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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
“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.
I am on Twitter at @TreyRatcliff, but you guys should follow @PeachPit if you want to enter some fun upcoming contests to get a chance to win a book! I ran a post recently called “5 Great Twitter Contests“. We are going to get started with “The Michelle”, so get ready! I’d like you to follow @PeachPit since they will be the ones running the actual contest — I didn’t want to fill up my own Twitter with book-centric tweets and annoy everyone!
Daily Photo – A Final Sunset
There is that languishing pain of the final day of an amazing trip. You know the feeling. It’s the old, “Man, this sucks… I have to leave tomorrow…” feeling. I was trying not to think that while I shot this final sunset in Argentina. Truthfully, I was thankful for the clouds and the perfect light.
The next newsletter (it’s free!) should find its way to your inbox soon! We’ll have tidbits, news, and beautiful images as always. You will have a great time forwarding it to your friends and family… and, if you’re one of those crazy email-forwardin-moms out there, well now you have one more thing to forward on to everyone on your list!
Daily Photo – A Lonely Prayer at the Crypt
The entire labyrinthian network of crypts in Beunos Aires was lonely and eerie. For a few moments, I thought I saw a ghostly nun floating between the marble and granite tombs. And then I came around a corner, and saw her deep in prayer. I hung back a little before snapping a quick photo.
The video chat is tonight, Nov 19th! Come join us at tinychat.com/stuckincustoms. Everything begins officially at 7 PM CST (5 PM PST). I know we have people joining from ALL over the world. Sorry I don’t have local times for everyone, but I know people around here are smart enough to do the addition in their heads, I hope!
I’ll start it out with a little announcement that should be fun for everyone!
The Newsletter is Off
We sent off the free Newsletter yesterday. I notice that one of the previous newsletters was opened by over 200% of the people who were on the list! That means that most people forwarded it to at least one person. That’s great. I always try to fill it with pretty pics… so they are the kinds of things that are fun to forward to people that like pretty pictures. And who doesn’t like those? Anyway, since it’s free, I do ask that you forward it around. It brings more people to the site, we get better advertising deals, and then it’s great for everyone! Thanks!
Daily Photo – And then I hiked through the Autumn Trees to find the Glacier
I wasn’t exactly hiking in the safest spot in the world, when I stopped to take this shot. But the tripod helped! I tend to use it like a hiking stick sometimes. I was hiking through a pretty area of southern Argentina in a bitter rainstorm. You can’t see the rain here because I left the shutter open for so long, but you can see the heavy clouds, hanging just a bit over the Perito Moreno glacier.
If you wanted some of the links or to find out more about the other photographers on the show, visit the TWIP Log. Also if you found the show enjoyable, please be sure to leave them a comment. I’m sure they would enjoy hearing your feedback!
International Book Pre-Orders Available
In case you missed it, now you can pre-order the book now internationally on the HDR book page. We can’t hit every country yet, but maybe soon! We should note that international pre-orders cannot get the signed copy or the one with the Limited Edition Numbered Series print. My apologies for that… you will have to find a friend in the states if you simply must have one!
Daily Photo – Where the Sky is Torn Asunder (deep southern Andes, not far from Ushuaia)
The morning sun sprayed orange across the top of Fitz Roy, and I could feel those sharp tips slicing into the cold sky. It was really an unbelievable experience being there at the perfect time; I feel very lucky indeed.
In less than 24 hours, you can register for the HDR Workshop! At last count, after the announcement a few days ago, we had over 130 responses. There are going to be 12 spots available when registrations open, so you’ll have to be fast! Be sure to check back on the HDR Workshop page just after midnight CST on Friday, November 13th (to be exact, in case you are confused by midnight, the midnight between Thursday and Friday!).
Guest Hosting on This Week in Photography – The technique reveal
I was honored to be invited to guest host TWIP on Monday by Frederick Van. There is a live version of the show where perhaps you saw me in video action! If not, now it is available for audio-download. You can get TWIP Episode 115 here. I had a great time – and I thank Joseph, Ron, and Frederick for humoring me… I think I could talk to those guys all day and geek out on photography!
I revealed that video technique which a clever commenter coined “Stuck In Motion“. I put ALL the information there on that link. It should tell you everything, in addition to what you hear on the show. The original video posting gathered over 240 comments, speculation, and more. I think it’s fantastic how people guessed, poked, and prodded. Experimentation is great!
My friend RC Conception chimed into the chat, and I hijacked his question as an opportunity to talk about HDR not being a fad. Hehe… Anyway, you guys should also check out the great RC on Layers TV if you want to learn some new tricks in the Adobe suite of products.
Daily Photo
I’ve always heard about how wonderful it is to have a ranch near the wine country in Argentina. But not until I was down there did I really find that out in person. The idea of walking across a ranch during the nether hours of the day and seeing something like this… well… it kind of makes me want to just go ahead and retire down there. All I need is broadband and these kind of vistas… that’s the life, eh? I hope I was able to adequately capture the majesty of that place with this photo.
Today, I am announcing that a percentage of all book profits for “A World in HDR” will go to Kiva. I have written a little bit about Kiva on the Charity page here on the site. Also, I made this little video to tell you what the heck Kiva is. If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s probably not what you expect!
I’d like to thank Sloane, who runs the Causemopolotan.com blog, who I met through Michelle Greer, who runs MichellesBlog.net (that links to a recent article she wrote after getting some notions from my reading list! – cool!)
Live Interview Today, Nov 9, on TWIP (This Week in Photography)
At 11 AM PST (1 PM CST), tune in live to the video at Leo Laporte’s TWIT cottage here on live.twit.tv. I won’t be talking about HDR today… I think that is being saved for a future interview when the book comes out. However, I will be talking about that video method I used to make the “Moments Between” video.
Come tune in Live and send Tweets along the way to @frederickvan! If you miss it, you’ll have to wait for it to be released on Wednesday! Don’t let that happen!
Today’s Photo
Our daily photo today comes from deep in the Andes. Getting to this position was not as long a hike as the others around Patagonia, but it was no cakewalk! It was one of those strange river-rock strewn areas where the rocks seemed to be the perfect size for spraining your ankles. I had the tripod extended to act like a walking stick, although it’s not the most handy walking stick with a giant Nikon on one end of it!
It was quite a hike to get up here early in the morning, just as the sky was still in a dawn of deep blue. The two lakes on either side are those pure glacial blue lakes that you sometimes see from airplanes and wonder, “What’s it like to be down there?” I’ll tell ya – AWESOME! I went down there and drank from the lakes like a guanaco on holiday. It was incredible.
Now, a few days ago I started to “Connect the Community“. There are so many clever and interesting people in the community, and I thought you should meet on another! Anyway, it’s really taken off and people from the community are taking it in nice new directions – thanks!
It seems a great many of you are on Twitter, and many of us have created a “Stuck In Customs” group in Tweetdeck or Lists in Twitter. This enables me to sit there and watch/engage in a real-time stream of community activity. It’s cool! I updated that post with a 4-step guide on the creation of this real-time community. It’s very loosey-goosey… as any fun community is! Come in, engage, stay a while… drift off… create… come back and share… drift off… comon back… it’s good and natural!
(and our experiment with a Real-Time Community continues…)
This thing is enormous. In grinds and churns as it follows the sun. The metallic petals flex and bend with the light as the sun sweeps across the sky. I had never seen anything like it in my life.
It sits in a park and public walking area of Buenos Aires, Argentina. I walked around it for a while to get a good angle of the monster. My tripod was stuck in customs, so I had to do this one handheld… and do my best to keep the camera as stead as a T-1000.
