Stuck In Customs

iPad for Photos

I remember when I was in this spot, I saw two different people using their iPads to take photos.  They were not Americans — they were Chinese people.  And then, after that, I started noticing this more and more.  I think Americans are more “embarrassed” (for lack of a better word) to use their iPads for photography, but this is just anecdotal… I’ll have to look around more to see if this trend is consistant across cultures!

Daily Photo – Along the River in Lijiang

While I walked along one of the many little streams that flowed through the village, restaurants, cafes, shops, and homes lined the sides.  Each one was decorated a little bit differently with unique lanterns, fauna, decor, windows, furniture, and flowers.  You could stop almost anywhere to take a photo!  So, well, I did.

Switching lenses is still a bit of a pain.  The two lenses I used the most there were the 14-24 and the 28-300.  But many shots were kind of right around that 20-35mm zone, which menat I was never really sure of which lens to use… so I would end up swapping back and forth a lot until it felt right!

Zorbing on the South Island

Do any of my NZ experts know if there is any zorbing on the south island anywhere?  I know there is a lot around Rotorua and stuff… where there are green hills the multiply like rabbits… but surely there must be a few options in the south, yes?

Daily Photo – Cart Racing in Queenstown

This may be my son’s favorite thing about Queenstown!  In the summer, they open up this area at the top of the mountain where you can luge all day long.  He never gets tired of it – and neither do I!  When we go back, we’ll have to see if we can get some kind of a season pass or something.

He gets a little rough, and he’s a little bit ruthless.  But I have a good 100 pounds on him, which helps everywhere except for the curves.  He spins around the corners like Yoshi, and I’m a little more like Bowser…

New Flatbooks Available

So many great authors and topics now! Hit Flatbooks.com right now to see the latest offerings. You’ll be impressed – and I’m sure you’ll find something you like there!

Daily Photo – Sunset in Virgin Gorda

I’m having a great time in Virgin Gorda! I took this a few nights ago while waiting on the Supermoon! I was here on the rocky coast (Savannah Beach) all alone when I took this photo, and I had an idea for a photo plus processing… it turned out to be much more painstaking than I originally thought, but I learned a few things along the way… the light and the motion of the water was so… intoxicating… that I wanted to bring it back to life here for you all…

Some Details

I know most of you don’t zoom into 100% on these photos, so I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the details of this one in particular.

My D3X on eBay – Ends Soon!

If you want to get my Nikon D3X on eBay, you better bid soon… time is running out! 🙂

Sunrise vs. Sunset Panic

Even though I love a good sunset or sunrise, now most of mine have an element of “panic” built into them.  No matter how  much I prepare, there are always last-minute adjustments in my camera settings, location, composition, and other miscellaneous things that are happening.  I rarely go to a “special lookout” where a bunch of other photographers go.  Those can be kind of easy… because you just kind of chill out and wait around like everyone else.  There are SOME locations like that, but for the most part, I’m trying to squeeze out as many photos, compositions, and scenarios as possible within a highly compressed time.

And, if I am going to panic, I’d rather run around and panic at sunset rather than sunrise.  Mostly because the sunrise has me a little groggy and out-of-sorts from putting on my socks inside out in the dark…

Daily Photo – San Francisco Before Sunrise

Before I started going to the main location, Tom and I pulled over to the side of the road in Sausalito to get this picture.  The water was too blue and the colors were too interesting to drive on by!  We wanted to be quick though… so we didn’t miss the sun peaking over the horizon at the main location.

Previous EG Talk

I don’t have my latest up… but here is the previous one that you might have missed the first time around.

Daily Photo – Sitting on a Bench and Watching the Sunset

I took this at the Post Ranch Inn one evening.  I went here after my last talk at EG to spend some time relaxing.  It’s not like the EG Conference was stressful or anything, but it is high-intensity.  I do like having periods of high-intensity followed by periods of low-intensity.  A nice sunset in the Big Sur area qualifies as one of those low-intensity events!

Tokyo Video

Here’s the first video I released from Japan… the music is pretty chill… from Patrick O’Hearn – I hope you like it as much as I do!

