exactly a blind-spot, but I knew it was some place that I had to visit at some point, and I finally got there. Tripods were forbidden, so I decided to use a tripod to get a shot. I did manage to squeeze off several rounds until security came up to make me stop. Of course, the only reason I ignore their rule is because I think it is does not have a solid foundation in logic or rational thought. I wasn't bothering anyone. I wasn't going to trip anyone because of the configuration of my tripod and body. Everything was cool. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Chicago Thaws into Spring I was lucky enough to be in a helicopter over Chicago at sunset. A big thanks to Fiona and our pilots Bill and Jeff. They took the door off the helicopter for me, which sounds like a good idea until you are experiencing 100 MPH of chopper backwash while hanging out trying to get this kind of shot! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Sleeping Inn - (exploring a remote fjord in Iceland) - I espied an old house up the side of one of the valleys. It was partially obscured by a hand-built stone wall. I stopped the car and started hiking up the side of the valley to investigate. Once I got up there, I began to think that maybe this place was actually occupied! There were new lace curtains hanging in the windows and everything seemed to be in pretty good repair. So then, I felt like I was intruding, and not just exploring an old ruin. But, it was 3 AM in the morning, and I figured if anyone was indeed inside, they must be fast asleep. So I set up for a shot and then made a hasty elf-like egress. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
San Francisco - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Snow Monkey Reflects from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Roman Arena in Nimes, France (Roman Gladiators of Gaul) Nimes has some very well preserved Roman ruins. There is a huge park area that has stone walkways over ancient Roman waterways and this colosseum structure in the middle of town. One of the coolest things about this colosseum is that it is still used on a regular basis! When we were there, they were having a bullfight inside the arena. I have some pictures of the aftermath, including trails of blood in the sand... It's fairly graphic, but you'll have something new to see in coming weeks when I get around to processing those! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Swallowing the Ruins In Angkor Wat As soon as I walked into Ta Prohm, the thunder started rumbling around and dappled clouds rolled in. The thunder was extra eerie and chest-thumping inside all the mossy and vegetated old tombs. The rain started and stopped several times, so I would take refuge in crumbling crypts and hallways until the rain let up. I took some wrong turns, but I eventually ended up here with a break in the storm. I popped out with the 10 mm get this shot. The temple was built in 1181 AD and was the home to 18 high priests, 615 dancers, and 12,500 people. I don't know why the dancer stats are so important, but there you go. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Prambanan Sunset You can imagine what it was like to find this amazing temple in the hot, steamy jungles of Indonesia. The day had been very stormy, so I spent that time exploring the temple while getting soaked... quietly hoping that the storm clouds would break on the horizon to allow the sun through. Sometimes the lighting is best right after the sunset. And sometimes this is right when the police come to get you. Maybe they were security guards. But it was hard to tell in the dark - and, besides, I didn't know the difference between the clothes of a security guards and a policeman in Indonesia. I had Will with me when these guys approached us, and he was no help at all. He did manage to keep them busy for a while so I could take some final shots, but we could tell that we had worn out our welcome. So then the guards started to escort us right out of there. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Oceanscream (Arctic Summer Storm) Early one morning while weaving through the fjords, a cell of dark clouds roiled across the sky. The low sun kept them in impossible colors and the air vibrated with a coming storm. This is up on the edge of the arctic circle where one fjord may be covered in clouds while the next is wide open and clear. There are hundreds of little microclimates that change from one hour to the next, so if things don't look good in one fjord, just spend 30 minutes driving over to the next one, and maybe something different will present itself. Surely by now, you see why I like Iceland so much in the summer... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Sunrise Discovery of Angkor Wat I feel a bit like a British explorer, surrounded by my cadre of Cambodians at $18 a day. They drive me around, carry my tripod, bring me water when I am thirsty, and seem anxious for me to colonize the area. A member of my cadre woke me up early this morning at 5 AM. - from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
La Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmatre This is a famous basilica in Paris. It sits high on a hill and is beautifully lit in the evening. This is the birthplace of the Jesuits back in 1534. That is only interesting to me because I was a Jesuit student myself back in the day. You would think that would mean that I would be allowed to come inside to take all the photos I want with a special key that everyone gets upon graduation. But I had no such key so I was forced to stay on the perimeter with all the other heathens. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Darkness in the City Sometimes the art gets a little bit dark, yes? These moods are kind of good and kind of fun... and productive in a few different ways. I found this location through Stuck on Earth. We have a Top 50 Secret Spots list in the app from my friend Thomas Hawk. It got me a great shot looking in the other direction: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/10/24/beautiful-san-francisco/ But then, I very simply turned around and saw this out the other window! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Tron is Beijing. Beijing is Tron. (Bustling Beijing) I had the driver circle the business district a few times so I could find a good angle. We found one in this building, but did not know if we could take a photo from the top floor. Woo went in first. This might have been a mistake because during the shoot he admitted he had a dreadful fear of heights. But he said it in such a charming British accent I thought it could have been my subconscious. We went up to the 32nd floor. No windows no dice. We then went to the 31st floor, but the confused secretary would not let us through. Then we tried 30. The secretary said yes and let us into a boardroom, but the angle was not right and the other offices were busy. So we went to 29. The secretary on 29 was confused so I instructed Woo to tell her, firmly, "We are with the Government." from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
An Amazing Day at the Met -- I set aside about six hours to spend alone at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most of you may know by now how I am obsessed with the Impressionists. Don't ever go to a museum with me, because I will bore you for hours on end with strange tidbits. Anyway, the Met has a fantastic collection that kept me busy most of the time... It's rather nice of them to hang on to my paintings for me. -- from Trey Ratcliff and the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge - A quick return... I'm coming up to the San Fran area for a quick trip. And every time I come, I try to squeeze in as much photography as I can... I just took this one a few days ago, and it makes me jealous that so many photographers live in this area and get to see this stuff all the time! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China (The Chinese Mothership) Look at this magical place in Beijing... it's on the edge of belief. This is the amazing National Centre for the Performing Arts, or as I like to say, the 国家大剧院 -- I find that rolls of the tongue a bit easier. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The old forest in Yellowstone... (Skeletons at Sunrise) At one point when driving through Yellowstone a few weeks ago, I got out of the car and started walking right into the forest on the edge of the road. There was a thick fog and the morning sun was low, creating an unexpected box of light. I kept walking and walking until I found this area. It just felt right for whatever reason, so I set up to take this HDR. from the blog at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Farewell San Francisco, from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Mysterious Moeraki Boulders (I did not move any boulders with CS6... this is the original) - When I saw these strange round rocks for the first time, I was extra-fascinated. Not that I had any idea what they were. My years of geology training did me no good at all... I think it was even more frustrating because I knew all the things they could not be. The remaining possibilities just seemed off-the-chart impossible. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
My Nymph in the River I was hiking through the Andes in Argentina with several ex-Soviet Military badasses, and we came upon this scene. See that little Russian gal by the stream? That is lovely Irina, stopping to fill up my water bottle with some fresh glacier runoff before the rest of the hike. Irina was not one of the ex-military people... she was there to cook us borscht at every meal and wipe the morning snow off my sleeping bag before cooking us a warm breakfast. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Tree Alone Against the World There was this interesting tree sitting alone after a morning snow. The snow had melted, but the skies still had these white-out conditions. Those skies normally make for very dull visuals, so I thought this would be a good candidate for textures. I think, by now, you guys know I can’t stand a boring sky in my photos… and since you can’t always have a four-star sunset, maybe it drove me to use the world around me to find textures to re-purpose inside these photos. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll figure out that bit in a while. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Beijing - Inside The Egg - This building, lovingly called "The Egg" by locals, is the National Centre for the Performing Arts. It's a gigantic and wonderful opera house that you have to see to believe. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Delicate Ice in Spring After dinner one evening in Ísafjörður, I drove through a nearby town and up into the mountains. Along the road, I noticed an iced-over river that was beginning to thaw in a few areas. I pulled over, and scrambled down the hill to set up for a shot. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Sunset on a Texas Farm This photo was shot about two hours outside of Austin in a little town called Brady. You'd like it. They have a Sonic there. This was a 5-exposure HDR shot at f/16. This kept everything in focus and kept the shutter open long enough to let the clouds drag across the sensor. In these conditions, you don’t have a lot of time to fool around because the sun is bookin’ it towards the horizon. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Lost Rock Temple I spent countless hours trying to find this place on a previous trip to Iceland. This time, thanks to SECRET PROJECT EOSX, I was able to find it effortlessly. It was just as amazing as I hoped it would be. The hardest part was the road at 2 AM. It was one of those perfectly straight country roads that goes straight into the sun. And I mean straight. It was exactly in the middle of my steering wheel, and there was no escaping it. The visor, my hand, nothing, nada, could block that sun, so I had to drive about 5 miles per hour and look out the window. It was all very unsettling… if you have driven in this situation, then you know what I mean! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Google HQ as the sun is setting.... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Red Boat in Fjord Before Storm As soon as I drove into Isafjordur in the very remote area of NW Iceland, I went right to the docks. The water was so calm and perfect that it was beyond belief. I was super-tired, and I thought that the still water MUST be a unique phenomenon, so I toughened up to go take a bunch of photos. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.stuckincustoms.com
Epic Iceland I have many things in common with +Tom Anderson. One of them is the love of “Epic” scenes. These mostly come from movies (he studied film in a past life), but it spans many different pursuits. He’s the only other guy I met that can also quote scenes from Lawrence of Arabia. So, obviously I do like to find epic scenes in the world, and I feel like Iceland is full of them. Capturing them the right way is another ball of wax, but that is most of the fun. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A view of Queenstown at 7:30 AM! I took this photo off my balcony in the morning. I'm renting a place high on a hill that I found here: http://www.bookabach.co.nz/baches-and-holiday-homes/view/10532 -- It's a great place! Since we are so far on the south island, the days of winter are short... this is nice because it means I don't have to wake up toooooo early for sunrise shots until the summer! :) - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Southern Lights - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Impossible Mountains - Iceland The mountain is very spiky and narrow, and it’s embedded in a very rough patch of peaks. So I did my best to capture it in context. There are great super-hairy horses everywhere, and four of them were playing on one side of the river. I set up… and waited….waited….waited…. for them to get in the right spot and then finally took a photo. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Another Summer Day in Paris This shot looks much more delicate, perhaps, than I did while achieving it. Unfortunately, this was one of those tricky ones where the tripod legs were splayed out like a flattened armadillo. I looked beyond redonkulous while taking it... from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
One Night in Bangkok This picture is of Wat Arun, a famous Buddhist temple in Thailand. I took it from a really cool little Italian restaurant across the way that is attached to a boutique hotel named "Arun Residence". I will stay at this place next time - be sure to get the balcony room at the top if you come... it's just over $100 a night and is the best (and only) view of this temple in Bangkok. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France (Paris HDR) I think this was my fifth trip to Paris, and the first time I actually got some Eiffel Tower shots that I find satisfactory! I literally had to take thousands of shots of this thing before I found something that feels right to me. The gardens that surround the Eiffel Tower are surprisingly empty. Around dusk and sunset, it's usually not too hard to find a nice bench to drink in the sights. Or, barring that, there are plenty of spots in the grass where you can lay out a blanket and enjoy some amazing cheese and pastries... and what is more wonderful than that? from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Ensnared in Flame On my first evening in Barcelona, I dumped my bags in the room them went right out to explore. Unpacking is so boring... let's face it. I started going down side-streets and back alleys to where I heard activity and motion. I was more or less zig-zagging my way to Las Ramblas, where there's always a lot of activity. But I didn't want to go right there. During the weaving, I found this enormous cathedral nestled between a square of classical looking Spanish buildings. A performer had lit a unique homemade contraption of flames and was whirling it about. I got back behind her and set up for this shot. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Mighty Rocket Rests I had some time during the day while at NASA to visit the Kennedy Space Center. Inside was the insanely huge Saturn V rocket. It's one of those things that would hurt like hell if you dropped it on your toe. The shuttle only has one more launch before it is forever mothballed, like this... The final launch of the Atlantis is on July 8, the first day of my 40th revolution around the sun. That's kinda cool I think... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Pond and the Sunset Stormclouds - Storm Clouds Over Gibbston, New Zealand Farm We were in Gibbston, New Zealand, about 20 minutes from Queenstown. After a wonderful dinner with Eden's delightful family, I popped out onto his farm to shoot some HDR. from Trey Ratcliff's Travel Photography blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
My Kinda Town - Chicago Skyline I took this at the top of the John Hancock this evening as night fell. It was done with 9 exposures. I figured, why the heck not. from Trey Ratcliff at stuckincustoms.com
Crossing the Bridge into Old Lyon This was a pretty tough shot to get! This was a little pedestrian bridge that crossed from the new part of Lyon, France, into the older part. It swayed and buckled in the breeze. Plus, it was night, so you kind of have to leave the shutter open for a long time. I hate to crank up the ISO, but I had to so everything would stay sharp. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Louvre Ahhh... the Louvre! It's one of the greatest in the world and always fun to explore. You gotta be kind of into museums, I suppose... the vastness of it is beyond words. You really don't get it until you've spent several hours inside. from Trey Ratcliff's Travel Photography blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
London Underground - Piccadilly Piccadilly Circus is one of the most popular places in London for tourists. I don't like to always hit all the obvious places, but, then again, I kind of have to hit the obvious places, yes? So, when I went to this famous spot, I tried my best to find some interesting angles and compositions. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Secret Treasures of Beijing It was very close to the National Day, and crews were out freshening-up the city. There were about four Chinese painters that were busy putting a fresh red coat of paint on this perfect little bridge. By chance, they were just finishing up as I approached. This little boat from the painters was pulled up beside the bridge in a wonderful way, so I set up my tripod along the bank for a photo. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Gateway to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China I had an amazing opportunity in Beijing to get private access into the Temple of Heaven one morning. Well-costumed officials from the government met me before sunrise just outside the gates, where hundreds of early risers were already outside doing exercises and preparing for a national holiday. The nice men pulled out ornate keys and opened up the private doors to let me in. I had about 90 minutes to take photos of everything as the sun rose. It was a great day of shooting! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France This is a dangerous spot! But so pretty... It was a cool night in Paris. It was a bit damp too, as if it might rain at any moment. So that kept me moving from spot to spot pretty quickly. I was secretly hoping for a bit of rain... Europe at night in a light rain is always kind of charming. I'm pretty sure that locals don't find it charming... just annoying. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Musée d'Orsay - Orsay Museum in Paris, France (The Orsay) One of my favorite museums! I'm a huge fan of Impressionism, and this museum has an amazing collection. It also houses one of the most famous paintings by Manet - Le dejeuner sur l'herbe (Wikipedia). I've always heard about and studied this painting, so it was of particular interest to me. When I saw it in person, it was absolutely striking... I did not expect to have a reaction like that. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Bellweathers Today, we're showing a new photo from Indonesia - the unique temple of Borobudur. This was taken prior to sunrise, when a thick layer of damp fog covered the mountain lowlands, where this temple is located outside of Jogjakarta. It was one of those very wet mornings when there is really no appropriate attire. It's not too cool and not too hot - but just "uncomfortable." I was listening to my music to make me forget about that nonsense though... it helped quite a bit! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Castle Walkway in Montpellier, France (The Castle Alley) I'll begin today with a new photo from Montpellier, in the south of France. We stayed there with a wonderful family (my friends Jacques and Marie) and had an amazing time. One evening, they took us out for dinner at a perfect little place on a quiet side-street. Along the way, Jacques, who is also a photographer, took me to this amazing castle-cathedral. He said, "I think this is probably a good area for photography." He said this with eyebrows raised and a serious expression. He didn't need to say any more than that! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The British Museum So, this museum has the Rosetta Stone -- what else do you need to know? And if it's got that, you know it has some other amazing things as well. I spent two days there -- one shooting and one exploring! Okay, well, both shooting. from Trey Ratcliff at stuckincustoms.com
Exploring Medieval Ibiza The old part of the city has been turned into galleries, restaurants, and small boutique hotels. The textures and lights are warm and supple. I loved walking around and discovering little parts here and there -- it was all especially nice because it was completely unexpected. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Street in Arles, France - This is Arles, which is only a short drive from Montpellier and less than an hour from the Côte d'Azur. The streets are quaint and quiet. There are a few tourist areas, but after a few steps in a random direction, you're back in the old streets. I needed to stay for longer for more exploration (!), but I did my best to make use of the short time I was there. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Peking Opera This opera is like nothing else in the world. I understand it had been closed for a long time. I felt honored to be invited to attend the opening night performance of the Peking Opera. It's mesmerizing and confusing event. Many people yesterday on Google+ asked how the Chinese government came to invite me and give me carte-blanche all over. I'll give you the story here. So, the thing is with the Chinese government is that you don't ask them, they ask you. There's no email for the Chinese government or any series of forms to fill out, so I feel very fortunate. I was first contacted through a surrogate in a very confusing email exchange that eventually I realized was a cat-and-mouse style of invitation. Once I worked out the conventions of this interchange I ended up with a driver, an assistant, a translator, and access to anywhere I wanted to go inside or outside of the Forbidden City. My poor assistant... More at https://plus.google.com/u/0/105237212888595777019/posts/Mdm25GEejtX
The Old Shed - Iceland This first shot below is from one of the fjords in the far Northwest of Iceland. It was a long and desolate morning when I arrived here. I had been driving all night, after the 2 AM sunrise, weaving back and forth on dirt roads up and down fjords. Little farmhouses are scattered here and there -- many of them abandoned. I decided to get out and stretch my legs (and my tripod legs!) to grab this one. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Where They Dry the Fish (Ósvör in Bolungarvík) - Iceland While in the northwest fjords, I came across these little huts with intermittent slats. This is where the fisherman hang the fish to dry in the incessant sea-winds that blow up the coast. Pretty cool, eh? from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
A gentle oxbow along the southern coast of Iceland. (The Gentle Oxbow) There were these tiny mysterious birds about. They made a tiny sound when they dove downward. The sound was almost electronic in a stuccato descending spiral. From Trey Ratcliff and the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Sheep on the way to Paradise - Glenorchy, New Zealand - This title makes it sounds a bit like they are about to be slaughtered... or maybe they are suicide-sheep, about to meet some sweet sweet virgin sheep in paradise. But no, this is not what I mean. There is a little town past Glenorchy, New Zealand called "Paradise". I passed these sheep while on the way there. I never made it to Paradise, truthfully. I turned around. It felt like such a long way to get here, and I had to turn around to get back to Queenstown before it got too late. - Read more at www.stuckincustoms.com
Morning in California... yes, yes... it's always painful to wake up early, but once you have a cup of coffee and walk around in the fresh air a bit, you wake right up -- and you're happy you did. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Atomic Explosion and Mushroom Fallout at Sunset This day and evening I was in Yellowstone alone. I had just seen a grizzly bear and a black bear about 30 minutes before this shot, both of which are pretty rare to see. They went on their way and I was left in the middle of this area with just a few elk meandering a few hundred feet from me. I tried to not get overly "sucked into" the sunset, trying to remember those bears that were lurking about. The ground was pretty marshy here, so I was not in optimal conditions for running from a bear. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Golden Onions This is the Kievo-Pecherskaya Larva in Kiev, Ukraine. It started out as a series of caves and now has grown to a massive complex of monasteries. Unfortunately, it was so cold and windy outside, that I didn't really have the ability to get a lot of shots all around this cave area. Actually, I did have the patience.... but Will was standing around looking quite bitter and cold, so we just moved on to the military war museum from WWII. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Gardens in the Mist - Li River Valley in China The Li River valley is a beautiful and serene area of southern China that's green, alive, and mysterious. The verdant limestone cliffs cover the landscape and give everything an ethereal feel. After a trip down the river, I got off the boat and decided to hike back to the little village where I was staying. Along the way, I decided to hike down a side-road that went off into these little family-run farms. I set up for a shot on this quiet dirt road. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Silent Bridge When I woke up in Nikko, snow had been falling all night. I started a long walk from the old lodge where I was staying towards the older area that has all the temples. Along the way, I passed by this old bridge with it's ancient and lavish design. Underneath it, the crystal-clear water flowed quickly as the snowmelt was giving it a bit more action than usual. It was very peaceful and nice. From Trey Ratcliff at the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
A Beautiful Morning in Beijing Another early morning outing found me at this place, just outside the Forbidden City. The morning was crisp and clear. It was one of those mornings where you feel like moving around to both stay awake and to stay warm. I walked to the top of the temple with all my stuff. It was a lot of steps... too many steps for that early in the morning! But, I was surrounded by a lot of early-morning Chinese people working out. What was interesting is that most of them seemed to be over 50 years old. And there were A LOT of them! They were working it hard, and kind of making me look bad. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Market at Night - Barcelona There is a fabulous market right in this very location that is apparently open in something called the 'daytime". The "daytime" is a mystical time that most people in Barcelona don't even know exists. I know this for sure because the next morning, at 9 AM on a WEEKDAY, I could not find any place open to buy coffee. People sleep in until approximately 3 PM. They then roll around in bed, thinking about getting up until 4 PM. They then get up, have some chocolate and churros, and then take a quick nap before it gets dark. And then they party. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Exploring the Cathedral - Notre Dame Cathedral Interior - France No tripods allowed. I think maybe it said this in French. Or English. I can't remember because I ignored it. How are you supposed to get a decent photo inside Notre Dame without a tripod? from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Deep Blue Morning at Cerro Torre I’d love to return to this place, but I’m afraid the weather would not be as clear and perfect. Many locals told me there is a 90% chance that these mighty peaks would be covered with clouds, so I felt very lucky to have everything so perfect. Surely, a return here would not be nearly as good… but maybe… just maybe… a return would have clouds, but in an awesome dramatic way. You probably also know I’m not a fan of plain blue skies. But way up in the mountains, sometimes the sky on the opposite side of the sun is a deep atmospheric blue. I see it from planes a lot when dawn breaks. Maybe you have seen that color of blue too… and here it is again. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Milan Train Station at Midnight from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Sunrise in America This was taken off the Florida coast on a warm summer morning. At this exact moment when the sun breaks the horizon -- well, this is a time when I am not thinking of coffee. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Inner Museum - Beijing, China This is the Capital Museum in Beijing, and it houses some famous and exquisite pieces. Many of the works were still incomprehensible to me, but it's nice how there seems to be an international feeling of beauty around different objects. The lighting was very unique in here, and the layout made for a challenging shoot. Of course I did use a tripod here...I'm not sure it is possible to capture it otherwise. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Lonely in London These red phone booths are perfect little specimen for photography, no? I'm trying to remember the first time I ever saw one. It was probably when I was a kid, watching Monty Python with my dad on PBS. Speaking of that, I recently listened to the Michael Palin autobiography on Audible (try them out - I love Audible!). I didn't realize the show was kind of floundering in the UK when it really hit big in the US. It sounds like the whole crew was surprised how popular the show was in America. All I can imagine is that their behavior must have just seemed perfectly mundane and normal in England. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Big Sur Morning I'd spent the previous day at Hearst Castle - all the way until sundown. That messed up my plans to take in the sights along Highway 1, so I drove an hour north and found a little lodge right on the coast. It was one of those mysterious late-night checkins where you can't see what's around you, but you have a feeling it's awesome. I woke up early in the morning to see this! I hopped a fence and hiked along the cliffs. Just as the sun was coming up, I grabbed this one from under a tree. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
On Gossamer Wings... Traditional Chinese Girl With Parasol in Beijing, China I had spent most of the day inside the Forbidden City, trying my best to find little bits here and there. Tiny discoveries, you know. I was pretty tired after a day of searching, but I still had barely enough energy to keep exploring into the night. At that point, I decided to go to another, older area of the city. There were hundreds of quaint shops, the smell of fresh food, families walking to and fro... it was all very nice. I came to cross a little raised bridge, and I saw this woman standing there. She was dressed in vintage Chinese grab and holding a delicate umbrella. While talking with her friends, the light caught her umbrella just right, so I snapped a quick photo. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Gladiator Arena at Sunset Bullfight in Arena at Nimes, France While visiting Fabien in Nimes, there was a bullfight going on inside this ancient Roman gladiator arena. The further south you go in France, the more likely you are to find the old influence of the Spanish bullfights. It's pretty violent, yes? Yes. In fact, if you zoom in, you can still see blood that has been smeared across the arena by the smearing-truck. Once the crowd started to clear out, a perfect sunset settled upon us. It was just Fabien, my wife, and I, and it was a very nice night. After the bullfight, we walked around to take a lot of photos of this amazing evening, Fabien took us to his favorite little secret French restaurant down one of the side streets. Perfect! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Horse in Window - Yellowstone There is a small slice of solace, I think, in considering the names of some of the great paintings from my impressionist heroes. They have names like "Girl in Field" and "Sun on Water". Not too exciting, but they do stand the test of time. But "Horse in Window"? I think not! from Trey Ratcliff's travel photography blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Last Sunset - Ibiza, Spain I saw this dock early in the day, and I was secretly hoping that it might just point towards the sun as it passed the horizon. So I had this shot planned along with about 10 others. Some worked out and some didn't. This is one of the ones that worked out. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Shibuya - The Intersection - Tokyo, Japan - Today we have a new photo from downtown Tokyo. By now, you have probably figured out that I just can't get enough of these downtown shots. Each angle is nice and different in its own way. Sometimes I like to freeze the action, and sometimes I like to let it flow. It totally depends on my mood when I am shooting. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Icelandic Docks in the Afternoon - Ísafjörður (Isafjorder) I arrived in Isafjorder in the middle of one afternoon, and my schedule was all askew. I had driven all night, taking photos along the way. I usually tried to arrive at the hotel by 11 AM or so, because that was my bedtime. If I didn't hit the sack each day at 11 AM and wake up at 6 PM, then it threw everything off for the next cycle! The skies were so interesting when I arrived, I decided to spend a few extra hours visiting the docks to explore. This is a famous fishing town in the far northwest part of Iceland, so the docks had a nice sense about them. I was so dog-tired that I was just kinda going through the motions. But it did keep me in that sleepy dream-state that helped everything flow easily. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Pier at the End of Times This particular photo was taken in Ibiza one evening, just after the sun dipped into the Mediterranean. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Crossing Tower Bridge in the Rain My bulbous 14-24 lens is a problem in the rain! If you haven't seen the Nikon 14-24 (see my Nikon 14-24 Review) before, then most people think it is a fish-eye lens, but it isn't. The apex of the glass juts out almost just beyond the tiny bayonet, and it seems to suck rain drops into it! I'm always wiping down that dang thing. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Japanese Girl with Mask The white mask is a popular meme in Japan. It’s pervasive and it affects all ages. I see school children wearing masks, old people in the subway, and everyone in between. I was waiting to see a new trend where the face masks have designs — quirky, cute Japanese designs. If no one has done it, then there’s a great idea for you. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Kimono Under the Cherry Blossom Trees - Kyoto, Japan It was my second time to Kyoto, but my fourth time to Japan. I started to become more accustomed to the times of day and the comings and goings of the ladies in kimonos. You can see them most any time of the day or not, but they flood out of every crevice around this time of night. The pink cherry blossoms made everything seem like it was right out the days of the shogun. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Queenstown From Above My friend Gordon from Camera Labs (be sure to visit his site) goes up here to test a lot of his cameras and lenses. There's a mountain here that you can reach by gondola, and the view is, well, as you can see, quite perfect! In this case, I used my new 28-300 lens, which worked out pretty well. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The secret Google+ Hangout labs... where strange things are afoot...
