Stuck In Customs

Random Encounter!

I took this on my first evening in Beijing, and, of all things, I met Gernot here on the corner by chance! Gernot is a very interesting photographer that came to my workshop in Tokyo earlier in the year… and here he was just randomly! I’m jealous of him because he just took a motorcycle from Shanghai to Tibet on a photo-adventure… can you imagine? He’s been sharing some photos in the Clubhouse and it looks like a great time.

Daily Photo – 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.

Japanese People

Aren’t Japanese people pretty awesome? I mean, this is sort of a sweeping thing to say, I know… but, really… whenever I talk to people from various countries, most everyone finds the Japanese to be wonderful and quirky. There’s never one single thing that people mention… but there is something about it all that is quite nice.

You probably think I’m crazy now.

Daily Photo – The Hare in Harajuku

Every time I go to Tokyo, I try to spend some time in Harajuku. It’s one of the wildest and most unique places in an already unique city. It’s the sort of place where you take a people-shooting lens because of all the various types of people you see walking through the streets. And even more unique than the people are some of the shots and the decor, as you can see here…

Sorry no PhotoWalk

I really wanted to do a PhotoWalk in Paris while I am here, but I just don’t have time… I’m in Europe for several weeks, but just a few days in each city. They take a lot of time to figure out and plan and all this stuff. Anyway, you understand. I would like to properly plan one soon.

Daily Photo – Deep in Paris

To get a photo like this, you need a wide-angle lens but not necessarily a fish-eye lens. The 14-24 on the Nikon looks like a fisheye because it is so bulbous, but it is not. The fisheye does that extreme warping that can be quite artistic and nice. These wide angles, however, while warping, do not make the final image so abstract as to be almost unrecognizable.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Have you guys seen this documentary called “Exit Through the Gift Shop”? It’s so great… I had heard it was good from many people, but I was skeptical… I have always liked Banksy, but I didn’t know the documentary would be quite like THAT. Anyway, if you saw it, what did you think?

Daily Photo – The Disappearing Booth

I heard from some British friends that these are disappearing more and more all over London… I guess they are all just so old and the telephone company is removing the older ones… is this true, or is it an urban myth? I was reminded of Banksy above because he did a cool piece of art with one of these. And, I figured, we have so many readers from London, that one of you would know he truth!

This Week in Tech

Here is the video I did with Leo Laporte on This Week in Tech on Sunday. I was a special guest for the first 20 mins or so, and then I left… I talk a little about the behind-the-scenes at NASA. Thanks to Eileen Rivera for the last-minute invitation! 🙂

Daily Photo – 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!

Books now in print at MagCloud

One of the most common requests we get for our eBooks over at Flatbooks.com is “Can we get it in print?” Now the answer is “Yes!”

We got everything up on HP’s MagCloud and ordered some test copies as an experiment, and I was blown away. At first, I was afraid it was going to be like a high-quality Kinkos copy, but it wasn’t. It was very thick and beautiful paper, bound on the edges just like a real book. Well, I don’t know why I say it like that… because it is a real book. If you have something you want to print out of your own, or publish something like a real book on Magcloud, then I recommend it!

The books we have up there avail for print (or downloadable eBook) are Composing the Photo, Top 10 HDR Mistakes, and Digital Workflow.

Daily Photo – Like a British Explorer

If you get to Angkor Wat very early in the morning, or befriend a monk and get to stay very late into the evening, then you can forget that you’re past the year 2011. It doesn’t take long before you feel like one of those classical British explorers, tromping through the jungle, finding ancient treasures. And, of course, you get to wear those little fancy hats and everything…

But, at the same time, after many days of mega-humid exploration, every time you wake up, you’re half-convinced you’ve contracted Legionnaires’ disease. It’s that unsettling feeling of waking up overseas in a cold sweat in a strange bed thinking, “OMG, I’m pretty sure my kidney shouldn’t feel quite like this.”

Google+ Hangout Tomorrow with Lisa Bettany

Join me on Google+ today (Friday) at 1 PM PT (4 PM ET) for a live video hangout with Lisa Bettany. We’ll open it up to the public… we have no plan other than just sittin’ around and talkin’ photography. It’s very laid back, and you are welcome to join!

Daily Photo – Evening in Malibu

You know that feeling when it is a perfect dusk… and everything feels extra-nice because you know you’re going to have a great night? This is a good feeling…probably because it is so ephemeral.

I stayed in a pretty little hotel in Malibu. I’ve forgotten the name… maybe it will come to me in my old age… but it was just a short walk to this pier, and it looks great in almost any light. It made me think that if I lived by a dock, I’d probably have to visit it most every sunrise and sunset.

This Week in Photography Interview

I know many of you are still trying to get in (try our pay-it-forward invite system on our Facebook page… simply add your name to an inviter’s list, and then help others get in after you are invited!).  Even more have been wondering what a Google+ Hangout looks like. Well, now you can see, and find out more about Google+ for photographers.  Note this wasn’t a typical Hangout session because only two of us were talking because of the format of the interview… normally most everyone is communicating in a nice way…

Thanks to Frederick Van (@FrederickVan) from This Week in Photo for doing this…we had a good time, as you can tell! Here is the top Google+ List in case you want to find others to circle…

My Google Profile is here, and you can find this article here on Google+.

New HDR Tutorial in Beta!

Well, I cranked through it and updated the HDR Tutorial (free, as always). Nothing is official yet, but I wanted you guys to help me out and go through it… see some typos? I’m the worst at that, as you know by now! But, also let me know if some parts are weak, need more help, etc etc…

Below is the before/after shot for the new subject of the HDR Tutorial. Enjoy!

http://stuckincustoms.smugmug.com/Other/Website-NonPort-Images/11211552_XjEW6/1382576195_txH6s2z

Lou Mongello

While at Disneyworld, I ended up meeting Lou Mongello, a very interesting guy that is Disney’s biggest hardcore fanboy! Note that I say that with the ultimate respect, because he has built his love of something into quite an empire! Now he runs WDWRadio.com, has podcasts/apps, and more!

Robert Scoble interviewed Lou while we were there together. Watch, and you’ll see all kinds of tips! Thanks again Keith Barrett for setting everything up.

Disney Shots

We have a category system here on the site, so if you want to see all of them, check the “Disney Category” at the bottom of this post. Once you get to the bottom of the page, click “PREVIOUS” and you’ll get another pagefull…

Daily Photo – The Fireplace in the Tower of Terror

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!

Red Epic Unboxing on Google+ Hangout Today!

Join me (Google Profile) on Google+ for a video Hangout on Tuesday at 10 AM PT (12 noon CT) for an unboxing of the new RED Epic that just arrived at my doorstep!  And don’t worry… I’ll still be shooting with my Nikon as my main camera… this is an experimental thing.  Very experimental.. [EDIT: Missed the Hangout? Here is a screengrab that @ErnestDuffoo snapped.]

Daily Photo – Medieval Town at Night

So today we have another mystery location!  You guys are always so good at guessing, I think you’ll get it right away.

Truth be told, I hope you get it right away, since I can’t remember where it was!  This place was quite difficult to find and we stumbled upon it by accident!  And I’ve had a heck of a time trying to remember the name of the place… it was quite strange, so I remember that, but that doesn’t get me very far.  Once you say it, I’ll know it for sure, at least, probably.