Stuck In Customs

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Daily Photo – Mont Saint Michel in Repose

I can’t wait to go back to this place! I really hope that I do. This amazing island-monastery has various degrees of “islandness” depending upon the time of day. I think next time I go I will plan out the tides even better so I am sure to get more shots from various angles.

I also read on a few sites that there is “quicksand” out there… and if you go the wrong way to take a photo, you can get stuck in the quicksand! I think that sounds like one of the worst possible things in the world… so I was a little scared to go try. There was no one to throw me a vine, like in the cartoons…

Mont Saint Michel in Repose

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-11-13 21:36:59
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time30
• Aperture5.6
• ISO200
• Focal Length170.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+3

Customs in New Zealand

I will just complain for a moment here about Customs in New Zealand. I can’t tell you how many hours me and the team has had to spend on the phone to get stuff shipped into New Zealand. Of course, this is my first time dealing with shipping Customs… and I, regularly, weekly, literally, get stuff Stuck In Customs.

I’m constantly having to fill out forms, pay tariffs, and do all other kinds of nonsense that get in the way of the free flow of goods around the world. Of course, it’s not just New Zealand, but many countries around the world spend a lot of time slowing down commerce.

Naturally, I’m sort of a “Free to Choose” Milton Friedmaneque libertarian, who has many clever things to say about protectionism… “It protects consumers from low prices.”

Daily Photo – Old Boat by the Seashore

I was near Moeraki and taking photos at sunset. This was the only night I was there, and I was excited to eat at this legendary place I keep hearing about called “Fleur’s” — so I was extra-bummed to find out it happened to be closed on that one night in particular. What a bummer. But I walked around the back side to explore and saw this boat up by this tree…

Old Boat by the Seashore

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-11-27 10:59:24
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/8
• Aperture16
• ISO100
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+1

A Welcome, and my Favorite Photos from China

Here is a rediculous video… you can see me struggling I think! hehe… but it was fun to make… and I ended it with some of my favorite photos from China.

http://weibo.com/3566761121/ ! ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Music from BT, Matt Hales, and Tony Awake is on Soundcloud here! 🙂

Daily Photo – The Drum Tower

Here is one of my favorite images from China. I can still hear the Kublai Khan beating the enormous drum inside to call his soldiers near… This temple sits in the Inner City to the north of Di’anmen Street.

The Drum Tower

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2011-09-15 00:00:00
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/90
• Aperture5.6
• ISO100
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+2

Tip for Noise at Night

I’m getting re-used to APS-C sensors! Man, you really gotta keep that ISO at 100 to keep the noise to an absolute minimum. The noise is barely visible at 100, but it is definitely there. A little nudge of the Noise Reduction slider in Lightroom will take care of it though. Easy Peazy!

But, if you crank the ISO up to 400 or higher, there may indeed be too much noise for LR to fix for you. Noiseware can still help you out, but that’s an extra plugin you’ll need… here’s the Noiseware Review on the site for you.

Daily Photo – More Beijing at Night

I usually don’t do this – post photos of a similar subject matter within the same week, but I thought I would show you another angle of the same place at night. Remember that “bakery” shot from a few days ago? This is basically the same spot (you’ll recognize it) much later at night.

This was another one of those cases where I was not quite used to the 10-18mm lens. I normally walk RIGHT to the spot I want to be in then pop the 14-24 on my Nikon and fire away. But now, I’m always off by a few steps with the NEX-7! But, I quickly re-adjust then shoot. If you have shot with a wide angle lens, then you may know about this concept of picturing things from that vantage before you even do it!

More Beijing at Night

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-05-28 10:23:06
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1.6
• Aperture13
• ISO100
• Focal Length10.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-0.3

Astronaut Ron Garan

Ron Garan talks with kids at Queenstown Primary School in New Zealand about space travel. He takes all kinds of questions from the kids about what it is like to live and work in space.

P.S. If you look close, you can see my son there in Google Glass 🙂

I broke a promise.

