HDR Workshop

Update:  SOLD OUT Registration opened this morning on the HDR Workshop page! Thanks, and I look forward to that upcoming weekend!

(I know some people had issues with website / foreign currency problems & paypal. Just email support at stuckincustoms.com if there are worries – they will take good care of you – thanks!)

Daily Photo – The Valley To Forever

The first part of one of my hikes in the Andes included a pretty serious jaunt up a mountain. This was jarring in many ways — mostly because I simply wasn’t expecting it. But, once I got to the top, and emerged to the other side, I was afforded this view.

My lackluster food rations and absolute lack of Internet was not really an issue with this sort of view. It was nice to be able to spend hours and hours hiking without having to worry about checking my email. Maybe this is partly why I like adventuring in remote places so much… I have really good excuses for being slow on emailing people back! When I am on the Internet, and people see me on Twitter all the time… they know I am there… they know they know… and ignored emails and tweets have no excuse!

Filed under the categories: Argentina, El Chalten, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel

Newsletter Growing Like Crazy!

Our newsletter (which is FREE) subscribers are off-the-chart lately. It’s very cool.

The company that we use for the newsletter software is called AWeber, and they have asked to feature our newsletter as one of their best.

We send out a newsletter about once a month or so… I make sure that newsletter subscribers get early looks at things, sneak previews, and the best of the month, all wrapped into a pretty little package.

Daily Photo – My Nymph in the River

Nestled deep inside this landscape is Irina. She is getting some fresh water for our camp. Irina took care of me night and day, making me all sorts of food, snacks, and drinks along the way. Over the entire trek, we went about 40km through the Andes, so I’m quite sure she helped keep me alive!

This beautiful location was near one of the many glacial rivers that flows out of the mountains. The air was cool and crisp, but not frigidly cold. You can see Irina has a little hoodie up to keep her nymph-ears warm. The air was just about perfect for the strenuous hike, because I ended up generating quite a bit of heat while carrying so much photography equipment.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, El Chalten, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel

10 Amazing, Incredible, and Remarkable Adjectives

1. Amazing

2. Incredible

3. Remarkable

[Insert Annoying Ad here.]

4. Mind-Blowing

5.  Obamariffic

6.  Redonkulous

7.  Jaw Shattering

8.  H1n1ilicious

9.  Pants-Smelling

10.  Adjectival

Daily Photo – My Adventure Buddy in Argentina

I’m relatively picky when it comes to travel partners.  #1 rule:  Don’t annoy me.  Is that too much to ask?

So, I choose my travel partners with care… and I did not make any mistakes with my Russian friends in Argentina.  They were perfectly affable and enjoyable travel-buddies.  There when you needed them and gone when you didn’t…  it’s hard to explain, but maybe some of you know what I mean.

Below is Vulva, a wonderful guy with a gentle spirit.  He’s tall, somewhat severe-looking, and has a booming Russian voice, but he has a tiny Buddha inside of him… a really great guy.  One morning, we woke up and went out to shoot in fresh snow.  I grabbed this one of him in the woods before taking a little hike to the glacier below.

The Textures Tutorial video, which is always a popular thing, shows how I edited the second photo below… I recorded a screencast and talked through my steps in its creation.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Nikon D3X, Patagonia

Abduzeedo Gets the Exclusive!

I have released a new video today that you just gotta see.  The Exclusive rights to show it were nabbed up by Abduzeedo.com and the amazing team of Fabio, Gisele, and all the other from that Brazilian Design Powerhouse!  Fabio actually came to my Google Talk on HDR Photography in Mountain View, so it was really cool to meet him in person.

We will be showing the video here on StuckInCustoms tomorrow, but you should head over to Abduzeedo in the meantime.  That site is a constant source of artistic inspiration for me…  I think you will dig it too.

New Shot from the Textures Tutorial

Today’s photo below was made with a few of my 150 Textures from the popular Textures Tutorial.  The downloads on this thing have been crazy…  There is even an illegal site out there that shows over 30,000 downloads.  Pirates!  Anyway, I know none of you nice people would do such a thing… so I appreciate the support you give your friendly internet artists!

