图片大卖

我们添加了最新限量版的年集，正好赶上假期，所以谢谢大家捧场啦！这里多数的照片都公开出售，你可以随心进行个性订制。 点击图片即可转到SmugMug，在顶部可以看到销售链接，那里有你需要的所有信息。

每日一瞥——芝加哥万岁

这张取自芝加哥最高建筑之一的楼顶。所有人都冲着另一个方向猛闪——那边高楼林立。说句实话，我也照来着，但在那之后我把目光投向了这边，而这边的风景又是出奇地引人入胜，所以我决定拍拍试试！

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X, Travel

Four Hours in Helsinki

So, I am connecting from Ibiza to China through Helsinki, Finland.  Does anyone have any suggestions on what to see and photograph in that time?  Keep in mind that I’ll have to jump in a taxi (or train?) and get to-and-from these locations and get back in time to go through security again.

The Private Room

It was a dark and mysterious set of serpentine stairs that brought us to this room. Where could it be? Who can identify it? You all are so hard to trick… None of these has ever stayed mysterious for more than 24 hours… but maybe, just maybe, we can have this one stay a mystery!

And I know people zoom into 100% on these to look for clues… this one is a little messy at 100%, so I am a little embarrassed by that… I do figure that 98% of people look at it in the default “blog size”, where it looks okay.

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Travel

Thinking Like Da Vinci

Have you all ever heard of a book called ‘How to think like Da Vinci’, authored by Michael Gelb?  I came across some info on the web and wanted to share it.  There are a few principles in the book that boil down to:

1) Curiosità – Quest for Curiosity, both in life and learning.

2) Dimostrazione – Commitment to Test knowledge through Experience and the willingness to learn from mistakes.

3) Sensazione – Continual Refinement of your senses.

4) Sfumato – Willingness to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty.

5) Arte/scienza – Maintenance of balance between science, art, logic and imagination.

6) Corporalità – Cultivation of ambidexterity, symmetry and to be fresh and alive.

7) Connessione – Recognition and appreciation of the interconnectedness in everything you see, hear, feel and touch.

I won’t re-analyze each of them, but I think they speak for themselves…  and they are quite nice.

Daily Photo – The Secret Church

Who would have ever guessed that this immense, classically architected church is in the middle of Chicago, Il? It’s quite amazing, isn’t it?

My friend Fiona took me here around the time of the Chicago book launch party. It is a great place place for all kinds of HDR photography. It’s a fun challenge to move around these environments and see how many interesting compositions you can make out of a structure like this.

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Travel

My Friends Have eBooks Too!

We’ve got a thriving community of photographers out there writing eBooks. I can’t possibly give everyone a link that asks, so I will do so randomly from time to time. A bit like a lottery!

Joseph’s Aperture eBook – Do you guys know of Joseph Linaschke? He’s a good friend that I first met when we co-hosted This Week in Photography. Anyway, he’s quite the Aperture expert. With Aperture 3 out, he’s got a nice eBook there that can help you get the most out of the software.

SAFARI, A Monograph – I’ve talked about David here on the site before. He’s a great guy and a hardcore photographer. This is the 2nd book in his “Print & Process” series (I think!). He fills the book with beautiful photos and then gives exact specifics about equipment, tools, and techniques. His eBooks get raving reviews, and there are several there to choose from!

The Metal Moose

After the book party in Chicago (thanks again for all of you that showed up!), we had a little photowalk the next day. Along the way, we stopped outside an office building near Michigan Avenue that had this enormous metal moose. I’m not a big fan of taking photos of art, but this was an exception.

As usual, I enjoyed meeting everyone on that photowalk and sharing stories and tricks. I think the next one we do will be at Burning Man, followed by London. Those will be great fun too!

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X, Topaz Adjust, Travel

Sorry…

For slow responses in comments and stuff.  I have very little internet connection time here in Iceland.  I’m out shooting constantly… seeing amazing things… just amazing.

Anyway, please accept my apologies… I still read all comments and will get to them soon.

Daily Photo – The Red Room, Revisited

Frequent visitors will recognize this amazing place in Chicago.