I made a promise to myself that I would never watch a time travel movie with Jason Priestley, and I broke it. I felt like I needed to tell someone… Man, am I ever sorry I broke that promise.

Daily Photo – The Sprawling City

I’m experimenting with this style of city photography. I like this idea of reflection that is imperfect. I shot this from the top of one of the only television stations in Beijing. It was a perfect night without any wind. There was a lot of pollution, so the warm city lights cast a red glow into the ether…

The Sprawling City

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-05-25 09:48:20
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time6
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length10.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Google Science Fair

Here’s the Google Science Fair video – The Science of Photography – in case you missed it. This is very introductory… and best positioned for kids, so you may find it a bit elementary if you are more advanced! But, if you have kids that are interested in how cameras work, then this will be a good primer! 🙂

Daily Photo – Golden Tree Path

When I took this photo, I was very happy!

In many ways, it’s the kind of place you can easily walk through and not notice because it was on the way to somewhere else. I was trying to walk down to Lake Hayes via a new route form my house, and I saw this on the way. I feel like I’m always alert, but then sometimes I’m looking at a scene like this and I think, “Hey, I should take a photo!” Anyway, I need to get better at this sort of thing… and take more photos on the way to the place rather than the place itself.

Golden Tree Path

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-05-03 17:55:26
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/5
• Aperture14
• ISO100
• Focal Length10.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+2

Updated Camera Recommendations

Since my recent switch, I thought I should keep the whole site as consistant as possible (it’s hard with so many moving parts!) and update the camera recommendations in the Reviews section. Below is a list of cameras I recommend that should work for any skill level or budget. In addition, I have a more complete list of Camera Lens Reviews that covers all the lenses I use for my photography.

Good Camera: Sony NEX-3N

Priced at about $499, this Sony mirrorless camera is highly recommended if your budget is keeping you at around the $500 level.

• Check price of the Sony NEX-3N on Amazon
• Check price of the Sony NEX-3N on B&H Photo

This camera will get the job done for you, and it is an ideal entry point if you are just getting started and want to minimize the financial impact. If budget is not a concern, I suggest you jump down to the “Better” or “Best” recommendations. However, if budget is your principle concern, then no worries this Sony is the way to go! One great thing about it is that all the lenses that you get for this camera can also be used when if you decide down the road to upgrade to the Sony NEX-7 below.

Better Camera: Nikon D800

Starting at $2,800 for the camera body. (don’t worry, the BEST camera, strangely, is HALF the price and six times smaller) 🙂

• Check price of the Nikon D800 on Amazon
• Check price of the Nikon D800 on B&H Photo

Even though I recommend the Sony NEX-7 below and use it as my main camera, I understand that we are currently in a transition period where many people like to use bigger, professional DSLRs. I used to have the Nikon D800 as my main camera, and I shot with it for over a year, so it is a system I know very well. If you are going with a big DSLR, this is the right choice! See my full Nikon D800 Review.

Best Camera: Sony NEX-7

Starting around $1,100 which includes an 18-55mm lens.

• Check price of the Sony NEX-7 on Amazon
• Check price of the Sony NEX-7 on B&H Photo

See my full Sony NEX-7 Review. I use this camera. It can be used in almost any photographic situation and is one of the best models available in this class. I use it to take photos of everything, from kids to landscapes to architecture to objects. This tiny 24 megapixel beast has a thousand other features that those clever Japanese crammed inside… see the full Sony NEX-7 Review for more information and sample pho

Daily Photo – The Daytime Lights of Front Gate Street

Here’s a shot from a really great street in Beijing called “Front Gate” — it’s certainly worth a trip. I was lucky that it rained hard all morning and I really got taking photos after it stopped. When the streets are nice and wet and I am personally not getting wet – that is one of the best times!

The Daytime Lights of Front Gate Street

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-05-28 00:31:24
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/160
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length10.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Just announced on the blog! Want to join me In New Zealand?