William Beem recently put up a review on the aptly named WilliamBeem.com – I can tell from that photo that he is really getting the hang of it – cool!

Daily Photo – The Edge of Chile

Today’s photo comes from the from the very southern tip of the Americas. It is a bitterly cold place, even in the summer. I believe that the glaciation period is relatively recent, so the peaks are extra jagged and everything feels fresh and raw.

I can’t believe there are actually people that climb this thing! It was hard enough getting myself up high enough on a distant peak to take this shot. Then again, I’m not exactly in mountain-climbing shape. I’ve heard the old answer to the question, “Why do you climb the mountain?” The answer is always, “Because it’s there”. Funny — that is my same answer when people ask my why I don’t want to climb the mountain.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Chile, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Stuck In Customs Textures, Travel

Bonus Stuff For You

I have several sections of the website with miscellaneous stuff that has built up over the years. I give out recommendations all the time on books, music, apps, etc etc. Some of this stuff needs an update, but some stuff is pretty fresh!

• Best TED Talks – I just added a great one by Stephen Wolfram…  I studied Computer Science and Math in college… so I like that guy
• Trey’s Book List – A list of some really cool books that I recommend!
• Twitter Lists – Looking for interesting people to follow?  See these!
• Photography Gadgets – Some cool gadgets I use, including the wonderful Green Cube that everyone loves!

Daily Photo – A Rocky Morning

One morning when I crawled out of my tent in Argentina, a dense cloud was just rolling through. I got out to explore a bit, and the cloud quickly blew away to reveal an amazing landscape.

I had planned just to take a few shots and then go back to the camp and make some breakfast.  But then, I saw something interesting just around the other side of the rocks.  And then, I got over there and saw something else that might be interesting.  And it was.  And then I saw something even further away…

Filed under the categories: Argentina, El Chalten, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Topaz Adjust, Travel

Little Update to the Noiseware Review

You guys know I love Noiseware and use it all the time. I added another screenshot to the Noiseware Review so you can see it in action under normal settings.

I have used many different noise-reduction software packages. Many are very good! In fact, it’s almost a push. To me, it comes down to the best UI — and, for me, personally, Noiseware is the easiest to use.

What is your experience? Do you have Noise Reduction software you prefer?

Daily Photo – Riverfall

Even though I know the science inside out, the idea that one hemisphere swings into Autumn while the other turns into Spring always is a very cool concept to me! It’s so strange to go from the southern hemisphere where the colors are just starting to change to the deep oranges and reds — and then arrive in the northern hemisphere where everything is just starting to bloom!

This is a perfect little river down in Argentina. It emptied from a big glacial lake, so there is always a bit of a strange color and tinge to the water… but it is very nice and other-worldly, in a way.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel

Google Talk – Now with Subtitles (Did the Google Engine do it Automatically?)

This  talk seems to be pretty popular – we recently broke 10,000 views, second to Al Gore and Joe MacNally – not bad – thanks again for all your support!  I am glad you find this stuff informative.

Also, I know some of the people in the audience here are hearing-impaired, and so now we have some good news for you! Some nice person there at Google went through my entire talk and added subtitles! I can’t imagine how long that took… or…

Maybe they used one of those automated Google speech recognition engines? It’s a good question — what do you think? I’ve only watched a few bits and pieces and saw some minor mistakes, but nothing major yet. I know I use Google Voice and it does a pretty good job of interpreting English into text. Maybe one of those clever people over at Google can shed some light on this question!

You can see the full Authors@Google YouTube Video here.

Daily Photo – The Floods of Lago Argentina

Towards the end of my trip in Argentina, we started exploring around the edges of some of the other towns.  One of them had started growing towards the lake before it started to flood.  There was a whole house community over here that had to be abandoned because of the lake.  It seemed like a great and unusual place for photography.

