970万分钟观看量！ 说起来有点疯狂。我头回查下自己的YouTube状态，其实也没上传多少视频，不过现有的都很长。话说这一状态显示我的视频观看量已经达到了近1千万——太疯狂了！其实我在视频里也不是很搞笑，真的！又不是Flavor Flav神马的……

我家挂着哪幅画？

那天突然有人这么问我，那就不妨在这里列一列。其实家里的挂画经常换，其中不乏个人的得意之作。其中包括巴黎的一张新作，刚刚才在昆士城的WePrint印制完成。

我们的 ”Prints” 页面有更多细节可以查阅。你可以选订版样金属画， 每一幅只有50张，每张都有我的签名。另一个系列则便宜些，可以通过SmugMug portfolio订购。

以下是我家里挂着的几幅:

http://stuckincustoms.smugmug.com/Portfolio-The-Best/your-favorites/10668747_nxsXfB/742619169_F2FbzQg/A

每日一瞥——浪漫巴黎：梦幻埃菲尔

这是最近跟Tom Anderson一起拍摄的。狂风大雨，我们基本没怎么离开酒店，不过也一直在观察云象。  我们从巴黎歌剧院开始，然后搜索城市的其他角落。 这个时节巴黎的日落来得很早(大约下午5点前后)，趁我们不注意悄悄溜走。

暴风过后有时可以见到最美的日落……所以如果你不介意潮湿，出去探个险还挺不错的。

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, California, Cambodia, France, Hakone, Japan, Kyoto, New Zealand, Paris, Queenstown, Travel, Yosemite

MagCloud：新书上架

在Flatbooks.com我们经常收到读者请求，希望能看到我们的e书刊印发行。现在终于实现了！

所有的刊印本都放上了HP MagCloud，我还试订了几本，简直乐疯了！起初我还担心质量不够好，充其量也就是个“金考速印”水平，然而并非如此。我们的新书质地厚实，包装精美，跟真正的图书没有任何分别。嘿嘿，我也不知道自己为什么这么说，这本来就是货真价实的书嘛！如果你有什么东西想要自己印出来，或者上 Magcloud发布一本像样的新书，本人隆重推荐！

目前我们印刷发行的图书 (可下载的e书)包括Composing the Photo, Top 10 HDR Mistakes, 以及 Digital Workflow。

每日一瞥——装个英伦探险家

要是一大早跑去吴哥窟，或者交个和尚朋友，一待待到傍晚，简直都会忘了自己已经到了2011年。没一会儿你便会觉得自己就像个英国探险家，在丛林里披荆斩棘，寻找远古的宝藏。当然，别忘了带个小帽儿什么的……

然而，几天来在如此潮湿的环境中探索，每次醒来总感觉自己染上了“军团病”。异国他乡之地，一身冷汗地醒来，突然想到“老天爷，怎么肾脏那么不得劲！”这种感觉可不爽。

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

New Podcast Interview available

You can now listen to Digital Convergence Episode 33 – thanks again to Carl Olson for the nice interview.  Here is a snippit from his website:

In today’s episode, Trey and I talk about a wide range of topics. For filmmakers, Trey discusses his interest in how the human brain responds to high speed video. He has conducted a number of interesting experiments using low cost point-and-shoot cameras that can record video at high frame rates.

We delve briefly into the topic of HDR photography and then discuss a number of topics on the “edge” of visual arts. Trey manages to fool me into thinking he has taken up oil painting. Find out how he accomplished that!

We move on to the topic of “the decade of the artist” – how business models have changed for visual artists in the 21st century. Trey candidly talks about his business model and why he chose to go the route he did.

Daily Photo – Searching For Water

The amazing Ta Prohm ruins of Cambodia have secrets around every turn.  These enigmatic trees grow up and over everything.  I was amazed by the girth and length of this lateral root system, as the trees search everywhere for water.

I would LOVE to see a timelapse of this tree growing.  Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing in the world?  If you have ever seen a good simulation of this in video, please let me know… Some of these things we find in the real world are almost impossibly awesome.

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Nikon D3X, Siem Reap, Travel

Free London PhotoWalk Details!

Everyone is welcome to come on out.  I look forward to meeting you…  If I don’t have a chance to introduce myself personally to you, please do not hesitate to come up and say hello whilst we wind about the streets of London together!