It is the Crimson Lounge, and this is where we had the big book party in Chicago.  Before the party, I brought my rig down here to take a few photos of this place when it was nice and empty.  I like it for many reasons…  a big part of me remembers it from David Lynch’s mind and those macabre scenes from Twin Peaks with the midget.  A midget that walks backwards and talks backwards and then is played back forwards is enough to unnerve the hardest man.

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X

My Music Playlist – What are some of your favorites?

As I travel around the world, I’ve picked up an amazing collection of unique music. It’s not for everyone, but if you like eclectic stuff that gets you in a right-brain mode, I think it’s great. This first list I am releasing is my “World Lounge Mix” – I made an iTunes iMix of it and added the mix to Trey’s Music List! Coming soon are some of my favorite songs from other categories, like Ambient New Age, Spanish Guitar, World Music, and more. What are some of your favorite songs? Share them with me – I’d like to know!

Daily photo – The Olde Organ

Okay, if you were in one of my workshops, you are not allowed to guess, because you heard the unexpected answer.

But, of the rest of you, who can guess where this photo of this ornate organ was taken?  Those in my workshop know because I worked on it during the festivities.  It’s so funny whenever I zoom into 100% and people ooh and ahh at the details.  It’s funny because I do the same thing!  I know a lot of people say that 24 megapixel is overkill, but… well… it’s just cool.

I plan for the future when many people have 70 inch wall displays at 10,000 pixels across.  I want to make sure my images are ready for them!

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X

Special Advance Notice for Special Communities

I know you all are BUSY. Also, I know you like to come here and hang out with the community since we enjoy finding some of the best stuff, sharing tricks, techniques, and art with you. However, some people go the extra mile. For each little sub-community within Stuck In Customs, I try to do something extra special:

• Newsletter Subscribers – I gave out a $50 off coupon on something cool just to subscribers, and many acted on it!  Cool!   The Newsletter is free, so why not join?  Besides that, I try to give advance notice on all sorts of things.
• Facebook Fans – I gave these fine people an advance link to a new review I am doing, so they can see it before anyone else.  The Fan page was started by a Dutch fan, and we are starting to do all sorts of things on it, including a fun discussion on Which Lens do you Want?
• Twitter Followers – Many times throughout the week, I open it up for questions on the new book or anything in between.  I think it is cool that I can have direct contact with so many people — I really try my best to answer most everyone!  In addition, I sprinkle in all sorts of inspirational art finds and do my best to keep things fun and light – the way the internet should be!

If you are a member of one or more of these special sub-communities – let me know any other ideas you might have!

Chicago Party in a Few Days!

Woo!  This will be fun!  The New York and Austin parties were exciting and fun – I really enjoyed getting to meet people and the like.  Chicago is next.  You can either RSVP on the Facebook Event Page or see more info here on the site!

Daily Photo – Belly up to the Bar

Here is another shot from the ultra-cook Hotel Sax, where we are having the party mentioned above. The Hotel Sax has tons of these really swanky rooms that have a very nice feeling about them. Now, I don’t drink alcohol at all… which makes awesome bars like this a little disappointing… but not so disappointing if there is someone interesting to talk to!

I actually, on occasion, end up with people who spend half the time talking about previous drinking experiences while having a drinking experience. I suppose this becomes a recursive function at some point… and I guess it’s no different than going out with photographers and talking about other photography outings!

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X, Travel

Top iPhone Apps for Christmas

I use my iPhone a lot.  And I mean A LOT.  I’m a big gamer and app-user.  Besides playing games with my wife and friends, my 8-year-old is also uses it to play games… and he just may get an iTouch for Christmas.  Anyway, here are some great games and apps for you and/or your family!

DIGG this story here!

Fun Games

• Labyrinth 2 – This game has nothing to do with that awful movie with David Bowie from the 80′s. It is a very fun game for all ages where you have one of those little balls that you have to move through a wooden maze by balancing the iPhone. It’s very creative and there are tons of levels for all difficulties.
• Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor – A beautiful game in which you play a little spider that weaves webs to catch bugs. There is a lot of fun strategy to figuring out the best way to make bugs to catch the bugs… it’s very original and fun for all ages.
• iBlast Moki – A fun physics-based game for all ages. You have to get these little guys into a portal by placing bombs around the level. There is a lot of clever strategy to proper placement… and just nice physics fun!
• I Dig it Expeditions – This is a very fun and addictive game for all ages.  I played the first one to death and the new one is even better.  It’s easy to understand, you dig up treasure, upgrade your treasure-findin’ craft, have fun in bite-sized amounts, great for collectors, and an amazing source of entertainment…  I’d find myself thinking about it while driving around!
• Words with Friends – This is basically a slicker version of Scrabble that you can play with all your friends, barely-known-facebook-friends, or strangers. What is cool is that you can take your turn whenever you want, and then you send your triple-letter-score word off into the cloud. Your friend will have a little red 1 on their app letting them know there is a turn waiting for them!
• Drop 7 – A very simple to learn but addicting puzzle game. It’s better than Bejeweled by a mile — and you will just love it. Facebook friend me in the game and see if you can beat my score!
• GeoDefense – Do you like Tower Defense games? This one is the best, by far. I think I have played 20 of these types of games, and this one is the sharpest. If you like this, also go GeoDefense Swarm
• Rogue Planet – Do you like turn-based strategy war games? This is a great one!
• Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid – A fun platform game where you are a little ball-guy and you roll around creative levels with fun goals. It’s impressive in every way… fun for all ages!
• Knights Onrush – Very fun action game where you are keeping legions of knights from storming your castle. It starts out simple with throwing knights around then more strategy comes around once you start buying new things to help you fend off the hordes!
• Tornado Mania! – A fun game where you get points for using a tornado to destroy a city. It sounds simple, but there is a nice game to it… you can either touch the screen or tilt it around to move the tornado.

Great Apps and More Fun

• Tweetie 2 – The best Twitter app in the iPhone
• Best Camera – This is a cool app by the photographer Chase Jarvis. I’ve yet to meet the guy, but I think we’d really get along. Anyway, it’s a simple app that lets you put nice filters on your photos. Better yet, you can quickly share that photo in email, Twitter, Facebook, and more. It’s smart, cheap, and fun. It’s amazing what a little filter will do to a crappy iPhone shot! See one I took in Carmel here.
• Pano – A fun camera app that lets you take several photos that partially overlap — then it builds them into a huge panorama! As you have probably figured out, you can’t fit a whole scene into the default zoom of that lens.
• Pandora – You know Pandora, right? It’s a great free music service that will play you songs based on what you like! I use it on my computer too and am a subscriber.
• RedLaser – I use this to scan barcodes everywhere to find the cheapest prices. I rarely buy anything in stores any more because the prices are too high – RedLaser will tell you the cost on Amazon and a ton of other places, and even let you order. If you don’t have to have it immediately, it’s nice just to get it shipped to your place!
• SmackTalk! – I don’t even know how to describe this. You talk into the phone and then a hamster, cute cat, cute dog, or something else will repeat what you said in a funny voice. There is nothing better with family or at a party where people don’t mind being silly.
• GoWalla – The BEST geo-location game. Walk or drive around your city collecting stamps, finding cool virtual geocached goodies, and compare your virtual passport stamps with friends. I think it’s so much better than Four Square.

Why not more Photography apps? Frankly, I’ve tried a lot and most are little gadgets that I only use once or twice then never use again. I don’t want to waste your time with useless stuff you’ll just use once then throw away.

I’ll stop there for now – that’s a lot! What are some of your favorites?

Trey’s Book List!

I figure as long as I am listing out great iPhone Apps, maybe some people also got a Kindle or some Amazon gift cards. I have a FULL “Trey’s Book List” here on the site. Here are a few:

Live Random Q&A!

I popped into Twitter tonight and took two hours of random questions and answers — sounds like the HDR Book is finally starting to arrive! Cool! I’ll continue to be on Twitter a lot to help you guys out… if I have a spare few hours to dedicate to Q&A, I will do so at random times… but, as always, feel free to ask questions and I’ll attend to them if humanly possible.

