Going Back to China Soon

I’ll be heading back to China… Now that I am in New Zealand, I need to figure out the process for getting my Chinese visa. I think I have to send it into the American consolate in Wellington, but not too sure! Getting visas is still such a pain… the cost isn’t the annoying thing as much as the time and procedures associated.

Daily Photo – Birds in the Nest

This is the famous “Bird’s Nest” building from the Olympics in Beijing. After the Olympics are over, these special buildings all seem a bit lonely. I know they still hold events in them from time to time, but that seems more like the exception than the rule. Also, this location is so far away from the center of the city that it is extremely inconvenient. Once you arrive to have a look, you are interested, but always thinking of getting back to the main part of the city… this gives it even more of a forlorn feeling… but maybe that is just me.

Birds in the Nest

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2011-09-19 00:00:00
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time6
• Aperture5.6
• ISO200
• Focal Length116.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+2

“A Life Worth Living is a Life Worth Recording”

I’m giving a featured talk at SXSW – “A Life Worth Living is a Life Worth Recording” (links to SXSW website with more info).

The day after that is a big photowalk! See All the Event Details Here.

Bring your camera (even mobile phones are cool!) and bring your sense of adventure and discovery! We’ll walk around the streets of Austin together and grab some cool photos to share with one another. If you’ve never been to one of these events before, then this is your chance. Bring a friend or bring the kids — it’s a family-friendly event and all are welcome! 🙂

I’ll be giving lessons and teaching how I set up for various shots. Anyone can ask me anything at any time… sort of an in-person AMA! 🙂

We’ll also have many great prizes and other fun announcements. More info soon!

Previous Speech on this topic

I’m going to be doing a variation on this talk that I gave at Google Zeitgeist. Here it is below!

Daily Photo – Bendemeer Estates

This is the final place we ended up on the final night of the New Zealand Photo Adventure. Thanks again everyone that came! We’ll get a group photo up very soon so everyone can see. We took it in the woolshed at the bottom of this hill… it was really a remarkable place. I should have gotten a little video of these red-gold grasses blowing in the breeze. I think Curtis Simmons got that… I’ll ask him to put it in the comments! 🙂

Bendemeer Estates

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-02-10 11:21:11
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/80
• Aperture16
• ISO200
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

EXIF Info

For you camera nerds (Like me!) here is the EXIF: ISO 5000, 16mm (prime fisheye), Nikon D800, f/2.8, 25 second exposure. Remember that you can always see this EXIF info yourself by clicking through on SmugMug then clicking the little “i” to see more.

I don’t do HDR with night shots like this… there is too much star movement… and I’m not sure it would add too much. You can still get a ton of light and color (especially in a place like this) with just the RAW file.

Daily Photo – The Church of the Good Shepherd under the Stars

This is one of The Darkest Skies in the World. You may find this snippet interesting: “A delegation from the country has successfully petitioned UNESCO for the protection of ‘sky-scapes’ as well as landscapes under their World Heritage system, in order to see the status granted to the air above Tekapo and Aoraki Mount Cook.”

If you ever get to this place, you’ll be so shocked that you can see this with the naked eye! It’s certainly worth a visit…

The Church of the Good Shepherd under the Stars

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-02-11 16:22:04
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time25
• Aperture2.8
• ISO5000
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

New HDR and Post-processing Video Available!

We finally have everything wrapped up in a neat little package for you! 🙂 Check it out here! As always, we will give you all your money back if you don’t learn a ton about HDR, post-processing, and creating amazing images. I’ve linked you there to the bonus version, which costs $4 more, but contains all the bonus stuff, in addition to all the standard items below! 🙂 Tutorial Includes Part 1 – Trey Ratcliff Photoshoot (823 MB) Part 2 – Trey Ratcliff Post-processing (2.7 GB) Part 3 – Miss Aniela Photoshoot (2 GB) Part 4 – Miss Aniela Post-processing (1.2 GB) Bonus Video – Photo Composition (955 MB) Bonus Video – Miss Aniela Tiger Photo (2.7 GB) Sample Working Files Part 1 (640 MB) Sample Working Files Part 2 (811 MB) Sample Working Files Part 3 (645 MB) Access to Private Clubhouse Community

Daily Photo – Afternoon at the Chateau

Here is one of the many images created during the workshop. I decided I liked this slightly off-center version rather than right down the middle. I loved the one right down the middle too, of course, but just was giving the situation a bit of a curve-ball. The tree branches seemed so interesting to me, and I wanted to accentuate them in post processing so they felt like one hundred little arrows, all pointing at the chateau.

Afternoon at the Chateau

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-03-16 15:50:46
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/125
• Aperture5.6
• ISO100
• Focal Length34.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

Movie Premieres

The State Theater below is apparently where they also have some of the major movie premieres in Sydney. This is not news to all the good Aussies out there, but it’s cool to think about all the big movies that have first shown here. I used to go to movie premieres all the time, but now that I am in a smaller town, it’s not so much of a big deal any more… but I do miss it! 🙂

Daily Photo – On stage at the State Theater in Sydney

What an amazing place! I don’t think it is that secret, but I had no idea that such a grand place existed, hidden away! Well, it’s not exactly hidden, but I don’t think anyone walking by on the street past the humble entrance would know what awaits inside.