What you can’t see in this photo is how HARD it was to get to this spot!  I knew it would be a good angle, and the path looked just a little muddy.  But, it was one of those muddy steps where you immediately sink in knee-deep.  You know the kind I mean.  It’s the kind of step when you immediately feel soft dutch-chocolate-mud seep up and over and into your hiking boots.  And then there was, of course, the horrible mud-sucking sound as I tried to yank one leg out while another was quickly sinking.  It was a bad scene, but, priority #1 was keeping the camera safe and tidy!

Filed under the categories: Argentina, El Chalten, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel

Facebook Fan Page

We have a nice and active Facebook Fan Page — I invite people to freely share their photos, comments, and the like.  I also occasionally pop in there to answer special questions and give sneak previews on cool things — so be sure to join up!

I added a little widget over there in the right column — you might just see your bright and shiny Facebook-smile appear over there on day!

Daily Photo – An Icy Cold Evening

I’m always amazed at all the little living things in the most extreme conditions. I’m a big fan of all those science shows that talk about various organisms and extremophiles that barely cling to life in the most bare of circumstances. I was reminded of this while at this icy cold lake in Argentina.

I’m used to moss and lichen and this sort of thing growing in more temperate climates, so I was surprised to see whole rocks covered in it, especially with little icebergs floating nearby. It did give some nice color to an otherwise blue-cold-stark scene.

The only thing more stark than this scene was the cooking waiting for me back at the camp. I don’t mean to say anything bad at all about the two Russian women that were cooking for me — but over a week’s worth of in-the-bush Russian food is enough to harden any soft man. My main mate on the trip was ex-Soviet military, so he was used to these sorts of rations and seemed to enjoy it — or, at least tolerate it with less of a grimace.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Topaz Adjust, Travel

New Prints Available

We have two prints today that have come available just recently. I think only about 1% or 2% of my portfolio is available for collectors in Limited Edition Numbered Prints. If you want to find out more, either click on the photo below or visit the Prints page.

First is The Grassy Roof – this perfect little place I found on a side road in Iceland one Saturday.  If you are a faithful fan, then you have heard my comments about how much I’d love to live in a house with grass on the roof.  It seems so extra-cozy.

The second photo is of two glacial lakes, high in the Andes at the foot of Fitz Roy.  I had to shoot this with a wide angle lens to get both places there.  I drank out of the one on the right after a harrowing morning hike that left me thirsty and exhausted!

Daily Photo – The Hill at Sunset

On one of the first hikes into Patagonia, I was greeted by a very interesting sunset. And what do you know — I had my camera! Shocker, I know.

But I am often at places where there are beautiful sunsets and I have no camera. This is always a bit frustrating to me in one way – in another – I justify it by thinking of the thousands of good sunsets every day all around the world… I can’t be at them all! So, if I am just missing one more out of a thousand, then I don’t feel so bad…

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel

New Newsletter Soon!

We are putting the finishing touches on the next free Newsletter. Be sure to subscribe to get something free and pretty for your inbox… It’s my goal to make it the prettiest thing in your email each month! It’s really been growing a lot lately, thanks to you guys and gals forwarding it to family and friends. Thank you for that!

Daily Photo – The Overgrown Crypt

Here is another shot from La Recoleta cemetery in Argentina. Every crypt seemed to have its own story… I wish I could have heard the tales of each one. But, on the plus side, I did have my over-active imagination to fill in the blanks.

All of my shots from La Recoleta (click on the “Buenos Aires” tag here in the post to see the others) were handheld because my tripod was lost with the rest of my luggage. Usually, I never check my tripod for just that very reason! I just don’t really trust those people… And I’ve never had a problem bringing it on the plane except for one time when a busy-body security lady told me it was 1-inch too long. 1 inch!

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Nikon D3X, Travel

Noiseware Review

During my talk in New Zealand, I was asked about noise reduction, which is always a problem!  I mentioned that I think most of the main noise reduction software packages are somewhat interchangable in terms of effectiveness.  It comes down, really, to whatever User Interface you think is easiest and most intuitive.  For me, it is Noiseware.  If you want more information and a quick sample, see my Noiseware Review.

I have some more screenshots I’ll be adding soon so you can see more samples of what it can do…

Previous Photo of the Tango

I posted this one about a year ago, and this is further evidence of how I slooooowly edit my photos from a trip… I still have heaps from Argentina! Anyway, I thought you might like to see this one, since I am posting another one of the same subject matter below.