Learn more about the upcoming workshop in October or other options in 2014! Learn More About the Workshop here. We’re all really excited about this here… ! 🙂

A Few Favorites from New Zealand

Heck, I’ll use this as an opportunity to show you some of my favorite shots from New Zealand in case you forgot what it looked like! 🙂

Daily Photo – Failed Supermoon Shot at Jack’s Point

I made a big mistake when I decided to come here to get a photo of the super moon about a week ago!

I had it all planned out, but then nothing went as planned. My Big Awesome Plan was to take a photo of the super moon and the mountains and get a reflection off the lake. Well, I was so close to the Remarkables here that the moon took about four hours after moonrise to get over them! It was pitch black by then… oh well. But, while waiting, the water calmed down nicely and I took this photo. This is an area called “Jack’s Point” — sort of a private home community and golf course. That’s the clubhouse there where you can get some great food too if you are in the area!

Failed Supermoon Shot at Jack’s Point

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-06-23 01:57:46
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/30
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length10.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Bonus event for the kids out there – Astronaut Ron Garan talks to kids around the world!

This happens on Wednesday of this week — Thursday if you are here in New Zealand. Ron will be doing a live google hangout with kids here in Queenstown, New Zealand at Queenstown Primary School. You’ll even see my son there in the classroom somewhere! 🙂 We’re also using the new Google Hangout Questions interface, so we’ll be able to take questions from around the world… it will be great fun! See the Event Info and Time here.

You can watch live and ask questions here on my Google+ stream, where I’ll be broadcasting out to the most awesome 5+ million followers in the world! 🙂

Tonight’s Live Show – Miss Aniela and the Watermarking Controversy!

You can watch here on the blog or see more info at the Event Page here. It starts at 7 PM PT, 10 PM ET! 🙂 We’re gonna be talking all about Watermarks. You probably read my recent article on Watermarking. Miss Aniela wrote the opposite article called Why you SHOULD use Watermarks in response. So this will be a fun show while we fight it out ! 🙂

If you don’t know who she is (!!) then here is a video we made together when we were in Paris. If you want to get the whole video, here it is in the Get Awesome Stuff area of the site! 🙂

Daily Photo – The Old Room of Macabre Detritus

Here is the final shot from that awesome room Miss Aniela and I found tucked away in the back corner of that mansion. What a creepy place! Actually, we had a good time re-organizing everything in the room and setting up the animal heads in the right positions and whatnot. I never thought I’d be moving around dead animals in mansions with Natalie, but this is what life brings you sometimes…

The Old Room of Macabre Detritus

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-03-16 13:37:25
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

Upcoming Astronaut Hangout in Queenstown!

See the event here. It will be live on video too! The great astronaut Ron Garan will be beaming into Queenstown Primary School (into Mr. Brown’s room!) here in New Zealand this week. Check the event for the time near you, and gather the kids and get your space-questions ready! 🙂

7-7-71 – Lucky Chinese Birthday – ????????????

Jump on over to Weibo at http://weibo.com/treyratcliff to participate in a special birthday event! 🙂

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I’m told that 7 is a super-lucky number there, so maybe my birthday of 7-7-71 is super-duper lucky! 🙂 Pop on over there to check out the new contest we are running for the day. Note, you’ll only be able to see what’s happening if you have a Weibo account, which doesn’t make a lot of sense if you spend a lot of time doing Chinese-related stuff! 🙂

Daily Photo – The Corner Store in Old China

When I walk down some of these streets and see these places that sell exotic foods when you walk up to the window — it is hard to pass them all by. When I do go up there, I tend to just pick totally random things… I give them a random amount of money, and then there is a random adventure in my mouth.

It’s quite the opposite of going up to a European bakery where you know what you are gonna get. I like both, even though I sometimes get burned in these Chinese places when I get something that is a little too crazy for my palate.

The Corner Store in Old China

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-05-28 01:30:01
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/80
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length10.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias