Thanks for ordering the Prints!

I know many people have been ordering prints from SmugMug (there is a link below each photo), and I wanted to take a moment to thank you. I’ve been receiving emails and photos of “new walls” quite a bit, and I think it is exciting. Thanks again!

Daily Photo – A Reflective Morning in Milford Sound

After sleeping in my sleeping bag all night, a 6 AM wake up time was a little bit rough. The rough part was the cold that quickly cut through to my bones when I got out. Usually I get dressed inside the tent, but, being tentless, I had no other options. I guess I could have gotten dressed inside the sleeping bag, but that would have been a little bit strange and difficult. Plus, from the outside, I would have looked like I was going through some metamorphosis.

A Reflective Morning in Milford Sound

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-08-08 16:36:12
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/8
• Aperture5.6
• ISO800
• Focal Length20.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Sandflies

I think I’ll have to find some kind of netting or something light to cover me when I take naps outside. I’ve taken to hiking and just stopping in random places to take naps. There are countless comfy spots in the grass by waterfalls and bubbling brooks, but sometimes the sandflies are around and they can be a bit annoying. I’m not exactly sure what I need… kind of a little mini-net-tent or something like this. I’ll have to poke around, but any suggestions are welcome!

Daily Photo – Path to the Waterfall

This waterfall at Milford is one of those amazing things that churns away all day. Waterfalls that generate a ton of water constantly impress me. It’s hard to get my head around all the water that is in movement all the time, and it’s even more impressive that so much fresh water can be generated without end…

Path to the Waterfall

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-08-08 17:49:30
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time0.5
• Aperture8
• ISO50
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Free 27 Minute How-To Video!

This comes from the full 4-video Art of Photography series that we recently launched for Beginner to Intermediate photographers. The live launch was a huge success (thanks everyone for the GREAT comments on that page!) and we have just released this first video for free. Sadly (but awesomely) you can go purchase the other 3 episodes if you find the first one to be helpful. I believe you will!

Many Days of New Zealand

I miss my new home in Queenstown, so I’m going to be posting a series of photos from NZ over the next few days. I hope that is okay. Normally I jump around and post places out of order, but I’ll make a departure from that for four or five days. Thanks for indulging me!

Daily Photo – A Moving Sunset

When the sun started going down in Milford Sound, I figured I was going to start using up a lot of memory cards. I’m still using those RAW Steel cards that are 16GB each. The D800 has been filling up my cards pretty quickly, so I’ve been thinking about upgrading to 32GB. But I already have a load of 16GB and swapping isn’t that much of a pain… maybe I should just wait until I need the 64GB some day… if ever.

A Moving Sunset

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-08-08 02:54:50
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/15
• Aperture5.6
• ISO50
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Hiking Shoes and Pants

I’ve got a great pair of hiking shoes, but my pants are not so great. I’m looking for a certain pair, but I just don’t know exactly what I’m looking for. This is one of the reasons I am generally dissatisfied with my hiking pants selection and shopping. Any suggestions are welcome! They have to be warm, super comfy, not “wander downwards” when I squat for low photos, and not be tooooo dorky. That’s not too much to ask, is it? 🙂

Daily Photo – Hiking Around Milford

I went around a bend in Milford and was greeted with these strange lost-world type trees. You can see the famous Mitre Peak there on the right. There is a wide array of lush vegetation around here because of the constant moisture. There’s even a surplus of moisture here because of a huge waterfall that is right behind me, coating everything in a fine mist all day long.

Hiking Around Milford

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-08-08 18:18:27
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/8
• Aperture11
• ISO50
• Focal Length18.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

A Long Flight to the PhotoWalk

New York PhotoWalk Details Here on Google+. And Event Details on Facebook here.

I leave today for a series of long flights that will end with me arriving at the PhotoWalk. I start in Queenstown (airport code ZQN – I think they were running out) and then go to Auckland then Los Angeles then New York City. I don’t know how many hours or miles it will be, and I don’t think I wanna know!

Daily Photo – Sunset in Milford Sound

I slept in my sleeping bag under the stars this night. It was very peaceful after seeing the pink milky sound under Mitre Peak.

I took this right before I left New Zealand down in Milford Sound. I was in a bit of a hurry (you know how things get rushed before a trip), and I left the house without my tent. All I had was a sleeping bag, but it’s a good one.

I slept under some trees that were tall and seemed to be leaning inwards while I looked up. Not long after that, I fell asleep…

Sunset in Milford Sound

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-08-08 03:01:37
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1
• Aperture5.6
• ISO50
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+2

Don’t Miss it!

There’s less than a week left to register for The Art of Photography. It’s built for beginners and intermediate levels, and I know you’ll have a great time!

One of the MOST common questions is: “If I’m registered and I miss the live part, can I still download?” Yes, of course! 🙂

Thanks again to our sponsors HDRsoft (makers of Photomatix), SmugMug, Nik, and Adorama! We’ll have many great prizes as well – more info on the page above.

Daily Photo – What the Ancient Seamariners Saw

Imagine seeing this if you were one of the great sea explorers of yore!