Daily Photo – The Tango in Buenos Aires

Did you know that now that I am hosting my images at SmugMug that it is even easier to get the “data” about how I took the shot?

If you zoom in and click on it to get to the gallery video, on the mouseover, you will see “Photo Info” with a little blue “i”.  Clicking on that will give you the ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and all that sort of thing.  You’ll be in good shape!  Some people want me to put all that info into every blog post, but it just takes too long I am afraid… but it is all there and easy to grab if you are interested.

After I shot the high-altitude picture from the top of this tango show in Buenos Aires, I went down by the stage to get a closeup of some of the action.

Everyone loves the tango, don’t they?

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Nikon D3X, Travel

Digital Audio Redux

Here are a few recent interview on Audio that you might have missed. Enjoy!

• Digital Photo Experience with Rick Sammon and Juan Pons
• Interview on the “Typical Shutterbug” about the upcoming book, HDR, etc. Hosted by Victor Cajiao.

Book Stuff

I know there are many HDR Books out there, so we are happy to make Abduzeedo’s Great Reads for 2010!

Daily Photo – The Deadfall

The hike through this Argentinian national park was beautiful and photographically exhausting!  I usually always carry my camera right on my tripod, and then hold my tripod in my hand as I hike around.  I stop SO often to take photos; I simply cannot imagine all the trouble to re-pack my camera in my bag after every shot.  Then, I feel like, it would be too easy to come up with an excuse NOT to take the photo.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, El Chalten, Nikon D3X, Patagonia

Speaking at Ignite Austin

Ignite Austin is a most unlikely event – an unexpected format.  Here’s the deal.  I get 5 minutes to speak. All 16 participants go one right after the next in a rapid-fire serial pattern.  There are 20 slides that I will speak to, and each one will be up for 15 seconds before automatically flipping to the next one.  I’ve already submitted my plans, and I guess my thoughts on HDR photography looked to be interesting enough!  You can attend too – the cheap seats are only $5!  Get the tickets here.

Another Nightly Twitter Book-Question Answering Session

I decided to do something kind of different and potentially crazy – I do my best to answer ALL questions about the book on Twitter.  I sat down tonight and announced I was open for questions, and many came in both publicly and via DM.  I got them all answered!  I’m not sure I can keep this up forever, but it is very fun.  I thank you guys for getting the book, and I want to be as accessible as possible to help you with the sport of HDR!

Daily Photo – The Glacially Still Morning Lake

I woke up and my sleeping bag was covered in snow.  Brrrrr it was cold.  And I mean cold!  I had chosen to exile myself from the tent, since I pulled the short straw and had to sleep with Yuri.  He is the worst tentmate ever.  Worst.  Tentmate.  Evar.

Anyway, once I rousted myself (getting dressed IN the snow AS it is falling on you is very strange), I went on a little hike to warm up.  As I crested a hill, I found this beautiful still lake.  The wind had yet to kick up, and I could se the bright blue edge of the glacier burning through the morning fog.  I was so relaxed that I almost forgot to take the shot.  Almost.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel

Behind the Scenes at B&H

After my talk at B&H Photo a few weeks ago, I had an unexpected event. One of the head guys walked up to me and offered a full behind-the-scenes tour of their operation. Now, I know only some of you know about this place… but it is basically the valhalla for photographers (with valhalla being the ultimate religious destination for your respective religion or pastafarianism). SInce they are partners of StuckInCustoms.com, they have always gone out of their way to help me out, so I am very appreciative of them.

I recommended their store even before they partnered up! Great prices, no state tax, and they sell a lot more than camera stuff. You can even get huge TVs delivered right to your door and set up in right in your home.

For international people, they even have a prepay tariff-calcualtor, which takes care of all that governmental nonsense to get everything taken care of right away. Smart. That means people around the world can enjoy the greatness of B&H.

