New Video – Behind the Scenes and Composition

Here is behind-the-scenes video I made here for this shot…

Daily Photo – The Oregon Coast

And the final shot…

Filed under the categories: Oregon, Travel

The real elf-stat?

I’ve heard all different percentages of how many Icelanders believe in elves. It’s always high. But I wonder what the most correct percentage is? Has there ever really been a scientific study and wide-spread poll? I’d love to know the exact stats… you guys are all so smart – it seems like the perfect task for you to figure out so we can know the answer once and for all!

Daily Photo – 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…

Filed under the categories: Iceland, Isafjordur, Nikon D3X, Travel

More Switzerland Coming Soon

Sorry I have been so slow in posting Switzerland photos… this has been a very busy time for me, and I am slipping behind a little bit. But, I do have a master-plan to start getting all those photos in order and ready to post!

Daily Photo – 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.

Filed under the categories: Nikon D3X, Switzerland, Travel, Zurich

Tea or Coffee?

Are you a tea person or a coffee person?

Daily Photo – Tiny Tea House

Once it got to be quite dark outside, I was dog-tired, so I retreated back into this little tea house to relax. There were so many ornate details and nic-nacs everywhere… It was very nice to zen-out, eat tea and snacks, and just sort of look around at all the little nooks and crannies.

After about half an hour, I had regained my wits and decided to set up for this quick shot to share it with you.

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X, Travel

北京的摄影走道

我准备一个摄影走道在北京里面。我希望你们能来了！再份额和告诉您的朋友!

我爱中国! 如果您们想看您的美丽的国家的照片，参观：http://www.stuckincustoms.com/category/travel/china/

时间： 在5:30 PM，星期六9月17日。

入会费：没有费用!!!

地点： 在鸡蛋前面, 北京

谁： 甚而所有年龄和家庭是受欢迎的。 任何照相机将做…甚而移动电话照相机!

计划： 我们将见面，问 “您好！”… 我将说与计划的一些个词，我们然后将开始步行! 它将是一个非常松弛和乐趣事件. 我解了您们以前为鸡蛋照相。。。

然而这次我们将帮助您采取您的＊最佳＊的照片！

我们一起庆祝摄影秀丽!

摄影走道.

Time: Saturday Sept 17 at 5:30 PM.
Location: In front of The Egg – Google Maps
Who: All ages and even families are welcome. Any kind of camera will do… even mobile phone cameras!
The Plan: We will meet, say hello… I will say a few words with the plan, and then we will begin the walk! It will be a very laid-back and fun event.

I look forward to meeting you there!

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris, Travel

Many good discussions were had!

New Video! A Google+ Hangout from +Tom Anderson ‘s mansion ( ahem his 2nd one… I give a brief tour around 54:00 ) ! But, too bad Tom wasn’t there… he’s off in Hawaii doing wonderful things… we did a photography-centric talk with several people about where we are struggling with in this sport…

Many people in this one! The famous +RC Concepcion joins us later in the hangout! Many others too including +Alfie Goodrich, +Lotus Carroll, and even +Mike Wiacek from Google!

0:45 +Alfie Goodrich introduces himself and talks about what he does in Tokyo at Japanorama.com …many other introductions from invited guests and people from the public that popped in…

9:00 Mike Wiacek from Google joins us and introduces himself

11:30 We start talking about what we’re struggling with in photography… and we hear from +Beau Kahler

13:00 Alfie Goodrich gives a great tip for using a flash

16:00 Alfie talks about what he has trouble with… and how he deals with blocks

20:30 +Lotus Carroll talks about getting out of her comfort zone with street photography and taking photos of people

30:00 +Mike Wiacek from Google talks about what he is struggling with photography

35:00 +shirley lo says something quite poetic about what she is working on… just before +Jim Davis joins the hangout

38:00 I give my explanation of my workflow and how approach unprocessed photos. (I bold this because it is a concern I hear a lot)

48:00 Alfie talks about his workflow a bit

50:00 I get a question about my workflow… I talk about my workflow.. kinda…

54:30 I give a quick tour of part of Tom’s mansion… its super-dark… darker than a bear’s den…

1:05:00 Jim Davis talks about how he watermarks his images…

1:07:00 +RC Concepcion arrives in style!

1:09:30 I ask RC all about his new HDR Book (which you can buy at Amazon)

1:12:00 I try briefly to talk RC into writing an ebook for www.Flatbooks.com like +Lisa Bettany

1:12:30 RC talks about a better way to do watermarks.

1:18:40 RC (now with his lights on) talks about what he is struggling with lately…

1:23:00 I ask RC, since he is a great teacher, about how people learn Photoshop and how they overcome blocks.

1:35:00 I get a question about how I knew that I was into photography…

Others that joined us were +Keith Barrett (thanks for recording!), +Aaron Skwarcan +Melvin Little +Xander Wroblewski +Dano Hart +Michael Riffle and more (I run out of plusses) from https://plus.google.com/105237212888595777019/posts/eGs9MctU9Db

Filed under the categories: Travel

Thomas Hawk on Google Winning the War

Thomas Hawk put up a good article the other day… he points to an experiment I did and gives some other thoughts…

Clouds

Hey here’s a little note about Photoshop and stuff. I get this question from time to time… I do not take clouds from one photo and paste them into another photo. That’s a little over-the-top photoshop to me! I guess people ask why my clouds are always kind of crazy. I guess the best answer is that I am just patient. I just sit there and listen to my music and wait…wait…wait…

Daily Photo – Approaching the Forbidden City

These are the kinds of clouds I love… these high icy clouds that are pulled apart by fast winds like long, sinuous strands of silk. When the sun starts to go down, it makes them even more silky…

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X

Glacier Express

Thank you again for all the amazing suggestions for Switzerland. Obviously, I could not do all of them, but one of the great ones was the Glacier Express. Seven hours through the alps… it was amazing. And, it brought me here…

Daily Photo – 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.