Daily Photo – Green Man in Chicago

This is the famous “Bean” sculpture in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.  It was an extremely busy day around there, so there was no hope of getting the bean sans tourists… generally, I don’t like people around in my photos, but if there are going to be people, I want them to be interesting!  Well I was lucky that Green Man was there…  Now, I’m sure MOST of you don’t know who Green Man is… you sort of have to be a mindless disciple of a rather edgy TV show called “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”  Like the apps above, I do recommend it… although, it can be a little offensive, to say the least!

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Travel

Upcoming Chicago Party

On January 2nd, we have our Chicago Book Party.  You can see more information there or sign up on the Facebook Event Page.

Free talk in New York on Dec 15th at B&H Photo – A Firehose of HDR

See the photo below? One of the most common questions I get is “How do you make an HDR out of a single photo?” Well, I’ll go over that and more on Dec 15th at noon at the Incredible B&H Photo in New York. You can get more New York B&H event info here.

Also, you may know that B&H is a partner of Stuck in Customs — I recommend you buy from them on my Digital SLR recommendations page.

Daily Photo – Chicago from a Chopper

Chicago is an awesome city and I always have a good time there.  This time of year, it gets a bit cold… and if you don’t have a good coat pre-buttoned before you go outside, well, that’s a big mistake.

I have a good friend there that arranged a helicopter for me in Chicago and took the door off!  I hung out for a few hours battling the backwash as we circled the city and flew in and out of the buildings.  This is one of the shots from that series, and I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I did shooting it!

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X, Travel

Update: I am very excited about the HDR Workshop. Thanks for all the great feedback! Registration will open close to midnight next week at this time (The midnight between Thur and Fri… hehe… I know saying “midnight” can fall either way!). I’ll also update the full list of everything that will be included, the amazing venue, extra bonus post-processing “fun” time with me after hours, etc etc.

I was lucky enough, thanks to a friend, get entry to run around the Crimson Lounge in Chicago on a Saturday before they opened. I think maybe some of you have seen the other Chicago photos of this location… there were so many interesting things to shoot with great angles. That reminds me — did you know that if you scroll down and look on the right, you can click there to see photos from various locations around the world?

Speaking of shooting cool stuff inside of an amazing place, we have a secret event coming up in Austin in the beginning of December. But shhh… don’t tell anyone… I’ll announce more as the time gets closer. It’s going to be quite a party. It may or may not have something to do with a major book launch from someone you may or may not know.

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X, Travel

Does anyone else remember the Red Room from Twin Peaks? I was a real fan of that show and saw every one. The Red Room was this perfectly insane place that came out of David Lynch’s mind. All the scenes inside were filmed in reverse, and the lines were spoken backwards. They were then played backwards (so it appear forwards, but twisted) to give a very creepy feeling to the place. This was where the quirky Agent Cooper visited in many of his strange dreams… It’s also because of Agent Cooper that I give myself a small gift every day, like a nice slice of pie. I wish Lynch would make a new TV series!

This is yet another shot from the Crimson Lounge in Chicago. The place was awesome. I took a ton of shots and I probably could have taken even more!

Also, we have a new sponsor of the site here – BorrowLenses.com. I have a review coming up in the next Newsletter that will talk more about it. In short, it’s like Netflix for lenses! Very cool idea… It’s a great way to try out all those lenses that you’ve always wondered about or wanted!

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X, Travel

This is another shot of one of the coolest lounges in the world. It’s called the Crimson Lounge in downtown Chicago. It has incredible textures and lights inside that are very hard to capture unless you use this HDR technique. At least, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Now, if you really want to see the details, I will explain how to see the huge size. I sometimes expect people know how to do this, but many do not, so I am happy to explain. 1) Click on the photo, and that will go to the Flickr page. 2) Click on ALL SIZES+ above the photo. 3) Click on ORIGINAL. That will show the huge version… the only problem is it probably won’t fit on your monitor! You can do that with all the photos I upload… I like putting the huge ones on there for people to enjoy, use as personal wallpaper on their computers, other non-commercial purposes, etc.

Filed under the categories: Chicago, Illinois, Nikon D3X, Travel