If you’re a Passport Sunday member then you’ll get to see how today’s photo was made. Every Sunday I come to you with a fresh video and we have a huge archive of other videos that you will also enjoy. Thanks!

The Bullfight How-to

This was a pretty simple photo to post-process, as you’ll see in the video below. Not everything has to be super difficult, eh?

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Daily Photo – After the Bullfight

As I say in the video below, I think bullfighting is one of the more inhumane sports in the world for sure. I certainly don’t endorse it with sharing this photo… but, hey, I was there. And it was kind of a cool visual palette, so I took a photo!

After the Bullfight

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2010-09-18 17:58:04
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/6
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length15.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Passport Sunday Fun!

It’s another Sunday, so that means it’s time for yet another Passport Sunday video if you’re a member! In today’s video, you get to see the full edit of the daily photo.

The Final Edit of the Roman Amphiteatre in Nimes, France.

This was a fun edit that had a few little tricks in it… I hope you enjoy!

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Daily Photo – The Roman Bullfighting Amphitheatre

Not too long after they cleaned up the blood from the rather inhumane bullfighting, they converted this whole place into a concert venue for Sting! We went a bit later to hear one of the coolest concerts I’ve ever experienced… that Sting… what a dude, eh?

The Roman Bullfighting Amphitheatre

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2010-09-18 17:28:53
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/8
• Aperture11
• ISO50
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Spartacus

Here’s a wild show recommendation. Remember the move “300”? If you liked that kind of raw, ethereal, slow-motion absolute violence, then I recommend all four seasons of Spartacus. I know it’s probably a ridiculous thing to say, but I watched every episode and enjoyed them all! It connects to my base male-side, unapologetically. There are really beautiful, interesting, and intense scenes. It’s not for the faint of heart. There’s some of the most intense violence and sex you’ve ever seen, but if you’re cool with that, then jump on board for a wi

Daily Photo – A Sunset After the Bullfight in Nimes

Who would have thought some of the best Roman ruins were in Nimes, France? Not me! But they are. I find them generally better preserved than the ruins in Rome itself! I’ve always been a fan of Roman history, so I geek out when I see this stuff. In this same arena, the following night, I saw Sting perform, which was a most wonderful anachronism.

A Sunset After the Bullfight in Nimes

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2010-09-18 12:59:02
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/4
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Interview on GigaOm

The tech blog GigaOm came out the conference to grab me for an interview — here are the results!

Gladius

Did anyone else ever play this old game?  It was one of my favorites…  I was reminded of it by the Colosseum photo today…

Daily Photo – Cafe near the Colosseum

While I was taking a photo of this scene, a fight broke out!  I wasn’t in the middle of it…  but I was close enough to hear the nature of the argument.  It involved a bunch of drunk guys and mentions of futbol players from various countries.  There was even a barstool that was brandished!  It was very exciting, but I had to wait for everyone to get their grip before I took the photo…

More eBooks?

My latest eBook over at Flatbooks.com is on Composing The Photo, which reminds me of the cinematic crop below. It has been so long since I’ve written one! I’ve got many more in my head… I just haven’t had the time to get them down. I’ll get to it. Really, these eBooks have been much more profitable than the regular books, although that is not really a big motivation for me. If it was, I’d churn out a new eBook every few weeks! Anyway…I know I know many people want more… and I will get to it eventually.

Daily Photo – Exploring Nimes

After sitting down for thirty minutes waiting on the right light (see my previous Nimes photo by clicking the category above the comments), I walked around the left side of the structure. I liked all the cafes and the road and it all seemed balanced… so I set up for a wide-angle shot.

You’ll notice that I cut off the top and bottom… they didn’t add much to the photo, and they gave the whole thing a more cinematic feel.

Now you can get this wallpaper and many more

Trey Ratcliff Wallpaper App! Finally! This one is for people that would like to get some of this art on your iPhone or iPad to use as wallpapers. We’ve finally completed the new Wallpaper Gallery app for the iPhone and iPad (iTunes Link). It does cost 99 cents, but I hope this is not too much to ask to support your local internet artist! It comes with 17 wallpapers, and there are more avail beyond that in case you want more. Enjoy!

Google Talk and PhotoWalk Soon

See this Google+ thread for the latest. It looks to be great. Lisa Bettany, Thomas Hawk, and Robert Scoble will all be there, along with a huge host of others!

Different Perspectives

I was here with my friend Scott Kublin (his HDR blog), and of course we were both drawn to this bullfighter. He got his own shot of it, and I don’t know if he has published it yet. To me, it’s interesting to see what angles people choose and why…

Daily Photo – The Bullfighter

I arrived in Nimes a the day before the Sting concert, and I wanted to get a few shots of the old city right away. The weather and light cooperated!