• Facebook Event: See FB Event Here
• Cost: Free! Like all my PhotoWalks
• Time Start:  Friday, Sep 10, 6PM.   (Critical sunset is at 7:30ish)
• Location: South Bank right outside the National Theatre (Google Map)
• Getting there: How to Get to the National Theatre.
• PhotoWalk End: We will end about 8 PM or so at a nearby Pub / Light Eating place…  And just hang out there, look at photos on the back of our cameras, geek out, talk, you can come over and introduce yourself, etc etc.  Very casual…
• Plan: After a quick hello, we will walk together and take photos.  I’ll stop 5 times or so and set up formally for a shot and talk through it.  You are welcome to listen, ask questions, or meander about.  We will start by going past the Festival Hall and down to the London Eye, where we should have a good shot of the Westminster / Westminster Bridge / Big Ben.

And thank you to Greg Annandale (@greg_a on Twitter), who will be joining us at the HDR Workshop in London as well, for helping to set this up!

By the way, do you have professional video equipment and want to do a little extra during the PhotoWalk? Let me know !

The Ultimate London Photography Poll!

Thanks for all the suggestions on places to shoot a few days ago! I’ve done my best to compile them here into a poll… (This is not for the PhotoWalk, but instead for my week or so in London). Also, maybe others can use this list in the future too!

You can select ONE to TEN (10) of your favorites!

What are the best subjects for remarkable photography in London?

• British Museum (including great court and roof)
• "The Gherkin" building
• Piccadilly Circus & West End in the evening
• London Wall
• Bishopgate
• Battersea abandoned power station
• Under London Bridge - secret artsy club inside abandoned train tunnels
• Canary Wharf near Strata tower & Elephant and Castle
• (near London) Epping Forest
• The Monument
• Borough Market
• Globe Theatre
• Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge, St. Paul (all nearby)
• Primrose Hill for view of entire city
• Fleet Street, the strand
• Victoria Embankment
• The Garage City Hotel (remains of orig stone wall at dusk, well lit)
• Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
• Central Saint Giles
• Leadenhall Market
• The Monument
• Greenwich Park (and Observatory)
• Ye Old Cheshire Cheese (Dickens pub with underground part)
• Hyde Park
• Regent's Park
• Harrod's
• St. Paul's Cathedral
• London Eye
• Bar on top floor of Tower 42
• Highgate Cemetery
• Imperial War Museum

View Results

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Daily Photo – The Lotus Sunrise

These delicate shapes are seen on a variety of temples all over southeast Asia, India, and other parts of the Far East. It is the shape of a Lotus Blossom, a timeless symbol, and it is repeated over and over here at Angkor Wat.

The lotus represents the purity of body, speech, and mind. Like the lotus, these should float above the muddy waters of attachment and desire.

The shot below was taken around 5 or 6 AM in the morning. While shooting, I was attended to by a small Cambodian girl that would bring me strong Vietnamese coffee whenever I ran out, which was often. I don’t know where she would go to get it — she would disappear off into the jungle and come walking calmly back every 15 minutes or so, smiling.

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

Updating the D3S Review

As I take more and more photos with the D3S, I add them to the Nikon D3S Review here on the site.  Whenever possible, I try to include info such like the ISO, shutter speed, and this sort of thing.  I hope it is helpful, even if you are not going to get the camera!

Daily Photo – Wrapping Around Time

The ancient ruins of Angkor Wat are wild and unprotected.  I think the country just cannot afford to properly keep the sites maintained.  This is both good and bad.  It’s good for me, since I can go anywhere, climb anywhere, and take photos of anything.  I’m very careful when I am near these places, and I don’t disturb the natural order of things. The bad part is that graverobbers are everywhere, snatching this and snatching that.

These old banyan trees grow up and around everything.  The roots become crazily and beautifully entangled.  If I’m not mistaken, I believe that these are also sometimes used as bonsai trees.

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

Processing Photos Out of Order

Some of you that have heard me talk have heard my discussions of why you should process photos out of chronological order. I was reminded of this because of these Cambodia photos, like the one below.

Boiled down, here are some reasons:
1) It is silly to feel “overwhelmed” by processing one group of photos before you can process the next.
2) If you process them all right away, then you will not know all the processing tricks you will learn in the next few years
3) There is a lot of excitement in going back to revisit places you have been… it keeps all memories in a constant tumble-dry.

Daily Photo – Under the Ancient Skies

Sometimes, an HDR image of a cool place can come out a little boring, even in an interesting place such as this.  So, often times I will run the image through a black and white treatment (see my Silver Efex Pro Review).  That tool is a lot of fun and can help take a boring photo and make it more interesting.

As I begin the processing, I sometimes discover a photo is more about shape, line, and contrast than it is about color, light, and saturation.  It’s all still there, in all it’s HDR glory, but the emphasis has had a bit of a correction.