On Golden Borg - So here's a good idea if you go to Shanghai or Beijing, or any of these Asian megacities that have city-planning museums. These huge models are great for scouting sunset shots from a nice perspective. I usually use Google Earth, but taking photos of downtown areas require some thought about the altitude of the shot. So, for example, you don't want to go to the tallest building in a city to take the photo, because you actually want the tallest building to be in the photo. So that means you need to find a nearby building that is "high enough" that still has a good angle towards the big building. Also, preferably, you'd like that second building to be east of the big building so there is nice light at sunset. Well, there's a lot of things to think about, and these models are a perfect playground for perspectives. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Teleporters I’m not even sure which hotel in Beijing this is! (edit: comments indicate it is the Grand Millennium Hotel in Beijing) I was randomly walking around an urban area and peered inside some windows to see this. It looked so amazing inside — I had no choice but to go right into the lobby to set up! I was able to squeeze off a few rounds before security stopped me. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The New of Old China I found this place near the one of the old Imperial rice barns that had been converted into an opera house. It's a hard-to-find but charming area of the city. Not even my driver or assistant could find it, and they've lived in Beijing their entire lives! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Young Schoolgirl Returning Home in Tokyo One thing I recommend to travelers as they go from point A to point B in an unpredictable manner. Whenever I want to hit an exact location, I tell the taxi to drop me off a few kilometers from the destination. Either that, or I exit the subway early. I then meander my way from street to street and feel my way to the final location. Usually, by taking these unpredictable paths, I end up seeing a lot of things that would have been left unseen. That is how I found this little schoolgirl in Tokyo. I ended up on a busy street in the late afternoon, just as kids were running back to their homes. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Red Gate After Rain It was very close to the National Day, and crews were out freshening-up the city. There were about four Chinese painters that were busy putting a fresh red coat of paint on this perfect little bridge. By chance, they were just finishing up as I approached. This little boat from the painters was pulled up beside the bridge in a wonderful way, so I set up my tripod along the bank for a photo. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Prison of Marie Antoinette What an amazing (and somewhat eerie) place this is! You all have heard of the famous Marie Antoinette and know of her fate... but maybe you've never seen her lavish French prison? It's called the Conciergerie, and now it's on my must-visit list! I got the hot tip from one of my workshop students in London... an unexpected find. Okay... I'll be quiet and just let you enjoy this photo. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Stone Steps in the City - Beijing, China I see a lot of this in China. They have communities with giant apartment blocks. The new ones are all very modern and nice. And in the middle of them are fountains, small groves of trees, paths, swings, and everything. There are families out mucking about and enjoying it... but I wonder if it "feels" as funny to them as it does to me. I sometimes feel like I'm on a holodeck. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Lights of Japan - Tokyo Getting into this particular position took a few Cirque de Soliel moves that no one was around to appreciate (or warn me against). There is a pedestrian set of stairs that blindly switchbacks its way up an outside drum-tower of sorts. I had a feeling that on top of this little tower would be a good vantage in this particular direction, which I had not seen, but I had mapped out in my brain. I did one of those moves like children do when they work their way up a doorframe -- but I did it in a narrow stairwell. It got me to the top, which was extra-difficult with the tripod! I ended up with a clean view of everything. But then, only then, did I start to wonder how the heck I was going to get back down. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Boats in Ancient China This is the ancient village of Feng Huang in distant southern China. I hired a local driver to get me there, and the ride was longer than most plane trips! And a lot less comfortable... Anyway, after arriving, I had a wonderful time exploring. One morning, the old town was covered with thick fog. And it's that still, wet, timeless fog of China. When you are looking at it, you become convinced it will just never go away. I worked my way down one of the banks to an area where the local rivermen keep the boats to grab this shot. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Halls of India I understand that many of these royal halls used to be inlaid with rare stones. I can't even imagine what it was like... since they are already beautiful and detailed with all the stones missing! I don't believe I've ever seen a re-creation of one of these, even where the stones are fake. One place that comes to mind is the Amber Room in St. Petersburg, but I haven't been there yet... although it's on the list. From Trey Ratcliff's Travel Photography blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Liftoff at the Ranch I ran out into the field to capture this just as the helicopter takes off after unloading another group of guests. The lighting and angle were perfect, so I was curious to see if I could catch the helicopter blade totally still. I did! A good experiment... note that many of my experiments fail... but this one worked out. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Terminal - Beijing, China This is one of the smaller terminals in Beijing. The main terminal is huge, and you get to this one after you pass through security. The floors are so glossy, I feel like wearing ice skates! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Blue Metal and Light - Industrial Area in Beijing, China Many regulars know that I like to get "lost" in cities and find little secrets here or there. But, that's often in the older, charming part of cities. I rarely go into the commercial or mega-residential areas because sometimes they are more sterile or less interesting. Well, this part of Beijing is sort of a neo-industrial jungle of wild architecture and unexpected forms of light. There are dozens of brand-new buildings, each with interesting designs and countless angles. I ended up staying in this area deep into the night. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Time Frozen in the Ancient Village Feng Huang Cheng, Hunan, China This is a famous old village in China where the legend tells of two phoenixes hovered endlessly, transfixed by the beauty they saw below. It's located in the western part of central China's Hunan Province. It's called Feng Huang Cheng ("feng huang" being the Chinese name for the phoenix), and I'm happy I got to spend a few days wandering around its mysterious bits. This is a good overview of the city, and I'll have many more from the insides coming soon enough from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Love Locks in Paris There is a little bridge in Paris - maybe you have heard of it - where starcrossed lovers visit. They bring tiny padlocks with them. Sometimes they are decorated, and sometimes they are just fanciful. They affix them to the bridge that overlooks the Seine. Now, the bridge has thousands of these little love locks... It's all very nice, and perfect for some low f-stop photography, of course! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Brunch in London, England I don't know London very well at all. I can't ever decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing. It's just a thing, I suppose. And it's neither nor. While walking through the streets you come across places that you should probably know what they are. Or maybe you see a charming old pub and you just assume that it's quite famous. But I don't know. I can't tell one thing from the next... But I did see this little restaurant one morning. The outside was covered in ivy and flowers, and this old couple was sitting outside on the bench. I don't know why I set up for a picture... it was both mundane and not. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Window of Life Only the Shadow knows what Andrey will do next... well, maybe me and Andrey... but it will be exciting, whatever it is! This is the fanciful Casa Batlló. I was surprised by every turn when I was inside, and it was always inspirational. I wonder whether you have ever played Myst? This place reminded me of Myst--except Gaudi had come up with the ideas so long ago--in 1877! And those designs were not only for beauty but large sums of functionality built-ins too. Simply moving cool air from room to room is stylish and unexpected. -- Photo from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Lake in Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand We are having a wonderful time in Queenstown and the surrounding area. We just can't find a place with a bad view! Gordon from <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cameralabs.com/">Camera Labs</a>, who lives here, made a good point that living in Queenstown is a bit like living inside of a national park. There are beautiful national parks around the world, but you can't actually live inside of them... so this is really a remarkable place. Even better, the main mountain range here is called "The Remarkables"! from Trey Ratcliff's travel photography blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Roman Baths in Nimes - France When I arrived in Nimes to visit my friend Fabien, one of the first places we visited were the ancient Roman baths. The ruins here are better preserved than those in Rome! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Azure Cathedral - Barcelona, Spain While walking through the streets around the edges of Las Ramblas, I found this secret place. I'm not sure I could even find it again. Maybe one of our smart readers knows exactly where it is. Anyway, the place was quite beautiful, as you can see. It was also pretty much empty, so I had no trouble moving around to find the interesting shots. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Metal Ribbon - Sculpture in Beijing Opera House, China Here we have another stunning example of the fanciful architecture in Beijing. The opera house is a huge, cavernous complex. On the top level towards one side, there is an immense gathering area that's used for banquets, parties, and other such events. Luckily, my translator and assistant had set everything up ahead of time, so we were able to get in for several hours before the big concert to take some photos in peace before the crowds arrived. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Gentle Stream Through New Zealand Milford Sound, New Zealand All this news out of New Zealand is still upsetting. I've got a lot of contacts and friends down there... and I know it's a rough time. Not much I can do... feel a little useless... so about the best I can do is post some serene and gentle photos of the nicer side of nature. I hope all my friends down there find it gets a little easier as the days move forward. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Barcelona Airport - Spain This amazing airport in Barcelona was my launching point for a very long flight through Helsinki to Berlin. I am actually the kind of guy that likes to get to airports super-early. First, I don't like the stress; second I like to explore. A lot of these international airports are these architectural wonders. I think most people just drift through them, oblivious to how awesome they are... but not me. I love 'em! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
A Child in Tiananmen Square, China After I left the exciting-sounding (but actually cool) Beijing City Planning museum, I walked under the street to get to Tiananmen Square. There were thousands of people out celebrating a national holiday. Kids, parents, families, and all sorts of festive activity. Asian kids are always cute aren't they? You just can't get away from it... I found this little one with a busy mom snapping away nearby. Everyone was taking photos everywhere.... it was kind of crazy. I knelt down to grab this one before moving on to find more cute kids. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Remote Farmhouse with Waterfall Southern Iceland On one of my first nights in Iceland, I was driving along the southern coast. Pristine farms are plopped along the side of the road every few miles. As I began to approach one of the volcanic areas, the terrain changed enough so there were huge waterfalls in many of the vistas. This one was nestled deep behind the farmhouse, and it seemed like a nice little spot for a photo. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Saucer Section Separates National Centre for the Performing Arts - Beijing, China You know you were in for something special whenever the Enterprise got into one of those situations where the saucer section would separate from the warp nacelles. It always happened in the most extreme situations, and there was always a vital emergency. But the actual separation process seemed to involve about four minutes of special effects, which was surely long enough for the Borg to assimilate everyone. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Carmel in the Evening - I took a California road trip up Highway 1 from Los Angeles to San Francisco. On the way is the famous little town of Carmel. It's right by Pebble Beach, 17-mile drive, and a bunch of other amazing little places. The town is very quaint and cool... a lovely place to walk around and explore with your camera! This was my last shot of the night. After this, I stopped in a small Italian restaurant to eat some tasties while I edited some photos. This is one of my favorite things to do after a day of shooting... just relaxing... having someone bring me coffee and snacks... headphones on... editing away. Good times! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Horse in Landscape Remember what I said a few days ago about reasons for no stopping for almost every horse photo in Iceland? Forget I said that. I don't know what I was talking about. Go ahead and stop... I mean, how on earth can you pass this buy? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Icelandic Phallus I found this in the middle of another one of those 6-hour sunsets. I had spent the first part of the day in a far northern fjord, at the farmhouse of a good friend. About 200 km later, I found this spot near a crook in the road, standing up like cairn stones against time. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Sharks are Circling Google I don't know if this is supposed to be a shark fin or not, but it reminded me of all these silly recent news stories about everyone coming after Google. From the German government to other bureaucratic busybodies, things seem to be heating up. But don't worry Google... I got your back... and so do all my friends here on StuckInCustoms! :) from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Batmobile in Brenham, Texas On one of my little Texas road trips, I saw this thing on the side of the road and it was worth a turn-around! It kind of makes me want to have an awesome and impractical car like this. Everything else I do in my life is so dang practical...I think I need an impractical car! from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Capital Museum in Beijing And look - another amazing super-structure in Beijing! From what I understand, they have started bringing in more and more western architects to design innovative structures. I'm not sure who the architect here is... but it's very well done. See that giant red velvet wall to the right? It's hiding a new display that's currently being built. I've never seen such an elaborate "under construction" wall! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The New Austin Downtown Austin at Night We began the PhotoWalk by walking down 6th street down towards Momo's, where we met Leo Laporte and Lisa Bettany for a quick hello. After that, we weaved through the streets together, talking about all sorts of things. I also made about five other stops where I talked through my setup and my shots. On my final shot, we were working our way back towards The Driskill when I took set up for the scene below. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Mystery of the Orient World Showcase - Epcot - Florida The biggest mystery here, which you may have guessed by now, is that this is not in the orient at all. This is in the World Showcase area of Epcot. In some ways, I think, Epcot has the least exciting rides and attractions of the four Disney parks in Orlando. But what it lacks in rides, it makes up for in photo ops! I took this photo right outside of a great Japanese restaurant. I forgot the name, but I had some pretty good sushi. I think this place and the California Grill have the best sushi at Disney, if you are into that sort of thing. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Golden Knights are Bad Ass This was taken during an evening demonstration on the night before OpenCamp began. It was an unforgettable night with the Knights! After falling a few miles from the sky, the skydivers would open up their chutes & pyrotechnics and let loose. Since I had jumped with them the day before, they let me get up close on the landing to get some tight shots. - from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Russian in the Woods I took this shot of Vulva (pronounce the "V" like Chekov did with nuclear wessuls) when we were walking in the woods in Patagonia. I had gotten up ahead of him about a quarter mile, and I stopped to take of my bag to get a snack. I like snacks when hiking. Snacks are so good. Anyway, I heard Vulva coming up behind me, so I spun around my camera to take this quick photo of him walking at me. I told him that I thought he looked really cool, but I think he thought I was just being a cheeky American. - from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The London Eye I took this on the last PhotoWalk in London, so it's about time I post it! I won't be able to process the Austin ones for a bit... this is a busy time for me... you'll have to forgive me! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Under the Eiffel - Paris, France This time of night only lasts a fleeting five minutes. So, as a photographer in Paris, it's a major commitment to get in place for that dire period. There's never an easy decision, and... after all... it is Paris, so there is no "bad" place to be. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Mega Lobby Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada They don't love it when you take photos in Vegas, but I love to take photos in Vegas, so this causes a bit of a problem. Since I am not objective about the situation, I go ahead with my side of the story and take photos when and how I choose. At least, until the authorities show up... I then go into Michael Weston mode and talk my way out of the situation. This is the lobby of the Venetian, and it looks amazing from almost any angle. Just outside, you can often hear the valets singing a bit of opera... it's very strange but kind of nice! from Trey Ratcliff www.stuckincustoms.com
Horses at f/1.4 - Everything looks better at f/1.4! Kids, flowers, horses, and anything else with nice details really look amazing at f/1.4. Actually... here's a little secret... if you want to save a lot of money, you can get the f/1.8 that has a larger margin for error for beginners. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Underlondon After a day of "working hard" by meandering all over London to take photos, we ended up here at this cool restaurant. I'm sure some of our clever UK readers know exactly which one it is! It was one of those places where you walk in and see 30 different kinds of bread. So then, there is no choice left, and you simply have to get bread. I can sometimes have good bread-willpower, but not when I am presented with so many choices. It's sort of like peer-pressure... and every one of those different kinds of bread is a sentient being, beckoning me to eat em up. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Pretty Girl in Cherry Blossoms - Kyoto I started riding the wave of the cherry blossom bloom in Osaka before ending up here in Kyoto. All the news stations in Japan have a long nightly report that shows a fluttering line of pink cherry blossoms that flow across the map from the west to the east. It's a huge national celebration -- and it's really fun to be part of the sensation. There are hundreds of tiny and large parks all over the country that have cultivated gardens of these special trees. I visited a few dozen, and I enjoyed wandering around taking photos while the blossoms fell down like gentle pink snow. Millions of Japanese people also go out to enjoy the event. This girl was standing alone under a tree, taking photos and just sort of smiling, enjoying everything. I gave her the international sign for "mind if I take a photo???" She gave me a little bow along with a mouth-covering giggle before relaxing into a smile. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Inside the Driskill - Austin, Texas Well here it is, the awesome hotel where we are having the event. Many people agree it's the most beautiful hotel in Austin and is over 100 years old. They've always been very kind to me -- we had our workshop in there, a book signing, and all other sorts of events. One little thing that most people don't know -- the 4th and 5th floors have beautiful paintings and art hanging on all the walls of the hallway. It's worth a trip up there just to wander around the halls and see the art! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Little-Known Submarine Secret Dropoff Location in Lost Milford Sound, New Zealand Te Anau is one of the most stunning locations in the world. Located near the distant southern tip of the south island of New Zealand, it's the home base for countless breathtaking excursions. About two hours from Te Anau is this place at Milford Sound. It's called a "sound", but it's really a fjord. I heard an explanation of why it was not named correctly, but that escapes me now. I'm sure our smart members of the community here that are Kiwis can clear this up for us! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Balloons at Disney Do you know these balloons cost $10? TEN DOLLARS! A ten dollar balloon... but they do light up. So that's kinda cool. What isn't cool is that you have to buy one for every single kid in your retinue. One other cool thing (kinda secret) is that if it ever goes flat or pops, you can bring it back to get a free one. Technically, you could even bring it back the next year and still get a new one. This might go against the spirit of the deal, but it is a ten dollar balloon for the love of Disney-god. From Trey Ratcliff's travel photography blog, Stuck in Customs.
Ducks on a Foggy Morning - Iceland - When driving across the southern part of Iceland towards Wik, I went through an area of several miles where there was a sudden fog. I felt like it might not last long, so I went on a quick hike over near a slow-flowing river. Some ducks were having a morning swim off towards the misty horizon. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Infinite Stairs to the Oubliette La Conciergerie in Paris, France This is one of the areas where the French kept Marie Antoinette in the conciergerie. There were many mysterious parts of these chambers, and this was one of the most interesting. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Beachcomber Motel in San Clemente, California When I was in San Clemente, I walked up the road to visit the Beachcomber Motel. Even though I stayed in a friend's place on the beach, I was getting kicked out the last night. So I walked up here to check on accommodations. It looked quite perfect! I set up to take some photos, and management came out to stop me. I had to do some fast-talking to let them know I was not a threat. I have a certain boyish charm at times, but only at times. In this case, it just barely worked. I promised I would send the photos after I got them processed, which I finally have. And here it is. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
In Old China Feng Huang, China I was nursing my cracked ribs at this point after my clumsy slip down by the boats. But I had a bit of that post-accident adrenaline that numbed it enough to keep shooting a bit. Also, I think I was a bit loopy because of the pain, but that can make for good artistic endeavors, I think. When I remember walking around this area, it's all a bit more foggy than some of my other experiences, which are more crystal-clear. In some ways, I almost feel like I didn't take these photos, even though I know I did. It's strange thinking about it now. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Red Fields on the Tundra - Iceland Across the middle of Iceland, there are all sorts of terrain. I don't know if this is specifically Tundra. All my expertise in Tundra comes from Civilization where I know you can only grow one wheat, and sometimes there is a fur resource because of the seals. When the sun is very low on the horizon, my normal temptation is to point the camera in that direction. But in the opposite direction, when the light and terrain is right, it casts a faint reddish glow across the ground. It's a very nice effect and I did my best to capture it. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London, England Now, this is not the original theater, but it is a fully operational new version of it, located right beside the Thames in Central London. I was lucky enough to get a private tour of the facility and it was really cool, as you can see. Everything appears to be pretty authentic, from the thatched roof to the multiple view levels. In fact, it's exactly how I remember it from Civilization. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
San Francisco from Treasure Island And with this image, I am once again launching full-out-assault on the hallowed traditions of photography. You know what I did with this image? I post-processed it! Oh yes, I really did. And I had so much fun doing it… at least as much fun as Dexter in his kill room. I guess if I was to be really “honest” and take a photo of San Francisco and keep with the tradition of the greats of photography, it would have to be black and white photo, right? I mean, the world really is black and white, isn’t it? Oh wait, no… it’s in color. Wait, now I’m confused. Oh no, look what I’ve done now. I’ve gone and upset people that think one form of artistic expression is superior to another form of artistic expression. How could I be so callous and open with my thoughts and techniques? - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Business in London - Walking along one side of the Thames after visiting some museums brought us to this business district. There was a misty rain for most of the day, so it set down a nice sheen of reflection. There's a tiny water canal that runs through the center here, and the line leads right to the Tower Bridge, which you can see in the distance. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Girl in Hat Beijing, China - National Day When I’m someplace interesting, I usually set the alarm to get up quite early. Painful, yes. And then, when I’m in that half-wake state, I stumble to the window to look at the clouds and weather. If it’s a mess, I don’t go, and joyfully crawl back into bed. That’s just about the best feeling in the world. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Shaft Casa Batlló on Passeig de Gracia - Barcelona - Spain This is one of Antoni Gaudi's masterpieces. That guy is amazing... It was certainly on my list to visit before the trip, and I did not really have enough time to spend there. And, I couldn't use the tripod, but I don't want to get into that discussion...just too frustrating. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Trains Across Europe The Europeans are so lucky to have a semi-functional train system. I'm sure many of them find reasons to complain, but to me, it's all pretty awesome. The idea of a working train system is pretty foreign to Americans. This notion that you can get on a train in one city and then hop-skip your way to another city is a novel idea to us! If you're in Houston, for example, and you decide to go to Dallas, then "getting on the train" isn't even one of the things that crosses your mind. I don't know much about the passenger rail system in the US, and I guess that means it's in pretty dire shape. Without even asking, I can almost guarantee our biggest passenger rail service is subsidized by the government. And that, of course, means that I am personally paying for something that I know nothing about. I'm reminded of this when I go to Europe and can get on a train in Montpellier and end up here, in Barcelona. And not only that, but the train stations are all pretty interesting to explore.
The Megahangar at NASA The VAB, or Vehicle Assembly Building, is the worlds largest single-story building, and it's where NASA assembles many of the rockets, including the mighty Saturn V. It's also the tallest building in the US that's not in a downtown area. It's situated at Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center, and it's awesome dot com. The thing is so big that it even has its own weather system. In fact, on humid days it can even rain inside the building! In my photo below, you are really only seeing part of it. Off to the right, they are fueling up the Atlantis for its upcoming mission. Staring through the girders from another angle, you can easily see the giant orange tank going through its pre-launch ordeal. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Church in the Fog - Iceland I was driving along the southern coast of Iceland on the way to Vik, and I started going throw an area of lowlands. Around midnight or so, the sun was getting pretty low in the west, and it gave the sky a slight pink glow in almost every direction. I shot this one at a 200mm at F/6.7. I don't often take out my zooms for landscapes, but it does provide a nice compression that gives an unexpected feel to the final photo. It's really hard to explain in words, but maybe you can sense of this framing in the final result. It just can't be done with a wide-angle lens, even if I was a lot closer. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Exploring the Peninsula at Sunrise I weaved in and out of these little roads as the sun was coming up in Iceland. I was trying to find a certain rock formation off in the ocean, which I never found. But that’s okay. These roads are very windy, and that makes setting up for a shot very difficult. Every curve of the road is a new geometry, and this causes endless possibilities and problems! When you come across a nice old farmhouse like this, you hope the road is curving the right way so that you get a nice setup with the composition. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Chinese Pirates on the Li River One evening, my boat driver was speeding down the Li River as dusk was approaching. Every bend held new secrets as we wound our way further from civilization. I had a bag full of snacks to my left side and my DSLR to my right. Sitting out on the front of the boat, I had a full view of everything that was coming at me, so it was pretty amazing. Just before we got to the turn-around spot, we came across this old ship. Part of me wanted to go inside to explore a little bit… the other part of me was a bit freaked out. Since I was new to this part of the ‘verse, I thought there could be Reavers inside. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Cracking The Egg National Centre for the Performing Arts - Beijing - China Ahhh...the wonderful things that man can create! I was just coming off the end of a sickness from some bizarre viral strain I picked up in another part of China. And I was extra-tired because I over-worked myself and gave a long speech / demo at Google in Beijing. And then I over-over-worked myself because I had an amazing invitation to visit The Egg here, but I had to go, you know? You gotta go... I couldn't say no to these amazing opportunities. ...and I wasn't collapsing with fatigue and sickness... I could still move around a bit, even though I was not in top form. But I'm glad I went. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Night View from Balcony in Ibiza Ibiza is a really strange place. This hotel (Ibiza Gran) seemed to be typical of hotels in Ibiza when it came to the clientele. Here's the deal... if you have never heard this, you'll think it sounds pretty strange -- and it is. So a lot of people in Ibiza dress in all white. White pants, white shirt, free-flowing fabrics, and cavalier attitudes flow in and out of the hotel lobby, bar, poolside restaurant, and the spa. It's all very strange. It's sort of a combination of a Clockwork Orange and a Euro Sci-Fi Orgy. I can't quite explain it... I'm not sure I understand it, and I didn't succumb, even though everyone did seem very comfy. After a long day of exploring and shooting, I went out on the balcony to get a shot of the pool and the moon behind the clouds. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
KLIA I spend way too much time in this terminal, so I decided to grab an HDR shot. This is Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It is a great airport, just like most Asian airports I visit. They generally blow away US airports in terms of design and functionality. When compared to international hubs like LAX and CTG, there is no comparison. From Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
My Next Trip to the Louvre You know how sometimes you go some place awesome and you think, "This is really cool, I think I'll probably come back some day." But then, sometimes, after the event, you start thinking that maybe you may not be able to make it back. You never really know I guess. Anyway, when I do go back to the Louvre in July, I'm going to spend a day inside sketching. I do like to sketch (I have a few on the About Me page: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/trey-ratcliff/ About Me), and this seems like a great place to do it. I wish I had a whole month in Paris... I'd try to go here once a week for a day of sketching. Maybe I should put this on my to do list... why not? from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Church in the Wilderness before an Icelandic Summer Storm I drove from one end of Iceland to the other by myself, going down almost any road except the main one. I traveled down a little gravel road for a long way until I found this tiny church and graveyard. I jumped out to shoot this before the afternoon showers came down. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
This is Vespucci - Italy Vespucci's dream is to find his son and tell him important things. He twists his head quickly at me with a lost and quizzical look, and then he returns to a thoughtful gaze. Vespucci is currently homeless and cannot remember where his son is. from Trey Ratcliff at stuckincustoms.com
Ghost in the Cathedral - Kiev The Byzantine gold glowed hot when I got inside, a divine signal to me that God was mad because I brought my camera inside. However, I reasoned with God, the sign read "No Cameras" in a Cyrillic lettering, a lettering style I do not recognize since the Jesuits trained me in the Romance languages and not these Slavic uncials. Besides, I was inside Saint Michael's Cathedral, and I was holding a camera, and, as the saying goes, when in Rome, shoot interiors of churches in Rome, and when in Kiev, break Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Councils. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Skeletons at Sunrise - Yellowstone At one point when driving through Yellowstone a few weeks ago, I got out of the car and started walking right into the forest on the edge of the road. There was a thick fog and the morning sun was low, creating an unexpected box of light. I kept walking and walking until I found this area. It just felt right for whatever reason, so I set up to take this HDR. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Beating Hearts of the Buddhas - Borobudur, Indonesia I tried something a little bit different with this photo. I was holding two flashlights to help me climb the temple in the morning. I think I got there about 5:30 AM when it was still pitch black, so the flashlights helped me find the right footholds and whatnot. Anyway, this was an extremely long exposure, so I used some of that time to "paint" the inside of the bell cages with the beams of my flashlights. Each of those bell cages held a solitary outward-facing Buddha. I'm glad I was there alone, because I'm sure I looked like a loon running around shining the flashlights in patterns to illuminate the Buddhas inside. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Zipping Through Tokyo I think it rained almost every day I was in Tokyo, but that's just fine with me. It gives you all these "Black Rain" conditions, and makes the place twice as moody as it already was. I walked through Rappongi one evening to find a secret Italian restaurant. I ended up having to cross the road so many times on these overpasses, that I finally decided to stop and take a photo of the action underneath. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Alone at the Beach - West Palm, Florida I can't tell you how many times I've spent mornings and evenings on the beach by myself. I think it's quite alright, and I don't entirely mind it at the time. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Big Ben at Dusk Halfway through the PhotoWalk in London, we stopped here at Big Ben to get a shot. It’s a little tough for me sometimes to do this while on a PhotoWalk because I can’t fully focus on the photography. I have to talk, explain, converse, answer questions, and the like. Don’t get me wrong… I love all that stuff. But I do find it hard to fully focus on the photography side of the evening! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Sunset Storm over Kuala Lumpur I love this photo. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Falls of Yellowstone This is a very famous waterfall in Yellowstone National Park. I was there smack dab in the middle of the day, which is just about the worst time to take photos. So be it, Jedi. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Edge of Chile Today's photo comes from the from the very southern tip of the Americas. It is a bitterly cold place, even in the summer. I believe that the glaciation period is relatively recent, so the peaks are extra jagged and everything feels fresh and raw. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Godly Dance at the Taj My guide there was from no from one of the traditional Hindu sects -- he was a Jain. The Jain don't recognize the divine origins of the Vedas (made popular in the US from Oppenheimer's re-quote after testing the Bomb), nor do they believe in any one supreme deity. They instead revere Tirthankaras who have raised themselves to divine perfection. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Approaching London The afternoon yesterday had a typical London rainshower. But it cleared up just before sunset to reveal magnificent clouds. I crisscrossed the Thames River many times to find the right light. After the sun dipped below the horizon, the light finally fell behind Westminster with a delicate palette. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Morning. Coffee. Yellowstone. Fog. This spot is not too far from the entrance to West Yellowstone. The warm water that comes from the earth mixes with the cool morning sky. It creates a surreal layer of fog that simply rests on top of the river. It flows up, around, and through the neighboring trees. It reminds me of the dry ice that comes out of cauldrons on Halloween. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Morning at the Secret Lake This was shot in the Andes of Southern Argentina just near the border of Chile. I spent several hours of hiking in the dark just so I could get to this spot at sunrise. All the darkness in the lower half is the shadow of the mountain behind me as the morning sun rose above it. I was so thirsty from the hike, and had not brought any water with me. Looking on Google Earth beforehand, I knew there was a lake up here and I could fill up… so I got down on my hands and knees and drank like a horse… oh boy that was some good fresh water… You can see my little footprints in the snow there on the left. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Wrath of the Norse Gods - Hallgrímskirkja - Iceland This is Hallgrímskirkja, a church in downtown Reykjavik, Iceland. It is built to resemble an ancient area of the countryside, near a waterfall, where stones in these shapes were found as part of a natural geological formation. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The proper way to do attribution at a bare minimum, Mashable (and all you other lazy bloggers), is to do this: "Photo by Trey Ratcliff from StuckInCustoms.com [linked]". Simple. Now, as for this photo in particular, in case you were a'wonderin', this is a giant storm hitting the NASA vehicle assembly building. To give you a sense of scale, inside that building they built the entire Saturn V rocket that went to the moon...