Daily Photo – Girls in Tokyo

This is one of my favorite areas of Tokyo.  The dressed-up girls are only one of the reasons!  Also, it’s the home of all sorts of crazy electronics, video games, gadgets, and other things that geeky guys from all cultures think is awesome.

These girls are all over the streets handing out little pamphlets and brochures for various goods and services.  Whatever you’re into, well, they’ve got a place for it… sweet Japan! 🙂

http://stuckincustoms.smugmug.com/Portfolio-The-Best/your-favorites/10668747_nxsXfB/1752816476_DjGhGD

Other Rocket Photos and Richard Branson

So, if you know Richard Branson, show him these NASA Photos…  Tell him you know me and you want to get us together so I can take photos of his rocket ship.  I don’t know the guy yet, but I have a feeling we’d get along well.

Daily Photo – After the Blast Off

One thing that impressed me after the shuttle took off was the shadow across the top of the clouds.  I had never seen anything like it, and it was completely unexpected.  Of course, it makes perfect sense, but it’s one of those little after-the-fact-obvious things that makes you happy.

I have another offer to jump out of a plane with the US Army Golden knights DURING an upcoming rocket launch… and I can take photos on the descent.  That sounds pretty dang awesome and tough!

Trey’s Hangout #33

In this episode, the subject was ‘Social Media and New Opportunities for Artists,” and we had many excellent guests. Also, if you wait until the end (bonus time!), you can see a bunch of new photos from Virgin Gorda and I talk more about the Sony NEX-7.

Photo Mystery – How much to buy the castle?

Okay, other photo mysteries I post here are too easy for you… I’ll go ahead and tell you this place is in Iceland up in the northwest fjords near Isafjordur. So, today’s mystery is: “How much does this castle cost?”

I’ll tell you ahead of time that I don’t know the answer!  But maybe an enterprising Internet-person can figure it out! 🙂

Daily Photo – Castle For Sale

This is a somewhat dilapidated castle in Iceland, and it’s for sale!  I got out to hike around it and take photos, and I noticed a FOR SALE sign in front!  I mean, obviously this falls into the category of “fixer upper” — but look at the view!  I bet you can get it for a good price too…  Let’s see who can figure it out first!

I’ve done a MASSIVE update to my “Stuff You Need” page, which is repeated in part over on the “Camera Reviews” page. This is THE most common question I get: “Which camera should I buy?” Because there are thousands of cameras out there, I like to boil it down to Good, Better, and Best. And here we go…

Good Camera

Olympus E-PM1

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

• Check current price of the Olympus E-PM1 on Amazon
• Check current price of the Olympus E-PM1 on B&H

If budget is not a concern, I suggest you jump down to the “Better” or “Best” recommendations. However, if budget is your principal concern, then no worries! This Olympus will serve you well! It has a 12 megapixel sensor and is based on something called the “Micro Four Thirds” standard. This means that there many different lenses you can attach to this camera, which is something you can add over time. If you’re just getting started, there is no need to worry about lenses, since it comes with a serviceable 14-42mm lens that will allow wide-angle shots and a little bit of zoom.

Better Camera

Sony NEX-7

Starting around $1,300 which includes an 18-55mm lens.

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

See my full Sony NEX-7 Review. In short, this is really a great camera. I carry it! It is compact and powerful. It can be used it 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 photos.

Best DSLR Camera

Nikon D800

Starting at $3,000 for the camera body.

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

See my full Nikon D800 Review. This is currently my main camera. I also carry the Sony NEX-7 above as a second camera to get quick shots here and there. But this Nikon D800 is a bigger, traditional DSLR camera. It shoots a massive 36 megapixels and has all the professional-level features associated with high-end DSLRs. For me, I prefer this over the Nikon D4 which is almost twice as expensive. You can see many sample photos and read more in my full Nikon D800 Revi

End of April!

Where does all the time go? How can time feel so fast and so slow at the same time… it’s a wonderful duality that makes me happy and confused to think about…

Daily Photo – The Rock Cleaved

I need more waterfalls in my life! This is what I am thinking whenever I just finish taking photos of waterfalls. As I was walking away from this one in Iceland, where I spent most of the day, I was thinking about the next waterfall. Then the next one. Then the next one. I think it’s cool how something can be so violent and beautiful at the same time.