In less than 24 hours, I will endeavor to introduce a new type of photography to you guys. I don’t have a name for it. It’s experimental. You’ll have to help me come up with a good name for the technique. People that get the Newsletter (it’s free!) will get a sneak peak tomorrow a little early.
While in Argentina, I wish I had more days in Buenos Aires, but I made the most of what i could. This usually involves waking up very early and going to sleep very late. It gets a little hard after a few days, but I get into “content acquisition mode”, and I try not to make excuses for sleep!
Many parts of Buenos Aires are very colorful and fun. I’m not sure how all these individual tenants get together to decide on colors, but they end up looking kinda cool, even with minimal coordination. I guess the guy on the left there just thought, “I’ll paint my wall orange”, and then he did it, and it just looks cool. It kind of reminds me of how rappers can put on the craziest hat in the world and it still looks pretty cool on them. I don’t get it. I only look cool in one kind of hat – a baseball cap (with a mild tone).
Sorry about the long gap in posting! You know my promise to you is a photo every day, 365 days a year. This is a promise I break several times a year, so it’s hardly a promise. But, yesterday just happened to be one of those days.
Whenever I don’t post, it usually means I am traveling somewhere EXTREMELY remote that has no hint of internet. Those places are fewer and farther between nowadays! …but at least I’m getting some good stuff for y’all!
Today’s photo is from a forgotten field in the south of Argentina, not too far from Ushuaia. There was a housing community near here that was built then abandoned when the lake level started to rise. It was full of old husks of structures that were still beautiful in their own way (and doubly so at sunset).
There were 6 of us, which is more or less the optimum number for a good campaign. I was the only Reaganite-capitalist among the five Soviet interlopers. I think, if we broke down people by personality and skillsets, we had a warrior, a shaman, a monk, a bard, and two clerics.
This guy, Vulva, would have been the monk. I’m not sure how to spell his name for sure, but he did respond to the word “Vulva”, if you put a little “w” sound with the “v”. Remember how Chekov was looking for the nuclear wessels? It was something like that. I say that Vulva was the monk of the group because his fingers and wrists were richly festooned with all sorts of Buddhist paraphernalia that he had picked up while in Tibet. He’s the sort of guy that would be really intimidating if it wasn’t for his kindness and zen peace.
Behind him are the Andes on the southern tip of Argentina.
We started the hike before the sun came up. It was really cold, so I was dressed in layers. People always give you very silly advice. Actually, whenever anyone tells me to “dress in layers”, I always find it very condescending! Why is that? I don’t know why that bothers me. I mean, OF COURSE dress in layers. Oh, you mean, if I get too hot, I can just take off a layer? Oh, brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that? Well… This is a concept everyone is already familiar with, so whenever anyone tells you to “dress in layers”, try not to let it annoy you as much as it does me.
Anyway, after removing many layers, since I was burning hot after the first five minutes from carrying 50 lbs of camera equipment over the Andes, we stopped at this mountain lake to relax and have a quick lunch. It was a good chance to drop off the bag, put together my camera and tripod, then break it all down again, repack, and get back on the hike.
Also, we have a fun new features opening today on the site. It’s a great and simple way for you to share photos on Facebook, Twitter, Email, or IM. You can probably see it when you mouseover a photo… I think it will be a good way for regular viewers to easily share the photos with their friends and family! Below is a short video showing how to use it (even though it’s pretty dang simple!). Again, the more you share, the better it is for the site… so thanks again, very much!
There are parts of Buenos Aires that are not too safe to walk around by yourself. This part was not so bad, but there were several abandoned stores around, including this Harrods. I was surprised to see such a nice store in a state of disrepair, especially after visiting its Valhalla-like anchor in London.
Out front, there was a man playing the violin alone. It echoed around in a strange way through the acoustics of the tile, the roof, and the lonely streets. There was a Argentine rhythm he mixed into his playing that really made me feel like I was in a different place.
? We now live in a world that is powered by people like you and your opinions — and I would appreciate that very much!