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

What’s in my bag?

I try to get into my suggested equipment area in the Digital SLR camera secion to keep it fresh every few months.  I added a few new things this weekend and generally cleaned it up.  Maybe you will see some goodies in there!  It’s sort of a text-version of what’s in my bag.

Bamboo Forest Print, Finally Available!

This has now joined the small selection of Limited Edition Numbered Series prints.  We only do these in series of 250, so that they remain scarce and unique. In fact, this is now the only way we release prints..  You can get a smaller on fine art paper for as low as $99, and then it scales up from there.  I suggest the stunning 72″ giant canvas size that will go in your living room. Look, I don’t really want (or need) to oversell these things… If you want it, then you can easily get it… I just post soft reminders every week to let you know which new print has come available, and this one is a highly anticipated release.

Daily Photo – The Lotus Mystery

You perhaps have seen this “lotus” shape on the top of many SE Asian temples (and India as well as many more places).  It’s a peaceful and beautiful shape that has deep meaning to many of these cultures.  There is something naturally soothing about its contours.

While I took this photo in Cambodia, a small Thai girl would come bring me hot Vietnamese coffees every 15 minutes or so.  These are strong coffees that are mixed with sweet condensed milk.  They are thick, sweet, and tasty. I remember it all fondly…

On most of these little trips, nothing goes as planned… but I go into the adventure knowing this will be the case, so I effortlessly roll through most of the mishaps because interesting and unexpected things always end up happening.

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

Tinychat Video Interview

Yesterday, we did a little video interview with @Peachpit, the book publisher. It went pretty well, except for the Porn Spam. But…. that drifts away after a few minutes. Special thanks to Pat O’Brien who uploaded a recording here.

Daily Photo – The Forgotten

This was brought up in the chat session yesterday — Black and White HDRs! Yes, they are possible, and they are a lot of fun!  I don’t do it that much because I am so in love with vibrant colors.. but sometimes, on a lark, I’ll do it.  The one below, of a forgotten temple in Cambodia, is a simple black and white with a bit of a sepia tone.  Enjoy!

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

One morning when I was walking around Angkor Wat, I saw this monk there, chatting away on his mobile phone. I thought it was just all so unusual — I had to take a shot! Many monks from all over Asia come here on pilgrimage. I suppose he could have been talking to someone in his home precinct. Are they called precincts? I don’t know.

Also, if any of you have read the new Neal Stephenson book, you will get the “Jeejah” reference. It’s a very interesting book about, well… I am not ruining anything here, but it starts out with the tale of a monk. They are not familiar with all the technologies used by the outside (extramuros) world, and they call mobile phones “jeejahs”. There is a whole array of new words in there for the new world he has created… his books are thought provoking as always.

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

These places were a joy to explore. My friend Ben Willmore is heading to the temples of Angkor soon, so I am hooking him up with some of the locals there that helped get me around. I’m sure he’ll have as much fun exploring these places as I did. While it was fun, there was sometimes not a stable place to step. I don’t have the strongest ankles in the world (thanks to a bunch of soccer injuries), so it got a little sketchy in spots! When you see some of those distant mysterious doorways, it’s hard not to want to trample over to have a closer look.

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Textures, Travel

This was my driver in Siem Reap, Cambodia. He’s a heck of a nice guy. We had a growing retinue as the weekend wore on, and he was always there to help out! First it started out with just my guide, Ratanak (who recently set up his own Cambodia Tour Guide site here – I recommend him!), and then we added one monk and then another. By the end, we had five us piled into his car and we were having a great time.

He was there every morning at 4:30 AM to pick me up for first light and there every night until sunset. We kind of bonded because of the one-eye thing… (I also only see from one eye). I asked about it and he said it happened when he was a young boy. It’s been gradual, but he has gotten used to it; He seemed to be at as much ease as the monks in the backseat with me. Below are a few of the places he took me… thanks again mate!

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

Morning at Angkor Wat was a very cool experience. It was very muggy — the kind of muggy that makes you just give up and give in to being covered in sweat. I wasn’t going to any dinner parties, so I figured it was okay. Moving around the complex to get photos from many perspectives was a lot of fun… this place was a treat to compose.

In vaguely related news, a friend of mine in Shanghai just opened a new spa and used my images throughout. The one that is linked here at “Spa City 5.5” is another from this area of Cambodia. It’s not the highest quality photo of a high quality photo, but you kinda get the gist… If you want to see the original of that photo of the Angkor Wat Temple, just clicky click there!

Filed under the categories: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel