Not everything in Argentina was rough, and here is a little yang for the yuri.
We rented a car from a horrible company called Wagen. Don't worry, I'll get to the girl part. The car's battery died very quickly, leaving us stranded in El Chalten, which is the hub from which many trails spawn out into the Andes. We had to wait a whole day for the horrible company, once again, called Wagen, to come out and replace the battery after their very unhelpful employee made us jump the car, to little avail. If you are ever out in Argentina and you need a reliable car, don't call Wagen. Even worse, they would not give any partial refund. You could get stuck out in the wild with no chance for help. Luckily we were close to a phone, and that phone was close to an aspiring model to help my camera wile away the hours. Okay that sounds stupid. But it's kinda true.
While in El Chalten, we stayed in a charming little hotel. At night, I would stay up late and process photos, drink coffee, and listen to music. This is what I always like to do after dinner. Maybe that sounds lame. Anyway, the nice Argentine family that ran the hotel took notice of me and I got to know them. The mom that ran the hotel had a 20-year-old daughter named Natalia who had a unique look but had never modeled before. It's a small town way down by Antarctica and they don't have many model/photographer resources down thataway. Anyway, since we ended up with an extra few hours, I asked if she wanted to go out and shoot. Natalia's English wasn't so great, but I was able to draw things out in the dirt like calling a play in flag football. We ended up with a lot of good shots that I will add over the next few months.
from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: Model Portfolio d3x beautiful Patagonia Argentina El Chalten pretty argentine southamerica latin woods forest tree brown HDR Photographer StuckInCustoms Pro Nikon Photography Trey Ratcliff Amazing Lovely Emotions Stunning Shot Shoot Capture Image Picture Edge Angle Composition Processing Treatment Fun Framing Unique Background Intense resolution Artist Art Modern Bright Vibrant lighting Light reflections tones Mood WallPaper cool magical texture Perfect surreal exposure painting attractive
Our hike is starting to get closer to our quarry. The destination inside the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares are the isolated peaks of FItz Roy.
Every few kilometers the terrain can change drastically. Because all the land around here is recently glaciated, the soil is very fresh and full of life. The strange mountain formations make for unpredictable weather patterns and cloud/fog formations across the landscapes. Even better, we are here in the middle of autumn, so many of the leaves are turning.
It's always a welcome relief to take off my pack, set it down, and then wander about for some photos. I grabbed this one along the way to share with you all.
I noticed that the Wikipedia entry for Monte Fitz Roy said, "the weather in the area is exceptionally inclement and treacherous". No shit. Wait until you see the shot I upload tomorrow. It was taken after 16km of walking in a single day after waking up to -7 degrees at 4:30 AM from a tent that contained the heavily scented noxious scents of the one and only Yuri.
from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
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You may want to go ahead and see the big size... !
South by Southwest is a huge music, film, and interactive festival down here in Austin. People from all over the world come here to what has become known as the music capitol of the world. Many streets shut down for all kinds of interesting activity. I went out an evening ago to get some shots of some of the action on the streets to share with you all. I usually don't do these sorts of shots, but I wanted to mix it up a little so you could see a local slice of life right here in my hometown! :)
from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
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Thank you for all the feedback yesterday. I appreciate it very much; indeed the negative feedback was quite constructive and helpful. Thanks for taking the time, as usual, to share your thoughts.
Now that we are getting back in the normal groove of posting beautiful places and beautiful things, here is a nice one for your Sunday!
This is Angkor Wat in Cambodia at sunrise. I think I went there every single morning around 5 AM to see the clouds and light in different formations. I got to know some of the locals there. A small girl from a family would see me in the dark by the lake, and come over to say hello. She would then bring me a chair and some Vietnamese coffee (quite thick and sweet with condensed milk). I would pay her just a few dollars and she was thrilled... I paid extra to keep the coffee coming in dangerously quick intervals. The sunrise lasted for several hours, and I was in no hurry...
from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: Sunrise d2x Angkor Wat Cambodia Siem Riep Portfolio old lake art cool water bright light fun sky lighting ancient building modern texture dark intense magical artist background surreal framing tones painting unique reflections resolution Vibrant Mood WallPaper perfect exposure
I notice that good interior design, once rare, now is pervasive. Something has happened in the last 10 years that has enabled the best interior designers in the world to get their work spread widely. It's snowballed because now everyone has high expectations everywhere they go.
When I stayed in Houston, I went to The Magnolia hotel, since it was recommended by Tablet Hotels, which is my favorite hotel booking site. I normally don't like giant hotels that are impersonal and predictable. The hotels in the tablet line seem to put a premium on good design and are more along the "boutique" specialty locations. Often, I find, they are cheaper than the Hiltons and Hyatts of the world too.
The other half of good interior design is that it is traditionally very difficult to capture in a photograph. Have you ever been somewhere really cool, taken a shot, then gotten home and said, "well it was much cooler in person!". I think the problem lies in the detailed textures and light levels that change on a small scale. The eye can pick it up, but the typical camera method can't. Of course, this HDR method I use and describe in the tutorial is perfect for picking up the subtleties of the textures and light.
In other news, the nice people at Fotoflot sent me a sample of their work using one of my photos. I put up some photos here that you can check out.
From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
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