There's a Pool Party at Sunset I think pretty much all kinds of food and drink are welcome. I'll bring a BBQ pit and an ambulance in case there are any problems. And I hope someone brings a boom box. Are they still called that? I don't know. Maybe that means it will be a lame party because I don't even know if they are called boom boxes any more, but I'm sure I'm not the only one that will bring a bit of 80's music. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Magic of Disney - This was taken this evening at MGM Studios in Disney World before we went to go see the big fireworks show. The only problem with making your family and 6-year-old son stand around while you set up your tripod and take a bunch of shots is that it gives them ample opportunity to see little toys they cannot live without. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Geothermal Genie - Iceland I've never been one of those people that can easily see shapes in clouds. Nor am I one of those people that can pass a Rorschach Test without being immediately thrown in jail for something I might have done. But in this picture, I think I see a genie coming out of that geothermal vent. This was shot in Iceland on a *rather* chilly day. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Secret Spots in Tokyo Now, knowing the crowd around here, you will be able to identify this secret spot in Tokyo. I really thank everyone out there for being so kind and introducing me to these great spots for photography. I feel quite lucky that when I travel, I have instant friends everywhere. I can't believe it! Anyway, the gentleman who ushered me into this incredible lair was <a href="http://japanorama.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Alfie</a>. Be sure to hit that link if you ever visit Tokyo and want to get some lessons WHILE seeing great places around the city. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
A View From the Ranch in Argentina I've always heard about how wonderful it is to have a ranch near the wine country in Argentina. But not until I was down there did I really find that out in person. The idea of walking across a ranch during the nether hours of the day and seeing something like this... well... it kind of makes me want to just go ahead and retire down there. All I need is broadband and these kind of vistas... that's the life, eh? I hope I was able to adequately capture the majesty of that place with this photo. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Across from Ground Zero This is right in the middle of the World Trade Center area where all the reconstruction was going on. As most of you know, I'm not a fan of modern art, except for when things just work out and something like this comes together. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Art Hangar The Millennium Bridge crosses the Thames and terminates here, at the Tate Museum. They don't like you to take photos in here. Heaven forbid someone should make art in a museum. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Cart Runners in Old Beijing There are many old pockets scattered all over Beijing. I haven't become totally familiar with all the names of these quadrants yet, but I should get another chance to re-visit all these places. This is actually kind of a weakness in the whole "travel blog" thing. See, a REAL travel blogger would memorize the names of all these places and spout them back to you. But, here is my excuse... and maybe it is not really that bad... but, to me, this kind of photo could be taken in many different places. The exact neighborhood does not matter. In fact, by NOT telling you the spot, you may be more likely to find it just by wandering about. These uniformed guys sat together in between jobs and had a rest. I don't know what struck me about it, but it just seemed like a nice little moment. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Myst Staircase I wish I could have met Gaudi. The only thing I know about him is his art, but I'm guessing he was an interesting guy. I also would have like to own one of his houses, but then I'd be in a pickle. He only designed and built a few of these houses, and I think living inside of them would be amazing. But, since it is such a work of art, I'd feel compelled to share it with the world. You can't live in it AND open it up to the public - so what to do? I'd like to say I'd be noble and open it up to the world, but the wonderfully selfish side of me would want it all to myself. Maybe it's not that different than owning a Renoir. Not that I own one of those either... but it is an interesting decision to think about. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Simplicity of Life There was a silent lake in the north of Iceland around 1 AM where I stopped for a stroll. I had bathed myself in this light for over a week, and this non-stop dream of solstice nights was getting deep into my mind. There is that strange moment between sleep and wake - you know the one - but that moment was elongated to hours on end as the elements drifted around me. Certain feelings around this are hard to explain, but perhaps you know what I mean. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Empty Apple Store, New York I always wanted to take a photo from this angle and thought about it ever since the first time I visited. I was happy with the rain, because it made it all feel right. Even better, I was standing under an arch so I was perfectly dry... these kind of shots out in the rain with the 14-24 are tough because of the bulbous lens. It's not a problem if the rain is straight down, but it never is! from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Coming Home to the Inn After Dinner Nelson, South Island, New Zealand This is in the far northern part of the south island if New Zealand. The town is named Nelson, and I think it is one of the five biggest on that island. But all of New Zealand only has four million people, and the vast majority of those are on the north island. I wonder what has happened to towns like Nelson since the big earthquake in nearby Christchurch. Maybe some of our NZ community readers can fill us in with some on-the-ground info. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Climbing Inside the Dyson Sphere This towering Escheresque room is inside The Egg, which you can see by looking back at previous photos of Beijing. Or, specifically, here is one photo from inside the egg, and another from the outside. When you're inside these megastructures, every room seems like a triumphant masterpiece on its own. I only know a little bit about architecture...just sort of as a general "fan" that can say, "Oh that looks cool," but I wonder about how many architects work on a structure like this. I'm sure it's a full team, and I imagine one of the junior guys getting to design this room. Even that would be a dream assignment, I would think! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Flowers and Carved Stone I kept driving and driving and driving and weaved my way up past a town in the far northwest fjords. I saw this strangely (and nicely) shaped mountain with that strange early-morning lighting. Then, I spent another hour or so hiking around until I found this special kind of blue flower (EDIT thanks to commenters Scott & Guðjón - it is called the lupine or lúpína in Icelandic). Just when I was about to give up, I found a giant patch of them, so I selected the right lens and set up for this shot. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Sad and Alone at Night On one of my first evenings in Beijing, I walked around some of the older parts of the city to get a feel for it. Whenever I have extra time in a city, I usually don't go too hardcore with the photography initially - choosing instead to explore on foot and get a sense of the place. But, you know, I do have my camera with me to get a few things here and there...just can't help it. Between a few streets, I came across this little guy sitting on the seat of a small motorcycle. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Stampede of the Wild Horses - Yellowstone After a long hike through the mountains of Yellowstone, I came across over 40 horses sprinting from one meadow to the next. I stepped behind a tree to get out of the way and shot this one. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Sacre Coeur Basillica - The Sacred Heart of Paris This is the Sacred Heart Church that sits high on a hill in a very artsy area of Paris. Actually, all of Paris seems artsy to me. I've always wondered what it would be like to be a "full time artist" living in Paris. Wouldn't that be just about the coolest thing in the world? Or maybe you would become spoiled in just a short while and take it all for granted. It's very hard to empathize or sympathize with any mystical miserables that might be in that situation. from Trey Ratcliff at stuckincustoms.com
Unstable - Montana Ranch I was in a remote ranch in Montana for a week last year. Almost every day we would head out to ride horses, find a distant fishing hole, or just randomly explore. Everything was great until I decided to test the bear spray into the wind. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Sometimes it's fun to be impractical Isn't it? Of course it is... I'm really not too much of a materialistic guy. I think my three biggest expenses are travel, good food, and camera equipment. Speaking of that last one, the Nikon D3x was finally made official, and I'm gonna be the first (or so they tell me) person to get one in Austin! Sadly, I think I will have more fun with that camera than with this car. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Soft Hills on the way to Paradise, New Zealand Just beyond Glenorchy, which is just a shade beyond Queenstown, lies a little place called Paradise. The road gets tinier and tinier as you get closer. A few miles before the road becomes all dirt, I pulled over to these soft rolling hills. They were covered with little sheep families, walking to and fro. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Flying Through the Night Skies of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia My grandmother told me that Kuala Lumpur was one of my grandfather's favorite cities. I wonder what he would think of it now... but I know what he means - it's also one of my favorite cities! I have many friends there, and people are generally as friendly as can be. www.stuckincustoms.com
Natalia on the Farm After getting back from one of those long hikes in Patagonia, I stayed with my Russian friends at a small hotel in El Chalten. It was a little family-run operation and the daughter Natalia helped out by running errands and these sorts of things. I took her around with me to take some photos in the little town, and she was happy to pose! It was plenty easy to find all kinds of interesting backgrounds, since El Chalten is a picturesque little town with old buildings, horses in fields, and mountainous backdrops. From Trey Ratcliff's travel photography blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Girl and Her Grandma in Beijing - China As I came out of a museum, I saw this young girl sitting with her grandmother and reading books. They were sitting on a simple bench and there was a wall of bamboo behind them. The light was falling perfect, so I dropped down onto one knee and took a quick shot. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Off the PCH at Sunset Whenever I go to California lately, I have meetings in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Rather than fly between the two, I like to take my time and drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. It's such a famous highway, but it's usually fairly empty. There is always a beautiful sunset... it's pretty much a guarantee. I popped out of my car and hiked through the brush a bit to grab this one so you can see what it looks like. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Four Horses It was one of those long summer afternoons when you are sure it must be 5 PM, and you check the clock and it's only 2 PM! You know these days. Anyway, I decided to pick up my camera and walk around the ranch in Yellowstone for a little while The stable area is always a target, rich environment, so I headed right over there to find these four horses lined up so nicely. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Singularity Device This screen in "The Place" (great name, huh?) that faces downward is supposed to be one of the biggest in the world. I don't know if it's bigger than the one in Texas Stadium, but it must be longer. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Deep into the Patagonia Glacier This is the Perito Mereno Glacier, and this thing is over two miles wide. Unfortunately, everything is so huge in the photo that you can't get a sense of the scale. When you see huge chunks cleave off, it all happens in slow motion, just like the movies. And the sound is like an icy thunder. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Temple of Heaven - China One too-early morning brought me to this very important place for the Chinese called The Temple of Heaven. It's the most important Taoist structure in all of China and millions flock to it every year, especially during the National Holiday. It was built in the early 1400's during the reign of the Yongle Emperor. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Homes in the Land of the Panserbjørne On my ninth or tenth day of the solstice, the mornings sometimes got a little strange. On this morning, it was around 2 or 3 AM. There was plenty of light, but the heavy clouds cast a blue tinge over the landscape. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Prambanan Sunset Sometimes the lighting is best right after the sunset. And sometimes this is right when the police come to get you. Maybe they were security guards. But it was hard to tell in the dark - and, besides, I didn't know the difference between the clothes of a security guards and a policeman in Indonesia. I had Will with me when these guys approached us, and he was not help at all. He did manage to keep them busy for a while so I could take some final shots, but we could tell that we had worn out our welcome. So then the guards started to escort us right out of there. www.stuckincustoms.com
The Hallway to the Mona Lisa The Louvre has one hallway leading to another in an endless and awesome labyrinth of confusion. Maybe the most confusing thing is that there don't seem to be consistent floors. There you are on floor three, and then you take half a flight down, and its unclear if you are on 2 or 2.5. And then, you see a sign, and it explains in international language that you are indeed on the "yellow" floor, where in the last wing you were clearly not in a color-oriented floor but instead on 1.5. But, throughout the Louvre are huge signs that say "Mona Lisa" with an arrow pointing in one way or another. I'm sure the guards got SICK of people askin', "So where's this moner lisa gal?" from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Silent Horse in the Fog Every night around 2 AM in Iceland was like a dream. I'm always enjoyed staying up late... As Sarah McLachlan says, "Night is my companion." Sometimes, after midnight is when things really start to flow, so my two-week sleep reversal of staying up all night to drive around Iceland was a trippy experience. The weather was always strange. Sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy -- but always with a tinge of the surreal. - from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Notre Dame from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Treetop Temple Protects Kyoto Photographed here is the Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto. The city is known for its traditional Japanese architecture, slower-paced life, natural beauty, graceful geishas, and zen peacefulness. I probably could have stayed in Kyoto capturing scenes the entire trip. I remained here until the sky turned black, and then I headed back down some winding streets to find an old small restaurant where the food was mysterious and every course was served with a gentle bow. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
There were no fireworks, but there was this pretty sunset I went out to my secret spot to get fireworks shots (that is not all that secret), but they did not shoot off because of all the high water and floods. But, there was still a great sunset... so I snapped this one. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
María del Mar Cathedral - Barcelona - Spain Here is another amazing place in Barcelona, Spain -- this is the famed Santa María del Mar Cathedral. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Young Girl in Basket - Feng Huang - China The main river that runs through Feng Huang and is criss-crossed by many bridges and walkways. To get up to them, there are long stone stairways that switchback up the sides. In the mornings, women go down to the river with their children to wash clothes. As they go back and forth to get more loads, sometimes they put the babies into the baskets on the way up again. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Best Fish Evar This spot is pretty well-known restaurant called Tjöruhúsið in the little town of Isafjordur. There is a little window in the back where the fishermen come every morning to deliver the fresh fish in exchange for getting to eat there for free. They bring you the food inside giant iron-clad pans... it was so awesome. I'm going back in a few months and I'm going to gorge myself here with giant dinners before heading out for all-night shooting. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Big Sur in the Morning I stayed at the Ragged Point Inn. My room had a little fireplace and everything (which made it even harder to get out of bed!). After I got downstairs, I started a little hike to get a good vantage of the coast and the sunrise. Of course, there was a fence blocking the best bit, so I jumped over it like Carl Lewis (a much older, whiter, and less jumpy Carl Lewis), and edged along the rocky coast to get a good spot. I forgot to put on my hiking shoes and mistakenly donned my Cole-Haans while in the dark. Big mistake. Those don't make for good hiking shoes, especially after five minutes of getting soaked in morning dew from the foliage I was ripping my way through. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Adventuring in the Valley - Argentina Argentina is gorgeous. Have I said that before? Doesn't it go without saying by now? You really get to know a set of mountains when you have to hike around them. Fortunately, in the middle of these death marches, I was able to stop and drink in some of the scenery. It took a lot longer than necessary to get to the destination, but at least I arrived with a camera full of photos. That beautiful peak in the distance is Fitz Roy. I was very lucky to see it, because 90% of the time it's covered with clouds. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Forgotten Temple, Cambodia I emerged from one part of the undergrowth to find these wonderful ruins. There were little human-shaped blocks all over the jungle, so I knew there must have been other little ruins overgrown just about everywhere. I can hardly imagine what it must have been like back in its prime. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Prismatic Cathedral In the webinar, I gave people a small set of images for homework. This is the second of the two sets (the first I posted yesterday). I didn't mean for both to be from Spain, but I guess they are! Anyway, I thought it was kind of fun for people all over the world to be processing my images while I am processing them... kind of strange but cool. I will try to post things on a regular basis as we work on them together. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Spiralstorm This beautiful staircase was found in a small cloister while I was about to exit St. Paul's Cathedral in London. I took some extra time while I was over there for the workshop to explore places like this. There were only a few days extra, but I tried to make the most of it. I got shut down a few times while in the proper part of the cathedral, but I did manage to get a few shots in. As for this area, it was wide open and no one said anything. I always feel more comfy when I am not rushed and have time to set everything up! In this case, I used a 14-24 lens. I get asked a lot if I use filters on my lens -- but I do not. I don't even know if you can get a filter that fits this bulbous wide angle. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Ghost from the Dungeon - London I was walking along the Thames river in London, following up on a lead that a reader told me about. There was supposed to be some cool hidden underground area that you can access from underneath one of the bridges that crosses the river. I never found it, but I did come across this place. Maybe you have seen it before if you are a local? If so, maybe you shouldn't ruin it for the other readers... let them uncover it on their own. Also, if you say what it is, it may ruin the nice mystery of it all, yes? Yes I'm sure since we both know what it is... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Tori Gate - Florida This is a replica of the exact same place I have been near Nikko, Japan. The Nikko one is quite hard to shoot! There are many things in the way, and setting up for the ideal shot is no easy matter. Plus, when I was in Japan, the sky was not so great that evening. It's the luck of the cards sometimes! But this evening in Disney World was ultra-perfect. Epcot is the park that has all the little international areas. Japan, Germany, France, etc etc. It's all a little silly and fake -- but it's also very cool and scenic! I don't know how it can be both... but it is. Those Disney imagineers do an incredible job of making things look dreamy. I do the best I can to capture the magic as I saw it. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
American Airlines at DFW This is the same plane that I flew to Tokyo on just recently. It was shot from high above in the Admiral’s Club. It was an awfully stormy day, and I was worried that maybe the flight wouldn’t go off on time! We were delayed a few hours… but that gave me plenty of time to set up all my equipment in there like dork! from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Join me on the beach at sunset... It will be a great photowalk tonight!
The Grassy Roof in the Central Icelandic Farms While driving from one side of Iceland to the other in what was supposed to be winter, I spent a fair amount of time in the grassy inlands where some sort of heat inversion kept the ground green and fertile. I came across a few of these homes with these thick peat grassy rooftops. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The British Museum - So, this museum has the Rosetta Stone -- what else do you need to know? And if it's got that, you know it has some other amazing things as well. I spent two days there -- one shooting and one exploring! Okay, well, both shooting. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Morning Steam Through the Forest in Yellowstone - I was exhausted after shooting most of the day. I drove over the the Firehole River to have a swim. There was no one else around, and I didn't have a swimsuit, so I just went in my undies. This seemed like a great idea until my underwear ripped on a rock. This, combined with very sensitive feet that make me look crazy when walking on a rocky shore, made for quite a scene. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Exploring the Valleys Beyond the Fjords of Akureyri I had always wanted to visit fjords ever since reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as a kid... picturing Slartibartfast carving them up was something that always stuck in my mind. The first ones I got to visit were in Iceland after I went up north to stay in Akureyri for a few days. I had actually intended to go one place that my friend Helga suggested, but I ended up getting lost, which is okay enough. This fjord valley kept going and going as the sun started to rise over the edges. I pulled over every few miles whenever the moment seemed right to shoot, and it seemed right so often! from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Sea of Sunflowers This photo was much harder to take than it might seem! First of all, these sunflowers are tall - and I mean tall! They must be between 6 and 7 feet in the air. I was on the ground with them, so, of course, I was looking UP at them. No one wants to see a shot like that...! So, I put the camera on the tripod, set the timer to 5 seconds, extended the legs, set the manual settings correct, then jacked the whole thing in the air, holding it rock steady while it took the exposure. Getting a steady horizon while holding the camera 12 feet in the air is not easy... and after a number of takes, my shoulders were just about spent for the rest of the night. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
About to cross the stream on the hike, approaching the blue glacier This is about 20km into our backpacking. The fertile soil from recent glaciation sprang colorful life everywhere, even as the valley was changing colors for autumn. Little streams trickled here and there and fell into larger streams. Fording some of these was always a little sketchy when carrying a bunch of expensive camera equipment, but it was always worth it. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
La Ville de Paris Gets Ready for Night I was on the hill in the Montmartre part of Paris just after the sun had set. I pointed the camera over the sprawl of the city just as the lights were coming on for the evening. I made it my personal mission to walk down into the city that evening, meander around, and visit at least three pastry shops and eat a silly number of desserts. I tricked myself into thinking that I might be burning a lot of calories by doing so much walking. It's amazing how easily I was able to justify French desserts. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Chinese Technopolis - Beijing Planning Museum City Model in China How boring does the "Beijing Planning Museum" sound? Very! How surprisingly awesome is the "Beijing Planning Museum"? Very! The museum features a few giant city-models. And I mean GIANT! You can get a sense of the size of this thing by looking at the waist-height red rope around the outside. Not only is this a fully detailed model, but each of the buildings light up individually in a cascade, corresponding to a dreamy Chinese voiceover. The voice describes each sector of the city and what makes it unique. There is music playing in the background that I could have sworn was the same music as "Jurassic Park", so that was a very strange addition to the scene. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Dragon Boats of Commoners on a Lonely Stream near Hangzhou - On the weekend while in Shanghai, I was in the mood for an adventure, so I went down to the train station to buy a ticket to Hangzhou. This was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty in the 12th century and it was in the middle of the Yangtze river delta. The royalty established a number of temples around West Lake, the dozens of tiny freshwater lakes that were created for the emperor. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Mini-Land of San Francisco I know some photographers are probably familiar with this tilt-shift type of shot. For those of you not familiar with it, there is a way to take photos and convert them into something that looks like a miniature. You can do it in-camera with a certain kind of lens, or afterwards with some post-processing. I don't do a lot of tilt-shift stuff, but I thought I would share this one! :) from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The State Capitol of Texas at Dusk - I went down on Saturday evening to do some shooting around Austin and caught the capitol around sunset. There are all kinds of interesting things about the Texas capitol, like this cool underground Illuminati chamber you can see here, but the one thing that all Texans seem to know is that our capitol is 14 feet taller than the one in D.C. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Surf in LA as Night Passes - There's this moment in California when the sun hits the horizon that I am quite sure most of the natives take for granted. The gradation of sky from the burning sun to the deep blues can only be really appreciated if you swing your head around and purge your short-term memory. The effect is not dissimilar to the optical illusion of the giant full moon on some evenings, seemingly magnified by our inability to establish a frame of reference. I think something along those lines happens with color as the sun dips. You can see this from space, as the sudden band from light to dark rips around the earth -- that same viewing cone can be seen from anywhere on the surface, and it can be best noticed in places like LA, with the nearly infinite horizon. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Walking the Streets of France After Dark This perfect little European medieval street was in Lyon, if I am not mistaken. Sometimes I forget here in my old age. There's a 10% chance it is in Paris. There's a long path from click to final image and my memory fades betwixt. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Batmobile Everyone likes the Batmobile yes? It's especially cool when you see one on the side of the road in Texas that some comic-book redneck has souped up to be something that is on the edge of street-legal. I jumped out quick to grab a shot before the owner could come out and hit me with some sort of a 2x4, which I only assumed me might be carrying. Actually, you never know... around Austin it's just as likely to be a doctor or lawyer (assuming one of those two to be an honorable, upstanding profession! (also notice the nice only-in-Texas trailer hitch on the back) from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Carousel in France It was just past 10 PM on the wet streets of Paris as I was getting lost on purpose around the streets near the Church of the Sacred Heart. I bobbed and weaved through various little alleys, streets, and tiny bakeries (where I would just have to stop for a moment), before finding my way to this little faire. There was a small carousel spinning away with tiny little French children screaming wonderful things... from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Steampunk Horse I was in London and found this place just after my wife and I had a lovely dinner with Matt Ridley (have you seen his TED Talk on "When Ideas Have Sex"?) Visit my Best TED Talks at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/best-ted-talks to see it... right there at the top! He's a great guy and his TED speech did not mention why ideas would come together to make a steampunk horse. We passed a gallery in a nice part of town that was totally dark and mysterious -- except for this wonderful creation inside. I could not resist and had to whip out the tripod to make it happen! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Silent Temple of Zhangjiajie I took this in the middle of a serious trek in Zhangjiajie, deep in the southern part of China. It was one of the hardest single-day treks of my life. This part in the lowland forest was not too tough because it was relatively flat. There were little path problems here and there, but nothing too major. Most of the problems involved walking up and down these bitches: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2010/10/17/zhangjiaji/. I probably should not call them that, but, honestly, when you are walking up on down them, it's one of the words that keeps popping into your mind. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Chocolate Shoppe - London Here's another that I processed the other evening while people looked on... This is a chocolate shop in London that I found by accident called the Rabot Estate. I bought a lot of stuff here, and it didn't last very long. I also had a very nice cup of drinking chocolate while flipping through some chocolate books in the back. I found out there is a chocolate resort somewhere in the Caribbean.. it's like a regular Caribbean resort that also happens to be on a cocoa plantation. SIGN ME UP. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Giraffe on the Savannah Our giant reticulated friend, unable to articulate, was forced to gesticulate in the most ridiculous manner. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Aerophilia This wondrous place is the new Air and Space Museum in DC. I thought I knew a lot about planes until I got here. I would recognize this and that, but the whole gestalt of the place was completely overwhelming. Overwhelming in an awesome way, of course. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Aurorus Reflectus Colosseo from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Votive in the Dark Cathedral I love a scary cathedral. They can put you in such a melancholy and gloomy mood if you want them too. You can feel the overbearing saints from above judging your moves, and giving you a few bonus points in the big game if you light one of the votives. In a scientific study, it was proven than a votive makes a prayer 35% more likely to be granted. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Hidden Buddhist Temple of Borobudur at Sunrise This morning I got a wakeup call at 3:30 AM to head out on a distant trek to Borobudur to climb the temple before sunrise. I had a flashlight and a fully loaded iPod for the ascent. I stayed at the top and all around the temple for most of the morning, collecting shots here and there as misty clouds rolled in, through, around, and over the temple. This temple laid abandoned and overgrown for about 800 years until it was rediscovered by the British. You can see the distant volcano rumbling in the morning sunrise... from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Peony Pavilion at The Imperial Granary I was invited to go see a very special event here in Beijing. There is an old area that has the ancient Imperial Granaries that date back hundreds and hundreds of years. One of these has been converted to an intimate opera house. They bring in some of the best opera actors from all over China to perform here. If you haven't seen a Chinese opera, you are in store for something totally original! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The 57 Chevy This is a shot of a '57 Chevy. I saw it when walking back to the Magnolia Hotel on Friday night after dinner in Dallas. I took a photo of this pretty car under the blue lights of the porte-cochere, went upstairs to my room, downloaded the Topaz Bundle software, made the adjustments, and had the whole thing finished in less than 30 minutes. That quick turnaround speaks to how easy the software is to use. I've since used it on a number of other images, including some unpublished ones. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Monkey Love A male monkey and his mate relax near an ancient naga at the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Above the World - High up in Queenstown, New Zealand There is a gondola ride that goes to the top of one of the mountains in Queenstown. It's not one of the ski areas -- just an area for hanging out, seeing the sites, the luge, dinner, and this sort of thing. But it's always stunning. I went up there a few times. They have one of those giant buffet dinners up there where I took the family. It's one of those high-end ones where you try a little bit of everything and then realize that you are way too full and bloated... I tried to shake off the guilt by running outside at dusk to take this photo! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Meditation - It's sort of hard to find time to meditate nowadays, eh? I mean, there is a lot of stuff going on. I wonder if the old-school Buddhists would be as good at meditating if they had broadband. It's quite easy to distract yourself online. By the way, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for distracting yourself to join me for a story or two... And, should you find the inspiration to meditate a little, maybe this shot from Siem Reap, Cambodia will help. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Ancient Feng Huang Cheng This is an old place that maintains its classic charm. It's called Feng Huang, and the old buildings along the river are still up on stilts. They don't build right along the river, since they know every 50 years or so, a major flood clears everything away. In the meantime, locals go on about their business, going down to the river to wash clothes, prepare food, and the like. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Approaching the Glacier after a Stormy Sunrise We left while it was still dark to reach this spot by the morning. The glacier is already a deadly blue, but the morning light gets into the nooks and crannies and makes the blue reflect around like an argon laser. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Beautiful Feng Huang at Night After a few hours of shooting, I stopped at a small family-run restaurant that overlooked the river. I pulled out my sketch pad and started drawing the scene around me for a few hours while the nice mom inside brought me all kinds of mysterious hot foods, teas, and little cookies. It was a very peaceful and nice night... from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Martian Chronicles - Geothermal Domes I am proud that one of my books is a signed copy of Ray Bradbury's book. I don't think it's my favorite book, but it's got that nice patina of awesomeness that comes with early-age science-fiction. Part of my problem, frankly, is that I can't get some of those wonky images out of my head that were implanted by a low-quality movie version I saw on TV as a kid. - from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The sunrise as the caged Buddhas look on - Borobudur Each of these "bells" is really a stone cage that houses a Buddha statue that is seated, facing outwards. At this time in the morning, you can take little flashlights and peer inside the cages. It's all very eerie and fun... In the distance, you can see a few volcanoes poking through the mist. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Stopping for Lunch at the Emerald Lake in the Andes We stopped at this mountain lake to relax and have a quick lunch. It was a good chance to drop off the bag, put together my camera and tripod, then break it all down again, repack, and get back on the hike. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The River that Ran Through Lyon at Midnight I walked around Lyon at midnight with a Russian friend. He saw me walking with my camera attached to my tripod and the strap hanging down. He winced, saying he saw one of his friend's cameras just drop off the head and crash to the ground. He forced me to wrap the strap around the tripod just in case... and I still do that to this day, thinking about is disapproving Russian scowl. I don't need to see that it my mind's eye... from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center After I went to the top, I visited the bottom of Rockefeller center, where the famous ice-skating rests. The huge lights on both sides of the tower created a cool purple streaming light that exploded out of both sides of the building, making for a very cool effect (at least I think so!). Copyright Trey Ratcliff All Rights Reserved
Entering the Forbidden City The Forbidden City sits in the middle of Beijing along an imaginary line called "The Central Axis". Many of the important buildings, temples, and monuments are along this line. It might seem convenient just to walk along this line to see everything you need to see, but this idea only works if you have the mobility of the Genghis Khan cavalry. I had a delightful tea inside the Forbidden City at a secluded and secret tea house with my contacts. It all sounds somewhat cloak & dagger, doesn't it? from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Pandora from Avatar I also climbed one of these at night. Alone. That was exciting. I don't know if exciting is quite the right word for it, but it certainly was an experience (that word said with French accent). On the way down, I ran into a big snake that would have liked nothing more than to rock my face off. I'll have a full story on that in a later post from this area. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Midnight Wonder Garden These are the lower gardens of Kiyomizu-dera in one of the older parts of Kyoto. I've been to this area multiple times, and I try to go at different times of the day and different seasons. I'd love to be lucky once and catch it in the snow... I suppose that would mean I need to go in the winter or something. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Mighty Rocket Awaits Today I had a great day at NASA. I've come back to the space coast in Florida to see the space shuttle Endeavor blast off, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Sunrise Discovery of Angkor Wat I feel a bit like a British explorer, surrounded by my cadre of Cambodians at $18 a day. They drive me around, carry my tripod, bring me water when I am thirsty, and seem anxious for me to colonize the area. A member of my cadre woke me up early this morning at 5 AM. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Lost Hindu Temple in the Jungle I took an afternoon hike in the remote area of Java just outside the town of Jogjakarta to explore this temple. It's called Prambanan, and it was built around 850 CE. The rain was pouring down, which left me and Will there pretty much alone, except for a few wild deer in the area. I waited through the rain because I knew if it cleared there would be a great sunset. I had a little baggy over my camera to keep it dry until everything passed... While waiting on the rain to stop, I walked around and did more up close exploration of the temples of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma, which were three of the largest in the complex. All the temple blocks were on the edge of collapse, after many centuries of Indonesian earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Inner Tomb of Humayun - These ancient rooms inside the funerary complex were strangely empty, and I had the whole network of strange rooms to explore on my own. I also listen to strange music while I take my photos. This makes everything even more transportive... and it just may have helped me find the nearby reliquary... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Safehouse - Today's photo is from a forgotten field in the south of Argentina, not too far from Ushuaia. There was a housing community near here that was built then abandoned when the lake level started to rise. It was full of old husks of structures that were still beautiful in their own way (and doubly so at sunset). - From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Where the Sky is Torn Asunder The morning sun sprayed orange across the top of Fitz Roy, and I could feel those sharp tips slicing into the cold sky. It was really an unbelievable experience being there at the perfect time; I feel very lucky indeed. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A soft summer night in the marsh My shoes have never been the same since I started tromping through this muck. That part didn't bother me so much, but I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to make a hasty escape if something started running after me. I didn't see anything that would start a chase... there was a herd of about 14 elk about 300 meters away. I had never seen them stampede randomly in the direction of a photographer, so I felt kinda good about that. Remember, all of these were just half-fleeting thoughts that were only half-baked... I was mostly just peacefully staring at the sunset and listening to my iPod alone in the wilderness. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A cool waterfall to relax at during the hike - Andes During the hike through the Andes, I would vacillate between sweating hot and frigid cold. Sometimes, things would be just about perfect and an idyllic waterfall like this one would emerge from the Eden-like trail. It was the perfect place to take a load off in the cool water for a break. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Christmas on the Champs-Élysées... from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Jack Horner De-choppering - Montana This is another picture from that mysterious ranch in Montana that I hint at from time to time. The only way to get there is a 3 to 4 hour horse ride or to take a private helicopter over the Rockies... it descends into a secret green valley... something right out of Galt's Gulch. Every few days, new guests arrive and depart. And, on this day, the chopper brought in the great Jack Horner. He's one of those guys that's awesome and doesn't even try to be. He just is. Later that night, he gave a talk in front of everyone about some of his new discoveries in the world of dinosaurs. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Gateway to the Temple of Heaven I had an amazing opportunity in Beijing to get private access into the Temple of Heaven one morning. Well-costumed officials from the government met me before sunrise just outside the gates, where hundreds of early risers were already outside doing exercises and preparing for a national holiday. The nice men pulled out ornate keys and opened up the private doors to let me in. I had about 90 minutes to take photos of everything as the sun rose. It was a great day of shooting! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Magnetic Anomaly in Yellowstone on the Solstice The picture here was taken on the summer solstice in thin-crusted geothermal hotbed of the Norris Geysers. This particular place was not too far from something called the "whirlygig" (or somesuch). The various colors are made from two merging rivers, each one with a dramatically different temperature. Different color bacteria live in each temperature of water - the red bacteria was over 160 degrees and the green was below 160. If anyone else was there during this same time, they can confirm the quirky nature of these dual rivers running in the same channel! :) from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Under the Docks in California I felt fortunate to have a good friend that had an amazing condo that overlooked this same beach. Frankly, after a long day and night of shooting, I felt spoiled and happy just taking a few more steps to my pad... grabbing some cool drinks... opening the patio doors to listen to the surf... good times! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Grooming and Bugs I found this male and female doing a bit of grooming just outside of the jungles of Cambodia. I've taken photos of a lot of monkeys. They are all over SE Asia and India, so I always pay special attention to them. I suppose that, as a Westerner, I'm just used to seeing monkeys in zoos. So whenever I see them running all over creation, it always makes me laugh. I chase 'em around and take photos like a nut. These two, however, I snuck up on. It's not easy to sneak up on a monkey, mind you. But these two were really into each other. I did a low approach like a Navy SEAL to get as close as I could. The female noticed me at the last second, and I grabbed this shot before they started to run away. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Where to Party in Vegas This is a shot of the restaurant area of Club Mix, which sits on the top floor of THE Hotel. I was able to see so many cool places there -- I hardly knew which to process first! ...more coming in the next weeks and months! from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Razor to the Sky This is of the indomitable Fitz Roy at sunrise buried deep in the Andes, in the hinterland between Argentina and Chile. To get this shot, it was none too easy! First, I "woke" up after a sleepless night in a two-man tent with Yuri. It was perhaps the worst night of my life and I've never had a panic attack before, but I honestly felt like I was pretty close. The smell combined with the pitch black, the snoring, the freezing cold, and the tiny tent was almost more than I could bear! From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Modern Techno Life in Tokyo What happens in hyper-techno places like Japan and Korea seem to be the techno-canaries in the coal mine for the future of technology and behavior in the west. Several years ago, almost everyone walked around their ultra modern-cities with their heads buried in their mobile phones. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
La Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmatre This is a famous basilica in Paris. It sits high on a hill and is beautifully lit in the evening. This is the birthplace of the Jesuits back in 1534. That is only interesting to me because I was a Jesuit student myself back in the day. You would think that would mean that I would be allowed to come inside to take all the photos I want with a special key that everyone gets upon graduation. But I had no such key so I was forced to stay on the perimeter with all the other heathens. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Parisian boulevard where I should not have been standing Paris is one of those places where the streets are always a little wet, at least in my head. If they are wet, then they are slippery and traffic will be crazy... so it sounded like a capital idea to go out into the middle of the Champs-Élysées to get a quick one! from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Golden Pavilion This is one of the most famous temples in Kyoto, so of course I had to go. It's sort of like going to the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Rudy's BBQ in Austin. It was originally built back in 1397 and has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The building itself is as meticulous as the gardens around it. The Japanese really know how to tend a garden! There was a fleet of workers all over the grounds, sweeping up and rearranging little bits here and there. It was all very quaint and wonderful. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Morning River - Glacier National Park Here is a photo from a crisp and cool morning in Glacier National Park. This river empties from a icy clear lake. I was running back and forth between here and the lake as quickly as I could to get the light as it crept over the horizon. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Ancient Nikko This is my first shot from Nikko, Japan. Nikko is famous for all the incredible temples from the Edo period. I woke up early (violently early, let us say) to go out and visit all the sites before the tourists came. You guys know I don't like tourists in the shots... Actually, to tell the truth, I don't like them around at all. I like to listen to my strange music and roam around these ancient places by myself, stopping to take photos when I am ready. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Post Ranch Inn at Dusk Whenever I check into a hotel, I always feel like a dork because I say, “Hello, you don’t know me but I’m a photographer, so having a really good view at sunrise is important.” I don’t think this ever amounts to a hill of beans, except for here! The nice lady that set me up said that the mountain-view had the best light for photography. She said this with such authority that I did not question it! And she was right… I took this one evening at dusk before walking up the path to an amazing dinner. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Gladiator Arena at Sunset While visiting Fabien in Nimes, there was a bullfight going on inside this ancient Roman gladiator arena. The further south you go in France, the more likely you are to find the old influence of the Spanish bullfights. It's pretty violent, yes? Yes. In fact, if you zoom in, you can still see blood that has been smeared across the arena by the smearing-truck. Once the crowd started to clear out, a perfect sunset settled upon us. It was just Fabien, my wife, and I, and it was a very nice night. After the bullfight, we walked around to take a lot of photos of this amazing evening, Fabien took us to his favorite little secret French restaurant down one of the side streets. Perfect! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Shopkeeper in Beijing on Steps I was taking photos of the festive street at dusk, and I noticed this shopkeeper out taking a rest. I've always admired how people can rest in this position. I can only sit in that position for about 15 seconds before I scream in agony and my patellas pop off at a hyperspeed tangent. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Endless Alley in Barcelona - The dirt and grit and color that comes with European alleys make for great subjects for dynamic night photography. Usually I only stay out for about an hour after it gets dark, but it's hard to stop with this kind of scenery... I mean, you can make a legitimate excuse to stay out all night! But a lot of people warned me about how dangerous Barcelona can be... I did already meet many people that were robbed blind... I was extra-extra careful... and, in this case, decided to head back to the hotel early. Also, I was feeling pretty under the weather...so yet another excuse. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Keyhole to the Old City - Montpellier, France This is the second photo I have posted from Montpellier. I have a lot more to process... it's a beautiful town! We were staying with a very nice older couple and had spent the evening in the city. Before leaving, we were not quite sure how to get back to their home. After asking, we got one of those very quick but complex set of directions. They are the sort of directions people give when they have lived somewhere their entire life... They mention landmarks that they are quite sure we have already seen and give dire warnings about going down the wrong fork in, oh, you know the place....so on and so forth... and then we were thrust out into the cruel city... not really having any sure way of finding our way home... but, I figured, as long as we were lost, we would take photos along the way. That is when I saw this... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Long Curvy Road Around Iceland when I get to Iceland, I'll be up on this wonderful road again... this gentle curving road that circumnavigates the island... sleeping days and staying up through the white nights... I can't wait! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Nobody Needs Dramatic Sheep I think people that rarely see sheep are fascinated by sheep. This is very confusing to people that spend a lot of time around sheep. I'm sure people in Iceland find that outsiders find sheep WAY too interesting. But, to us outsiders, we see these wonderful little white puffs, milling around... the gentle way they drift over the soft turf like clouds on a green sky... from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Walking to Dinner in Paris Today's photo is another one processed during the new <a href="http://www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-video-tutorial/">HDR Video Tutorial</a>. When I go to take photos of famous places, I follow sort of a star-pattern. Maybe it's more of a devilish inverted pentagram, but you get the idea... It's really hard to imagine how it would look from various compositions, so walking around it...getting closer and getting further... these can help give me idea. After outings like this, I like to find little restaurants where no one speaks English. Even though I speak a little French, I still have no idea what I'm ordering... Understanding the intricacies of French menus is a whole new level of confusion. But, it gives you a chance to look blankly at the waiter and say, "Surprise me!" from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Fun Night in London My next task with all these London photos is to go back and geotag the dang things. It's never-ending... the to-do list, you know. I wish we were about 3+ years down the road when there was some smart-web-service that could look at the composition and then auto-geotag. BTW, if you're into digital imaging and computer science, there is a million dollar business for you... extrapolate the location information and auto-geo-tag. People like me would love you and pay decent money for the service! :) from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Tree at the Serene Lake - New Zealand When I was there in Queenstown, I took to waking up about an hour before the sunrise and brewing a whole pot of coffee. And then, I would just the take the POT in the car with me and drive around. The lake can be pretty still in the morning, and that is when I grabbed this one... I'm jealous of my friends Gordon Laing and Eden Brackstone who get to spend almost every day in these environs! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
A Dusk Walk in Montpellier, France We headed out on an evening walk with our wonderful hosts in Montpellier, France. They've done a few nice things to the city to minimize car traffic. There is a lot of public transport on light rails, and that tended to keep congestion down. You don't really realize it until you compare it to someplace like Milan or Daegu, but there just aren't a lot of cars driving around all the most interesting places. Taking the "back way" to dinner, we stopped at this perfect little intersection so I could take a quick photo. It was a highly recommended spot by my friend Jacques. This is the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Montpellier an elegant and unique cathedral that has a castle-like feel to the facade. Since I always get excited when I see a castle, this got a big thumbs up! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Unknown Land - Li River, China After a while, my boat driver thought I was insane. We started before the sunrise and kept going, and going, and going, and going... he kept giving me the international head movement for "we really should be returning for a spot of tea," but I kept motioning him further up the river. To me, the river got most interesting when we saw no more people, except for the occasional fisherman that still had remote hut for his family along the river. I had plenty of battery power, amazing music on my iPod, a full array of snacks, a ton of drinks, and nothing to do for the rest of the day and night... so I was perfectly content just going until our gas tank reached 50%. And that took a long time... and who would want to stop with views like this around every other turn? from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
High-Tech Dining in Beijing Beijing has some of the funkiest restaurants in the world! I think that some of the interior designers and architects really take some risks to do all sorts of things with lighting, textures, and styles. It doesn't always work, but I think it works pretty well here. This restaurant was right next to the opera. This was also built inside one of the old imperial bans in this old sector of Beijing. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Dead Tired in London I really over-scheduled myself on this day. It started out early and was 100% full of photography activity! I don't remember having a spare 5 minutes just to sit there and zone out.... I do try to plan a little zone-out time, but this day I didn't. I kind of build my day like I was playing an RTS game, making sure I never had any idle workers. After I got off the tube at Marylebone station, I exited into this scene. This is the little area I crossed every day to get from the tube into my hotel. It looked so perfect in the rain that I just had to take a photo...even though I was dog-tired. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Deep Indigo Night This night, there was so much strange ambient light that I decided to shoot for a few more hours. I worked my way up and down the waterside to find interesting sights. In these situations, I usually try to have at least one of my exposures be 30 seconds. That means the other four exposures are 15s, 8s, 4s, and 2s. That makes a good 59 seconds per session. I usually have my earphones on and I keep one finger on the tripod so I can feel the shutter click. I can tell immediately if my settings are off by the vibrations. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Underwing Here's another handheld job from the Air & Space Museum in Washington DC. I sent out a tweet a few weeks ago and got in touch with the gal that works in the public affairs office... I twitter-charmed her into giving me the thumbs up to use a tripod next time! It took 140 delicate characters to make that happen... there are still more steps, but I am well on the way to getting proper permission. It's too hard to sneak a tripod into this place... just forget it... armed guards and that sort of thing... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Black Rock - California When I was in Big Sur spending a few days at the Post Ranch Inn, one of the places I wanted to visit was this amazing beach not too far from there. I planned on getting there early so I would have time to set up. We got there a little too early, and the sun was too high in the sky. But we still took time to check out the scene. It was hellishly windy, but I did grab a this shot below before we retreated to a nearby cafe to get some hot chocolate before returning for the sunset. The sunset gave us some amazing light for a crazy ocean sunset, but I'll save that for a future day.... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The People Mover - London - England This is London, right? I'm embarrassed to say I can't quite remember. I processed and edited this photo as part of a bigger trip. I'm too lazy to check the EXIF and cross-reference the dates... even though that would have taken less time than writing this sentence. But, instead, I'm saying it like this to let you know that sometimes my memory fades a bit. Some spots I remember perfect perfect perfect perfect... and others fade away and drift into others. I'm not sure why memory works like this... why there are some things that are perfect and some that are fuzzy. The way that memory works in this incomplete way is interesting to me. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Gaudi Cheesecake Factory I was stuck doing handheld shots all over this awesome Gaudi house because the PR staff would not let me use a tripod. They also said I was not allowed to post any photos of the house on my blog. I told them this was absolutely ridiculous and of course I would post photos on the blog. They said it was not ridiculous and I should really listen. I then said, "But everyone else is here taking photos and posting on Facebook and Flickr!, right?" And they said, "Oh, well, they shouldn't be doing that either." from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
What's on TV? - Seoul, Korea Every Asian megalopolis (like Seoul here) has neo-modern buildings with neo-industrial modern art. They are great subjects for photography, and security never seems to have a problem with tripods. I never see anyone inside taking photos, because these are mostly filled with businessmen. But, if you're out on the street, you owe it to yourself just to pop into random office buildings to check out the lobbies - you never know what you will find! from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Snowy the Snow Monkey - Nagano, Japan This little guy and I had a little friendship after a few days. I spent time all over the hills and rivers here outside of Nagano taking photos of these snow monkeys. And you get to know them after a while... there are a few that you see over and over again. I started giving them names... the same way my daughter gives names to everything... and all the names were quite childish... Like I called this guy, "Snowy." It wasn't very creative, but he didn't seem to mind. He followed me around morning and night. And he posed... oh how he loved to pose. Some other monkeys I got too close too and they gave me the wide-mouth attack move.... but I never got too close to Snowy. I didn't want to ruin the little grizzly-man thing we had a-goin' on. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Green Mountain, Red House - Iceland from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Shuttle Prepares So, when I took this, I was using two different cameras. The first one was my D3X with the 28-300mm lens on a tripod, and that is how I got this one. It’s an HDR from a single RAW. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Details in the inner cloister of Notre Dame I've continually asked people to do this, even though I rarely follow my own advice! It's great fun to take an image and re-crop it in many different ways. Sometimes you can take a single photo and make multiple versions of it. The other strategy is to take a bunch of different photos inside these areas, but that can require many lens changes... and I'm usually more interested in moving quickly from spot to spot throughout the day rather than spend time running through several lenses in each individual spot. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Grey London The two greyest cities I have been to are London and Vancouver. But the architecture is so different in both. I prefer bright and colorful architecture, especially in those environs. Sometimes with grey/white/silver/black buildings, I feel like I'm in some futuristic dystopian techno movie... something like... oh Equilibrium. Have you all seen that one? Anyway, this is kind of a cool building, despite it's greyness! There is that greenish element in the glass (not sure what it is) that gives it those interesting aqua tones... from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Sleeping In - Home in Iceland Driving from Reykjavik to Isafjordur is just about one of the longest possible drives you can make in Iceland in a day if you have a reasonable level of sanity. There comes a point when you feel like you're getting close, when you start weaving in and out of fjords. They are huge and each one seems to take over half an hour to drive around. In the midst of one of these, I espied an old house up the side of one of the valleys. It was partially obscured by a hand-built stone wall. I stopped the car and started hiking up the side of the valley to investigate. Once I got up there, I began to think that maybe this place was actually occupied! So then, I felt like I was intruding, and not just exploring an old ruin. But, it was 3 AM in the morning, and I figured if anyone was indeed inside, they must be fast asleep. So I set up for a shot and then made a hasty elf-like egress. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Golden Horse in Iceland We worked on this one tonight in the webinar, and I hope people didn't get too bored. It's very strange, because I am talking to myself for over an hour, and I only get occasional feedback when Andrea stops watching reruns of Ricki Lake. Anyway, I'll just assume that people like seeing it, since people keep showing up. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The old bones I found on the way to Mordor As for this photo from Argentina, this was found on the second day of hiking into the Andes. The landscape changes very quickly and we emerged from one forest and were suddenly facing another. The stark white roots reminded me of bones coming out of the ground and holding up old trees. In the distance, you can see the final destination of this hike - the mysterious peaks of Fitz Roy. These are covered by clouds 90% of the time, so to have them on a crystal clear day was lucky indeed. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Moonlight over Everest If there is one thing that is almost as cool as being deep in the Himalayas, then it's being at Disneyland after dark near the Expedition Everest ride. This is probably one of my favorite rollercoasters, and I endeavored to stay here late one night to try to grab the moon in the right spot. The whole area is riddled with excellent little Buddhist offering temples, where you can submit fruits of offering in exchange for the blessing of not tossing your lunch right before the Yeti takes a swipe at your runaway train. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Bar with a View This is an incredible bar in that overlooks the amazing city of Tokyo. The place was amazingly awesome, and I could see it becoming a major hangout if I lived in the city. Then again, everywhere I went I could picture as a major hangout! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Rush Hour The HDR technique is fantastic for night shots of cities. You would think that you could simply open up the shutter for a long time and let the light stream in. Well, you can do that, but what usually happens is that some parts are over exposed while others are not quite bright enough. Each of those lights down there in the busy city streets of Seoul, Korea, have different intensities. The lights from the offices are quite dim compared to the signs on the buildings and even the taillights on the cars. The HDR process allows each of the lights to come through at an acceptable level. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Inside the Egg - Beijing, China This building, lovingly called "The Egg" by locals, is the National Centre for the Performing Arts. It's a gigantic and wonderful opera house that you have to see to believe. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Dresden After the Bombing, Way After the Bombing After the carpet bombing from the American and the British in 1945, the city of Dresden was left in ruins. in the past 60 years, the city has been meticulously rebuilt to its former glory. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Trouble with Iceland is That There is None This is a river fed by the high mountains of Iceland. I took a trek across a field on a hunch that the river would have some nice curves and reflections. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Dante's Gates of Hell - This is Rodin's huge famous La Porte de l'Enfer, also known as the Gates of Hell. I found it off to the side of the Musee Rodin in Paris while I was in a tempestuous mood. The sculpture depicts a scene from Dante's "The Inferno." It contains over 180 of his finest sculptures. If you look closely towards the center of the top, you can see "The Thinker," one of his most famous. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Lantern in the Streets of Old China My time in China was winding down, and I took a flight back to Beijing for a few more days of exploration. There is so much to see in the old city that my month there was still not enough! And on one of these final nights, I decided to visit this very old section of the city. It's very well maintained with bright, fresh red paint, restored ancient lanterns, ornate windows, and the like. And inside many of the ornate windows are all sorts of antiques and old Chinese curios. I went into several, and now I am kicking myself for not buying more stuff. They had a bunch of bundles of old Chinese photos. I can't figure out why I didn't buy them... I think, now, that I was just overwhelmed by all the stuff that was inside. But next time when I go back, I'll get a few bundles and bring them home to hand out at some event! That seems like a good idea. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Airship Isabella During SXSW, I ended up at a party that had a pretty big steampunk contingent, which is of course very cool to me. I thought I had some good steampunk stuff from Burning Man until I saw these guys... This was at the Big Bang Bordello Party put on by True Ventures and Tunehopper. It was super-crowded, like most decent SXSW parties, and there was a raucous stage show with a bunch of gals in lingerie and stuff. Is it lame that I hung out with all the steampunk guys in the back? Yes, probably. Many of them were crew from the Airship Isabella (http://airshipisabella.com/), and they had all kinds of inventive steam-powered goodies. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Mighty Peaks and Soft River - Iceland Right before you get to Akureyri, the road twists along a valley that runs beside these mountains. They are beautiful and scenic, but very difficult to photograph. You keep looking and looking and looking for an angle, and it never quite works out. I found this one by accident. There was a little side road that looked interesting. I took it, and then it almost immediately went off the side of a hill! It turns out it wasn't a side-road at all, but some kind of fake-road meant to trick dumb people like me. So, after sliding to a stop, I went out to see if my 4th wheel was dangling over the side. It wasn't, but I did see a little path that went down by the river. I thought there might be a good vantage point, so I took my rig down there to get this shot. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Barcelona Airport This is another reason I like to get to airports early. Not only do I hate being rushed, but I like to take time to explore with my camera. Well, I guess that only is in the case where the airport happens to be particularly beautiful, like the one here in Barcelona. I always start out extremely rushed, because I picture security closing down on me from every angle. So, my first shot is usually rushed and not perfectly centered. Then, if the guards don't gang-tackle me like I'm streaking at Yankee Stadium, then I keep adjusting my position and the camera until things are more and more aligned and composed to my satisfaction. This one was even a little bit tilted, but I fixed that bit with the crop tool later in Photoshop (as people saw). from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Horses Aloof - Iceland Speaking of the HDR Workshop, I believe I edited this photo during the London Workshop. There is a portion of time when I select a RAW photo to convert into an HDR image, and this was the one I chose. I had never processed it before, and I really like doing these live in front of people. I talk out loud so that people can hear my thought processes. Inevitably, there are problems, but this is what I like about this format. I know that photography and post-processing is basically just navigating around one problem to the next. Maybe people think I don't have problems when I work on these... but I do! And it's good to see, maybe, how I get around them. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Evening at the Summer Palace - Beijing, China I didn't make it to the Summer Palace until my final evening in Beijing, and I was graced with a delicate sunset. This place is also called the "Gardens of Nurtured Harmony" and it rests on top of "Longevity Hill", a very Chinese-folk-sounding name. What is kind of interesting is that this entire area was manmade, and the huge hill was built out of dirt when they excavated the man-made lake! It is a truly beautiful place, as you can plainly see. I could not have asked for a better place to explore on my last night in China. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Dining at Hearst "You wanna see a secret passage?" the old security guard asked me. "Are you kidding?" I asked. And with that, he showed me how to get up into this area. It wasn't super-duper-secret, since this is how singers used to get up high to entertain the guests below. I'm glad I'm not one of those people that has to choose who sits where in these big banquet events. I think people in these situations really get their nose out of joint if they don't get to sit next to so-and-so. But, if you're hanging out and dining in Hearst Castle, you have to look pretty hard to find something to complain about! :) from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Entering the Neo-Opera - The Egg - Beijing, China This is a truly beautiful building. I sometimes feel like I am cheating... when the colors and textures and lines are already there, it just makes for such a pleasant shooting experience. But, when times are easy like this, it reminds me of when the situation is a non-stop struggle to get a good shot. I guess, like everything, it comes in waves... from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Inside My Secret Cloning Chamber I would love to have a mad scientist lab that is only accessible via a retinal scan. Inside, I would have a bunch of scary-creatures that exist only to grow organs that I could harvest if I was in a pinch. I mean, they wouldn't be scary-scary. Just a little freaky. Like headless sheep that roll around without brains... like a big room of fluffy, woolen pillows...big Tribbles... A few of them hold livers... maybe one of them has three lungs, you know... this sort of thing. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
My Nymph in the River This beautiful location was near one of the many glacial rivers that flows out of the mountains. The air was cool and crisp, but not frigidly cold. You can see Irina has a little hoodie up to keep her nymph-ears warm ... From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Epic Cathedral - Notre Dame I got this shot right before the Catholic Notre Dame police told me to take down the tripod. So I had to be fast... fast like the withdrawal method. With the wide-angle lens, people do get a little bit stretched, but I think that is okay in some circumstances. It doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the photo. And, since all the columns are leaning in and whatnot, if the people were normal sized and looked perfect while all the architecture around them was wonky, THAT might look strange. So, by keeping everything a little bit wonky, it kinda works. At least, this is what I am telling myself. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Exploring the Church in Barcelona I like all the colorful votives. They make everything a bit more festive.... Cathedrals can be sort of melancholy places, so anything to liven things up a bit are a nice change of pace. I'm not saying we should go neon-signs or blinky-text on the church's website or anything crazy like that.... just a little somethin-somethin to spice things up a bit. And I do like that hallway quite a lot... it's got a nice M.C.Escher quality to it. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Leo Laporte, Hard at Work For those of you that don’t know, Leo has established an incredible lineup of podcasts, all of which eminate from this unassuming cottage in Petaluma, California. I’ve been over to the cottage twice, and I grabbed a few photos on my most recent trip. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Oceanscream from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com Early one morning while weaving through the fjords, a cell of dark clouds roiled across the sky. The low sun kept them in impossible colors and the air vibrated with a coming storm. This is up on the edge of the arctic circle where one fjord may be covered in clouds while the next is wide open and clear. There are hundreds of little microclimates that change from one hour to the next, so if things don't look good in one fjord, just spend 30 minutes driving over to the next one, and maybe something different will present itself. Surely by now, you see why I like Iceland so much in the summer...
The Dragon's Tongue (Heart of Satan) On this particular night, there was one of those looming thunderstorms, when the clouds are alarmingly low to the ground and black/green in color. They launched the fireworks from the same spot as usual, but they would actually explode inside the cloud. The lower half would burst downward, carrying a trail of fire behind it. The scene reminded me of a giant electric jellyfish of sorts. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The RAW Fireworks Today's fireworks photo from Disney World a few nights ago was just processed. This is from a single RAW photo. This was a handheld shot as I was walking along a pathway near the Crystal Palace. Amazing, eh? From Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Timeless Tomb The Taj Mahal is an awesome place. I spent the day taking photos of the place, and I was dog-tired when it was all done. Plus, my feet were hella dirty. You have to take off your shoes there. It turned out, actually, to keep me pretty cool. It was a very hot day; the marble was nice and cool on my feet. for more photos, see http://www.StuckInCustoms.com from Trey Ratcliff
The Countdown Clock at NASA at Sunrise... This is the famous countdown clock. Scott Kublin and I woke up before 5 AM to start setting up our remote cameras. One of them Leo Laporte Fed-exed to me overnight so we could have time to set it up… we put those inside the blast zone and set them up to automatically fire at the launch. We made a behind-the-scenes video to show how everything was done… it will be edited and shared soon… but, in the meantime, here is what I saw first thing in the morning upon arrival to NASA. more photos at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com from Trey Ratcliff
Final Night of the Space Shuttle I was completely soaked after laying in mosquito-invested waters for an uncomfortably long time. At one point, a concerned French news reporter came up to me and said, "Excuse me, but you're quite covered in bugs." It must have been pretty bad for him to come over and say that... I think perhaps he thought I was dead because I stayed in the same position for so long, trying to zen-focus on the shot. This is the Space Shuttle Atlantis, in case you do not know. It's also the final space shuttle launch, ever. So, it's incredibly special, and I'm happy I got to spend time with the ship on its final night. From Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Shuttle Rips Space/Time at the End of an Era I'll try to describe the sound. Since this is as close as you can get, and this is 3 miles away, it takes a while for the sound to get to you. And it does rush across the water in a rumbling, tumbling way like you might expect. But then, after that, something other than sound starts to come across the water. It's a series of concussive waves that vibrate your entire skeleton and thrum through your soul. It's not a steady din of vibration, but a violent staccato rhythm of unseen forces that cause a tremulous cadence around and through your chest. This is the final space shuttle launch of our lives. And so we could not help but be reminded of this finality when this unearthly sound combined with the final sight of the lonely craft arcing away into space. - by Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Fireplace in the Tower of Terror Just a few days ago, I got into this place... I've always wanted to get "behind the velvet rope" and take proper photos of this area, and it finally happened! This lobby was richly decorated to look like an old, classic Hollywood hotel that has been left alone to slowly deteriorate. Although this angle in particular does not show the decay, future ones will... Also, a future one will include the full story of how I got behind the velvet rope -- you won't believe it! Thanks for the day go to +Keith Barrett +Robert Scoble +Thomas Smith and +Lou Mongello To see more about Lou, see the full blog post at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/07/13/the-fireplace-in-the-tower-of-terror/ from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Towering Rice Field Once again back in Zhangjiajie. These spires are murder to walk up and down. I thought I was in reasonably good shape, but these things will suck the life out of you! At the top of one of them, there is this lonely rice field just on the edge of a 1000+ foot drop. The whole place is beautiful, old, and beyond belief. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Louvre Ahhh... the Louvre! It's one of the greatest in the world and always fun to explore. You gotta be kind of into museums, I suppose... the vastness of it is beyond words. You really don't get it until you've spent several hours inside. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Young girl on a bridge in Paris After a shooting a set of shots with the sun rising over Notre Dame, I saw a few girls on the bridge with me. It was a little cold this morning, and they were in coats, laughing and playing with their own camera. With my tripod still set up, I grabbed my D3S and 50 prime on my sling. I pulled it up quickly to grab a shot of one of the girls as she covered her face from the cool wind of the morning. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Spiralstorm II There are secret vortexes everywhere, no? I think we all find our own, and we keep them secret. No one would ever talk about the best ones. I'm not exactly sure what happens in them. Perhaps there is something where the right and left brain switch sides and everything flows together. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Infinite Stairs to the Oubliette This is one of the areas where the French kept Marie Antoinette in the conciergerie. There were many mysterious parts of these chambers, and this was one of the most interesting. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Love Locks in Paris There is a little bridge in Paris - maybe you have heard of it - where starcrossed lovers visit. They bring tiny padlocks with them. Sometimes they are decorated, and sometimes they are just fanciful. They affix them to the bridge that overlooks the Seine. Now, the bridge has thousands of these little love locks... It's all very nice, and perfect for some low f-stop photography, of course! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.stuckincustoms.com
Cartier on the Champs-Élysées at Christmas Ah yes… the wet streets of Paris here… Seems like an idyllic place for this little store called Cartier, eh? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
A Carousel in France It was just past 10 PM on the wet streets of Paris as I was getting lost on purpose around the streets near the Church of the Sacred Heart. I bobbed and weaved through various little alleys, streets, and tiny bakeries (where I would just have to stop for a moment), before finding my way to this little faire. There was a small carousel spinning away with tiny little French children screaming wonderful things... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Fabien and his daughter on their vineyard in the south of France... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Flying in France I remember when I was learning French at Jesuit. I took four years of it, and one of the first things I saw was a little cartoon in a book. It was two little French girls on a ride just like this. One was saying to the other, "Aiiyeeeee! Sylvie! Tenez!!!!" Anyway, I always think of that when I see little French children on a ride. I feel like calling it out, but it always seems a little creepy for a stranger to say such a thing. from Trey Ratcliff at stuckincustoms.com
Man Sketching in Uzès After spending the day walking around the old market, I started to walk back to where I started. Weaving through small alleys, I would occasionally enter larger courtyards. In one of them, I saw this man, sitting on a step, and sketching the scene. When I took the photo, he looked up and gave a little smile, then went back to his business. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
La Gare I took the train from Paris to Nimes in the middle of the day, and ended up here with half an hour to spare. I had just enough time to get some pastries and some HDRs. What else does a man need in life? from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
A Dusk Walk in Montpellier We headed out on an evening walk with our wonderful hosts in Montpellier, France. They've done a few nice things to the city to minimize car traffic. There is a lot of public transport on light rails, and that tended to keep congestion down. You don't really realize it until you compare it to someplace like Milan or Daegu, but there just aren't a lot of cars driving around all the most interesting places. Taking the "back way" to dinner, we stopped at this perfect little intersection so I could take a quick photo. It was a highly recommended spot by my friend Jacques. This is the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Montpellier an elegant and unique cathedral that has a castle-like feel to the facade. Since I always get excited when I see a castle, this got a big thumbs up! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Time Traveling in the Steampunk Subway - Thank you for the inside tip on this amazing place from Friend X. This incredible subway station under Paris has undergone a full Steampunk conversion, thanks to the mind of François Schuiten, a comic book artist from Belgium. Each tiny circular window lining the edges is a portal to another world. This is all influenced by Les Cités Obscures, where humans live on the counter-Earth. A wonderful concept… I think many of us on Google+ already feel one with the idea of the counter-Earth. If you'd like to visit this stop someday, pull up a huge subway map and find your connections to the Arts et Métiers stop. It's kind of out of the way, but just bring your camera and your imagination, and you'll be there soon enough... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Tiny House in France So, Versailles is a monstrously huge place. I'm not sure how you could see everything in a day. I chose to concentrate this trip out in the royal gardens, and a confusing walk got me into this place. It's not exactly secret, but I didn't know about it until I walked up upon it! It is called "The Hameau de la Reine", and is generally known as the Queen's Hamlet. It was built for Marie Antoinette between 1785 and 1792. It is lovely, and this is only one of the many little places I captured there. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Leaving France and now exploring the Alps in Switzerland... In this photo, I'm up in the mountains near Zermatt, taking a photo of the Matterhorn (right side of the photo). This photo was taken by my friend +Scott Kublin. It's not an HDR image, so you can get a sense of how wild the clouds were on this freezing afternoon. I've been teaching Scott about photography for the past few years, and I think he's made tremendous progress. He used to be absolutely terrible (he would agree with this and smile!), and now he has a new lease on artistic life... great fun! from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Sunflowers So is it a weed or is it a flower? I am sure people in the plant-community get as exercised discussing these categorizations as I do about talking about categorizing photography. You would not believe the millions of words and sentences wasted discussing photography and how to categorize one type of photo. I can only assume the same thing happens in the flower/botany community! I got this one with my friend Scott Kublin one day in the south of France. We had Fabien (the website designer) pull over on a tiny little road so we could pop out and get some sunflower photos. I think he almost got rear-ended while waiting on us, so he had to pull away then circle back to get us! On the second drive-by, he started honking so we had to run and dive into the car like it was an action movie. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Exploring Nimes After sitting down for thirty minutes waiting on the right light (see my previous Nimes photo by clicking the category above the comments), I walked around the left side of the structure. I liked all the cafes and the road and it all seemed balanced... so I set up for a wide-angle shot. You'll notice that I cut off the top and bottom... they didn't add much to the photo, and they gave the whole thing a more cinematic feel. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Into the Heavens from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Pantheon in Paris in evening Firelight Shared first to Google+ as thanks for all of you and gift to new ciclees! It was close to midnight and the streets were wet... they were kind of that Euro-wet, where you just want to stay out and take photos until 3 A.M. -- know what I mean? I was staying here in the Latin quarter, just a short walk away from the Pantheon. A bit of water got on the lens and created this unexpected fire-like effect. I think it looks so cool that I just left it in... I also like to do pottery. I have a ceramics wheel and everything... and one of my favorite things after the glaze is waiting to see how the glaze will react with the fire... you never quite know. And so the same thing happens with rain on the lens.. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Way up in the Alps... The delicate thin air forms icy wisps that gather around in whirling spirals... gliding from mountain top to mountain top like ever-flowing dancers... This was just taken a few steps from my hotel room. I'm staying at an amazing place called the Omnia in Zermatt. Maybe we'll do a hangout from the balcony tomorrow! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Gothic Diptych While randomly walking through the streets of Paris, I came across this place. It wasn't even on my radar, but I always try to leave about 40% "Getting Lost" time. I think that is important... ambling and rambling around a city to find little things here or there... and, you know, maybe these places are pretty well-known, but when I find them all by myself, they are nice in their own way. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
After spending the sunset circling Le Sacré Coeur like a photographer-vulture, I followed a few roads that led deeper into Montmartre. This is the famous area that held the studios of many famous artists including Picasso, Monet, and Van Gogh. Also, if you are a fan of the movie like me, you may notice this area from Amelie. Now it is filled with dozens of artists painting and drawing at all hours. I really get a kick out of just standing there and watching people paint. It's much better than watching Bob Ross (to say the least), when you have a chance just to sit back and hear people speaking French while creating nice little works of art. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Arriving at the Grand Opera House I went the wrong way, but I ended up here. It was a little embarrassing, to be honest... I was taking Tina to the Arc de Triumph and I was quite sure that I go this certain direction... we were plodding along, and I look up say, "Oh bother, we're at the opera!" But, no matter. The light was good and I had the rig up and ready to shoot in no time! And, after this foible, we went to the <em>real</em> Arc de Triumphe. - from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Impressions of Paris I had a nice conversation with a friend this evening about the Impressionists of Paris and all they had to go through to get their work seen. The old-guard painters than headed the selection committee for the Salon of the late 19th century had a distaste for the Impressionists, and their work was continually rejected. I feel lucky that we all live at a time where our own impressions of the world can freely be shared. from Trey Ratcliff at the daily photo blog at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Lunch at Chateau Rodin I had been hiking around Paris with way too much equipment for several hours. Whenever, I'm in photo-gatherin' mode, I am fairly tireless. I go from spot to spot like a Navy SEAL... but this day, I actually planned to have lunch at Chateau Rodin, the famous estate of the great French sculptor. From Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
*A Great Day at Google!* So, I got a nice G+ message from +Brian White at Google and he invited me up the the Google offices in Zurich. I was up in Zermatt in the Swiss Alps, and I happened to be going through Zurich to catch my plane back to the US, so we made it happen this afternoon! For more on this photo, see this post: https://plus.google.com/105237212888595777019/posts/2R5V59CdDaR from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
A Storm at the Airport This always causes mild panic that I will be delayed in the airport. This was taken in Palm Beach, where I will be for a few days to meet with some attorneys. I don't know if I would rather be in a plane in that storm or in a room full of attorneys... tough choice, really. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Farewell Zurich After spending the afternoon at Google and meeting many nice people (check my stream from yesterday), I went out to explore the city at sunset. It's just exactly the kind of place I love to explore because there are tons of little bridges here and there. Whenever you criss-cross the bridges in almost any configuration, the light changes and you have a new palette... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Le Arc de Triumph from the Champs-Élysées This wonderful landmark is always fun, but challenging, to photograph. It's right in the middle of a roundabout that is as dangerous as that thing Bond got stuck in to test G-forces in Moonraker. There was a recent rain, and the Champs-Élysées was shiny and perfect in the cool dusk air. I set up and kept the f stop as high as possible so that the French passerby would fall out of the frame during the long exposure. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Walking Through Paris Sometimes things on the map look really close together... and then you start walking and get about 25% of the way there and you become quite shocked at how far it actually is. This feeling can be a little defeating, until you realize of course that you are in a beautiful city like Paris and there is fabulous stuff all around you. And then, you remember you are a photographer with a ridiculously easy job, and everything comes right back in perspective. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Paris from Above ... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Streets of Zermatt After dinner one evening, I went out with my iPod to explore the streets alone. There was a light cool rain, but it didn't bother me a bit. It added to the mood and everything felt great. The warm cabins, the cool sky, the wet streets, people hurrying to and fro to get warm food and drinks... I do my best to capture this feeling all in one image. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Simplicity of Life There was a silent lake in the north of Iceland around 1 AM where I stopped for a stroll. I had bathed myself in this light for over a week, and this non-stop dream of solstice nights was getting deep into my mind. There is that strange moment between sleep and wake - you know the one - but that moment was elongated to hours on end as the elements drifted around me. Certain feelings around this are hard to explain, but perhaps you know what I mean. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Haunting So, I was sitting there in the Tower of Terror taking photos inside the first room into which the group is ushered. It’s the one where they show that Twilight Zone clip. Anyway, I just stayed in there as five groups came in and out, trying to get a photo. Eventually, the cast member asked me (in a nice way) what I was doing. I told her that I thought the room was awesome and I was capturing it for my blog. She seemed curious, so I whipped it out (my iPad). She started going through my photos and was very excited. And then she told me to follow her, and she opened up the little gate that gave me full access to the lobby itself. I grabbed many photos, and here is one of them… from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Stanford Church The rain situation was betwixt sprinkles and torrent. There was enough rain to moisten my bulbous 12-24 (that sounds dirty), so I wanted to be quick. Usually, I let people look through my lens to see the composition, but, it would have gotten too wet... so I just fired away quickly then put on my little trombone-cover-thing. See more at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Downtown Seattle After arriving in Seattle, I immediately went to this spot to grab a photo. I barely made it in time. I had about 30 minutes of full light left before this scene began. It gave me just enough time to set up and frame everything with the right settings. I guess "last minute" sound a little dramatic, but, really, for me, I like to have some extra time to make sure all my settings are right before that magic moment hits. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Glorious Church at Stanford During our amazingly fun Stanford photowalk, our entire unit crashed into into the church like the Allies setting up barracks inside a French cathedral. Right before we went in, as I climbed the stairs, one of the more nervous-types that was on the photowalk said, "Uhhh, I don't know if they will let us in because they are about to close." I said something to the effect of, "Who cares, we're going in anyway until they come tell us to leave!" And with that, we blew in through the front doors and spread out far and wide. I set up my camera and gave a little talk about my settings for the shot. I mentioned that in dark situations, you don't want your multiple exposures to all be 30 seconds. You need to widen your aperture and increase the ISO so that your all your exposures get finished, with the final one at 30 seconds. In this situation, I shot 5 exposures at 1 step increments with my 5 respective shutter speeds at 2 seconds, 4 s, 8s, 15s, and 30s.