Anyway, the sights I saw can hardly be believed. I’ll do a full review of my behind-the-curtain tour when I get some time… but it was just wild… from the robotic conveyor belts to a camera room with a guard where nothing costs less than $50,000 to special equipment that can also be used as weapons and can’t be sold outside of the USA — this place is AWESOME.

New Zealand Seems Excited!

I announced in the newsletter a few days ago that I am going to New Zealand, so I started a little page for Kiwis and Wanabiwis to give me some advice! It’s filling up fast – thanks so much! I’m drinking it all in, and I hope to have a little party there with everyone.

Daily Photo – Harmony in Pink

It was my first evening in Patagonia I was hiking over the low-laying grassy hills. Just beyond were the Andes, but it would be too cold and late to go this night. But, just as the sun dipped below the horizon, it splashed pinks and new blues across the icy clouds.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel

Guest post on Scott Bourne’s Blog – Black & White HDR Photography

I did a guest post over on PhotoFocus about B&W HDR Photography. There is a quote in there that got tweeted out — “HDR is about light; it’s not about color.” It’s true! Anyway, you can go read the guest post on his site.

Review of David duChemin’s book, Within the Frame

“Within the Frame” is a great book and I recently gave it a 5-star review on Amazon. Here is what I said about David’s work:

David presents all of his thoughts in a wonderful and inspiring way.

I find, personally, that the typical photography book is predictable and obvious. I like thinkers that challenge the status-quo, and David certainly falls in that realm. This book will inspire you because he’ll give you new ways to think about stuff you’ve been thinking about for years. If you are the kind of person that just wants old tired dictums being reinforced, then this isn’t the book for you. It’s full of new, fresh thought, smart conclusions, and, of course, beautiful photographs.

The world of Photography is changing, and David is one of the great flag bearers of the new age.

I also invite you to visit David’s website. He’s got his own review of my book there, which was awful nice of him!

Daily Photo – The Long Road to the Andes

There was a series of plane hops and car rides to get down towards the very edge of Argentina. At one point, I felt like I was on this road for a good 5 hours in a very sketchy rental van.

We pulled over to the road to relieve ourselves. I was ill-prepared for how windy this place is. There’s just no good way to capture how windy it was, since everything over one foot off the ground had blown away an epoch ago. The only evidence I have is that this was made with a single RAW file since I could not keep the tripod still for multiple exposures! I could not even keep myself upright! Let’s not talk about how I had to relieve myself; I can simply say there is only one good direction to aim.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, Patagonia, Travel

The book is “Officially” out

“A World in HDR” is officially released! I’d like to thank all of YOU for your inspiration, your support, and being with us all this time. I truly appreciate it.

I understand warehouses are filling up and orders should be shipping any time! For sure, I stayed up all night signing things for the pre-orders that went through this site. My signatures are all real… and not fake stamps like so many others. I walked into a Barnes & Noble tonight here in New York to see if they had my book yet… They say any minute! But, on the way out, I saw Alton Brown’s cookbook that was an “Autographed Copy”. It was so obviously a stamp that was infused into the jacket! Anyway, I am sorry if they got a little messy around 6 AM, but at least you know they are real! I wanted to make sure we got these out to everyone ASAP… it’s important to you, I know, so it’s important to me.

Peachpit is putting the press release out today, so everything is official. You can visit the HDR Book page to order it from all the popular spots. It’s a mass-market distribution, so your favorite bookseller should have it. And, if you already have gotten in and enjoy it, why not pop over to Amazon and give the book a review? We now live in a world that is powered by people like you and your opinions — and I would appreciate that very much!

Daily Photo:  A Morning at the Secret Lake

This was shot in the Andes of Southern Argentina just near the border of Chile.

I spent several hours of hiking in the dark just so I could get to this spot at sunrise. All the darkness in the lower half is the shadow of the mountain behind me as the morning sun rose above it. I was so thirsty from the hike, and had not brought any water with me. Looking on Google Earth beforehand, I knew there was a lake up here and I could fill up… so I got down on my hands and knees and drank like a horse… oh boy that was some good fresh water… You can see my little footprints in the snow there on the left.

Filed under the categories: Argentina, El Chalten, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel