Stuck In Customs

See you in Auckland and Christchurch!

I have the details up on the “I’m Coming to New Zealand” page.  I hope to meet you all there… we will have a good time.  I’ll encourage everyone to share online after the event and comment on one another’s photos!

What’s in My Bag?

I recently did a little thing with Cali Lewis for Geekbrief TV.  I showed her everything that was in my photo bag when I travel for her show.  I am always surprised that people are interested in what’s in the bag!  Anyway, when it becomes avail, I will be sure to link to it… so if you are curious, you can see the insides! 🙂

New Photos – Nikon 85mm Review

I took some more photos with the 85mm lens.  These are all of my kids… and really a good subject-matter since I think this lens is great for people shots!  To see more, and details, visit my Nikon 85mm Review!

Running right at me full speed!  ISO 200, 85mm,  f/1.7, 1/3000 sec

Scarlett in the snow… ISO 360, 85mm,  f/3.3, 1/90 sec

She’s not a happy princess.  But she was shot at 1600 ISO, 85mm, f/1.4, 1/320 sec.

Portfolio Contest – Show us all your Portfolio!

A few days ago I wrote an article entitled “How to Make an Online Photo Album” about SmugMug.

I thought this would be a fun way to drive traffic to a bunch of different photographers and artists. Also, I can use it to promote one of my friend’s workshops – his name is Vanelli. You’ll read more about him below. Share your portfolio here, and The Judge will pick one that strikes him as unique and interesting for the winner!

More Info and full Review:

If you sign up, you can use a SmugMug Coupon of “STUCKINCUSTOMS” to save 20%.

How to Enter:

• Simply leave a comment and link to your Smugmug site below.  The Judge will visit it.
• To win, The Judge will simply select a portfolio that strikes him as “Wonderful” in one way or another.

Prizes:

• An Ultimate Version of the Stuck In Customs Textures Tutorial and’ (a $399 value)
• and… a Smugmug sponsorship to go on a Vacation with Vanelli!  (a $595 value) –  a great new workshop offering!

Who is Eligible:

• Anyone on Smugmug! Most people who are on this hot new service are “relatively” new anyway, so I want to open it up to anyone that is “Proud of their Smugmug site”!
• New people just getting started on Smugmug. Don’t worry – just because you might only have a few images on there will not make you any less likely to win.

Who is The Judge?

• Not me! I don’t like judging contests because everyone pretends to like me until The Judging, after which time 99% of people don’t like me any more.
• So, I give this dubious honor to none other than the extremely likable Vanelli (who is hosting the workshop), who everyone seems to love for some inexplicable reason.

When does it End?

The contest ends at midnight, EST,  on March 1. So yes, you have a bit to get your Smugmug site all spiffy. Go ahead and submit it now in the comments — it won’t be Judged until the end of the contest.

What else can I do to promote my Smugmug site?

You can link here in Twitter or your blog to this contest post and tell people to “Go see entry number XX!”, and then your friends can talk you up in the comments,… get your mom, sister, and friends in on the fun.

What’s going on with the comments in this contest!

There is an open discussion below, and whenever we see a link to a Smugmug portfolio, we will consider it an entry, and it will be Judged by The Judge. Go

Daily Photo – The Boat at Portofino

Ahhhh Italy! But one thing — this isn’t Italy! This is in Orlando, Florida, at the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studios. They have gentle boats that float in the bay. There might be a better place for photography at sunset at Universal — but I could not find it! I thought it was cute how every boat had its own name (always a girl) painted in cursive on the back. Now, I’ve never been to the real Portofino, but many of my friends have, and they thought this might have been the real place! Maybe a bit cleaner? I am not sure… Let’s all go jump on a boat and go see! 🙂

The Boat at Portofino

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2020-07-09 05:29:18
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time0.5
• Aperture5.6
• ISO100
• Focal Length21.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+1

New Photos from INSIDE Google – Soon on Buzz!

I am releasing some new photos that I took while inside the Google HQ recently. I had to get them cleared by corporate communications, and now they are free to be released! You can find me on Google Buzz here. They’ll be released at some random time on the 16th…

Google Buzz – List of Photographers

Are you new to Buzz and looking for Photographers to follow? See this Photographers on Buzz list. Note, this is a BIG LIST, but I suggest you surf around it and see some people! You will likely find a few that you like… so many great photographers and artist out there – I hope this helps you to discover some new ones.

Daily Photo – 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…

A Dramatic Reading of Negative Amazon Reviews for “A World in HDR”

I made a little video this evening where I read negative Amazon Reviews for you. This is a one-time only event… I think the regulars here will appreciate it…hehe. Luckily, despite the negative Nancies (actually, I do appreciate constructive criticism), we still were able to sell out on Amazon in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Everything is back in stock now, as I understand!

