November 2010 - Page 2 of 3 - Stuck in Customs

Stuck In Customs

My daily travel blog to inspire and get you motivated!

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19
Nov 2010 : Friday
See More Photos of:  California, LA, Travel

Army Men

Speaking of Christmas Toys…

Any great Christmas toy suggestions this year?  I’ve collected some unique toys from various countries (like, for example, these Chinese Chain-Puzzles) in my recent 80-day-around-the-world trip… but I was wondering if there was something else unique out there you all have stumbled upon?

Daily Photo – Army Men

We were walking around near some of the roller coasters in Disneyland when these army men came around the corner issuing a bunch of orders through the megaphone. Ethan and I were so surprised — I hardly had time to pull up the D3S for a quick shot!

Some of those days in Anaheim can get pretty hot… I don’t know how all these people in costumes can handle it. I guess it’s better than being one of the dress-up people in Orlando, though!

HDR Photo

18
Nov 2010 : Thursday
See More Photos of:  Dunedin, New Zealand, Travel

Name That Bird!

A 14mm prime

If you had a 14mm prime, what would you take photos of? We are having this discussion in the clubhouse… and I was kind of curious what everyone thought.

Daily Photo – Name That Bird!

We had left Dunedin, in the very south of New Zealand, before switchbacking our way up a steep mountain to visit this castle. It’s called the Larncach Castle, and it was very beautiful. The gardens were immaculate, and there were many interesting subjects for photography.

I found this little guy over by a pond and bent over with my 14-24mm to take a shot. You have to get in close with this lens, and I felt a little strange getting so close to such a strange beasty. Anyone know what it is?

HDR Photo

17
Nov 2010 : Wednesday
See More Photos of:  Matamata, New Zealand, Nikon D3X

From Bilbo’s Hobbit Hole

The Hobbit in New Zealand

It’s funny that I happen to be in New Zealand while all the financial wrangling about The Hobbit movie’s future. It’s all they talk about on the local news and the radio!

I only have a cursory understanding of what is going on, but I believe it had something to do with the unions, and the movie studio was getting a bit worried about committing a bunch of money to something unstable. At the last second, the NZ gov’t jumped in to toss $10mm in guarantees into the deal to ensure that the 2-part movie is made here.

Daily Photo – From Bilbo’s Hobbit Hole

When I was in a little town called Matamata, which Peter Jackson’s team selected as the perfect place for Hobbiton, I was lucky enough to receive a private tour from Ian Brodie (see Hobbiton Tours for more info!). Ian is also quite the HDR enthusiast (see Ian’s Photo Website), so it was great to spend several hours with the guy! I put a video of us together below… and we talked a bit about taking photos of the party tree.

After that, we got to adventure inside of Bilbo’s actual hole! Cool! I turned around to take a photo from the inside out. The huge tree there is the famous party tree, where Bilbo had his birthday party with Frodo before he slipped on the ring.

HDR Photo

Video – HDR in Hobbiton

I took this video earlier in the year with Ian. You can take the tour too! Just go visit Hobbiton Tours, and be sure to say hi to Ian if you see him while running around Hobbiton!

16
Nov 2010 : Tuesday
See More Photos of:  Nikon D3X

Photo Mystery – The Martian Chronicles

Your Favorite Sci-Fi book?

What’s your favorite sci-fi book?  I know we have a lot of well-read people around here, so I wondered about your suggestions!  I have some of my favorite books listed here on the “What I Like” page.

Daily Photo (Photo Mystery) – The Martian Chronicles

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.

So…  today’s photo mystery… exactly where was this taken?  Let’s have some Google Earth links !!  Hehe…  it will be interesting to see how close (exactly) people get.

HDR Photo </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id=

15
Nov 2010 : Monday
See More Photos of:  Delhi, India, Travel

Halls of India

Movie Recommendation:  The Fall

The Fall – IMDB Info

I know…  you don’t come here for movie recommendations, but I’ll make one anyway.  If you’ve never heard of it, then you’ll be in my boat earlier in the year.  I don’t even know how it missed my radar… but it did!