Superquad It was an amazing turnout! After the Google talk, we all went over to Stanford for a mega-photowalk. Towards the end of the PhotoWalk, we ended up in this amazing area... here is my photo that I took... I think it was one of my last of the evening. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Colors in Beijing It was pretty late in the evening and I was tired after shooting all day long. My assistant and I stopped at a tea house along the banks of a little lake to relax. We had a very nice serving girl that kept bringing us more and more food and drinks. I think she expected us to eat in a dainty way, but we most certainly did not. She had a pleasant disposition about her, so I asked if I could take a quick photo. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Business in London Walking along one side of the Thames after visiting some museums brought us to this business district. There was a misty rain for most of the day, so it set down a nice sheen of reflection. There's a tiny water canal that runs through the center here, and the line leads right to the Tower Bridge, which you can see in the distance. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Orange Light in Queenstown I was driving back to the house we rented in Kelvin Heights, a little peninsula that sticks out into the lake, and I saw the potential for this light. I've only seen it about a dozen times in my life. It happens when there is a localized area of flat-white clouds but a perfectly clear horizon. It means the sun will dip below the clouds and cast an interesting color up on the bottom of the clouds. The reason this doesn't usually happen is because an overcast sky will continue on for so many miles that the sun will have no angle of incidence. Anyway, I got lucky and the prediction came true. I was able to be ready with my tripod just in time. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Eclectic BBQ With Neal Stephenson My plane arrived in the evening, and I went out immediately to start taking photos of the city. Just as I was getting into a groove, I received a text to come over to Neal Stephenson's house to help build a unique steampunk BBQ Grill. To this, I cannot say no. I arrived and spent about four hours with Neal, Chris Young (master chef who wrote Modernist Cuisine), Nels Peterson (paleontologist++), and a few other people to build a crazy BBQ setup. Neal has this crazy BBQ every year and they try to do something off-the-wall. Instead of spinning the pig over the fire, it was decided that the fire should spin around the outside of the pig. Many hours later, the creation was assembled, and we turned it on to watch the giant columns of metal begin to spin around the central base. Here is a photo of the festivities. - Trey Ratcliff Read the entire long-form blog post here: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/08/21/eclectic-bbq-with-neal-stephenson/
a sketch...from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Lenses This photo uses a 50mm 1.4 lens. It's a bit more expensive at about $400, but you can get a very similar look with the 1.8. I don't take photos for clients ever... this was my friend's granddaughter in Montana. I was over at his home... we were just goofing around and he asked if I would go take a photo of his granddaughter. She was out back, in a teepee, with a bucket on her head. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Boston at Sunset Boston is great and I am sad I've only spent a short amount of time there. On this evening, I walked along the waterfront here to look at all the various angles and light levels. They were all good! That's a sign of a good city when it is hard to take a bad photo of it! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Secret Fireworks Spot at Disney - This spot is over in the Rose Garden -- a wonderful spot that hardly anyone knows about! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Secret Google Chilling Vat On the tour around the cool Zurich offices, Brian White took me into this watery oasis. It is where euro-Googlers come to nap when they need a brain-break. I don't know for sure, but I imagine them slinking around in here while wearing trendy euro-clubbing clothes. There were soft water-sounds wafting about, and everything was very zen. You can choose whatever sleeping arrangement you like: the porcelain tub filled with red foam cubes, the leathery massage chair that doesn't ask questions, or many more... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Building 43 at Google Wow I had a great time at Google! The guys and gals there I met were very nice and cool... After my Authors@Google talk, I stayed around for a while to take photos while waiting on the workshop to begin. There are sensitive areas of Google, of course, and I didn't even try to take pictures of any of that stuff... Building 43 is the central building of the whole Googleplex. It houses the offices of Marissa Mayer (who did not show up for my talk *ahem*), Larry Page, and Sergey Brin. I wanted to pop into their offices and make unique photos of their offices for fun, but I did not want to ask on my first visit. Wouldn't that be one of the most interesting things in the world? To see the offices of all these people? They don't have to be awesome and all James-Bondy -- even something mundane would be interesting, if captured in the right way. But I do picture Sergey stroking a white cat.. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Morning at the Crater Lake So, while on the way to Burning Man, I stopped up in the mountains of Oregon at Crater Lake, an extinct volcano that has been filled with fresh rainwater and snowmelt. Many of you on Google+ recommended this, and I thank you very much. - from Trey Ratcliff on the daily photo blog at http://www.stuckincustoms.com
Bridges in Zurich I love these old cities that are centered around a river with dozens of little bridges that cross to and fro. It vexes me why Austin (or hundreds of other cities) have not centered the whole city around the river. Maybe it has something to do with flooding or something... I'm not totally sure. But whenever cities try to start a big development around the river later in the city's life, it seems a little bit forced. There is something very organic around these older cities and the river that feels more right than a master-planned complex. - Trey Ratcliff Read more here: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/08/29/bridges-in-zurich/
Little Elves, Little Waterfall Going into one of the valleys by Isafjordur takes you to many little homes near waterfalls. I thought this one was quite lovely. And if you look to the left there, you'll see the tiny homes they also built for the elves. I was editing this photo at dinner one evening in Isafjordur. One of the waitresses saw this house, recognized it, and said, "Oh that's jklasdj(jkasdj^dhsaj". Of course, I am doing my best to approximate the Icelandic language there... Read more at the Stuck in Customs blog here: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/08/30/little-elves-little-waterfall/
The Oregon Coast Today's photo comes from Cannon Beach, Oregon. If you click through to the blog post below, you can see a brand-new video I made while taking this shot, explaining my thoughts on composition while I take the shot. http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/08/31/the-oregon-coast/ - Trey Ratcliff, from the blog at stuckincustoms.com
Work in Tokyo I set up here for an HDR multi-exposure shot, but then people started running into the office. I thought their running was so nice that I made sure to change my settings around a bit to capture the rush of it all. I didn't intend to spend so much time around this office building, but I ended up there for about an hour. There are so many nice lines and compositions with the sort of ultra-modern architecture you get in modern buildings... - Trey Ratcliff The rest of this entry is at stuckincustoms.com here: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/09/01/work-in-tokyo/
Curving Around Iceland Iceland is pretty. Do I have to keep saying it? Maybe I do... you know... you know how a girl likes to be reminded in a gentle way all the time that she is pretty? Yes, I guess I can extend this to Iceland... so... you may tire of me saying it, but I'll keep saying how pretty Iceland is. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Charon Crossing the river Styx This is my favorite piece at Burning Man this year. It's an amazing living undead sculpture from Peter Hudson. The wheel and skeletons sit idle until participants walk up and figure out how to use it. Once about six people start alternately pulling on the ropes, the wheel spins faster and faster. Once the rotational velocity is fast enough, strobes come on and begin animating the skeletons. As his oar dips into the water, his head cocks and mocks you a bit. I visited it three evenings in a row, always thinking about how to take a photo. I finally had a notion together by the fifth night when I took this image. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Exploring Nimes After sitting down for thirty minutes waiting on the right light (see my previous Nimes photo by clicking the category above the comments), I walked around the left side of the structure. I liked all the cafes and the road and it all seemed balanced... so I set up for a wide-angle shot. You'll notice that I cut off the top and bottom... they didn't add much to the photo, and they gave the whole thing a more cinematic feel. More at the Stuck in Customs blog here: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/09/09/exploring-nimes/
Boy and Grandfather at Tiananmen Square I was walking through Tiananmen on a white-out cloud day taking photos of people. I had on my earphones and was kind of drifting in and among the crowd. It's a bit like being in a movie when you do this... anyway, I'm sure you've heard me mention it before, so I won't go into details. It's often a very nice way to make things timeless... to separate people and objects from their place and time. These two were on the ground wrestling and having fun. I squatted about 15 feet away to take a photo, and they were most delighted! From the blog at stuckincustoms.com
I just took this photo a few days ago while flying into Lijiang from Beijing to begin a whirlwind of photography... While landing, I saw this out the window... so I had a feeling it was going to be a good week! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Ancient Town of Lijiang This was a very long exposure -- about five minutes or so. I did this so I could help make most of the people disappear from the scene. It also had a nice side-effect down in the river. People would light candles and float them downstream, and the path they followed came out as little golden streaks. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Home of the Artist
The Secret Google Chilling Vat On the tour around the cool Zurich offices, Brian White took me into this watery oasis. It is where euro-Googlers come to nap when they need a brain-break. I don't know for sure, but I imagine them slinking around in here while wearing trendy euro-clubbing clothes. There were soft water-sounds wafting about, and everything was very zen. You can choose whatever sleeping arrangement you like: the porcelain tub filled with red foam cubes, the leathery massage chair that doesn't ask questions, or many more... - Trey Ratcliff The rest of this blog post is here: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/09/15/the-secret-google-chilling-vat/
The Terminal This is one of the smaller terminals in Beijing. The main terminal is huge, and you get to this one after you pass through security. The floors are so glossy, I feel like wearing ice skates! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Li Jiang at Night It is a truly beautiful old town. Tom Anderson and I headed up this hill almost every night. By the time we hike up this thing, we're awfully tired, but we recharge our batteries quickly once the photos start flowing... There are many vantage points inside tiny rooftop cafes and coffee shops. Many of them have musicians crooning away while we have strange juices and take photos. Once it gets completely dark, we head back down into the old town and roam the streets with our tripods. Many hours later, we tire out again and take a taxi back for a few more hours of post-processing and snacks. This routine never gets old! by Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Walking in the Park Instead of describing this photo, I'll talk about a little trick. See how the background is all blurry and quite flat (not complex)? This happens when you use a very low number for your F-Stop. In this case, it was 1.4 on the 50mm 1.4 lens - although this would have also worked with the more inexpensive 1.8 lens. Anyway, if the person (or object) you are shooting is a lot closer to you than the distant background, the entire area back there will be very washed-out and flat. Behind her, there was actually a lot of complexity. There was a park with trees and sky and lights and everything, but it all gets washed away with this technique.
The Rocket Here is another strange and wonderful find in Beijing. Can anyone guess at what it is? Note that I would prefer to hear outlandish guesses instead of real guesses! :)
Mystery Location Well, the hint is that this is in Beijing. You guys are all so good at finding these secret spots that I probably didn't even have to give you that hint! from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Ancient Rooftops Forever This old town in China is an endless labyrinth of small streets and alleyways. They are packed so tightly together and there is no room for cars. Sometimes, there's only room for one rickshaw. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Pool at the Opposite House in China There are really amazing places all over China... the old and the new - I don't know which type I like more! This is the swimming pool at the hotel I posted a video of a few days ago here on Google+. I've just finished importing this photo and wanted to share it with y'all! :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Flying in France I remember when I was learning French at Jesuit. I took four years of it, and one of the first things I saw was a little cartoon in a book. It was two little French girls on a ride just like this. One was saying to the other, "Aiiyeeeee! Sylvie! Tenez!!!!" Anyway, I always think of that when I see little French children on a ride. I feel like calling it out, but it always seems a little creepy for a stranger to say such a thing. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Cyborg Fabrication Plant This comes from a cool area of Beijing in the CBD. It's not really where they make cyborgs in China. I don't know where that place is... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Night in the Forbidden City This area of the old city is full of mystery and intrigue. There is so much here that is still unseen. I've spent the past few days and nights exploring the edges and shapes of the ancient walls, doorways, and endless paths into the unknown... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Glowing City This is the photo I took a few days ago here in China and edited during a Google+ live hangout. People often to ask to see the "before" shot, and it's usually impossible just because I am so busy... I post so many new photos here and on the main blog that I can't fulfill all requests like that.... but, here is an exception... and you can see the before at https://plus.google.com/105237212888595777019/posts/7TP2ECfHV4J (updated link) From Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Alone on the Ancient Great Wall Wow I am alone here. As I walk along this ancient, original stretch of the Great Wall, I feel ghosts haunting the old towers and little enclaves. I finally found an extremely remote part that is far enough away from civilization to stay pure. The ruins of the wall in this area has been overgrown with vegetation. When you walk along the top, you have to snake your way between huge bushes and all sorts of trees. Stairs and parts of the walkways have crumbled away in the past thousand years. The old towers are slopingly fragmenting as lichens and moss cover parts of the stone that are decaying away. This has only reminded me that the main tourist part of the Great Wall is a very tiny stretch that has been re-built in recent years… so it is all fake and kind of Disney-wall. I don't think I like that... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
This is a girl I saw by a wall here in China. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Exploring Along the Earthen Bricks This is one of those little things that I like so much about China... the people are so interesting for photography. They are often confused when I take their photo, because they find themselves quite plain and uninteresting. After I show them the photo, they are always happy and excited, while still being a bit flabbergasted at the whole experience. But, even though it is a strange interchange, it's a nice one. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Inner Halls of the Forbidden City There is an old and transportive feeling while walking through the old areas of this strange place. The paint and the textures and design are all familiar, but foreign enough to feel like they've been time-warped from from an earlier era. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Ruins at the Great Wall After the Sun Sets Yesterday, I kept hiking along the old wall as the sun set. I also had a zoom lens (28-300mm) with me, so I was able to get in tight on far away structures and shapes. Not too long after I took this shot, I walked along several lengths of the wall to get to these ruins. I stood there for a long time listening to music and taking photos. The next photo I put here in Google+ will be of the wall in the morning -- what it looks like to be inside the fauna and vegetation that has taken over this remote part of the the original wall. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
From the Top of the Great Wall Far in the north, this area of the Great Wall has been overgrown with vegetation. Birds and little creatures are all over the place. A path has been made over time, and it weaves in and out of these overgrown bits. The wall is so wide that it's sometimes easy to forget that you are standing on top of a huge structure. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Where the Street Racers of Beijing Meet at Night There is a crazy, awesome, amazing, insane area of Beijing that was built around an old airplane factory from the middle of the last century. It was abandoned and laid in ruin for decades… All sorts of old buildings, strange industrial machinery, and distressed buildings. Now, some of it has been converted to an underground racetrack. I arrived in the middle of the day, and there was this gutted out building where three of the race cars sat in disarray. I don't know if they were abandoned or in the middle of being refitted for the next race… but more photos to come... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Under the Factory As I explored the abandoned airplane factories in this old section of Beijing, I went down into the basement level to see what I could find. There were all sorts of iron fixtures, strange knobs and wheels, semi-circular openings to kilns that had been bricked closed, and endless layers of peeling, scorched paint. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Opposite Statues Statues pose in the lobby of the awesome Opposite House hotel... The whole place is a giant piece of art with rich colors and strange designs. It was great during the daytime, but I figured that it would look even more interesting with the lights were controlled. I don't know much about interior lighting design, but I do appreciate it very much when it is done well...
Man Jogging, China I was walking around one of the many lake areas in Beijing and there was all sorts of activity here. I don't see many joggers there, so whenever I see anyone running, I go on high-alert. But it turns out he was just out getting a bit of exercise... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Electric Nest Another photo from Beijing here… I originally set up for a wide-angle shot but also brought the zoom lens to find interesting compositions here and there. To me, it's kind of a fun game to see an awesome structure like this and see how many photos I can create out of the structure. With the nice lighting and clear night, I felt like a fox in the hen house! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Tiny Domed Enclave in the Forbidden City There are so many ornate structures that it becomes overwhelming in a way… Like, for example, have you ever been walking around Vegas for the day and towards the end you just feel visual-overload? You just kind of want to go into your hotel room and go fetal until your brain can ctrl-alt-del? This area of China is a little bit like that too, but there is a bit more of a serenity layered on top so it never becomes over-the-top. However, I do have to stay vigilant to take photos because there is so much -- everywhere.
Salaryman in Tokyo While I was in the middle of making a time-lapse sequence (see the video below the photo), I was using my D3S on a sling to take quick photos of interesting people. They were everywhere! Behind me, waiting for the light to change, was this young salaryman. Salaryman is the Japanese word for “businessman”. That word salaryman always cracks me up for some reason. Anyway, he was this young kid, standing there in a most unassuming way in this nice suit. I spun around and grabbed a quick shot. He looked a little confused at me after I took it. I gave him a nod of thanks, and he smiled in a surprised way then went merrily on his way. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
A Rainy and Romantic Night in Ibiza Old Town (Villa d'Eivissa) Part of Ibiza is an old walled medieval town that is surrounded by layers of winding streets old shops intermixed with homes. A few streets away from the walls, some of the streets are full of pubs and quirky shops... I think it's better to explore them at night than in the day -- and especially so in the rain. On this night, it was a little chilly and rainy, but that does not effect my camera. I've never had a problem because of rain or cold or heat or <em>anything</em>. It just works! The rainy streets were full of colors and life. I saw this couple quickly walking under an umbrella so I took a quick one to capture the scene. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Secret Treasures of BeijingIt was very close to the National Day, and crews were out freshening-up the city. There were about four Chinese painters that were busy putting a fresh red coat of paint on this perfect little bridge. By chance, they were just finishing up as I approached. This little boat from the painters was pulled up beside the bridge in a wonderful way, so I set up my tripod along the bank for a photo.from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Mysterious Moeraki Boulders When I saw these strange round rocks for the first time, I was extra-fascinated. Not that I had any idea what they were. My years of geology training did me no good at all... I think it was even more frustrating because I knew all the things they could not be. The remaining possibilities just seemed off-the-chart impossible. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Bridges in Zurich I love these old cities that are centered around a river with dozens of little bridges that cross to and fro. It vexes me why Austin (or hundreds of other cities) have not centered the whole city around the river. Maybe it has something to do with flooding or something... I'm not totally sure. But whenever cities try to start a big development around the river later in the city's life, it seems a little bit forced. There is something very organic around these older cities and the river that feels more right than a master-planned complex. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Oregon Coast Today's photo comes from Cannon Beach, Oregon. If you click through to the blog post at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/08/31/the-oregon-coast/, you can see a brand-new video I made while taking this shot, explaining my thoughts on composition while I take the shot. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Little Elves, Little Waterfall Going into one of the valleys by Isafjordur takes you to many little homes near waterfalls. I thought this one was quite lovely. And if you look to the left there, you'll see the tiny homes they also built for the elves. I was editing this photo at dinner one evening in Isafjordur. One of the waitresses saw this house, recognized it, and said, "Oh that's jklasdj(jkasdj^dhsaj". Of course, I am doing my best to approximate the Icelandic language there... from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
A Strange Walk in China I was so intrigued by the reaction that I wanted to share it here too.. I'm interested to hear what bounces around your brain when you see it. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Streets of Montpellier by night Usually I go in after dusk... but, when the streets are so wonderful in the night... I never want to go back! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Remote Mountainous Great Wall of China This particular part of the wall had gaping wounds that have fallen apart after the last few thousand years. It took a bit of extra focus, since falling off the wall would have both been deadly and embarrassing. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Lonely Boats Around Four AM I just finished processing this photo and wanted to share it here. I love processing as much as shooting. I go through different modes of "content-acquisition" and "processing-with-hot-drinks-and-nice-music" -- and I'm in the latter mode now. This road between Isafjordur, Iceland and the next major town is hundreds of kilometers long. Tiny lonely half-towns like this are scattered about. When I stopped here at four in the morning, the world felt particularly lonely… from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Young Boy Near Northern Border of India If you are just getting started in photography, or perhaps you are starting to take it more seriously, it's not a bad idea to get a 50mm lens. You can get one for just around $100, and there are many advantages to playing around with it. For one, since you can't zoom at all, you can take some of the decision elements away, allowing you to concentrate on limited resources. A second reason is that it helps you to take photos of people and objects -- the small things that can form nice little memories. I love landscape photography, as you know, but these sorts of photos stay with me for different reasons. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
An Icy Morning, Searching for Hot Coffee Driving across the frozen bits of Iceland in the summer is always scary. I drive across a lot of ice, and I'm never terribly excited about it. I've been with people that drive across the stuff all the time, and they pay it no mind. For a short bit in Iceland, I got to ride for a while with a guy that's driven to the south pole a few times. Man, that guy can really drive on ice. I remember one time he turned to me very seriously and said, "When driving across a glacier, it is important that you not fall into a crevasse and die." I told him that I agreed wholeheartedly with that statement. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Boat in Isafjordur Cold, deep water has a different feel to it. I know it's just water, but there is a loneliness to it as well. Do you have any favorite photos to share of deep-water situations? This area is in the far northwest of Iceland up where there fjords layer into one another like fractals. I don't normally like taking photos in the middle of the day, but when the sky is the towering, glacier-carved edge of the fjord, there is practically no sky at all. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Bridge of the Dark Fairy Now, this place was hard to find. In fact, I tried to geo-locate it after the fact, and I could not even come close. It's like one of those lost spots on earth, like the island with King Kong, or the deep paths to Silfen worlds... After leaving the road, I scrambled down a few hillocks and walked along the stream a bit. Finding this quite mirror-world of sorts, I stopped for a photo. From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Gothic Study Note this is the "small" library. The details are quite incredible, and I am sure you will delight in seeing the closeups of the hand-carved wooden arches and the painted Spanish ceilings... it was all amazing! If you look closely at the full res version towards the middle, you can see a portrait of WR Hearst when he was 31-years-old. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
I took this one at the Cape inside the NASA blast zone on one of the final launches of the mighty shuttle... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Flaxen Horse at Sunrise The problem with horses in Iceland is that you can't pass a farm with them frolicking about without...wondering...hmmm...I wonder if I could get a good shot. And then, of course, something in you tells you that Yes, of course, you could get a good shot. And then, you have to come up with reasons not to stop at every farm and take photos of every horse, since they all come out interesting. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Ginza, alive at night You have no idea... (or maybe you do !!) how hard it is to carry around two cameras, a tripod, AND an umbrella. I already have every one of my 10 digits fully employed with handling everything. But... an umbrella! Well that really requires five fingers! I can usually get by with 5 on my tripod/camera too. I walk around with everything hooked together. However, a problem ensues when you have to expand and retract the legs of the tripod. That is really a two-hand operation. So what do you do with the umbrella during this time? The neck/shoulder pinch is right-out... the umbrella gets caught in the wind and it is a recipe for disaster. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Cemetery at the Beginning Right after I got into San Francisco, I went into the YouTube offices for a meeting. Their offices were quite cool! It wasn't entirely what I was expecting, but I don't know what I was expecting. The team there was nice and welcoming, and they were already fans, so that made it easy. Anyway, after the meeting, I went across the street (literally a 10 min walk!) over to this old cemetery that had charming trees scattered about. I was just in time for the sunset... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Sound that of Clattering Wood in the Breeze Upon entering the oldest part of this ancient town, I passed by these tiny shingles that hung in the air. They made a delightful sound as the wind went through them, and it kind of set the mood for the rest of the exploration. This woman was holding an umbrella to shield the sun. It did get a little steamy from time to time... I wish I had one too! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Lonely but Beautiful Path I have a lot of alone time. When I am out shooting, I am totally in my own world. In fact, I'm even double-in-my-own-world because I have my iPod on and I drift away into pure right-brain mode. It's quite nice, in a way, because I do achieve a zen-like peace where time does not matter. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The San Francisco Hat and Sunglasses Store Here is one I grabbed on the San Francisco PhotoWalk a few days ago. How could you resist a place like this, complete with particle board and astroturf? The light was so bright in here that everyone gathered outside to take photos of one another. It was like a huge softbox… it's always so funny to watch photowalkers start taking photos of one another… it never gets old! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Fishermen in the Afternoon in Switzerland I grabbed this one while on a train between Zermatt and St. Moritz. It's one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. Shooting out of a moving train is not the easiest thing in the world, but I did figure out a few tricks. I have a little behind-the-scenes video I made with +Scott Kublin that I will share soon… from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Matterhorn For most of my life, I've generally only known the Matterhorn for the ride in Disneyland! I mean, I always knew it was a real mountain... and I've seen photos of it and stuff... but seeing it there in the middle of the Alps was really cool. I think I was lucky while here in Zermatt, Switzerland. I understand that it is often occluded by clouds, so this was a lucky day indeed! Zermatt was a really great little town -- I'd love to go back and spend some more time there! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Zurich at Night It was a cool night -- one of those nights when I was glad a lugged around a jacket all day. These dark waters that run through old European cities at night set an interesting mood. I can't quite put my finger on it... heavy and deep and dark... but strange and light and reflective on top. I think some of these things you can't quite see end up in the photo, somehow. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
"The Sorbonne" - My friend (and website designer), Fabien Barral, met my wife and I in Paris to take us out to dinner. We left the hotel, and about 30 seconds out the door, we came across this street side cafe right by the Sorbonne, the famous university. Luckily, I think both of them were used to this behavior and chatted pleasantly while I snapped away. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Action of New York City I just finished working on this photo. It was a difficult one, but it was a lot of fun. Shots in Manhattan are often filled with all kinds of complex activity, and Times Square amps that all up to the next order of magnitude. The weather was perfect this day, and I know that isn't always the case. Since everything was more or less idyllic, I decided to make the most of it and see how many compositions I could squeeze into the afternoon. The only time I spent waiting around was watching for a few Yellow Cabs to streak by. from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Tattoo Shop I did a Google+ hangout last night where I worked on this photo. I took it just recently at the San Francisco PhotoWalk with Thomas Hawk. It was a great night... so many sights to be seen there. As usual, I had two cameras with me. One was for quick street shots with a 50mm prime. The other had my 14-24mm (see http://www.stuckincustoms.com/nikon-14-24-review/) on for these sorts of shots. I find that if I want to be on the sidewalk and take a photo of the store in front of me, I really need this kind of lens to squeeze it all in! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
New York, New York. A delicate sunset... This is a brand new piece that I've been working on over the past few days... I hope another NYC shot is okay! I've always loved the city, and I've been meaning to get back before Christmas. If I do make it, shall we have a big PhotoWalk up thataway? Who wants to come? from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Little Girl in China Chinese kids can be awfully cute. I don't know why this is... maybe because they are just kinda different... I can't put my finger on it. They kind of remind me of really cute pets... that is a strange thing to say, but maybe you know what I mean. Anyhoo, I've been processing with a few new techniques, and this is one of the results... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Snow Monkey I found this guy right outside of Nagano, Japan. I've had this photo for a while, and I decided to process it today while hanging out with Jaime Ibarra from <a href="http://ibarraphoto.com" rel="nofollow">IbarraPhoto.com</a> (nudity warning. nudity opportunity.) We spent all day and night processing photos. He's a great guy. His techniques are so unique! I was able to convince him to write an ebook for Flatbooks.com -- I can't wait to see it. We hope to get it out before Thanksgiving! :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Driving into the Andes We drove a long way through Argentina to get into the heart of Patagonia. Stopping every so often for bio-breaks was another good excuse to get out the camera for a photo… the way this long hill was shaped was so unusual to me... From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Chicago Forever It's starting to get cold in Chicago… and… if you live there, then you know Chicago has its own special flavor of cold. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
This was from down on the edge of Lago Argentino... these glaciers are so strange when you are there. Something you don't expect is a thunderous cracking as chunks cleave away. You hear that bone-grinding sound more often than you would think. From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
A little girl in a tiny French market, bathing in light... There was a small market in France with all sorts of little wonderful objects. Little fanciful things rested and leaned here and there. I had a lot of fun moving around with my 50mm to grab shots as I peeked and poked about. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Abandoned Fake Disneyland in China Here's a little story for Sunday that I'll tell over a series of photos. Later this evening I'll put up a video too. It's just as creepy as the photos I will share... So, outside of Beijing, to the north, is a huge abandoned Disneyland. It was partially built, and now just the husk of it just remains. While driving around, I could have sworn I saw the top of the spires of Cinderella's castle, so I tried to figure out a way to get in closer. After I finally got inside, well, it was as awesome as an abandoned, fake Disneyland sounds! From Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Tonight, after a storm in Austin… It was a rainy and blustery day here in Austin. I was running errands all around town through occasional bits of rain. I'm always looking up sideways through the front window, you know… thinking about a good potential sunset… and then around 4:30 or so I decided to go for a jog… listened to good music… looking up all the time… good good… things are looking good… jumped in the car with my camera and stuff and decided to go up to the famous Pennybacker bridge. This is about five minutes from my house plus a three minute walk… all my Austinite mates know this spot well, I think! Off in the distance to the left you can see downtown Austin. This area that I am in is sort of the start to the "hill country," where there a bunch of little hills, little trees, little streams… and it is all very Hobbit-like and nice. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Wicked London So, I just got finished watching Wicked in London. It was a very cool experience. I would have enjoyed getting a few more shots of the environs and actors/actresses -- maybe next time! The stage was wonderfully elaborate and fantasy-steampunk. I didn't expect so much steampunk stuff in my life lately... from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Forbidden Corner Two of the corners around the moat around the Forbidden City are exactly the same. The only difference is the direction they face. And, with bad luck, I started on the wrong corner, so that meant a not-so-short-runwalk to the other corner, and that is no small feat with something this huge. But, in terms of a long walk, at least there is something beautiful to look at along the way.
Last Night in Austin I was down on South Congress having a little secret dinner meeting about this new app we are building… and then the sun started to go down. Did I have my camera and tripod? Yes yes… of course.. if you invite me to dinner, chances are I'll be bringing them along. I waited for the right moment before running into the middle lane to get this. It was… exciting. Perhaps a bit more exciting than I anticipated… but, I grabbed it, then stopped at a little local market to get some goodies to gnaw on while driving back home...
The Alps in the Afternoon The more rugged the mountains, the better they look with a low angle of incidence of the light. Of course, they also look great in the middle of the day, but since the rugged peaks are in three dimensions, you get many extra angles of contrast when the sun is low. These kind of shots help me remember the fake symbology built up in my head of the shape-of-mountains. I got a bit of this when I was learning to draw... when drawing a human face, it takes a long time to get rid of that thing that is drilled into you as a kid -- that the eye is sort of the shape of a football. If you try to do that with a good drawing, it never works. And, it's sort of the same way with mountains. In my head, I still have to stop thinking of them as a rugged 2D line. It's thousands of 2D lines, crawling this way and that, but I can usually only see one of them. But, on late afternoons like this, you can start to see hundreds of more lines. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Night Settles In Feung Huang There is a general poetic peace when it begins to go dark outside and the town comes alight with shopkeepers and villagers come out to turn on the lights. If you look around, you can see them popping on, one at a time, like little fireflies coming out to play for the evening. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Approaching Grand Central Station in the Rain You can see I am approaching Grand Central Station -- and that is the famous Chrysler Building in the background. This was shot with the Nikon 14-24 Lens (See my Nikon 14-24 Review). It's an expensive lens, so if you are looking for something cheaper that also takes great wide-angle shots, check out the Sigma 10-20mm (Review coming some day when I mysteriously get more time). from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Hover Car in the Diamond Age Around the time of the book signing in New York earlier this year, I headed out into the streets for some shooting. The Diamond District is not too far from Rockefeller Center, and it is a perfect "New Yorky" area at night... especially in the rain. Between stoplights, I would pop out into the street and grab some frames as quickly as possible. With five exposures, the last was pretty long at 30 seconds, so it was still a little "exciting" to grab the tripod at the last second and then scurry off the street. That one car the made it through my tripod-roadblock is interesting, isn't it? It appears to be a hover-car of sorts. I can no longer recall what sort of car it was, but I keep staring at that wonderful apparition. It's quite mesmerizing, floating there on the rainy street. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Vancouver... dark skies over Lisa... storms gather as she ponders her next page...