BTW, I will add this to the video section — visit the Videos area here if you want to see free videos with how-tos, shooting examples, etc.

The book contest is still going on at Abduzeedo

The contest is up to about 450 entries, so if you don’t already have one, pop over there for your chance to win! While there at Abduzeedo, be sure to go look around their site some and discover other great artists. I spend a lot of time there getting inspired!

Daily Photo – 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.

In Photomatix, I did choose to “Auto-Align” images. It did a pretty good job. I always suggest that you check “Do Not Crop”, so that you can line everything up easier later in Photoshop. When it auto-crops, it resets the 0,0 x/y origin and will mix up the alignment later on for final cleanup.

New Zealand Photowalks and Talks Finalized!

We are looking at Auckland on Feb 19 and Christchurch on Mar 4.  Both events will include a talk, which you are welcome to attend.  I look forward to meeting all you nice Kiwis!  There is more information on the New Zealand page here!

Daily Photo – The Mysteries of the Boudoir

For the photo mystery of the week, what exactly is the photo below?  Be sure you zoom into the big size and poke around for clues….

I found this gem while in New York during the book launch party there.  It’s one of those times when I am happy I carry my camera almost everywhere.  It’s a real pain, especially when I had a major disaster in a tiny robot-bathroom in Tokyo.  That is a story I can’t share on the blog because it’s all too wheels-off.  But, in this circumstance, having a camera worked out well.

Isn’t this the strangest thing in the world?  But it’s so interesting….  I could not stop looking at it!

New Screenshots of Topaz Detail 2

Below is a screenshot I took while helping the define some the details in this photo. You can see more on my Topaz Detail Review here on the site. Sometimes, I find the HDR process can make some lines and contrast wash out, and the eye still likes to latch onto lines… Anyway, a longer story, but there is more info if you are interested.

A Full SmugMug Review!

I recently wrote an article entitled “How to Make an Online Photo Album” about SmugMug. Follow that link to learn more!

I feel a little late to the SmugMug party! Here is the story… I kept hearing more and more about SmugMug. And I was like… What! Why is everyone always talking about SmugMug! What a strange name. Hey… I’m on Flickr… the last thing I need is another place to host my photos… this is what I was thinking.

And then the very kind Candice Cunningham invited me to speak at the inaugural SmugMug meeting here in Austin. It was an amazing group of people and many people in there already had SmugMug portfolios and businesses! As I learned more and more, I became even more impressed. I even got to visit their HQ near San Francisco and I came away really excited about the present and future of SmugMug.

I have linked the “Visit My Portfolio” up there on the top right of the site to link to StuckInCustoms.SmugMug.com. It is really beautiful and I have decided to make it official.

I am very happy with my SmugMug Portfolio. You guys know I always want the best!

Even more Customization!

I wrote a second article on you can further Customize SmugMug. It already comes with a bunch of themes, but if you want something truly unique, you can just pay a bit extra to get something that is completely different. I reviewed four different third-party companies, all of which can give you a custom SmugMug “skin”.

Daily Photo – 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.

Oh, btw, now that I am one with sweet sweet SmugMug, click on the photo below to see it big and bold and proper. At the top, you can select whatever size you wish.

Mega-Photowalk During SXSW? How about March 13

Yes, I am thinking about putting one together based on a series of very enthusiastic requests! I don’t have anything formally planned yet, but some pieces are coming together. I know we have people coming to Austin for SXSW from all over the world. If we hold it, it will be around sunset on Saturday evening, March 13 (it was March 14, but I understand now the Austin Photography Group meets that evening). So… pencil in the 13th !

We might even have a little contest of sorts… see who can get the most interesting Austin evening / SXSW / party / social / or Austin-y shot!

Daily Photo – The Beautiful Airport in Kuala Lumpur

Ahhhh… Asian airports. I really love them. They all remind me, for some reason, of these clean-white scenes from the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The architecture in these places is inspired and the textures are impeccably chosen. I literally cannot help myself from taking photos. Whenever I walk through them and I compose a scene with my eyes, I am compelled to get out my camera and tripod and shoot away.

And yes — this is a common question I get on Twitter and all over the place. I always carry my tripod on the plane. I’ve never had a problem except for one international flight, when they told me it was a few inches too long. Now, this might have been a fluke because I have a big tripod. I’m just sayin’.

Google Buzz is great for photography and friends!

Follow me on Google Buzz here. And, if you are a Photographer, come add a sample photo to this Buzz Thread – so that people can follow you too if they like what they see!  For the first photo I released on Buzz, I decided to add a brand new unpublished work of boats at sunset at the Portofino Hotel.

Here is why Google Buzz is great for photography and conversation and friends:

• The photos go Full Screen and can be viewed in their proper glory
• I get to see people’s photos as soon as they go up and scroll through them in a nice lightbox
• It’s very simple and built right into the GMail interface
• Conversations are real-time and it has all the “fun” of a chat room without the pressure

What do you think about Google Buzz?

Book Giveaway on Abudzeedo!

The editors over at Abduzeedo (who, by the way, attended my talk at the Google HQ) launched a book contest to give away a free copy of “A World in HDR“.  Even before I mentioned it, there are already over 300 entries, so pop over there and leave a quick comment to enter.  Easy and fast!

Daily Photo – So Many Wonderful Things at Hearst, So Little Time

Hearst Castle is indeed one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s just a trafficless hour north of LA, but it seems a world apart. It worked out as a perfect stopping-point for my little road trip from Hans Zimmer to Google!

I grabbed a lot of photos of this pool. And I mean a lot. I had great trouble in choosing the “best”, and there are many winners that I will be sure to include in coming weeks, months, and years!

I wonder if WF Hearst ever had one of those crazy house parties with rap video girls dancing and grinding all around the edges of the pool? I can’t imagine college girls doing jello shots and big floatees that have beer-holders. This is all just a tad too classy for that…

My D3S Has Finally Arrived!

After borrowing one from BorrowLenses.com, my shipment finally arrived from sweet lady B&H. This is now the backup camera to my D3X, and if you want to know the reasons why I got it (and why it’s my backup), visit my Nikon D3S Review page. In fact, I already popped my new 85mm prime lens on there… so more pics coming soon for the Nikon 85mm Review.

By the way, that is not my family on the right. They are a stunt-family. (Actually, this is the ever-present estro-fest family of my good friend Scott).

I’ll be packing it up for the upcoming trip to New Zealand. Thanks for all the comments on that page, btw – I am going to be following up on that stuff soon, in addition to setting up a photowalk in Christchurch to compete with the one in Auckland! These are free events, so all my internet Kiwi friends are welcome to attend!

Daily Photo – Green Roadways Between Delhi and Agra

This makes you think twice about the three-point baby harness in your 4000 lb SUV, doesn’t it? Actually, I remember growing up in the 70’s and sliding around the backseat vinyl of an old Caddy, swinging ponderously around roads of Texas. Now, it seems to take me an extra 10 minutes to get everyone strapped in, like we are on final entry into the atmosphere!

A bunch of people on a motorbike (or stuffed into a car) is not an uncommon site in India, or dozens of other countries around the world. It’s always a bit hard to capture. I don’t like using a flash, because I don’t want to startle the poor driver.

The most people on a motorbike I have seen is six — and I’ve seen that multiple times in India and all over Southeast Asia. Often times, the young kids are smashing between the parents or older siblings. I haven’t seen seven people on board yet, but I hold out hope.

Join my mate Vanelli for a Workshop in North Carolina

I met a heck of a nice guy when I was in Florida named Vanelli. I was introduced to him by RC Concepcion, who is normally a good judge of character — I remember him saying, “Trey, you gotta meet this guy named Vanelli!”

So, I did, and he made a good impression on me. He happens to be quite the Photoshop guru, and he absolutely loves photography. He’s a great communicator, and I’m sure he’ll put together a unique workshop. I think he’s only inviting about 10 people or so… and if you want to find out more, go to the “Vacation with Vanelli” website.

New Limited Edition Numbered Print – Hong Kong from the Peak

This week we are releasing a new print (see the print page) called “Hong Kong from the Peak“. It is a pretty one that many of you may remember, and it’s featured right towards the beginning of the book. There are smaller prints available on fine art paper all the way up to huge canvases to adorn your walls.

Daily Photo – Salaryman waiting for the Bullet Train

I’ve always loved the Japanese word “salaryman”. It means exactly what you think it means. And whenever I say this word to Japanese people while there, they get so surprised what I know that word! Possibly, this is because I know only a few dozen words — and they consider this one to be somewhat obscure, I suppose. It’s hard to say. There is something wonderfully inscrutable about my conversations with Japanese people.

This was shot in Kyoto (to the best of my memory), on the way to Tokyo. These bullet trains are just great. I bought a week-pass on the bullet train for only a few hundred dollars — it’s a special deal for foreigners traveling to Japan. The only confusing bit was figuring out how to trade in my voucher at Narita airport. Well, there were a variety of confusing things at that airport, but that has never stopped me…