If you love beautiful imagery and unique epic movies, give this one a run.  I’m interested to see what you think!  Today’s photo reminds me a bit of it, because a lot of the cinematics in the movie are from beautiful and bizarre places around India that have been featured here on the blog!

Daily Photo – 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.

HDR Photo

14
Nov 2010 : Sunday
See More Photos of:  Montana, Nikon D3S, Wyoming, Yellowstone

Horse in Window

Daily Photo – Horse in Window

I can never decide if I enjoy naming photos or not!

I think I enjoy it when I come up with a good name, and I don’t like when I come up with a boring name. Let’s take this one for example: “Horse in Window.” I mean, how uncreative can I be? What’s wrong with me?

When I am editing photos, and the muse visits, I am like a man possessed. I can rip through a bunch of photos and make some nice little creations. But then I click “Save As…”, and I just blank out on a name. I think the creative part of my brain for making photos is different than the part for naming things.

I do enjoy writing, and I often find that the words flow easily. This bit of me seems disconnected from the photo-editing bit, though.

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!

HDR Photo

13
Nov 2010 : Saturday
See More Photos of:  Argentina, El Chalten, Patagonia, Travel

Natalia on the Farm

Daily Photo – 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.

HDR Photo

12
Nov 2010 : Friday
See More Photos of:  Disney World, Florida, Nikon D3X, Orlando, Travel

Balloons at Disney

Daily Photo – Balloons at Disney

I’ve been trying to capture a shot of balloons at Disney forever… it took a while before I found something with which I was happy!

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.

HDR Photo

11
Nov 2010 : Thursday
See More Photos of:  Iceland, Nikon D3X, Travel

Bright Morning, Stone Hut, Grass Roof

Go Visit Tim Wilson!

When I was in Queenstown, I popped into an art gallery… I do this all the time, of course… And I’m usually kinda “ho-hum” about it… wondering, “Why does THIS GUY have a gallery?” That sounds horribly elitist, yes? Yes, it does… but I think many of us do this, yes? Yes, we do.

Anyway, I did NOT have those thoughts when I saw Tim Wilson’s gallery! This guy is great! You have to go visit his website at TimWilsonArt.com. No doubt, you’ll see what I mean. After I was staring into his paintings for a while, it turned out he was right behind me, lurking, watching me enjoy his work! We ended up having a few chats over several days… what a cool guy. I’m always happy when I meet an artist who is as cool as I imagine he might be!

Tim has lived in New Zealand his whole life, and only recently moved down to Queenstown… It’s all about the light and the landscapes down there… maybe I’m starting to sound like a broken record about this, yes?

And if you make it to Queenstown, be sure to come into his gallery to see these things in person. No doubt you’ll be impressed with his website… and everything looks even more amazing in person.

Daily Photo – Bright Morning, Stone Hut, Grass Roof

It’s so hard for me to imagine how these Icelanders used to sleep in these stone huts in the olden days. I don’t care how many stones you put into the walls, I don’t see how it can possibly keep out that Icelandic wind! Those must have been some tough people back in the day. The grass roof is always a nice touch, but I can’t imagine that’s helps a lot either.

This was taken around 2 in the morning, just as the sun was starting to rise off the horizon again. I found this place by happy accident. About 3 hours earlier, I took a gamble and drove up a random dirt road that spiraled up a mountain. I was doing my best to follow the sun by navigating around the topology, as best I could remember it. I had spent the last week or so driving around, up, down, and through mountains, so I was getting to know the area pretty well. I finally felt good enough to begin instinctively navigating around the landscape.

HDR Photo

10
Nov 2010 : Wednesday
See More Photos of:  New Zealand, Nikon D3X, Queenstown, Travel

New Video – On Eden’s Farm

New Video – On Eden’s Farm

I had a wonderful evening with Eden Brackstone, even though he uses a Canon. I can overlook these trifle matters, but I do not forget them lightly.

We were in Gibbston, New Zealand, about 20 minutes from Queenstown. After a wonderful dinner with his delightful family, I popped out onto his farm to shoot some HDR. He started recording video on his aforementioned Canon-thing, and put together the little dealio below. Enjoy!

Daily Photo – The Pond and the Sunset Stormclouds

Here is the final photo that was taken just before we started recording the video above.

Nikon 28-300 Review