The Carrier I've been wanting to process this photo forever -- I love carriers. This one is open to the public, but I arrived too late to get up on the deck... So I was stuck on the ground level -- but then a sweet fog rolled in to cover part of the carrier. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
New York, Yellow Cab Here is one of my favorite areas of New York. It's right by the famous Flatiron building -- but I obviously did not shoot in that direction here. There's often a nice traffic flow, and it makes for a fun experiment to time out the traffic. Since I shoot from -2 to +2., I try to predict when the middle exposure will in the right spot to get the right amount of blur on that photo. My rules for this are a little different based on the time of day and a few other factors. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Treetop Japanese Temple at Night After night falls, the autumn trees are illuminated from the forest floor below. The ancient temple has a good vantage point to look at the new city below from the old forest in the hills... from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Lonely Trinity - a remote place in northern Montana - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Balloon Ride Who wants to go on a balloon ride with me at sunset? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
After exploring an area (and era!) of ancient temples in Kyoto, I was absolutely starving. I tend to get in a "shooting mode" where I do not undertake basic human necessities like eating, sleeping, and making regular bathroom breaks. In fact, Nikon makes this great set of diapers you should try. They're Japanese so there are little buttons that dispose of everything and leave you fresh as a daisy. Anyway, after shooting, I headed down into the old part of Kyoto to find a traditional Japanese dinner. I sat there for a long time, enjoying myself thoroughly. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
Sunset at Glacier National Park I'm having a nice weekend processing photos. I just completed this one a few hours ago, and it brought back good memories of Glacier National Park. I don't think I ever really got warm there. Even in the room there was a steady chill. This is a strange memory of that place... I normally don't mind the cold as there are a few occasions to warm up and reset my system. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Majesty (my largest photo ever) This is one of the largest pieces I have ever made; the giant TIFF is about 21,000 pixels across. I shot it one cool and crisp morning at Glacier National Park in this crystal clear lake that is fed by glacial runoff. It is comprised of 90 different photos that took a small eternity to mix together into an epic HDR. I've been thinking about having a 10-foot mural printed at walk-up resolution... but I am not quite sure where I would put it! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
a little painting - a study in light - Trey Ratcliff
The most awesome swimming pool in the world - at Hearst Castle - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sunset at Hearst Castle Maybe people in California get spoiled by good sunsets. Not living there, I don't know! But, when you are sitting up high on a mountain, in a castle-mansion, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, how could you not get spoiled? And this isn't even the main castle. This is just one of the guest-houses. Hearst had several guest houses there, each one as stunning as the next. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Isabella's Jewel Box This amazing place is in one of the two peak towers atop Hearst Castle. Getting up into these rooms via tiny, twisting stairways is not the easiest thing in the world. The paths in and out of these bedrooms are almost so serpentine that they seem secret. When I was inside, I felt like I was one of the few people in the world to ever experience it. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Icelandic Sheepdog Here is another one of these unusual-looking horses from Iceland. When Rebekka took me out to the fjords to go shoot horses, I did not expect that the horses would be nearly so hairy. I was thinking it might have been seasonal because of the cold, but then again, I have very little business determining anything about Icelandic wildlife. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Alone in Winter, Against the World... This is one desolate place. It's the southern coast of Iceland where the sea and the wind were absolutely ripping their way past me and the lighthouse. I always imagine what it is like to be inside of one of those lighthouses, all night long through the winter. I can't even envision what that would be like, and after only a short time there in the icy wind, I got the willies and was happy to get out of there. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Lighthouse on Roanoke Island at Sunset Ahhhh - finally a good sunset! I keep track of the sunsets like an insane meteorologist combined with a native-American shaman. I do my best to look at each day and figure out how things will end up that evening. Predicting more than a day ahead is almost impossible, unless you are at a special place on the planet around a certain type of year. On this day in North Carolina, I knew that the late afternoon storm was a small cell, and it would pass quickly, perhaps letting the sun peak beneath the clouds to light them from the bottom. And, to my satisfaction, it actually happened! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Shots from Inside the Googleplex Herein, you will see one of the mysterious hallways of Google, the new Google Holodeck (well, pseudo-holodeck), which is showing Google Earth on the moon (you can zoom in, spin around, etc etc), and the last is Spaceship One, which has been lowered through the roof. Awesome, eh? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
a painting study... Stone Bridge at Queenstown Park... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com
The Edge of the World This was one of my first times on a black sand beach, and it was even stranger because it was at least eight hours since I had seen another human. The sound the black sand made was something between normal beach sand and fresh snow. It was a slippery crunch with a slight wet sucking sound as my foot pulled up. This place is pretty close to one of the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland. Very close to the town of Vik, this is on the other side of a tall and narrow mountain range. You can kind of drive anywhere. Anywhere. And this looked interesting and kind of scary… so I just drove and drove across the black sand until I got to this place… like something a wicked map designer would make in Skyrim. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
From the Edge of Chile And here's a pretty picture from the edge of Chile... :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Hanging Out of the Chopper Here is another photo that I took that evening when I was flying in a helicopter around downtown Chicago. The pilots were cool enough to take off the door to give me an unencumbered view. That part was great -- the thing I did not expect was the 200 MPH backwash flying through the cavity. It made it rather tough to keep the camera steady! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
All Alone, Iceland I went over a high mountain pass that connects one remote part of the country into another. There’s always ice and snow up here. Well, really, it’s mostly ice and very little snow. This little stone and wood framed home stood desperately alone. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Ripping Through the World I know everyone has their own various tastes for HDR, and mine is all over the map! Sometimes I really feel artsy and go crazy with one, like this car above. It's hard with awesome cars... because the reflectivity in HDR is so off the map. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Canals of Lijiang at Night There must be a hundred little canals spread here and there through the old town. There are so many opportunities for photos! This is what we call a target-rich environment. This is the town I was in with Tom Anderson -- every night we explored a new area. It was an amazing time... I can't wait to go back some day! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Two Paths This path around Crater Lake winds this way and that. It occasionally opens up to a wide vista where I can see the lake and morning sun. But the path itself was quite nice with the sun slicing in through the early-yellow leaves. You might remember this from the video I made while here a few weeks ago. As usual, you can find that video and more on my YouTube channel at youtube.com/stuckincustoms from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Wild Horses, Running Wild These horses came thundering onto the scene while I was walking down the old path. I got myself behind a tree so I would not get trampled like Mufasa. I was lucky that they started kicking up dust in the right position relative to the sun so that their legs cast shadows through the cloud. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Crazy Futbol (or Futsol?) Field in Tokyo ... Tokyo from the air As for this photo, a photo which I am sure someone will find a way to complain about the Japanese people killing whales or something, I took it from pretty dang high in the air. I'm not scared of heights; I am scared of falling. But there was little risk of that while I took this... so I was able to focus on that most amazing of soccer (futbol) fields there atop the building. I've played my whole life, and I'd love to get up there for a game! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Bund in the Rain This is the older British part of Shanghai. On the night I took this, it was rainy and cold -- that kind of wet cold that still runs through you even when you are under an awning. It's the kind of cold that can only make you think of a big warm blanket at home... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Runner of Blades More and more cities are giving me that feel of Blade Runner. It’s such a great movie… well, the first half is great. It drags a little after that. Okay okay I know that is blasphemy… just my opinion and everything. I know I should not say such a thing… Anyway, this is a very trendy place in Beijing. There are many trendy places, all futuristic, all full of cool shopping and restaurants, all great for photography! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Over $15,000 raised! Thank you Stuck In Customs Community! So, wait, what's that? You haven't joined our Stuck In Customs Community on Kiva? Oh no! See it here: http://goo.gl/sSZn2 Even if you don't join in, thanks for reading this. Because, maybe you will some day... when you have a bit more money for these sorts of things (even though you can do as little as $25). I think Kiva is a great, and I've made over 20 loans to small entrepreneurs from all over the world. I try to focus on the arts and loan to photographers and other artists, even though I've also found many other interesting opportunities - I hope you do too! Thanks +Kiva ! Announcement: Don't miss out on the newsletter that goes out in a few hours! Sign up for free at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com/news from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Alcatraz in the Dusk* - I took this on my most recent trip to San Franciso a few weeks ago. That tower you see closer in is Coit Tower. This is my favorite time to shoot... when there is a mix of soft, colored ambient light and a many artificial lights popping on as night settles. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The cool morning spray of the river This was taken early early early too early one morning in Glacier National Park... Waking up is painful, especially on cold mornings when I'd rather stay in my cozy cozy bed. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Snow falls in a beautiful park in Boston Is it getting cold where you are yet? I'm one of those people that really kinda likes the cold... One problem that can sometimes happen with HDR is that the snow gets too dirty. No one likes dirty snow.... so, it's best to fix that bit by remixing the original RAW file back into the result. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Cathedral Under the Cathedral What an awesome place this is… This is the cathedral that is on the bottom level of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. And there is another cathedral on top of it! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Puzzling Over Beauty*... all the pieces and people that fill in the puzzle of our lives... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Cheerful Austin Christmas Dragon It was a great PhotoWalk in Austin last night! Remember to tag your photos with #gplusaustin -- and click around to see some stuff. We had over 100 sign up on plancast, and it got pretty crazy because a lot of people brought friends and family. It was a lot of fun to meet people. We had one guy come in from South Africa, a gal Karen Hutton come in from California, and many more from all around the Texas area. Everyone we very nice and fun as usual. I had an autographed <a href="http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012-calendar/">2012 calendar</a> to give away, but I forgot! Sorry that was lame of me... I had it on the floorboard of my car and everything, but with getting the kids out and everything, I forgot - you know how it is. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Google+ PhotoWalking at Christmas in Austin One thing that always bothers me about these things is that I can't talk to everyone. It's really hard to make this happen. Obviously, I do enjoy getting to know as many people as possible. I know many people want to come up and talk, but it is logistically difficult with so many people… and then, the end comes, and I know people have more stuff to talk about, but these conversations just haven't happened yet… no worries… we'll have them some day - many more PhotoWalks to come. Anyway, thank you. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
After I took this photo and posted it, this photo was so popular that she ended up hearing about it...she sent me this note. "Dear, Trey & Every one thank you all for your lovely words, And im so greatfull for the photographer trey who took this nice pictures for me . i was on my way to my honey moon in the Airport, im so happy that you all like it, this is one of our Tradition that when we get married , we have to put this . it call “hena” .im from kingdom of bahrain . thanks again" from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Yellowstone on Fire Here's another idea I worked on... I'm still just experimenting. Regulars may know that I really love looking at paintings; it is one of my biggest influences. I do not, however, consider myself a painter... I just experiment and try things with light and the shape of light. Anyway, if you want to know more about this or see detail, I wrote a bit about it when it was created, along with some detail shots: http://goo.gl/HNC6e a painting - yellowstone on fire - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Farmhouse and Roosting Birds at Dusk I only got to stay in this magical place for one night. If you're really into birds, then you may notice a thing or two about this photo. Iceland is known for many species of birds, and you can see a bunch of them roosting back in the cliff there. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Digital Aurora Borealis 世贸天阶 ! There's not many places where you can get a colorful sky in the middle of the night. China seems to be one of the best places to have these strange digital phenomenon. This place is called "The Place." It ranks right up there with some of the other awful names of Chinese locations. They should hire a poet or two so these places can sound more exotic. I'd be happier if it was called "Tomorrow Sky" or "The Sea of Matrix." from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Charon, by Peter Hudson This was one of my most difficult photos of 2011. This amazing sculpture from Burning Man is the brilliant work of Peter Hudson. You may remember this scene from your mythology, where Charon rows the dead across the river Styx. The sculpture requires at least six spectators to pull a series of ropes in a certain manner. Once the wheel starts spinning fast enough, strobes start flashing, animating the skeletons. Each of them was animated by a Pixar artist and there was a magical effect. Capturing the motion and the strobe all at once was extremely difficult. I thought about it for four days before finally taking the shot. I’m sure my Burning-Man-Buds Tom Anderson and Cliff Baise tired of me speculating about the shot! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
I've had a fun week in California - and been spending time in LA staying with +Tom Anderson . We've been going through a lot of our photos from Burning Man, and I shared this photo of him that I quite liked. We were out in the deep playa, way beyond the main throng of the 50,000 people in the main camp. It's kind of freaky, in a way, how you can just walk forever into the desert and you see very strange things here and there... I felt like I was exploring an MMO in real life. When I took this, Tom was checking his camera after taking a shot of this strange area... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Late Night in Germanville This area of Epcot is one of the best for night photography. There was a little bit of light in the sky, so I had to make this shot as quickly as possible. I didn't really have time to do a proper scouting, but this was such a nice situation, I made it happen as quickly as I could. I think my full-tripod-setup is under 25 seconds in these emergency situations. Normally, I like to zen out and take my time. Others, like this, are the result of sheer, bloody panic. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Hans Zimmer's Amazing Studio I sat nervously in his studio, waiting for his grand appearance, and I'm not really the type to get nervous. I'm pretty cool-headed about such matters, but I've always considered Hans to be a great man. And whenever I have a deep channel of artistic respect for someone, I start to feel the vapors a bit right before a meeting. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Exploring LA with Tom I woke up today here at Tom's place ( +Tom Anderson ) in the Hollywood Hills and started to work on that long post about Hans Zimmer's studio. And then, I found out that Tom had also put up a huge post about a musician... that is kinda weird... we haven't even been talking about music. Maybe it's like when women live together too long.... they start to cycle together. We went up to take photos of the city from the hills here. I used one of my more powerful lenses to zoom in towards downtown LA, where we are headed tonight... I stopped by to make a quick post. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Beautiful Downtown Los Angeles So, I found this spot thanks to sweet sweet +Stuck On Earth . I went downtown last night with +Tom Anderson and we decided to hit this spot plus several others we geo-located. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Solar Flower - The Giant Robotic Flower of Buenos Aires This thing is enormous. In grinds and churns as it follows the sun. The metallic petals flex and bend with the light as the sun sweeps across the sky. I had never seen anything so huge and steampunk in my life. I walked around it for a while to get a good angle of the monster. My tripod was stuck in customs, so I had to do this one handheld... and do my best to keep the camera as steady as a T-1000. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Wall of Fog... a mysterious road trip into the National Park... want to penetrate the veil with us? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
mountains again, mountains Gandalf... Now that I'm going to this mega Google+ PhotoAdventure at Yosemite (see my stream earlier), I've been thinking a lot about the mountains again... I think people are either Mountain people, Beach people, Forest people, City people, or Desert People. I'm a mountain person... Which kind are you? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Snake in the Panacea of Pandora I had climbed up and down the spires of Zhangjiajie twice, which is twice more than my legs wanted to go. I foolishly went up one of the spires at sunset trying to get a photo. And getting up is not easy. There are little stairs caved into the sides of the mountain that spiral up and through inlaid cave systems. There is occasional ducking and a lot of worry about slippery bits. So the time had come to descend. It was dark. Bear-den dark. I had a little light on my camera strap (not really a full-on flashlight like I should have had). I kept it on as I walked back. It was about a four kilometer back through these spires alone. I never saw another human, and I didn’t expect to see anything — until I almost stepped on this snake. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Underground Cyber-People Mover Anyone know this secret spot??? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Lonely Road on the way to the Dinosaur Dig I had an amazing week up in the badlands. I was invited to spend time with Jack Horner and his crew of paleontologists... I even got to help dig up a giant femur of a mysterious dinosaur... and, as a bonus, every evening had these surreal sunsets. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sweet cars in Tokyo.... If you could have any kind of car, what would it be? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Winter is Coming This photo was taken in the lonely midlands of Iceland. I was taking a long drive away from Akureyri and planned to stop for the night in Stadarskali, where I was the only guest that evening. I had to wake up the innkeeper to let me inside... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Winterscream I posted another one today from the middle of Iceland in the dark of a winter storm... I wanted to share one more... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A quick painting study - more at - More details and a video at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/temple-burn-painting/ from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Merry Christmas :) ...from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A Gentle Kiss in the Hot Tub These snow monkeys are the greatest. I spent a long time with them... It was very cold, and I almost got in this hotspring with them. They are all wild, and they come down from the mountains near Nagano, Japan, for several hours a day to play in the natural hot springs. They gallivant around, have fights, play with their kids, have a bit of sweet carnal monkey fun, check their email, and pose for my camera. These two monkeys spent a lot of time together... they were in maximum "relaxation mode." They lounged around in every possible position and took occasional breaks to do a bit of mutual grooming. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Infinite City of Shanghai at Sunrise Crystal clear days in Shanghai are rare... so I had to scurry up to the top of my hotel to get a glimpse before the moment was lost... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
On Frozen Pond I probably should not have been standing in the middle of this frozen pond. But when you are raised in Texas and you rarely get to see anything frozen, you get fascinated by large frozen bodies of water. I just stared at it for a long time like a deer that's never seen headlights in the forest. I felt the saying, "When in Rome," and somehow replaced it with "When in Reykjavik..." I slowly shuffled my feet out to the middle, using my tripod as an Imperial Hoth Walker to secure my footing. Once I got to the right spot for the lens, I ripped off a few shots before heading over to the safely of the shore. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
This is Sujatmi She is currently sitting in a makeshift annex area in a bustling riverside community in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Dozens of tiny thatched and improvised houses are cobbled together and brightly painted. There are kids running around and other adults running after them, trying to get them to sit still so they can begin school. I’ve accidentally interrupted the whole affair while getting confused in the tiny alleys, no wider than a set of shoulders. She’s thrilled by the excitement as she looks on, nodding at me and the kids. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Epic Harbor of Buenos Aires I think I should not have been here. After I was roaming around this area, a few of my Argentine friends told me it was quite dangerous. There is a popular area nearby that is much safer, but I heard it attracts the criminal element... and they are more likely to pick off the weak wildebeests on the outskirts... this was definitely the outskirts. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A Bistrot in Lyon in the Evening Who wants to go with me? Do you like French food? Or, maybe, let's just get some desserts... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Milky White Geothermal Occurrence Can you imagine dipping your toes into that and getting inside for a nice warm soak? It's wild! It's hard to describe how wild it really is. There is a whole complex behind there with lockers, showers, a restaurant, and this sort of thing. The design inside is all Scandinavian and modern. They have private rooms you can rent that are swim-up. I met a nice couple from Colorado and they invited me into theirs. It was filled with food and all kind of things -- it reminded me of a James Bond evil lair. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Broken Bridge in The Dark Forest Patagonia is marked with a change of terrain every half hour or so. This was a particularly dense area of forest in Patagonia that was fed by a nearby stream system that came tumbling down off the Andes. I came across this old bridge. There is no telling how long it had been there... I tried to imagine it was built by Fuegian Indians back in the day... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Coming to San Francisco, virtually Since I'm visiting Thomas at his place in San Francisco tonight over the internet, I wanted to share this photo of one of my favorite cities... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Patagonia Alive While walking across this open field in the Andes, I stopped countless times to open up my tripod. I'd only walk a short distance before looking around again and seeing everything anew. I'd like to go back here on another epic hike. Perhaps I'll go in the deep of winter next time. This place would be even more amazing under a fresh snow. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Approaching Yosemite Valley I've arrived at the PhotoWalk... just shot this and wanted to share it with you. This looks like it will be an amazing Google+ PhotoWalk! We've got people from all over the nation descending upon the lodge here. I'll be out there every sunset and sunrise, and anyone is welcome to join me - for sure I'll be with +Tom Anderson +Robert Scoble +Thomas Hawk and +Scott Kublin in addition to the circle shared by +shirley lo ! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Driving Towards Yosemite I was the first one to show up at the Google+ PhotoWalk here... so I dumped my stuff at the lodge and immediately made a break for the national park. The sun was booking it towards the horizon, and I was headed to an area I found with +Stuck On Earth (free app). I pulled over on the way to grab this photo because the light looked so nice, streaming through the forest... I'm sitting in the lobby now processing photos... and right beside me, of all people, is +George Ruiz ! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Deep in the Yosemite Valley My first trip to Yosemite was so fun! I've been to Yellowstone about a dozen times, so it was strange never to have a trip to Yosemite under my belt. Yellowstone is great and everything, but it lacks a few of these "epic" scenes, if you know what I mean. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Futuro House I'm still in the middle of this fun Google+ PhotoWalk.... but I wanted to share this photo I took last week with +Tom Anderson in LA. It was the daily photo on the blog today. Remember those old timey visions of the future? They usually involved people in all-white suits sashaying around hyper-realized modernist structures that were just on the edge of imagination. Most of them never came to pass, but this reminded me of one of those scenes. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Happy New Year from the Google+ PhotoWalk in Yosemite! We're having a great time down here. We've been up early every day (up today at 5 AM !) and out late at night too. More and more people arriving all the time... The Tenaya Lodge is now brimming over with people like +Tom Anderson +Robert Scoble +Thomas Hawk and others from +shirley lo's circle! I took this one across the Yosemite Valley on the first night of the PhotoWalk. The colors and mists and fog here combine into a delicate mélange. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Tree of Life in the New Year This first photo of the new year I took this morning in Yosemite. This old oak tree sits in the middle of a field and doesn't look like much until you get right up beside it. I had a good time running around it with everyone from the PhotoWalk crew here... +Karen Hutton got a different perspective on this tree that will be in her stream soon! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Google+ PhotoWalk Through the Mariposa Woods... From the meadows to the mountains to the woods, our band of PhotoWalkers is having a great time! We caravan around together and mix it up in different ways. On the way to these 2000+ year old woods, we came with +Robert Scoble and +Maryam Scoble. Maryham and my wife +Tina Ratcliff were able to compare notes on what generally useless-around-the-house husbands they have. Robert and I do not deny this. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Old Church in Field The Google+ PhotoWalk event continues on! While walking through one of the many meadows in the valley of Yosemite, this church looked interesting in the late afternoon light. The valley is so deep that light drops away very quickly, making everything extra-moody... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Karen Hutton, Braced Against the Woods Here is the great +Karen Hutton, Cheesetop, full-on facing the woods of Yosemite. She was one of many great photographers to join us out here for this great PhotoWalk! There were people from all levels - veterans and newbies - and we all had a great time exploring and learning together. I hope YOU can come out for the next one... they are always free.... a great celebration of Google+, community, and photography! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Final Night of the Google+ PhotoWalk... The Lodge We all ended up here on the final night of the PhotoWalk. This is the famous Ahwanee Hotel at Yosemite with the towering cliffs behind. I believe it is where Steve Jobs got married. Anyway, it was a great place for us to start and end the final night of the PhotoWalk. We left here, walked along the river, talked, composed, shared secrets, and all these sorts of things that end up happening. Thanks again to everyone that came, and I'll see you at the next one! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
As Night Settles on the Old Lake Here is another photo that is too good to be true... and, unfortunately, it is. This is a replica of Portofinio, Italy. It's a resort hotel in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios. It's so wonderfully fake -- and so wonderful at the same time. I can't quite decide if I like the fakeness of it all. It does make for amazing photos, though, so that is cool. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Come sit beside me for a day of photography and art on the coast... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Wild Fibonacci Tree On the last night of the Yosemite trip, Karen Hutton and I found ourselves together in a very dark meadow away from the rest of the crowd... we took our time meandering around and finding little bits here and there... here is what I found... stay tuned to her stream to see what she found :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Mariposa Woods I just made this at the fun Google photo workshop... their monitor was a little wonky, so they didn't get to see all the color.... here you go... enjoy! This is from the G+ PhotoWalk in Yosemite a few days ago... join us for the next one! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Tunnel to Yosemite Here is the second file I processed at Google today for the workshop. This was also taken last week. It comes from a single RAW file, and I used it to show how rich you can make a single HDR out of a single file. I'd say 30% of my HDR images comes from a single RAW. It's best to do this when there is movement or perhaps when the subject calls for it. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Lincoln Memorial I got this photo in a hurry. I bet I raised a few security alarms too because of my unusual behavior. I didn't have much time, so I had my wife drive nearby and park illegally on the curb for a few minutes. She wasn't a fan of that, but let's not talk about this right now. So, I jumped out of the car, hauled my tripod out of the trunk, and dashed across the green hill towards the memorial. I grabbed photos in a rushed way and dashed back to the car and sped away. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
White Flower in Desert This is another one from Burning Man...I can’t even remember why I set up in this area to take a shot. I was sort of drawn to it. It was so interesting to me. In some ways, it matters why the flowers are there and it doesn’t matter why they are there. And you can say the same thing about every little part of this photo. To me, this is all very nice and I can’t quite put my finger on it. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Hiking Through the Valley, on the way to the Franz Josef Glacier Ethan and I went walking for a long valley to get close to the glacier...a long long valley... We wanted to see the blue undercarriage that formed in the cave - the mouth of the glacier where a river empties. Along the way, we go through a verdant green valley that plummeted into the rocky flood plain. As I stopped to take photos, Ethan would root around in the rocks and try to find a piece of Jade to take home and polish up. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The French Quarter of Disney Amazing Disneyworld! I am starting to switch my opinion about the best place to shoot in Disneyworld. I'm now thinking it is definitely Epcot. It used to be Animal Kingdom, which is still amazing.. but I find myself with more options and variety at Epcot, especially in the evening. Here's a great tip. If you stay at the resort, then go to Epcot on the "bonus hours" evening. Then get yourself way out at the opposite end of the park when it closes. You can then take your time and leave, taking photos all along the way. It's pretty much absolutely deserted! The security guards did not seem to bother me either... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Place in Texas Where They Found the 17 Bodies Now this is a proper Texas ghost town! It was always one of those things that fascinated me as a child. Pretty much anything with the name "ghost" in it was cool back then, including my "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. I remember there was one called "Deadwood" or something like that, which always had a creepy ghost town feel to it. Anyway, this is a strange abandoned town outside of Brenham, Texas (Home of Blue Bell Ice Cream!). And no, 17 Bodies were not found here... just being a bit dramatic. Or maybe there WERE 17 bodies here but the authorities are just covering it up. It's all true. I heard Alex Jones say it. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Long Path to the Temple of Heaven It was a beautiful morning in Beijing. It was cool and crisp, and I walked around this historic area while locals were doing yoga and various other exercises. There are many ancient, repeating structures that cover the grounds in a very orderly manner. This is one of the many long structures that helps to connect various areas of the complex. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Yosemite Valley This was my first trip to Yosemite ever, so I was pretty excited. I've been to Yellowstone about a dozen times, but this has always been a blank spot for me. It was a great trip and we had all sorts there from the Google+ PhotoWalk. The first evening there had a nice set of pinks and some vermillion reflections that cascaded down the valley. Subsequent days had me traveling all the way down the valley to see all the same mountains from a variety of perspectives. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Walking Blind Through China As Tom Anderson and I were leaving the old area of Lijiang one evening, we saw these two coming towards us in the opposite direction. One of them was blind (perhaps both), and one played a small stringed instrument while the other held out a bowl for donations. I squatted down and waited for them to enter a little pool of light from a nearby shot before I took the photo. And then I walked over and put a little donation in the bowl. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Tree Afire Here's another from our epic G+ PhotoWalk in Yosemite last week. There are amazing trees here and there and you can lose yourself quickly in their branches... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Lonely Woods, Forever Here is another photo from our recent Yosemite PhotoWalk last week. The valley floor is full of dense forests that can go on for an eternity. I had a wonderful time exploring these with all my fellow PhotoWalkers. I can't wait to do it all again soon. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Deep in the Distant Valley - Another recent one from our fun PhotoWalk in Yosemite last week - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Waiting on the Solstice Sun Up in the northwest fjords of Iceland, the roads end but the land keeps going. There is this distant island, pictured here, that has no roads at all. It seems so remote and... well... scary. I don't know why I get that foreboding sense! It just feels so lonely, so far north... the cliffs are so sheer... no one to hear you scream... and these sorts of things. I do like being remote, but this is a little too remote. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Sunset of Your Childhood - Haven't your memories always been a little better than reality? That's why reality kind of sucks sometimes (!) and it's fun to escape into our mind's eye. This is what I try to achieve through this medium. I also try to achieve it in real life, where it often fails in spectacularly sad ways. But maybe our memories are better than we give ourselves credit for. Here I was in Disneyworld, as young as ever, and seeing this real place with these real colors and tones. I don't paint over these photos...all these colors are really there, and they are the same ones that are mapped into your brain for all time... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Alien Pool If you have ever seen this area of Southern Iceland, then you can attest to these amazing colors! These are totally accurate…. and I would find it hard to believe had I not seen it first hand. It was my first time to this area in the summer. Do you see those strange rocks? Well, some of what you are seeing is rocks and the rest is a very unusual moss. It’s a tan-green color. It’s extremely fuzzy/spongy and makes the whole place just seem unworldly. That, combined with the extra-blue water, made for a scene that was just shockingly awesome. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Not that it is the greatest thing in the world, but I got this photo above with the new Nikon V1. It has this interchangeable prime lens with a creamy bokeh... and this is today, well ahead of my 2015 prediction that most of us (50%+) will be off the DSLR Big Iron + Flipping Mirrors train by then...
The Haunting of the Hotel Sax The Crimson Lounge sits behind some ornate doors in the lobby of the Hotel Sax in Chicago. It would be callously gauche to call this a hotel bar, because it is so much more. There are about a dozen little rooms, enclaves, and velvet-curtained grottos that make up a textured complex of rooms that are just waiting around for me to lounge in while drinking something with an absurd name. Thanks again to +Fiona Murphy for hosting our Chicago book party here! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Two Glacial Lakes of the Southern Andes This was a hard spot to reach! It was quite a hike to get up here early in the morning, just as the sky was still in a dawn of deep blue. The two lakes on either side are those pure glacial blue lakes that you sometimes see from airplanes and wonder, "What's it like to be down there?" I'll tell ya - AWESOME! I went down there and drank from the lakes like a guanaco on holiday. It was incredible. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Minecraft Waterfall This waterfall reminds me of one of those long never-ending waterfall/rivers from Minecraft. Except, it’s kind of 100x more awesome because it is real. There are hundreds of these all over Iceland. The water just keeps coming and coming… I’m often curious as to where it all coming from because the hills beyond seem so gentle. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Violent Volcano I thought this mountain and cloud formation was too perfect to ignore. Clouds always do strange things when they pass over mountains, but this one seemed particularly violent and unexpected. This is not actually a volcano. it's just a regular old mountain in the Andes that had a nice little volcanic shape. I skirted around it for a while (skirting is quite a trek at this radius), until the angle seemed about right... although I had to skirt fast before the clouds changed. I have always wanted to take a photo of a volcano that is erupting. I climbed up part of a volcano that was erupting in Costa Rica, and you could see the red rocks, but I got absolutely zero good shots. Oh well... some day! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Forbidden City Early one morning I decided to hike up the biggest hill in the middle of Central Axis to get a shot of the Forbidden City. Once up there, it was an amazing view of the old city. There’s not many cities in the world that have kept such a huge area so well preserved. It’s about as close as you can get to time travel in the real world (so far). And then, when the light is right in these strange hours, it is a completely transportive experience. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Deep in the South of New Zealand I drove over 4,200 kilometers while there -- it was just a wonderful experience. Towards the end of the journey, we started making deeper and deeper into the southern island, where things seemed to get more wonderful and wild every kilometer. The weather was crazy the whole time! It would go from sunny to violent little storms to random winds to perfect calm. During one of those transition periods, I was halfway to Milford Sound by this beautiful little lake when this rainbow peeked out. I quickly got into position to capture it, but then realized I had on the wrong lens! The 12-24mm was okay, but this really called for the 24-70. Despite worries of rain getting into the chamber, I switched out lenses, doing my best to keep all the elements at bay. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Pretty Trees in Yosemite The next photo I post tonight will be of Robert Scoble on the amazing recent Google+ PhotoWalk. We've got another one coming up in LA in just a few weeks... It'll be a great one too... even though we won't quite see this. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Robert Scoble, On Top of the World Here's the man, Robert Scoble , in his element... one with the world and with his camera... capturing it all. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Adventuring Deeper into Patagonia After setting up camp in El Calafate, we went out to the edge of Lago Argentino tonight to shoot the sunset to shoot the Perito Moreno glacier. Every few minutes, you could hear giant shards of ice cleave off and drop into the lake below. See all of the dark bits of ice floating in the water? Those are actually the clear bottoms that were once underwater, but recently flipped over. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Exploring South America This is probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. I knew it was going to be pretty beforehand, but I wasn’t really prepared for the non-stop grandeur of the landscapes. We chose the perfect time to go, right in the middle of Autumn. The backpacking took about twice as long as expected. I couldn’t stop myself from holding up every few minutes to set up for another photo. It was irresistible! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Gentle Hills and Summer Storm in New Zealand While driving from Nelson to the south, we went through an area with many vineyards and pastoral scenes. I mean, it doesn't get any more pastoral than this. In fact, it's so pastoral, it's almost a time-warp and everything is in slow motion. I stopped the car and jumped over a fence to walk out into a field to frame this shot. I thought it might work from the road, and I was in a bit of a hurry to get this weather system before it moved along too far. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Rapture The drive to Milford Sound is probably the prettiest in the world. The landscapes were just outrageous. It's a 2-hour drive, but it took me about 5! Along the way, the clouds and sun were doing some crazy things. I drove down to the beach to grab this scene, just at the perfect time. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
When the Songs Were Forlorn Today we have another new Iceland shot! When you are surrounded by constant strange-light, everything feels like a waking dream. And when I reached this point, my iPod playlist started getting into the forlorn songs. It did nothing to help the reality of the situation, if there was one to begin with ... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Six Girls in New Zealand Getting Meat While on a long drive from the Coromandel to Matamata (where The Shire is), we pulled into this pizza place to stock up on some much needed carbs. I saw these six girls lined up so perfectly, I had to grab a quick shot. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Park Through the Sky Isn't this park awesome? It is an elevated park that weaves along top of New York City. Hardly anyone knows about it! Of course, people in New York know about it, and they assume that everyone else should know too. It's relatively new -- I think it only opened a few years ago. It's called "High Line Park", and it used to have freight trains that ran up and down it back in the 1930's. That train service is dead, and they converted the entire thing into a long, meandering park. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Veins of Bangkok The top of many tall buildings have bars or restaurants where you can take photos. No one ever really seems to mind. One BIG problem though is the lights inside the bar. They bounce off the windows and create an awful reflection. I usually contact someone that works there and give them a tip to turn off all the lights for 5 minutes while I take the photo. I am sure to set everything up first, so I can get to snapping... especially since as soon as the lights go off, a mild amount of panic ensues from the patrons. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
TWIT Studios with Leo Laporte - Our Google+ Hangout Live stream is about to be ricocheted around this studio and out to the world... Join us every Monday at 7 PM PT! ...from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Under the Umbrella at Sunset We took this during our fun PhotoWalk in San Clemente. It's a wonderful beach there - not too crowded, a perfect beach, and an idyllic pier. Just throw in a few clouds, and we end up with a perfect sunset! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Giant Sun Sinks into the Tasman Sea In this photo of the sunset over the Tasman Sea, off the coast of New Zealand, I did take 7 exposures form +3 to -3. Whenever you aim the camera right into the sun, you need to expose even more range than normal. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Google Doodle The new Google offices in Los Angeles are right in the heart of Venice. After passing through some hardcore security, you walk down this hallway, which I guess is a bit like dying and going to Google heaven. You probably know about all the various Google doodles that decorate the home page. I heard the first one was of Burning Man. I didn't see that one on the walls... but maybe you can! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Under the Cherry Blossoms I spent a while one evening in the older Gion district of Kyoto. Everything was in full bloom and there were all kinds of interesting people and things to see. It was a bit like a perfect little Japanese fairy-land. When the breeze came along, the blossoms would fall loose and flutter down like pink soft snow. I saw this couple sitting on a small stone wall beside a little stream under some cherry trees… I did my best to blend into the background as I slyly slid inwards with my D3S. This was shot at ISO 3200, and you can see how little noise/grain there is in the exposure. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Old Farmhouse at Sunrise Sometimes I feel a little funny about opening up gates to go into places… but no one was around, and this place looked pretty abandoned. And, really, I’m pretty innocent and don’t mean any harm…so, I just kinda let myself in, you know? Yes yes I know I shouldn’t do it… but I just opened up the game, walked around the the back side of this abandoned place, took some photos, then left. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Secret Crystal Lake This remote lake was so icy cold. You would think it's about 33 degrees or something, right? It felt like absolute zero. I dropped a little piece of my tripod in here and my hand almost froze off trying to retrieve it. In the distance you can see where the glacier comes into contact with the glassy lake; it gives a sense of the epic scale here. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Wheat Horses Before, I talked about my desire to try to get off the main highway in Iceland. But when you have cool horses like this lining up along the highway, it's hard to find a reason to get off! I don't always like to use a flash when taking photos of horses because I think it scares the animals. I prefer just to shoot wide-open with natural light and see what I can recover later with the HDR process. In this case, these two horses were playing with one another, weaving their heads and necks together in a little dance. I stood there with my camera, trying not to intrude on their private horse-moment, when they stopped for a quick second in this pose. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Deep into the Jungle Mists... I was many kilometers down this river away from the town. I got off my little boat to do some hiking up through the hills through the jungle. It was dense. Even when there was a little opening, it still felt like leaves and vines were pressing in on me. On occasion, I would see a wider break that let me see into the mysterious beyond. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Waterfalls at Midnight I had done a little research about the southern part of Iceland before my trip, but I left enough gaps to be surprised. On this particular night, it was about 65 degrees (18 C), so it was just a tad perfect. The air was wet with moisture from an evening rainstorm, and it was held aloft by the strange weather patterns. When I first saw this waterfall, it was around midnight. By the time I got into this position, it was about 1 AM or so. Once again, I had not seen another human for hours. It was so eerie walking around these amazing places alone. Typically, with something so grandiose, you sort of expect a bunch of tourists to be lurking about. So, alone, it all feels a bit post-apocalyptic. But thanks to a ton of video games, I'm well versed with how to survive in these situations. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Aurora Australis - New Zealand - So, tonight I was awake all night driving all over Queenstown and southern New Zealand to capture the Aurora Australis - the major solar storm finally hit, and the sky went crazy all night! I have many more photos to share later today... so stay tuned... just posting this one before I pass out on the floor. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Labyrinth Rocket Isn't this a beautiful and unique church? It's been so long since I've posted a photo of it. It's called Hallgrimskirkja. This is much easier to say if you are a dolphin. And drunk. On my last trip, I made my fourth visit to this spot. I was graced with good clouds to complement the monotonemapping of the scene. The doors were locked, so I could not get inside. I had some bizarre visions of possibly climbing up the rock face to clamber in through the windows, but then remembered it wasn't a video game... dangit. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Google Spaceship I was on the way from one building to another to give a photography workshop to some Google employees, and I stopped our little merry band to take photo of the spaceship hanging in the lobby. I was sure to get all this stuff released by corporate communications so I could release them! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Shuttle in Spacedock I finally got to see the Space Shuttle! It’s one of those things a young boy always dreams of seeing, don’t you know? I’m still waiting on that phone call from NASA where they invite me to see one blast off. I’d love to do a creative shot there… from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Alien Garden I Found on that Away Mission Okay, here is a great mystery. I know you guys like it when I post a photo and you have to guess where it is. Y'all are so dang smart that you figure it out in just a few hours. This one is harder. I'll be very impressed if anyone can figure out this humid place. Look at those wonderful trees! Who can believe something so cool is here in Earth... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
New York is Alive and Well It's been a few years since I have been to New York, and Times Square is better than before! I was actually in New York on 9/11, so it's always good to go back to the city and see everything is still awesome. Maybe next time I come, we can all do a flash mob and hit B&H Photo for a while - that would be fun! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Endless Sky The ancient tapestry of the old world weaved into today from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Girl in Park in Beijing I was walking around a park in Beijing -- and it was quite unusual. It was a city park, but it had all sorts of rides like Disneyworld. Except, it wasn't really very good. It was quite dated and everything was spread out all over the place. To get from one attraction to the other, you had to walk for almost a mile along lonely pathways. There would be occasional clusters of people here and there, mysteriously milling about. Inside one of the clusters was this girl, so I grabbed a quick shot with my 50mm lens on the D3s. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Exploring Kyoto at Night I think I could stay in Kyoto for a few years and go out taking photos every day and night! What a picturesque place… I feel like someone designed it a thousand years ago just for HDR! Now, I think this is a pretty darned good example of HDR. When you are there, you do see all these colors and light levels. Absolutely! Thank goodness for the sweet lady HDR and all her little tricks. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Remarkables If these mountains don't have the coolest name ever, then I don't know what does! The mountains border the lake in Queenstown, but right before they dip into the deep water, a gentle dollop of green hills present themselves. They are those soft kind of New Zealand hills - the kind that look like you could just take a giant thumb and mush them around into one shape or another. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Artist's Palette in Rotorua Isn't this spot awesome? I did not expect all this geothermal activity in New Zealand -- it was just as impressive as Yellowstone. This area of the north island is called Rotorua. This, specifically is the Champagne Pool at the Artist's Palette at the Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland. The term "Wonderland" always makes me think of a cheap attraction on the side of the road where you can buy rubber snakes after the kids have had a great time and the parents are bored out of their skulls. But this Wonderland really was a Wonderland for all ages! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Floating Through the Temple While in the north of India, I visited this Hindu temple. It was beautiful and decadent inside. I can't even imagine what it used to look like back in the day. The walls supposedly had inlaid jewels and other precious stones. Despite time, it is still impressive. I had set up for a normal multi-exposure shot, but then this Muslim woman came floating through the room, so I quickly made some adjustments and grabbed a quick single-exposure HDR. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Super Happy Hoppy Fun Beer I love how they use cute animals to sell everything in Japan. If you don't like cute animals and beer, then what kind of person are you, anyway? What kind of twisted, sick, aberrant member of a proper society doesn't like fuzzy animals chugging beer? I wonder if there are an Japanese people that are into furries. I learned all I know about furries from CSI. That glowing-blue light was workin' overtime that evening! :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Dirt Road to the Nuclear Blast Site I felt lucky to have a wild sunset in Yellowstone! I’ve probably been to Yellowstone 5 or 6 times, and you never know what you’ll get! This night was perfect… I had woken up early, so I was tired by mid-afternoon.. I took a catnap in my car and woke up to see the sun was going down in less than an hour! So, I looked at my map and figured out some good spots to go. While walking down this little dirt road, I thought the sky was too perfect to ignore, so I set up for a quick shot! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Bombing of Dresden This is one of the most famous churches in Dresden that was bombed to bits in WWII. When it was rebuilt just recently, they reused some of the old burned black bricks in the construction. If you look close, you can still see them in there on occasion. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Where the Impressionists Haunted the Streets Montmartre, in the north of Paris, is a very artsy place and I would love to open a little photography studio there, even if it is a bit touristy now. I don't think they had neon paint-palettes hanging in the streets when it was frequented by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, and the whole cast of bohemian characters. After the Impressionists' paintings were refused by the selection committee, the artists would gather at cafes here, drinking wine that tasted of "mountwash and soot", and lament about the state of the art, so to speak. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Stacked Sheep Aren't these some cool-lookin' sheep? I was driving through the countryside of Iceland and there are these super-bushy sheep that float around the fields with their busy little legs underneath. Then, from a distance, I saw these mega-bushy fellas all piled up on top of one another. They were quite far away, so I attached my 70-200 mm lens to get a tighter shot at f5.6. I had to make a wide variety of strange animal noises to get that guy on top to look at me. Luckily, I was alone with the sheep. That sounds funny. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Ripping Through the City Streets of Tokyo This photo was taken on my final night in Tokyo. It was rainy, cool, and perfect for street photography. It's hard to explain HOW clean my sensor was in this photo. I had the privilege of taking it to the Nikon Headquarters in Tokyo and having the sensor cleaned by a real Japanese guy. It was a religious experience -- and it only cost $10! What a deal! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Beginning of Time As for this waterfall photo... I spent most of the weekend working on it. One common question is, “How long do these photos take?” They take me anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. It’s not contiguous work, of course, but some are so challenging that I have to keep returning to them time and time again. This spot in northern central Iceland is a bit perilous to reach. It’s so perilous here, in fact, that I am glad my mom didn’t see me getting into position. Is the water cold? Yes, yes it is. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
An old home along a relatively deserted fjord in Northwest Iceland. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Old London From Above It's a long walk to the top of St. Paul's. And by long walk, I should throw in that there are a lot of stairs. But, after you finally arrive, you're greeted by a wonderful view of the city. As long as you don't have too much of an issue with heights, you'll be in for a treat. Even though I saw all sorts of stuff while I was up there, I enjoyed working on this photo too. I was able to zoom into 100% and look at all the details and little buildings/bridges/shops once again. It reminded me of walking around many of them at ground level. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Driskill at Night We started the weekend with a long photowalk through the streets of Austin. I stopped to take a photo of The Driskill hotel, which happened to be the same place we held the actual workshop. I talked through the shot a little bit and what I was trying to accomplish. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Romance in India My first impression of romance in India came from Bollywood. I was pretty sure that everyone fell in love then spent a long time dancing around a grapefruit tree. There are other dancers involved, nearby, of course, as well as a series of fountains, slow-motion cattle, Hinduesque yodeling. But then, after being there, I saw romance was the same as just about everywhere else. I did capture this couple together, exploring Humayun's Tomb in the middle of Delhi. Enjoy! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Alone at the Raging Waterfall of Gulfoss I arrived here at Gulfoss about 11 PM. I've been here many times before, but there was always a few people around admiring the falls. This time, I was alone. It's so strange walking around a place like this while the sun is setting and no one is around. The feeling is like those apocalypse movies where all humans have just disappeared... just me... my gun... a trusty dog... maybe a few Icelandic elf-zombies lurking about... the more and more time I spend alone, the more reasonable this begins to sound... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Blackbird in the Hangar You may not even really need to be into planes to know about the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The way those letters and numbers fit together is almost poetic, isn't it? SR-71. There is a melody to it that flows in a nice way. It almost makes me wonder if there is some military muse that comes up with some of the better names for these vehicles. In the background there, waaay in the rear area, you can see the space shuttle ... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
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Boat in Feng Huang "It was a cool and calm afternoon in the ancient and impossible town of Feng Huang. It's an old town, wreathed in many legends. On the old river, you can occasionally see a boat passing here and there. The boatmen come in all shapes and sizes, but many wear the same hat and style. It is absolutely like a warp of time..." from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Google Holodeck with Brian Rose...
The River Wild This is one of the rivers in Argentina that was uncrossable.<br><br>I really wanted to get to the other side because I knew there were some angles. I hiked up and down both sides trying to see if there was some way to make it happen, but it was just impossible. Oh well! It was a pretty walk if nothing else... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Old Car in Argentina On one of the final nights in Argentina, I went out to an older area near the town which had recently been flooded. There were many abandoned cars, homes, and other lost things falling apart here and there. It made for a fun series of short hikes from one little abandoned thing to the next. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Distant Mist While in Iceland, I traveled through a lowlands area early in the morning. A mist - a video-game-mist - started moving quickly across the ground and through the distant hillocks. It was all so surreal that I barely remembered that I should be taking a photo of this. That was a strange feeling, since the whole reason I was there was to take photos! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Bizarre Necropolis in Paris My hotel was very close to the Panthéon in the Latin section of Paris, so it seemed a shame not to explore the inside. It wasn't really what I expected. I thought I would have seen the traditional European cathedral stylings that are always so familiar and pretty. I never get tired of those, but the Panthéon was a curious collection of strange crypts, giant pendulums, and other assorted agnostic items. The necropolis holds the remains of Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Emile Zola, among others. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Running Girl on the Beach in Santa Monica - from our fun walk last night... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
LA Traffic This is a cool little spot I found using the app Stuck On Earth - it’s a free app I made recently to help me find awesome locations like this. This particular spot is right in the middle of downtown on one of the many bridges that goes over the highway. I zoomed in with my 300mm lens to get a bit of compression and special flavor in the shapes of the light trails. I remember that capturing light trails was one of the things I was most excited about when getting into photography many years ago… and I am still never tired of it! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A Thousand Waterfalls... exploring the island from LOST.... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Farewell Hawaii... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Original photo by Ron Garan... he sent it to me for development... :) Thanks Ron!
Today's Mystery photo from Trey Ratcliff
Chinaman's Hat Chinaman's Hat (aka Mokolii) is a distinctive island seems to stay in your view for a few hours as you go along the coast of Oahu. EXIF-hunters will notice that I used my D3S to take this photo instead of my D3X. I had to give that D3X a rest after getting it too wet over the previous four days of rainfall. In fact, this was the first opening of the skies after an endless torrent of water and storm. I was so happy to see some dynamic skies and be in the perfect spot when it happened… from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Three Houses with a Grass Roof This was found in the countryside of Iceland, which roughly describes most of Iceland. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Sky Bar in Kuala Lumpur with a view of Petronas This bar is up on top of the roof and it is all open air. There is a pool down there that is always available for use, and it is surrounded by a ultra-chic bar. It was raining when I took this... I am up on the 2nd level of the bar, where there is a spa... you can see the little massage rooms down the lefthand side there. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Verdant Bough The photo was shot at this really cool place in Wyoming I found while running around Yellowstone with my rig. I'm glad I didn't fall down that cliff while shooting, but I guess that goes without saying. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Secret Underwater Passage This was shot under the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas where they have this lavish aquarium. It's really gorgeous and dreamy under there, as you can tell. This area has all kinds of sharks and other wild-lookin' things that were swimming all around me. I was fortunate enough to take a private tour of the place thanks to the nice people at the MGM/Mirage management company, who also owns the Mandalay Bay. That allowed me to take the time I needed to set up this 5-exposure HDR shot without tourists getting in the way. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Inside the Borg Ship There is an amazing hallway that connects the The Hotel at Mandalay Bay with the rest of the casino. It's long and at its end is a cool bar, which is a welcome respite no matter what kind of night you had in Vegas. Actually, I wouldn't really know since I don't drink... but, I do like to hang out in them, drink tomato juice, and process photos on my latptop. Yes, this is lame, I know. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Flying on a Harley This was shot in downtown Austin during the recent ROT Biker Rally. This guy was flying by at about 20 MPH down 6th street. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Dock to Forever One of the advantages of going down all the side roads is that you get to find cool places! After leaving Nelson on the South Island, we found a little lake on the map that looked about perfect. After a few hours of meandering, we discovered this place was almost completely empty (just like every place else on the South Island!). Even better, there was a perfect little dock jutting out into the lake. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Storm Over Home I spent a few days in the badlands with Jack Horner digging up dinosaurs. One day a violent storm came rolling in right by our camp. I was actually sleeping in a tipi on this farm. Just before the storm hit, I stepped outside to get a shot before getting my equipment back inside the safety of the tipi. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Midnight Adventure in the Japanese Cemetery Of all the spots around Kyoto, this is probably my favorite. There is an area of 1,000 Red Gates that flow up and around a picturesque little mountain. This cemetery is about halfway up the trek and it shoots off to the right. It is both great and annoying to shoot in the rain. I had to carry an umbrella, tripod, bag of camera goodies, and the like, and everything gets all jumbled up when it comes time to set up for a shot. I need an assistant! :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Severance Hall in Cleveland Severance Hall was a beautiful venue. It’s the home of the Cleveland Orchestra, and it’s one of the most beautiful conference halls in the world. If you visit Cleveland, this is on the must-see list! I got a lot more shots, and I can talk more about this amazing place in the future… for now… it’s been a long day and I’m awfully tired… enjoy. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Where the Princess Dwells at Night… We had a great Google+ PhotoWalk at Disney last night! It was really really really fun -- and getting this shot was tough! I think +William Beem +Gilmar Smith +Keith Barrett or perhaps +Ali Elhajj got a video of me trying to convince half a dozen Disney workers to "sweep water" in front of my camera, which was splayed on the ground. At first, one guy didn't want to do it because he might get in trouble… then the other acquiesced… and then, before they knew it, they were all being controlled like crystal farmers in Starcraft… we eventually got all the water in the right place! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Running Wild, Across the Meadow Every day, about this time, a few dozen horses from the ranch run free across the meadow to graze in distant pastures. They stay cooped up inside the corral for most of the day, so they love the chance to run free. The cowboy rides behind them, cracking his whip. It echoes through the valley and everything seems right in the world. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
When the Songs Were Forlorn If you listen to music while you are taking photos, it can really separate you from the scene in time and make everything quite cinematic. In fact, if I am needing inspiration, I usually just put on my earphones and just go out to drive... see what I can see... walk through crowds... find new places... and the music can make you feel like you're in the middle of a movie... and you can start to find little scenes hare and there. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Lego Dragon There are these Lego stores popping up everywhere it seems. That's okay with me... Who doesn't like a good Lego set? This one is just outside the Lego Store at Downtown Disney in Orlando. They have a few of those gigantic Lego beasts that were mysteriously built. Anyone that is sensible knows that it takes many hours to build something roughly the size of a human hand. So, these monstrosities must be either built by aliens or an army of industrious Germans that parachute in during the wee hours. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship ...the next D800 36 megapixel image…. And speaking of that… I am here on the maiden voyage of the Disney Fantasy. It's an amazing ship (50% bigger than the other ships) and a great playground for photographers! Forget the kids! In fact, I almost did a few times… but they are having fun in all the kids' clubs… Well… I have a ton to talk about and show… but busy busy busy with photos and not much internet! Anyway, debate away on whether or not this is HDR… Either I'm tricking you, I double-tricking you, or something unknowable... I look forward to coming back and seeing what you think! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Disney Fantasy - Pool and Theatre and Tube-Waterslide! I've been up past midnight every night... taking photos... wandering the ship... then getting back about 1 AM and processing photos until I pass out. I know I know... This is kind lame -- the way I party on the ship! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sunrise in front of the Disney Cruise Next Hangout on Monday Night: The Sony NEX-7 Camera! I just bought one and have been playing with it a lot... I did not use it to take this photo (I used the D800), but I did take a ton of photos and I'm getting to know it pretty well. Anyone out there a Sony-lover? I know there are many! I took this photo off the front of the Disney Fantasy on the morning we pulled into Castaway Cay. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
New Review (and Live hangout tonight)! A photo from the Sony NEX-7 Camera with kit lens! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Forest on the Mega Volcano I would guess about 50% of people know this, and I should not take it for granted that everyone does. But Yellowstone sits on top of a giant caldera, and it's due to go off any time (at least, geologically due!) If you look at a map of Yellowstone from above, you can see the clear outline of the caldera. When the mega-volcano strikes, it'll be a doozy! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Into the Sea This one was taken at sunset on the beautiful San Clemente pier. The sunset was coming on, and it was a high-pressure time to get up onto the pier and find a good spot. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
...and the SF Giants! I was down on the field with the SF Giants before a recent game. I got down there because Tom Anderson sent out a tweet, and the marketing manager for the SF Giants responded and got us in! So, we were able to go anywhere and do anything before and during the game. It was great! I made full use of it. I had my giant D800 Camera out there. After I left the field, I went to the very very very top part of the nosebleeds to take this shot... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
San Francisco Giants Stadium I took this photo last night at the Giants game here in San Francisco. Many people ask me how I take these kinds of HDR photos with moving objects. I have a full free HDR Tutorial at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com/hdr-tutorial/ -- but I can give a few other tips here: - I take 5 exposures, but I make sure my longest exposure is 30 seconds. - Since I'm in Aperture priority mode, I crank up the f-stop to ensure the long exposure will blur the clouds - One of the exposures is typically nice and fast. I use THIS exposure in lightroom to lighten the shadows and darken the highlights around the objects that are moving (in this case, people) - Since HDR is really "frankensteining" the photo together anyway, I have NO problem masking in one of the 5 exposures with the clean, non-ghosted people.
The Golden Gate in Fog at 4 AM I went out shooting all night with +Tom Anderson around San Francisco. We got up here to shoot this from Twin Peaks very late.... there were a bunch of dudes around us with the ganja... doin' it up San Fran style... and then we went over to Treasure Island to get shots back towards the city... And now I just got back... dog-tired... but wanted to upload this one before I fell asleep.... !! I hope you enjoy it :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Tree Along the Marina in Monterey I took this photo during the recent #MontereyPhotoWalk -- those that were with me at the time know how I did it.... they have all the little secrets! hehe... We had a great time on the photowalk... and thanks again for everyone that came out for the event. We'll do it again soon! :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Magical Fog in San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge I recently drove across the bridge and up this little mountain road to try to find this shot. I started driving up a road I knew well, but it was closed! So I parked, got out my tripod, and hiked about a mile up this hill to get to this spot. It was a perfect night, and just when I arrived, the fog really started pouring over the bridge, so I set up for this shot. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Univac My background is computer science and math, so I've always been into computers. This UNIVAC was just hitting its stride around the time I was born, and Moore's Law was kind enough to keep the doublings at a manageable rate so it wasn't a whole lot faster when I got my own first computer! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Galaxy Cafe When I was at Universal Orlando, Ethan and I made a late night getaway to do some exploration. We were staying at the Portofino, and they have a wonderful boat system that skirts you down to the main park.<br><br>We jumped on the boat after dark to go down and visit this little area of shops, restaurants, and dozens of other interesting things to see. I've gotten him used to the idea of roaming aimlessly, taking photos of this and that, with no real goal other than exploration and noticing little things. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Purple Portal When I was in Agra, I wandered around the streets surrounding the Taj Mahal for a few hours. The textures and details everywhere are an absolute field-day for photographers! There is so much to see and capture... it was totally overwhelming trying to grab all of that, while still thinking about getting into the Taj Mahal for another full slate of shooting! So many of the little homes here are richly painted in every possible shade in the most interesting textures and shapes. This is one of many little snaps I got while walking around. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Bistrot de Lyon - Bistrot de Lyon I went out to dinner with a bunch of cool Russians after the conference on Tuesday. We went down one of the most popular streets in Lyon to have some seafood. Afterwards, the founder of this other company and I went out to shoot photos.. I think we walked the streets for about 3 hours until 2 AM. It was a big mistake since my flight left early the next morning! Although, it is better than going out drinking with the Russians...
A little tango in Argentina anyone? Here's some info on the shot: Nikon 14-24mm, Nikon D3x, Exposure 0.25 sec (1/4), Aperture f/2.8, Focal Length 24mm, ISO 200, Anchor Exposure Bias for 5-exp HDR -2 EV from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A good old-fashioned Revival tent set up between small towns in Texas... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Umbrellas at the Shoppes at the Palazzo This shot is from the expansion of the Venetian shopping area. It's really beautiful inside and these designers should be given some kind of award! The best I can do here is try to honor their design with good photo of the place. It's actually quite a difficult venue to capture! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Kill Bill Restaurant - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
GARDENS IN PARIS It was a cool and rainy morning when we left our hotel in the Latin district of Paris. The rains stopped just as soon as we walked into the nearby gardens. The sun would peek out from between the clouds and splash some extra light on the flowers below. I took a bunch of photos before the sun came out, thinking it was the best I could do. But then after the sun came out, I had to run around and re-create the exact same photos with the proper lighting! So, it took us twice as long to get through the gardens… but that is not such a bad thing. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Family Photo - from San Juan to Virgin Gorda* Here is my family getting on that little plane to brave the storm on the way to Virgin Gorda. I took this with the Sony NEX-7, and I used the RAW file to make an HDR image. You can do quite a bit with a single RAW file nowadays, and it's the best way to make one of these types of images without ghosting. We're down here for a few weeks and soon to be joined by +Will Kelly +107574134204951686962 +Luke Lakatosh +Curtis Simmons +Melissa Simmons from the team :)
*The Baths, Virgin Gorda* We were in the air on the previous photo, and now down on the beach. I took this here on Virgin Gorda almost immediately. I decided to take the Sony NEX-7 to the beach with me, and this is pretty much right out of the camera with a few lightroom adjustments. I'm sharing these photos here even before I have a chance to add them to the full review over at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/sony-nex-7-review/
*Waiting on the Supermoon on Rocks in Virgin Gorda* I've been working on this one all night… sitting here waiting on the supermoon off the coast… I was here on the rocky coast (Savannah Beach) all alone when I took this photo, and I had an idea for a photo plus processing… it turned out to be much more painstaking than I originally thought, but I learned a few things along the way… the light and the motion of the water was so… intoxicating… that I wanted to bring it back to life here for you all… - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Footprints in the Sand* So…last night on the beach here in the Caribbean… *My RRS Tripod:* "You promised you would walk beside me forever, and I would always see our footprints together in the sand." *Me:* "During your times of trial and suffering, when you only see one set of footprints, that is when I carried you, my son. That is when I carried you." (Yes, I use a Really Right Stuff tripod, and no RRS did not pay me for this blasphemous ad they would never support… but I do love me some RRS. I have the model number, head, etc below the lens area on my "Stuff You Need" page at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/stuff-you-need/ )
*The Abandoned Coppermine* Want to see a behind-the-scenes video of how I made this? I'm working on a video now to share with you. I woke up at 5 AM this morning to go visit this really cool abandoned mine. I have a big chunk of the StuckInCustoms.com team down here with me, and at dinner last night, everyone (about 8 ppl!) agreed they would go! But, come 5 AM, the only one waiting in the common room here at Toad Hall was Curtis Simmons. So… he got video of the whole scene… coming soon! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Here is my son, Ethan, and my youngest daughter, Scarlett, in the baths in VIrgin Gorda. I took this with my Sony NEX-7 and will add it to my review over at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/sony-nex-7-review/ soon. I find that I take this little NEX-7 in places that I would not take my big DSLR. It's 25% the size and just a small portion of the weight… like this one, for example.. I can just kind of swim around with it… not a "stressful" thing. I've used it a lot this trip to get photos I might not have otherwise nabbed. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sunset in Virgin Gorda Caribbean PhotoWalk Tonight! Anyone want to go take photos with me tonight on the beach? This one is from a few nights ago here on Virgin Gorda... I know tonight I'll be joined by +JUSTIN TROUPE +Curtis Simmons +Luke Lakatosh and maybe more! If you wanna come, stop by Toad Hall before 5:30 PM! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The British Virgin Islands I will upload a How-to video soon to YouTube.com/StuckInCustoms (if you subscribe there, you can see it first). I went down to the other side of Virgin Gorda the other day and I had +Curtis Simmons follow me with a video camera to see what everything looked like while I was taking the photo... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Toad Hall in the British Virgin Islands So this is where we stayed this last week...a cool place called "Toad Hall". Thanks very much to +JUSTIN TROUPE for recommending this place and joining me on a few photo adventures down here :) We had a fun time also with +Tina Ratcliff +Curtis Simmons +Melissa Simmons +Will Kelly +Lauren Kelly and +Luke Lakatosh -- a fun group of people from StuckInCustoms.com for a little R&R! :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
HDR with the Sony NEX-7? I took this photo a couple of nights ago in the British Virgin Islands while working on a how-to video for HDR photos using the NEX-7. Yes, yes, there is a built-in HDR mode, but I'm not talking about that... Anyway, stay tuned here to Google+, and I'll get the video uploaded in the next week or so when my bandwidth gets better! :) -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Abandoned Copper Mine I found this place using sweet sweet +Stuck On Earth - yes it's still free and yes other versions are in the plans! :) Behind-the-Scenes vVdeo from this place at Trey Ratcliff - Behind the Scenes - Abandoned Copper Mine in Virgin Gorda from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Where we make the meals Here's a shot of the kitchen where we've been making meals for most of the week. Well, it's where the girls were making us meals while the guys were making videos and editing photos! We had the crew from StuckInCustoms.com down here at Toad Hall. This whole kitchen and dining room in the distance are all in the open air -- cool island breezes blowing through while we ate... great stuff! You can see more about Toad Hall at http://www.toadhallvg.com/index2.php
*HDR with the Sony NEX-7* How-to Video In the next 24 hours I'll upload a fun How-To Video for creating HDR photos with this camera before I get on the plane from New Zealand to San Francisco for the Google+ Photographer's conference. I hope the video is helpful and you get something out of it - I've been doing a lot of experimentation - these are the results… Coming soon - enjoy! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Who's Ready for a San Francisco PhotoWalk!!! Here are the details for my PhotoWalk in SF today: http://goo.gl/jfw1j And, as a bonus, I'll be doing a "What's in my Bag" video that I will record on-scene and share with everyone that cannot make it. Bring your cameras, bring your questions, well... bring anything you like - it's San Francisco! :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
I had a great time today at the PhotoWalk - as much fun as this doggie!!! :) I really enjoyed meeting so many nice people, and I'm excited about the conference over the next few days... towards the end of today's photowalk, we ended up over at a little park where a woman was throwing a ball to her dog (you can see her on the left). The dog ran FULL SPEED right at me! I got this with a Manual Lens - a Leica 1.2 on a Sony NEX-7 camera... and yes... my neck still hurts. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Hyatt Hotel - San Francisco Our Embarcadero PhotoWalk took a detour into the amazing Hyatt hotel to take over! We had a sea of tripods in here and security didn't know what to do! While they were busy being flustered, we were busy taking photos! A big thanks to +Sly Vegas for recommending this place and helping me to organize the PhotoWalk! Be sure to click on the following tags to check out other photos from these fun-filled days! #GPlusPC #GPlusPCTR -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Lonely River in Iceland I wonder sometimes if I project my own emotions onto the landscape around me. I’m really not all that dramatic, but sometimes this does seem to be the case, especially in Iceland. Since I spend so much time there alone, I end up thinking that parts of the environs seem kind of lonely too. And I think there is probably a lot of truth in it because I hardly ever see any other humans, so everything is very lonely! -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Here's another photo from our photowalk yesterday! Thanks again everyone for coming out... during this one, I was explaining to people that you don't need an ND Filter to get water to look "silky" -- you can often just set your F to a high number, like 22... and set your ISO as low as possible.. in this case, 50. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Another one from our PhotoWalk in San Francisco -- this is where we ended the amazing FOUR-HOUR walk that took us every which way... VERY nice and cool people joined me from all over the world... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Lonely Driftwood It was so windy out there — I’m not even sure the video captures it! Maybe you can see the wind ripping the top of the foam away from the waves… or maybe you can see some of the sand blowing across the beach. And it’s just as hard to capture the feeling of it all in the photo as it is in the video. I don’t have the benefit of multiple frames, so I try to get all of that in a single frame. It’s a wonderful challenge and puzzle! The photo from the video in my SmugMug Review at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/smugmug-review/ -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
"no text" - Thank you to +Chris Chabot from Google for taking this photo - and thanks to +Marc Lavoy for making the coolest Google Glass ! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
i love paris -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Trees and an Aircraft Carrier in the Fog The time I spent in San Diego was very moody and covered in fog. I went down to the shore one night to spy the USS Midway. The fog was pea-soup thick and it gave the environs quite the mood. I found these amazing trees nearby that seemed wonderfully illuminated against the glow from the aircraft carrier. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
This is what it looks like when you are coming into Milford Sound, a stunning fjord just a few hours away from Queenstown.... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
This is located very close to the previous photo, where I entered the fjord… Just up the valley, after a light rainstorm, the waterfalls tumble down the cliffs and swirl into the jade rivers below… - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Continental Club on South Congress in Austin Here is the next in the series of my collection of the classic spots around Austin. I actually shot this on the same night that I took the Austin Hotel shot. You can probably see a similarity in the deep blue sky that we had just after dusk that evening. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Tonight, Isabella made a new best friend in New Zealand… this miniature pony. We went out for a great homemade dinner and great night with the Brackstones. Kerry Brackstone has been "collecting" these miniature ponies, and my two little girls were in heaven. HEAVEN. They could not have been more happy… After this, we sat down to a great dinner, where almost everything had been grown right there on their farm in the Gibbston valley, just a short drive from Queenstown. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Abandoned Harrods in Buenos Aires There are parts of Buenos Aires that are not too safe to walk around by yourself. This part was not so bad, but there were several abandoned stores around, including this Harrods. I was surprised to see such a nice store in a state of disrepair, especially after visiting its Valhalla-like anchor in London. Out front, there was a man playing the violin alone. It echoed around in a strange way through the acoustics of the tile, the roof, and the lonely streets. There was a Argentine rhythm he mixed into his playing that really made me feel like I was in a different place. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Docks in San Francisco - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Rock CleavedI need more waterfalls in my life! This is what I am thinking whenever I just finish taking photos of waterfalls. As I was walking away from this one in Iceland, where I spent most of the day, I was thinking about the next waterfall. Then the next one. Then the next one. I think it’s cool how something can be so violent and beautiful at the same time. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Castle in Iceland for Sale - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Flowing Starlight in Downtown LA - found with Stuckonearthapp.com - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Tokyo Hallway - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
New York City Times Square - updated photo from my HDR Tutorial at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com/hdr-tutorial/ -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Pink door in Arles, France I stepped outside to take this while a woman next door was preparing a little mozzarella and tomato sandwich on a fresh baguette. I carried it with me and took bites while walking down the streets, taking more photos... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A cafe in front of the colosseum... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
MAN IN HUTONG These are some of the most off-the-map areas in and around the cities of China. These Houtongs originally meant “water wells” and were established during China’s dynastic period. They still exist today as little cultural centers where old families live and work and sit on the steps and watch the world go by… - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
William Randolph Hurst Crypt - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Hiking in Carmel Just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea is a hiking trail that goes along the coast. I went down at sunrise one morning to see what I could find. The entrance to the trail was blocked by a gate, and there was no ranger in the little box-place where rangers stand. I was bamboozled. There was no way through or around. I could have walked, but it looked like the road went on quite a ways before the parking lot.<br/><br/>So I waited until some other guy came along to let himself in. I was parked a ways back, and so I got his attention from afar by grunting and raising my Nikon-on-tripod over my head like a sand raider — he got the message and waved me through. China Cove - audio at https://s3.amazonaws.com/stuckinsound/001_china-cove.wav -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Holy Halls - I returned here a second time with Scott Kublin to show him my little discovery. We didn’t have much time… and I don’t like to be rushed… but we did our best to move quickly around this area and squeeze in as many shots as we could! This is one of my favorites, a view down one of the long rows of unusual columns and vaulted ceilings… -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Lonely Tree Aflame* This is my latest release... I just finished taking this photo and completing all the post... I went to Wanaka the other day, which is just a short drive from Queenstown with Abe (my intern for the winter/summer). We went down to the lake and I picked out some trees I wanted to re-visit in the evening light. As I was driving around, I got an idea… it was dark and blue and I thought about what it would look like if the tree was instantly on fire… so I gave Abe some specific instructions and a secret signal. I set up for the shot with the 14-24mm, prepared the timer, then made the secret signal to Abe. We gave it a few different tries until I felt like we had it right before driving back home over the crown range in the dark. = from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Here is +Jeremy Cowart -- I grabbed this while we were at lunch with the Sony NEX-7 with the new Leica 1.2 lens (will add that bit to my existing full review soon)... Also, be sure to check out Jeremy's new site at http://jeremycowart.com/ -- very slick! And check out his Lifefinder tour... his products... etc etc... He's cool! :) -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Woods in Yosemite - See behind the scenes at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMourw6OHSM -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Fireworks in Queenstown - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Three kids in India - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
I like to watch tourists take photos. One thing I notice is that, on average, Japanese people taking photos are happier than Americans taking photos. Why is this? One guess is that Japanese people design the cameras, so they are easier for people to understand over there! Americans are often hopelessly confused by Japanese cameras, so some of their unhappiness comes from that scowl that says, “I’m not sure how this camera works.” DAILY PHOTO - JAPANESE IN THE HAWAII And, continuing the theme of Japanese people, here is a couple in Hawaii. I like how they are wearing matching outfits (her dress matches his shirt if you look closely). I had a version of this photo with and without the people in it… and I quite like the one with them in there! -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Waikiki At Night I took this back when we had that amazing Google+ #OahuPhotoWalk ! I haven't published it till now. So it's nice to remember the fun time we had that night. Thanks again everyone for coming out! :) - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Queenstown - A few nights ago I went for a walk along the water’s edge here in Queenstown. About one out of ten nights (or, as far as I have measured), there is a clear night with a bright pink light that shoots up from behind those mountains. It’s really quite a site. I went down to the edge of the lake and buried my tripod legs in the frigid, icy-clear water. Even though the color of the light was so nice, in the end it was not as interesting as the light itself. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A too-small boat in Japan.... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Clock and Sunset and Hedges - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Old woman selling a basket of flowers in Feng Huang - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Capitol Museum in Beijing - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Girls in Tokyo... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Queenstown from the park -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Big Sur bench - at the Post Ranch Inn - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Queenstown Photowalk - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
After the Shuttle launch - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*The Valley Between Queenstown and Arrowtown* See that area down there? We’re in the middle of an epic house-hunting adventure right in the middle of it all. I took this photo a few days ago on a drive to Wanaka. It was so pretty, I just had to pull over to take it! In fact, maybe I need to make this drive more often! In the far distance is Queenstown, which is only about 15-20 mins from this spot. Down to the right, just beyond the edge, is nearby Arrowtown. I think there are about 1 million photographs somewhere in between. -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Wanaka Mountains - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Hot Chocolate... from Angelina in Paris -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Brian Rose at Google - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
On the road to Glenorchy - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sunset on the coast in Virgin Gorda - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Virgin Gorda - The Magical Cave - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Oahu Coast - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Queenstown Aurora Australis - Full story at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/07/16/the-solar-storm-hits-queenstown/ - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Hollywood Hills - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Swabbing The Deck - on the Disney Fantasy - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Queenstown, New Zealand - the result of the pre-shot at https://plus.google.com/105237212888595777019/posts/d3qcHgGppGz yesterday... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Rainbow over the lake in Queenstown* - How-to The photo below was made by using Photomerge in Photoshop… do you use that much? I don’t make a lot of panoramas (for a variety of reasons), but whenever I do, this feature is really incredible. To make this one, I: 1) took about 20 photos of the rainbow at 28mm 2) held the camera in a portrait orientation as I mowed across the horizon 3) imported everything into Lightroom 4) picked one of the middle frames and fully developed it in the Develop Module 5) “synced” those changes to all the other photos 6) exported them then imported into Photoshop using Photomerge 7) cropping and final cleanup! I had just dropped my kids off for their first day of school. I had my D3S with me because I was taking photos of that momentous event, so it was still with me when I went downtown to sign some papers. When I got there, the rain was just starting to slow down, but there was still a thick morning dampness in the air over the lake, and a full...