Filed under the categories: Nikon D3X, Switzerland, Travel, Zermatt

All Burning Man Photos

See all the Burning Man photos from this category by clicking that link… enjoy!

Another Batch

I’ve put together another set of photos… each of them is captioned below for you.

A few steampunk partiers get ready for the night of the burn.

Everyone on the playa is in costume. And, if you're not in costume, then you're the one that is standing out. This is one of the only Japanese people I saw there... but she certainly seemed really into the scene!

Every night as the sun is setting, these lamplighters come out with lanterns and hang them high along the main roads in the make-shift city.

One of the hundreds of art displays all over the playa. This one was in the very middle... alone and interesting.

Filed under the categories: Burning Man, Nevada, Travel

Recording #3 with Lisa Bettany, Colby Brown, and Chris MacAskill

There is a lot of cool stuff in this Google+ hangout… a tour of some of the art on the SmugMug HQ walls, a discussion with Colby Brown, a long discussion about printing…and all sorts of stuff. See below the video for a full list.

1:55 +Brian Matiash says hello

3:15 +Christa Laser talks about her IP stuff and our future hangout and +Chris MacAskill says something wonderfully lecherous that he didn’t quite mean that way

9:10 +Colby Brown talked about why he’s focused on Google+

19:30 +Brian Matiash talks about his Google+ followers versus Twitter followers

23:47 +Lisa Bettany blows into the studio and then +Colby Brown talks about how he got started

33:30 +Lisa Bettany asks about printing photos and then we start a long discussion about this sort of thing. +Chris MacAckskill gives many good ideas and insights

40:00 +Colby Brown talks about his printing stuff

43:00 +Shirly Lo talks about her print

43:50 I talk about how I get stuff printed

46:00 We start showing all the photo art around the offices

49.55 +Lisa Bettany starts fondling batman

53:50 I talk through some of my photos that are on the walls.

1:13:15 +Damon joins the hangout

1:14:20 +Colby Brown and +Brian Matiash talk about panoramas

1:18:00 +William Been joins us from Florida

1:19:00 +Dave Cox talks about his work and it sounds like they are doing something with +Claire Grant and Team Unicorn

1:27:00 I talk more about my meeting with +Chee Chew and our talk about Google hangouts

1:29:00 +Chris MacAskill tells a nice story about design and Apple and Google. +Andy Herzfield

1:32:00 +Lisa Bettany talks about Camera+

Filed under the categories: Travel

A longer story…

So I have a nice story here from just a few days ago… geeks will love it… Maybe other people will too… I’ve just processed the photos, and I will sprinkle four of them here below so you can join in the fun.

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.

So I arrived and then 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. For this one, instead of spinning the pig over the fire, it was decided that the fire should spin around the outside of the pig.

It was dark when I pulled up just as another car rolled in, fully laden with metal tubing, rails, brackets, and other alloyed oddments. I walked over, and Neal went through a recognition subroutine to figure out if I was a friend or enemy. I barely passed that one and then helped carry in a bunch of strange things. We went through his home out into the backyard where there was a staging area for this creation.

I honestly did not do very much other than carry things and assemble one of the racks to hang the pig. I felt that the two pigs should be in a less “Catholic” position and we should kama-sutra it up, but no one else agreed with me on this point.

But, 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. It felt a little like a wormhole generator that would enable fully cooked pigs to come into our world.

Then, the next day, when the BBQ officially started… here is a photo of the festivities.

And below is the a photo of the actual creation. You can see the pigs hanging in the middle as the fire spins around the outside. To the right is Chris Young and to the left is Neal Stephenson (who you can also see looking on in the photo above).

There was something new and hypnotic while the fire spun around the pig. It spun for over five hours and many of us just stared. It was kind of a shared experience of meta-strangeness.

I think maybe it was so foreign to our pleistocene brains. We’re just not used to seeing fire spin around while the meat is still. Or something. I don’t know.. but I’ll never forget how hypnotic the experience was…

In the photo below, Neal looks on once again…

And last is my friend Chris Young getting one of the columns of fire stoked. We filled these with a special kind of obsidian coal that was very tough to light but burned like a French retreat. First, Chris would use a blow torch to get it started, and then he whipped out the old leaf-blower really get the fire going.

He did this to both columns to make sure the temperature was consistent through the vertical structure before they were set into a spinning motion. And, yes, it turns out that it was not that steampunk at all, since these were spun around by a concrete mixer.

Filed under the categories: Nikon D3X, Seattle, Travel, Washington

5000 Beautiful Sunsets Every Day

Sometimes I feel pressure to get every sunset… Not a bad kind of pressure – just a soft sort of pressure. But then, I forgive myself a little if I don’t get it by knowing that every minute there is a beautiful sunset SOMEWHERE on Earth. I think it would be cool to have a website or app that shows you were the most beautiful sunset is RIGHT NOW… and it shows it to you – wouldn’t that be awesome?

Daily Photo – PCH Sunset

Driving down Highway 1 in California gives you a front stage to the sunset. There’s no bad place to stop, so you can just pull out at the right moment, take a shot, and hop back in the car. It’s so easy — it almost feels like cheating!

I’m thinking about a much longer California trip soon. I may start up in Seattle then drive all the way down to LA, taking my time along the way to explore places for photography. Any spots I should not miss?

http://stuckincustoms.smugmug.com/Portfolio-The-Best/your-favorites/10668747_AuyBk/1380687911_2j3dMfz/A

Filed under the categories: California, Travel