My friend (and website designer), Fabien Barral, met my wife and I in Paris to take us out to dinner. We left the hotel, and about 30 seconds out the door, we came across this street side cafe right by the Sorbonne, the famous university. Luckily, I think both of them were used to this behavior and chatted pleasantly while I snapped away.
I worked on this photo all day. People often ask me how long I work on photos. If you've seen the HDR Video Tutorial here on the site, you know it takes me anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours. This one was on the long side for sure... It was tough work, but I am happy with the results.
- Trey Ratcliff
Read the rest here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Tags: stuckincustoms travel treyratcliff stuck customs stuckincustoms.com blog travelblog photography photoblog photographyblog hdr high dynamic range imaging digital processing software tutorial hdrtutorial trey ratcliff world Europe western france republic French République française state capital paris seine northern Région parisienne city historic urban metropolitan Île-de-France region island district Latin Quarter of Paris latin quarter Quartier latin 5th fifth arrondissement left bank edifice history university of paris education school architecture design old sky trees quiet cobble cobblestone cafe july 2011 nikon d3x SOETOP50-SpotsForDaydreamers
I've visited Gǔlóu many times and never taken a photo. I just couldn't figure one out.
And then, this most recent trip, I walked around the tower several times until I finally got an idea.
This is the giant drum tower built about a thousand years ago by Kublai Khan. An enormous drum rests in front, and it was beat rhythmically to announce meetings. The temple sits in the Inner City to the north of Di'anmen Street.
- Trey Ratcliff
Read more, including a preview of an exciting announcement, here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
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Location Update - Flickr did not allow me to place the exact spot, but this is the very center square of the old city. Once you are in the old city, you'll eventually find it! :)
This was a very long exposure -- about five minutes or so. I did this so I could help make most of the people disappear from the scene. It also had a nice side-effect down in the river. People would light candles and float them downstream, and the path they followed came out as little golden streaks.
- Trey Ratcliff
Read the rest of this entry and some info on tonight's huge YouTube Live hangout here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Tags: http://www.StuckInCustoms.com - Trey Ratcliff stuck customs stuckincustoms stuckincustoms.com travel blog travelblog photography photoblog photographyblog hdr high dynamic range imaging digital processing software tutorial hdrtutorial trey ratcliff treyratcliff east asia china people’s republic of china republic prc 云南 雲南 Yúnnán Yunnan province lijiang shi prefecture city 丽江市 麗江市 Lìjiāng Shì ancient town ceremony ritual candles stream canal bridge village traditional tradition architecture historic historical history lanterns community garden quiet September 2011 Nikon d3x SOETOP50-SpotsForDaydreamers
I was only partially injured while getting this photo from the wild sands of Burning Man.
A group tenderly called the "Death Guild" erected a Thunderdome in the desert city here at Burning Man. I was riding home on my customized Mad Max bike (thx for making it for me +Cliff Baise !), and I saw hundreds converging on the Thunderdome for a massive fight. Screaming hordes started climbing the super-structure to get a closer look. By the time I arrived, the observers were 10 deep on all sides, everyone crushing in to get a view of the big fight ...
- Trey Ratcliff
Read the whole story here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
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Feng Huang in the morning is very peaceful. It might even be one of those towns were a lot of people sleep late, since I didn't see many in the morning.
It was at this very spot that I bruised my ribs pretty bad when I fell down. It was one of those slick mud-covered concrete areas that doesn't look like a slick mud-covered concrete area. But once you step on, it's way too late to do anything about it.
There's nothing that knocks the wind out of you more than falling flat on your torso with a Nikon D3S between your ribs and the ground. I still wince when I think about it!
- Trey Ratcliff
Read the rest of this entry here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Tags: stuck customs stuckincustoms stuckincustoms.com travel blog travelblog photography photoblog photographyblog hdr high dynamic range imaging digital processing software tutorial hdrtutorial trey ratcliff treyratcliff east asia china people’s republic of china republic prc hunan Húnán 湖南 province 省 shěng division 湘 Xiāng 湘西土家族苗族自治州 Xiāngxī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Fenghuang County 凤凰县 Fènghuáng Xiàn Xiangxi ancient history historic historical culture harbor town village unesco boat water still plant gondola traditional river buildings dwellings October 2010 Nikon d3x SOETOP50-SpotsForDaydreamers