The Museum -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sunset on Baker Beach - Taken with a DSLR? No! So... Every day a few more people are coming to the painful realization that DSLRs are not the future of photography. They'll hang around longer for sports/wildlife/niche photography. But for the rest of us, the gesticulating innards and industrial-loom-like action of the mirror-flip will be seen as a silly throwback. The fact is, you don't have to have a mirror that flips to get a good photo now, and this will be even more true in coming years as the tech doubles onto itself. Here's my controversial article on it at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/01/04/dslrs-are-a-dying-breed-3rd-gen-cameras-are-the-future/ And I took this photo with the Sony NEX-7 (with kit lens!) I bought several months ago - more here: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/sony-nex-7-review/ - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Amazing color photo from 1909 Air Show in Paris ! This was taken by Léon Gimpel, who did all kinds of crazy experimental stuff back in the day. Of course, I like him because he broke all the rules of chemistry, processing, and perspective... You can see more of his work here: http://conniedickson.co.uk/?p=861 And here's info about him from a recent show at the Musee d'Orsay : http://goo.gl/aAZmz
Man in Northern India - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
New Zealand Golden Valleys - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Aulani Disney Resort & Spa - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Amateras - BVI - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
THE END OF THE PATH This is the very end of the long path from Toad Hall to the beach on Virgin Gorda. One thing this photo does not show is that there is about a 4-foot dropoff right below this path! It’s no problem for a grownup to navigate, but it was a little logistical challenge to get three kids down there. I took this path almost every day… for a little trip down to the beach to see what I could find… from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Baths at Sunset... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Amazing Alcatraz at Sunset - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
On the Disney Cruise - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Mokes in Hawaii - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Flying from New Zealand to New York City for the PhotoWalk* Event Details: http://goo.gl/cxED0 I slept in my sleeping bag under the stars this night. It was very peaceful after seeing the pink milky sound under Mitre Peak. I took this a few nights ago before I left New Zealand. This is down in Milford Sound. I was in a bit of a hurry (you know how things get rushed before a trip), and I left the house without my tent. All I had was a sleeping bag, but it's a good one. I slept under some trees that were tall and seemed to be leaning inwards while I looked up. Not long after that, I fell asleep... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
<h2>New Book Images Coming Online</h2> Books are still hitting the warehouses and causing a light holiday panic! Cool! I put up some new images of how gorgeous the book looks on the inside on the <a href="http://www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-book/">HDR Book</a> page. Here are a few quick samples for you! <p style="text-align: center;"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Book shots (23 of 26)" href="http://www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-book/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2620/4193606501_da0959de2e_b.jpg" alt="Book shots (23 of 26)" width="750" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Book shots (23 of 26)" href="http://www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-book//"></a> <a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Book shots (18 of 26)" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/4194355080/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/4194355080_074f24c650_b.jpg" alt="Book shots (18 of 26)" width="750" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Book shots (18 of 26)" href="hhttp://www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-book/"></a> <a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Book shots (12 of 26)" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/4193606747/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2490/4193606747_52382dbbc2_b.jpg" alt="Book shots (12 of 26)" width="750" /></a></p> <h2>An Interview at Scott Wyden's Blog</h2> Scott sent me a very nice interview, and he has <a href="http://scottwyden.com/a-photographers-interview-with-trey-ratcliff/">just published it</a>. It's a quick read for you! <h2>Daily Photo - The Edges of the Flatiron (and yes, B&W HDRs are fun!)</h2> This is the famous Flatiron building in NYC. I shot it a few weeks ago when I was scouting the location for the book party. One of the topics we will cover in the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://photofocus.com/2009/12/10/hdr-workshop-wtrey-ratc
New York City PhotoWalk - thanks everyone for coming out - that was fun! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Bus in New York City - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The End... of the New York PhotoWalk - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*The View from the Google New York Offices* I had a fun day visiting the Google Creative Lab today. The working space was very cool and trendy, as one would expect. As the evening came over the city, I went over and found a good angle. I happened to be on a hangout with +Virtual Photo Walks™ and +gopi Kallayil while taking the shot, so they were the first to see it.... Anyway, as you can tell, the New York Googlers have an incredible view! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Grand Central Station - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Business in New York City - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Inception: New York City - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Moving across the desert of Death Valley to Burning Man I've been pretty much offline for about a week as I've traveled across the desert to Burning Man. It's hard to say which I've had less of - Internet or showers. [just found a bit of pirate wi-fi that may drop out any second) But I have been taking a ton of photos. At night, when things cool off, I load them all into Lightroom and process until I fall asleep... listening to nice music... it is all very wonderful and peaceful. I'll emerge from the desert soon with many cool finds and artistic creations... see you soon!
The River Through Petaluma I stopped in downtown Petaluma to grab some lunch and some internet. Whilst there, I went over one of the bridges to grab this shot. I don’t know if the water is always this brown and muddy, but it certainly was this day! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Back home in New Zealand I'm finally back home to the charming little south island of New Zealand. Did you know that all of NZ only has 4 million people? And the south island has less than half a million? It leaves plenty of room for landscapes and mornings like this one below... It was a great trip to the US - a busy trip with New York, LA, Death Valley, Burning Man, Dallas, and San Francisco. I'm just now organizing my 7,000+ photos into Lightroom from the odyssey! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Leaving San Francisco... I've just left San Francisco... and I'm sitting here back home in Queenstown organizing my 7,500+ photos. It takes a long time and a lot of concentration to organize all these things! That goodness for Lightroom, collections, and my multi-TB thunderbolt drives! Here's one from San Francisco... I took it from the top of Twin Peaks one evening... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Importance of Google Acquiring Nik Software - http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/09/17/the-importance-of-google-acquiring-nik-software/ - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Great Wall Stretches Across the Sunset... Beautiful China! Isn’t the Great Wall an awesome thing? It’s so epic in every way. I do what I can to make it feel as epic as it deserves. On one of my nights there, the sun dipped halfway behind a hill. I saw it happening while I was walking along the wall by myself, so I set up for this shot… - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Ridge without Time This is an unusual photo, isn’t it? I started processing it, then stopped. It didn’t really require any processing… it just struck me as interesting and unusual. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I do remember being at this spot in Iceland when I took the shot, thinking it was ethereal and wonderful in a strange way. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
+Ben Silbermann at Pinterest... I gave a talk up at Pinterest a few days ago and took a bunch of photos while there. I put all the photos up on, well, Pinterest! See them here: http://pinterest.com/treyratcliff/pins/ from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Can anyone guess where I took this photo of this crazy spiral-column formation inside this old cathedral? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sunset in New Zealand... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Boats in Oahu... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Trees in the wild... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Leaving the sheep behind... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Opera House in Sydney* - Thanks everyone for the great PhotoWalk here in Sydney! I had an amazing time, and it was great fun to get to know you. I know some people were apologizing for the weather, but you guys know I love the drama! Anyway y'all, thanks a TON - I will never forget it... and I hope you had fun too! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Bridge to Sydney Here is another from our fun photowalk last night! I know that people flew in from many parts of the country for it -- that was very cool and exciting. I'm seeing lots of cool photos appearing from the event and I'll see more when I get more time... thanks again and hope you had fun! #TRSydneyPhotoWalk You can see more photos from other PhotoWalkers in the event at https://plus.google.com/events/c390geu3u7qn2irbu55ah8hbld0 ! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Bar-Hopping in Australia* What's your favorite bar? Do you know which one this is? from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Strand in Sydney - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
This morning I was in Dubbo, Australia, and a violent storm had just passed over this abandoned drive-in movie theater... I had to break in here. (pictures of that coming soon) - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sydney Opera House - *Good Morning Australia*! This is my last morning here... then back home to Queenstown. I visited the Sydney Opera House at sunrise early in the morning to find this... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*Farewell Sydney* Thanks again for an amazing week, Australia! It all got started with the Google+ PhotoWalk about 2 hours after I got off the place, and ended with this. I got many comments and requests to visit other cities for PhotoWalks -- and yes, I do think I will make it there on a future trip -- sounds like great fun! :) from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
This is Nathaniel Nathaniel was four years old and carrying wood with his two sisters down a dusty cart-road in an unmarked Amish village somewhere between Allegheny and Tionesta, Pennsylvania. In pauses between talking to me, he looks sideways at his older sisters, who peacefully nod towards him. I tell him that he looks big and strong and then I help him carry the wood to his parents' home, where he lives with his other nine brothers and sisters. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Reflections on the Eiffel Tower There was a big storm all day long, but I could see the clouds were beginning to break up a little to the west, and I knew there was a possibility the sun would dip into an opening beneath the heavy clouds. So, with that intense possibility, I headed over to the Eiffel Tower area hoping the light would turn out right... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
An epic storm rolls across the ocean towards me... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Night Scene in Old China... I took this with Tom when we were in Lijiang together and we were playing with very long exposures. Not over-exposure, mind you. We don't want Tom to be over-exposed or anything.... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Beautiful Space Shuttle Blooms Inside a Cloud As soon as the Endeavour worm-holed into the cloud layer, the strange staccato-bass of torn air came skipping across the water into the press area. The sound was not at all what I expected, but it was awesome dot com.. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A powerful wave slams into the rocks in front of me… from Oahu from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Hallgrímskirkja , Reykjavik, Iceland - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A beautiful cave that runs alongside a beach in Virgin Gorda… you can wade through the crystal-clear waters as you explore…. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
San Francisco from a field of flowers… (taken with the Sony NEX-7) (ad space not paid for by Sony) - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Here is a cool thing that happened during the Aurora Australis here in Queenstown… This is right over the lake by the Remarkables... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Golden Gate Bridge in the Fog - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Dallas, Texas I just made it down to Dallas, Texas. I'll be here for a few days before going to Arizona for Google Zeitgeist. I grew up here in Dallas, went to Jesuit, then to SMU after that... You don't go to downtown much if you live in Dallas, but on this occasion I went down to visit the flower market... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Beginning of the Chunnel I always wanted to go through that tunnel that connects the UK and France. I remember back when it was being built... it seemed like some awesome steampunk experiment. So when I finally got to get on a train and go through the tunnel, I felt like a little kid again! :) from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Getting ready for Google Zeitgeist - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Took this on the way to dinner tonight in Arizona... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Space Shuttle - NASA - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Space Shuttle - NASA - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Before Google Zeitgeist - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A Beautiful Sunset in Yosemite -- from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Great Wall of China - I finally found an extremely remote part that is far enough away from civilization to stay pure. The ruins of the wall in this area has been overgrown with vegetation. When you walk along the top, you have to snake your way between huge bushes and all sorts of trees. Stairs and parts of the walkways have crumbled away in the past thousand years. The old towers are slopingly fragmenting as lichens and moss cover parts of the stone that are decaying away. This has only reminded me that the main tourist part of the Great Wall is a very tiny stretch that has been re-built in recent years… so it is all fake and kind of Disney-wall. I don't think I like that... I've walked from tower to tower throughout the day, looking at the sinuous wall as it snakes over the mountains. It's so huge that I won't even begin to come up with analogies… but, speaking of snakes, a family here told me to watch out for them. I kept that in mind as I hiked back in the pure black of night. I
New Firmware for Expanded HDR for the Sony NEX-7! I put more information over at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/sony-nex-7-review/ , so come check it out! The big news is that you can now take 3 exposures to go from -3.0 EV all the way to +3.0 EV! Why hasn't Nikon or Canon ever released any firmware updates like this? So frustrating... anyway... Yay Sony! BTW, I suggest just going for -2.0 EV, 0 EV, and +2.0 EV for most light situations. The only exception is shooting into the sun, when -3.0 EV comes in handy. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Downtown Los Angeles - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Paris PhotoWalk- coming soon :)
Milford Sound - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Yosemite - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Downtown Dallas - sleeping in bed - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Join me in Paris soon at this amazing Museum - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Remote icy waterfalls in the fjords of southern New Zealand - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Alone on the lake in Queenstown - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sheep on the way to Milford Sound - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Milford Sound - New Zealand - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Milford Sound, New Zealand - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Monkey Creek, Milford Sound, New Zealand - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Morning River - Milford Sound - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Bowen Falls in the Fjord - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A Misty Morning on the Remote River - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
New York City - Inception - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Moving House at Burning Man - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Queen Victoria Building - This is an amazing place to explore in Sydney! There are great photo-ops around every corner. The Romanesque architecture is whimsical and full of color. And even better, no one bothered me about my tripod! Here’s a cool little factoid about this place. Inside, there is a secret letter from Queen Elizabeth II that is to be opened and read by the Lord Mayor of Sydney in 2085. I have just checked my schedule, and currently that is the only thing I have planned for 2085. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
A Chateau in Paris - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Midnight in Paris soon... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Lake Hayes and Arrowtown, New Zealand
Glenorchy Water - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Now in Paris... went out shooting in the night with my D3S to see what I could find... along a small street I saw this guy and his dog on the slick streets... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Here in Paris now... getting ready for our Google+ PhotoWalk tomorrow... see you soon! Here are the event details: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cj7lack90dtidkdgdkgmj76rqug from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
A Path in NZ I just finished the Paris PhotoWalk... no time to process photos I'm afraid... getting ready for the event at the chateau tomorrow. But, I did want to upload this photo I took a few days ago in New Zealand. We took a nice walk on a path through the wetlands in Glenorchy to find this... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Paris PhotoWalk at the Louvre This was supposed to be our ending stop, but it ended up being the middle stop! We went on to tour many bridges and have an amazing night. Thanks again to everyone that came out for the event! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Chateau for the Weekend in Paris Here's the chateau where I've been with +Miss Aniela during our workshop in Paris. We've had the most AMAZING time. I just finished editing this image in class, and now I am watching the image that Miss Aniela is working on... it is so... unbelievable! OMG I can't wait for her to post it. *The entire class GASPED when she put it on the screen...* Please post it soon for the world Natalie! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
What's happening inside the chateau? Here's a candid behind-the-scenes shot from +Miss Aniela ... she says, "A truly breathtaking location: grandeur fused with delicious dilapidation..."
Bookcase with Red Magic Books Found inside the chateau here in Paris... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Just outside the chateau here is a beautiful set of stables, covered in ivy, and surrounded by huge, towering trees... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Abandoned Room of Taxidermy Here's one of the dozens of rooms scattered around the chateau. Some were in perfect condition, but others were torn asunder over time, like this one on the third floor. #MidnightWorkshop I see that +Col Walder just posted one from here too that you might want to check out! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sunset After Storm in Paris I took this a few hours ago here with +Tom Anderson. We almost didn't leave the hotel because it was so stormy, but we had been watching the clouds all day. We started out with +Miss Aniela at the Paris Opera before exploring the rest of the city. Sunset comes early here around this time of the year (about 5 PM or so), and it always sneaks up on us. Some of the best sunsets come right after storms... so it's always worth a little adventure if you don't mind getting a little wet... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Paris Opera I was just here exploring the opera with +Miss Aniela +Tom Anderson +Curtis Simmons and +Matt Knisely - we had a great time... Next on my list is to see an actual opera here! :) - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Exploring the Castle Today I rented a car with +Tom Anderson in Paris and we headed off across the French countryside in search of medieval adventure! We found it here! Arriving right at sunset, we explored all the most unexpected and wonderful bits of this old medieval town... So.... where is it? I'll give you a clue... there is not a lot of internet here! But we finally just found some to upload this... Tom is sitting beside me working on an incredible photo... I think you'll like it too -- It's so good, in fact, that I think I'll get a print! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Mont St. Michel - Have Fun Storming the Castle This morning Tom Anderson and I woke up early to walk around Mont Saint-Michel here in Normandy, along the coast of France. The sky was perfect and there were many interesting angles. This is actually the place that inspiring Minas Tirith - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Mont St. Michel in the Sun Last night after shooting this, +Tom Anderson and I drove back to the castle. When we arrived, there was no food anywhere, and we were STARVING. Tom sent out a Tweet that he would pay $1,000 for two Big Macs to be delivered to us. We never got the Big Macs... maybe he should have used Google+ ! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
*The Secret Spots in Paris* Here is another location I visited with Miss Aniela and Tom Anderson while in Paris… does anyone know where it is? I'll check guesses soon! I won't be able to check messages for a while… getting on a plane from Paris to San Francisco for one night before returning home to New Zealand. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Medieval Village Exploring the Medieval Village after midnight... taken a few days ago... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Mont Saint Michel - The Island Castle This place is awesome. During the day (low tide), you can walk out to the island castle across the sand. At night (or high tide), the sea comes in and isolates it, alone. This is Mont Saint Michel where I just visited with +Tom Anderson -- and both of us have gotten in trouble for calling it a "castle". People angrily (just watch) say, "It's a monastery you ignorant fool!" (or something to this effect). But look, honestly, this thing is a castle in my book: 1) The whole thing is surrounded by impenetrable walls 2) The walls are topped by crenellations 3) The top part of the walls have arrow-loops so people can shoot out arrows at attackers (unless these are bible-holes where the monks throw out bibles) -- and countless other castle-features... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
"The Old Medieval Town - Population 42* Tom and I were pretty much alone in the old walled city after dark. The official population of this place is 42, and here is 1/42, walking back home after a long day at work... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Entering the Dungeon You know that last photo I posted from +Miss Aniela ? Here's what it looked like as we walked down there under the chateau together... the model was a little scared... from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Dramatic Chipmunk Sunset (That's the LR Preset I used here) So, I'm back home now and dumped off about 4,500 photos onto my system. I'm going through and processing the hundreds and hundreds of photos from around the chateau experience a few days ago with +Miss Aniela. I'm up early today (around 4:30 AM here in Queenstown), and I came out to the studio to do some processing... I picked this one at random to work on... and wanted to share it first here to Google+ ! :) #Midnightworkshop - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Three Trees in a Square Here's one of the new photos I'll be sharing during the live Hangout to broadcast very soon! Check your schedule - here's the event at https://plus.google.com/events/c4b6gbna2anbqp2oj18lthhc020 We'll have a bunch of other photographers on too, sharing recent work and, well, hanging out! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sunset in the UFO Landing Zone This was shot back behind the chateau after dusk settled into its final colors for the evening. All the light was so strange outside, from the blinding white near the fountain to the golden hues reflected off the chateau to the nebula purple from the dithering sky... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
blood seeped from the cracks In one of the ill-forgotten corners of the ruined house, the curtains hung in tatters and the walls pulsed with old screams. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Alone at the Ancient Temple Vishnu is a very powerful god... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Driving Along the Lakes of New Zealand When I drive along the countless electric-blue lakes of New Zealand, I keep thinking, “This reminds me of Switzerland!” But this is actually a strange thing to think, because I’ve only spent a short amount of time in Switzerland. Really, you can make the case that New Zealand is more like Switzerland than Switzerland. This is a very confusing thing to say, but maybe you know what I mean. For this one, I’m afraid I did have to jump a fence. But this lake near Wanaka (Lake Hawea) is pretty much completely devoid of houses or any lake-side habitation. You can drive for hours and never see anybody or anything. I’m not big on jumping fences, but it seemed pretty harmless here… and, besides, I just HAD to take a photo of this tree! You know how it is… - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Rogue Chinese Pirate Ship This reminds me of something from Firefly... something out of the imagination of +Joss Whedon... black smoke pouring out the back as its teeth bare down on skittering prey... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Circling the Estate Here's another photo taken as we left the chateau to make the grand circle at sunset... this is just before the sky started going really crazy... Oh France! Le sigh... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Lonely Boat in the Misty Morning In the fjords on the south Island of New Zealand... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Aurora Australis in New Zealand (The Southern Lights) BTW, if you want to see BIG versions of all these NZ shots, come to http://www.stuckincustoms.com/category/travel/new-zealand/ -- I upload the full-on 7000+ pixel versions every day... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sleeping in the Sky Monastery I'm going to go back to this remote part of south China in a few months, but this time I have a new plan... It's so incredibly hard to get to this place; I'm gonna take +Tom Anderson with me and we'll be on a mission... This time, I want to stay for several days and perhaps lodge in a monastery or with a family who has a home nestled somewhere among the thousands of nooks and crannies throughout this fantasy forest. Last time, I was alone. While hiking, I passed by several little homes that were tucked in here and there. But I really want to sleep and wake here so that I can get more photos... this place is certainly full of deadly snakes, creepy insects, and cliffside death at every turn, but I gotta get back here! If you have any contacts, I'm all ears! :) from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Fake and Abandoned Disneyworld in China (possible ghost?) I also made a video (some people claim they see a ghost around the 4 min mark!) - see it at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/11/07/abandoned-chinese-disneyworld/ from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Sky Over Yosemite Valley We had a great Google+ PhotoWalk here... it was so cool how we all stayed in the lodge together. We will have to do this again some time... we talked about maybe New Zealand, but I've been lazy in planning it! :( - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Mysterious Egg Boulders In a few days, I'm driving back to this location to get more photos at sunset and sunrise... This is a few hours from my home, over on the east coast of the south island in NZ. I was so mystified by them the first time I saw them! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Sun Over the Ocean It's hard to believe this happens thousands of times per day in thousands of places around the world... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Steamy Forest in Yosemite Here's one of the few shots I took with the 200-400mm f/4.0 lens... it was a very foggy/steamy morning before the sun came up to burn everything off. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Small Red Bridge inside the Forbidden City Did you know the Forbidden City is filled with little canals, bridges, boats, and other time-capsules of an arcane age? I've got many more to process from this area... now that I have a little time to catch up, I'm going through all of them now... from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Frozen Time in 漓江 An alien landscape here on Earth... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Splendor of India - Has anyone seen The Fall? If you haven't seen that movie and you're into visual stimulation, well then I recommend it. If you have seen it, then tell me what you think! This place below near Agra is one of the many locations featured in the film... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Lupins are Blooming in New Zealand I just got back from an overnight road trip to the east coast of the south island. On the way back, I passed by thousands -- no, hundreds of thousands of lupins. They ran along various streams and rivers and followed me most of the way home. I brought back 995 photos... I'm currently getting them organized in Lightroom and will start processing now... here's the first one I wanted to share! :) - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Road Trip to the East Coast I'm back from a short and fun road trip to the coast. I'll share a few photos here with you over the next few days as I get them organized into Lightroom and processed! This one is from the bay in Moeraki. These long ramps are used for launching boats... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Road Trip Sunset Here's the next one from the little road trip with +Jason Law , +Emily Adamson and many other NZ photographers! We wanted to eat at a famous place here called Fleur's, but they were closed... but Jason was nice enough to bring over some fish and chips while we took sunset photos and talked about Google+! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Moeraki Boulders This unique location is only a few hours away from my home. The entire south island of New Zealand seems to have about one million photo locations all within a drive of just a few hours. It's completely insane and I don't think I'll ever get used to it! I also wonder what it was like when humans first walked onto this beach and saw these strange giant eggs. There was a lot more wondering in the days before door-to-door encyclopedias and wikipedia... maybe it is more fun to wonder about some things! - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Moeraki Boulders - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Jewel Box This secret room at the top of Hearst Castle was designed "to feel like you're sleeping in a jewel box" from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Evening on the Farm Last night, we went over to visit some friends here in Queenstown, and my two daughters spent most of their time brushing their miniature pony. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Lighthouse in the Evening They all seem so lonely, don't they? - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Aliens are Among Us Isn't this a wonderful place of mystery? . from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Endless Road with Little Waterfall from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Cozy Home Against the Cliffs Wouldn't you like to live here? This wonderful little place is in Vik, Iceland. from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
A Romantic Dinner on a Rainy Night It's always a nice feeling... this idea of going out to dinner when it is raining... and then dunking into a little, warm, romantic restaurant for a meal... from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Secret Lair of Hans Zimmer, from where he inspires the world Do you also love the music of +Hans Zimmer? I have a lot more photos and a story about his secret lair at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/02/22/hans-zimmer-in-his-studio/ -- I'm showing and talking about the how-to of this photo today at a special event in New Zealand. We have people coming from all over the world, so it will be very exciting! Hans did the music for Inception, Lion King, Batman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator and a ton of other movies... I think it's so cool to see the creative space of artists like this... from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Beautiful Disneyworld This is my favorite time of day/night to shoot HDR -- when there is a little bit of ambient light and a little bit of of artificial light... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Johnny Depp - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Louvre in Dystopian Paris - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Lupins in New Zealand - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
La Défense in Paris - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Tree in Oahu - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Sydney, Australia - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
The Paris Underground - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Huge Thumb This isn't my best title yet... I agree... - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Zipping through the city streets... I don't like walking around cold wet streets at night... but this is the best time for long exposure awesomeness! from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Traversing the Desert My first visit to this desert was smack-dab in the middle of summer... a burning 115 degrees of hot wind blasting me in the face. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Antique shopping in an older part of Beijing at night... I saw many shops that had huge stacks of old photos...just random photos piled up on top of one another... I have started to buy them and not sure why... but they are interesting, though. from Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
The Secret Pond in New Zealand Here's the spot I just showed in the live hangout... If you want to see where it is, you can pop over to http://www.hdrspotting.com/photo/view/image/110489 and see the map information there. - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Deep inside the caves - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
It’s strange to have multicolored coral so close to the beach, but it gave this whole sunset and turquoise water an even more dynamic palette. I’ve been getting used to using a wide-angle lens and aiming it down at the surf. It really distorts everything, but it’s hard to see the distortion in the final shot. Also, I like the effect — it tends to make everything point a little bit towards the center. from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Lake Tekapo, New Zealand - Yes, these blues are real! I’ve gotten tens of thousands of messages from people that say that New Zealand is in their plans to visit in the near future, and when you visit this area, you’ll see how crazy the colors really are. It’s like The Sound of Music To The Next Order of Magnitude… everywhere. I’ve been adding this location and hundreds more to the free Stuck On Earth app — it should help you easily find these places when you eventually make it here! from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
Paris, France - The Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe - from Trey Ratcliff at http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - all images Creative Commons Noncommercial