This is the entrance to Milford Sound from the Tasman Sea. It would have been so amazing to come across this and wonder what it was like up inside the fjord. And then, the captain could just decide to sail up inside and land some boats on the shore. Maybe if they were a little hungry, they could even grab a few Moas and cook ’em up. After a long sea voyage, nothing goes down smoother than a Moa.

What the Ancient Seamariners Saw

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2010-11-03 04:07:07
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/6000
• Aperture5.3
• ISO1000
• Focal Length105.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

Are you an RV-kinda person?

I know some people are really into their RVs and it’s a major part of their lives. I guess they are like boats in that way. For whatever reason, I’ve never really been into that, although you would think my nomadic nature would make that option seem particularly attractive to me.

I remember when I rented this one in the photo below. It was the first one I ever drove, and I guess there was an extra layer of nervousness because I was driving on the other side of the road plus a standard shift (that you shifted with your left hand). It was all a little overwhelming while my family was flying around hanging on to whatever they could find! Well… the kids had a good time…. the crazier the drive, the better!

Daily Photo – My Kea Camper on the South Island

This was one of the prettiest parts of the drive to Milford Sound. You can’t miss it. You CAN miss a lot of things down there, but not if you are right along this main road. This is probably one of the most majestic valleys I’ve ever seen.

My Kea Camper on the South Island

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2010-03-01 02:47:09
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera Make
• Exposure Time
• Aperture4
• ISO100
• Focal Length80.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure Program
• Exposure Bias

Huge Geekbeat Contest

Cali Lewis and John P are giving away my downloadable HDR Video tutorial. Head over to the Geekbeat.TV page to find out how to enter.

A Week of HDR Tips!

I’ve got a special thing-thing for you this week! A special week of HDR tips! Rick Sammon and I are doing this thing together for fun, and I hope it helps give you some good ideas to take your art in new directions.  Go see HDR Tip #1, along with links over to Rick’s blog as well! This first tip is entitled, “Create Your Own Future”.

Daily Photo – A Gentle Stream Through New Zealand

All this news out of New Zealand is still upsetting. I’ve got a lot of contacts and friends down there… and I know it’s a rough time. Not much I can do… feel a little useless… so about the best I can do is post some serene and gentle photos of the nicer side of nature. I hope all my friends down there find it gets a little easier as the days move forward.

Speech at Adobe HQ

Come join me in San Jose! Thanks to the nice people at Adobe, the event is free, so I look forward to meeting you!

I’ve been invited to speak as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series, sponsored by the Advanced Technology Labs at Adobe. The talk is on Feb 24 at 1 PM PDT in the Park Auditorium at 345 Park Ave in San Jose. I’ll be talking about the future-present of photography, post-processing, HDR, and a little bit of everything.

Daily Photo – The Little-Known Submarine Secret Dropoff Location in Lost

What would a week be if I didn’t make arcane references to Lost, Firefly, Arrested Development, Burn Notice, the Simpsons, or Sledgehammer? Well… here goes the weekly quota…

Te Anau is one of the most stunning locations in the world. Located near the distant southern tip of the south island of New Zealand, it’s the home base for countless breathtaking excursions. About two hours from Te Anau is this place at Milford Sound. It’s called a “sound”, but it’s really a fjord. I heard an explanation of why it was not named correctly, but that escapes me now. I’m sure our smart members of the community here that are Kiwis can clear this up for us!

Flickr For Blogs & Social Media Stuff

I know that some of you are coming to OpenCa.mp to see me speak — but if you are a blogger or into social media, I highly recommend you come see Scott Kublin talk (see Scott’s session here). Just trust me on this one.

Speaking of blogging, driving traffic, and all that sort of stuff, I point you to this article on ReadWriteWeb called “Analysis: What are the Web’s Top Sources of Referral Traffic?” There is a nice mention of StuckInCustoms.com there and about how much traffic we get from Flickr alone.

FlipBoard is cool!

This is the coolest way to follow Twitter (@TreyRatcliff) and Facebook! It’s called FlipBoard for the iPad, and I have been using it quite a bit. It’s great! Basically, it is a clever way to see what is happening in Twitter in a magazine format. Whenever anyone posts a link, FlipBoard gives you a nice preview of the whole story.

I have created many Twitter Lists of good people to follow for various categories — artists, scientists, funny people, the Stuck In Customs community, and more!

Here are some photos of one of my lists called “Trey Ratcliff Curated Art” so you can see what it looks like.  There are all kinds of great sources on there like Abduzeedo, who is giving away an eBook, btw.  It very smartly builds a dynamic page based on what people put on the list!

Daily Photo – River to the Maelstrom

To honor ReadWriteWeb and its founder, the great Richard MacManus, I decided to post a new photo from his homeland of New Zealand today.

On the way to Milford Sound, there are a variety of little rivers that twist and turn into the mountains. I didn’t have nearly enough time, but I did a small amount of hiking to find some good compositions. I WILL have enough time, when I go back later in November or so of this year. Maybe I’ll spend a month or so this time, so I can really get out and do some serious hiking.

Even though I like to leave a little mystery in my photos (like that unusual maelstrom around the bend), I don’t like to have these mysteries in real life. I had to hike that direction to see what was there! And what was there? Hmm… maybe we’ll save that for a future shot!