Maybe this is the best preserved Roman coliseum in the world? I don’t know that for sure, but it’s the best one I have seen. And, even better, it’s still in good enough shape that they use it for concerts, bullfights, and even swimming events!

In front of the coliseum is this grand bullfighter. It’s kind of the main “meeting place” for many people in this area, so I had to be extremely patient waiting for people to clear the area so I could get a shot!

Thanks to Luke!

I wanted to give a HUGE thanks to Luke, who manages our 24-hour customer support (support @ stuckincustoms.com). We get hundreds and hundreds of emails from customers that buy everything from the video photography course to the ebooks, and he is fantastic at helping people out… We just got this nice note from a customer, Patrice Ryan, and I asked if I could publish it as a way to publicly thank Luke!

“First of all, can I give you a gold star for customer service? I’m amazed you are still following up with me and appreciate this so much!”

Thanks again Luke! This operation would fall apart without you!

Meeting with Locals

If you are going to a new location, see if you can do anything to make friends with people that live there before you go. You may get an opportunity to spend time with them, visit their family, and see the sort of local stuff that is normally not seen by tourists. Obviously, because of this blog, I’ve got all sorts of interesting people to meet all over the world. But, if you see someone comment on here from a particular location, feel free to contact them (click on their name) and maybe you’ll find a little photo-friend to have an adventure with!

Daily Photo – Dinner with Friends in Nimes

The designer of the site here, Fabien Barral (see his site), took me to this wonderful little restaurant in Nimes for dinner. It was way off the beaten path, and we never would have found it… Plus, there’s also something very nice about sitting there with local people, talking about local politics, the economy, art, life, and everything.

Fabien is a great guy, and he’s become a great friend over the years. He just got finished redecorating a hotel in Paris, and I’ll try to get shots of that up soon.

http://stuckincustoms.smugmug.com/Portfolio-The-Best/your-favorites/10668747_AuyBk/1380703488_2BK42Fs/

Your Most Amazing…

What is the most amazing concert / venue you have ever visited? There are little amazing things that happen all over the world all the time, but I rarely hear about them… so I was wondering what experiences you have had.

Daily Photo – Sting in Concert in Nimes

So I’m going to see Sting in concert this week right here in this old Roman ruin. I’m very excited to see what it will be like to see something like this here… It’s hard to imagine what it will be like, but I’ll try to grab a few photos while I am there… no promises, though, but I’ll see what I can get! 🙂 I’m not going in any official capacity – just as a fan in the audience.

Sting in Concert in Nimes

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2010-09-18 00:00:00
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera Make
• Exposure Time15
• Aperture13
• ISO100
• Focal Length17.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure Program
• Exposure Bias

Japan Charity Week Continues

Get in there and bid! All the revenue goes to the Red Cross for Japan.

On Twitter…

I know many of you follow on Twitter (@TreyRatcliff), and I do my best to sprinkle in inspirational or interesting stuff every day. if you sign up for our Newsletter (free), then I usually include the month’s best tweets in a list format… I thought I would put a few of them here for you, including this little thing to the right that I tweeted out yesterday. I decided to make a little square poster out of it! 🙂

So, here’s just a little helping of some recent tweets that you would probably like:

• Then and Now! A brilliant photo-project idea! – LINK
• Science just proved it takes 37 muscles to make a sad emoticon and only 22 to make a happy emoticon.
• Here is a photo of my fridge at home (it’s HEAVILY photoshopped) – LINK
• Amazing cello performance! See these guys do Smooth Criminal! – LINK
• Hilarious video (with great Typography!) … making fun of ppl that leave idiotic reviews enjoy @Abduzeedo – LINK
• With great f-stop comes great responsibility.
• Holy Electron Photography Batman! Look at these freaky things… I need to salt my skin more. – LINK

Daily Photo – Roman Baths in Nimes

When I arrived in Nimes to visit my friend Fabien, one of the first places we visited were the ancient Roman baths. The ruins here are better preserved than those in Rome!

Actually, I’ve heard that the best Roman ruins are along the northern coast of Libya. It will be a while before I can visit those, I’m afraid. I’ll have to strike Libya off the list for a few years until things cool down. Oh… Egypt too. That’s on the list but it has a little asterisk beside it. When you look at the bottom of the list it reads:
“*currently in the midst of a violent revolution – consider other areas for photography, like, perhaps, Holland.”