This is next-door to the QT Sydney (link to previous blog entry about that hotel), where I stayed while I was there. I toured around inside here with Alexia Sinclair, and she’s always been keen to shoot it too in one of her more dramatic pieces. Maybe we’ll see one of these in the future! 🙂

On stage at the State Theater in Sydney

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-01-09 07:22:52
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

The Pilgrimage begins!

The event is sold out, and we have about 20 people descending on New Zealand from all around the world. I’m so excited… We have the Photography Workshops listed on that page, and you can see we don’t have any more in the works. You can always keep an eye on that page… but if you’d like to get a video of the event, sign up below to find out first!

If you want to hear about future workshops before they’re listed here and made known to the public then sign-up for our Newsletter. It’s free and pretty, and we promise not to spam you!

The Most Beautiful Newsletter Ever!

Scott Kublin, Karen Hutton, and Curtis Simmons are arriving here ahead of time so we can start preparing for all the festivities! I’m mega-excited! 🙂

Daily Photo – Poems in the Moonlight in Milford Sound

I stayed out late… way after the sun went down. The moon was out in full force, so I was getting all sorts of interesting shots. For the briefest of moments, the moon shot through one of the clouds towards one of the mountains that holds a glacier. I grabbed it as quick as I could!

Poems in the Moonlight in Milford Sound

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-01-20 14:11:23
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time25
• Aperture2.8
• ISO1000
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

New Prints

I’m always trying out new prints for the home, and I just got a few slick ones from iAcrylic. I’m really impressed with the quality and look of the prints. Because of the reflections around the edge from the acrylic, there is a very interesting border-effect. It’s hard to explain, but I really dig it. One thing I have noticed is they look best if you hang them in a well-lit area.

Which photos did I get from iAcrylic? These two recent ones below which I quite like! 🙂

Daily Photo – The QT Sydney

This was my room at the QT Sydney from a few weeks ago… you can see my bags and stuff… probably should have moved them for the picture. Anyway, one of the Coolest things about this hotel is the elevators! They scan to see how many people are inside. If there is just one, then it plays lonely music, like Elvis singing, “Are you lonely tonight?” And then when there are two people, like, embarassingly when I was in there with Tom, it started playing, “Just the two of us.” And when there are like five or more people in there, it starts playing party music like Lady Gaga… anyway, it’s a trip!

The QT Sydney

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-01-09 15:47:28
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time2
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length18.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

Store with new Gear Page!

The Stuck In Customs Store is close to coming out of beta. Thanks so far for all the testing and purchases! Everything seems to be going smoothly… and glad you are excited about all the products people have been wanting for years! The Gear Section has a few goodies that have not been fully announced yet… but they are there for you to order before the formal announcement! 🙂

Daily Photo – The Road to Mount Cook along Lake Pukaki

These lenticular clouds are pretty rare — but not on the south island of New Zealand! This is called the land of the long white cloud… I’m not sure of that means these lenticular clouds or not. Maybe a smart reader here on the blog can tell me!

Anyway, I do love this photo… I think it is one of my new favorites…

The Road to Mount Cook along Lake Pukaki

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-01-18 09:18:11
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/500
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length92.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Always new books over at Flatbooks.com

Thanks again for trying out so many books over at Flatbooks.com! As you know, if you ever don’t like one… you can have 100% of your money back! I think this is the best way to do it… then maybe you can try another book… and just keep going till you find one you like! 🙂 Really, it’s no problem at all to get you a refund…we have Real Humans waiting to help you out, so there is no risk.

Daily Photo – The Foggy Road Through The Waterfalls to Milford

There is a long tunnel through a mountain upon final approach to Milford Sound. The tunnel itself is unnerving because it is downhill. I’m not used to long tunnels going downhill. Anyway, after you get out, something new always awaits you. I’ve been through the tunnel 10 times now. 3 times there were clouds, and this was one of them. The good news is that the clouds mean rain, and the rain means waterfalls!

The Foggy Road Through The Waterfalls to Milford

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-01-16 09:26:42
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/15
• Aperture5.6
• ISO71
• Focal Length48.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Speaking of Sydney…

Many people have been asking for an update in the Sydney Morning Herald situation. There has since been an article on another Australian media outlet by Nic Christensen where he got in contact with the editor of the SMH. Below is a quote from the article in response that they have made an apology to me.

“Perhaps they have placed a handwritten apology in the pouch of a kangaroo and it jumped in the wrong direction, for I have yet to receive it (or any digital facsimile thereof),” said Ratcliff.

Otherwise, I’ve handed everything over to the legal team. This is the same team that dealt with the Time issue and countless others. I’ll give another update later, assuming I’m allowed t

Daily Photo – Sydney Harbour Under Mountains of Clouds

This might have been the last shot I took with my Nikon D800 before the wind blew it over to destroy it. It turned out that I could not repair it, so I had to buy another D800. Sad Trey. I hope the shot was worth it… many Bothans died to bring you this photo… 🙂

Sydney Harbour Under Mountains of Clouds

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-09-29 04:26:40
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/250
• Aperture11
• ISO200
• Focal Length28.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+1