The Black Rock

When I was in Big Sur spending a few days at the Post Ranch Inn, one of the places I wanted to visit was this amazing beach not too far from there.  I planned on getting there early so I would have time to set up.  We got there a little too early, and the sun was too high in the sky.  But we still took time to check out the scene.  It was hellishly windy, but I did grab a this shot below before we retreated to a nearby cafe to get some hot chocolate before returning for the sunset.  The sunset gave us some amazing light for a crazy ocean sunset, but I'll save that for a future day....  

- Trey Ratcliff

Read more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Under the Umbrella at Sunset We took this during our fun PhotoWalk in San Clemente. It's a wonderful beach there - not too crowded, a perfect beach, and an idyllic pier.  Just throw in a few clouds, and we end up with a perfect sunset!Every 100 feet or so, these thatched-roof umbrellas are spread out.  Composing with these and a wide-angle lens is kind of challenging, but fun.  I noticed that after I got a wide-angle lens that it opened up a whole new range of compositional complexities. Walking around a scene has to be done with a whole new perspective, since you are able to capture more than a human can see in a single viewing-cone.  But, the challenge is kind of fun to compensate for the lens and try to put together something that feels right. - Trey Ratcliff The rest of this entry can be found here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Into the Sea I wonder what percentage of photographers live on the West Coast versus the East Coast.  Of course, the west gets all the great sunsets over the ocean, and the east gets all the great sunrises.  Given that most sane people are asleep at sunrise, and given that most photographers are insane -- I am not sure!  - Trey Ratcliff Read the rest at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Golden Gate Bridge at Dusk I had spent the previous night up in Napa, visiting my mom and grandmother.  This was a long day with a stop in Petaluma to see Leo's operation, a fast hike through the Muir Woods, and then a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge to catch its majesty at sunset.I'm sure locals know this spot very well, but I found it thanks to Google Earth.  I knew it would be a cool spot, but driving to these spots is always a bit sketchy when you have never been there before.  It appeared to be a simple jog off Highway 1, and it actually was.  It's nice when something that looks easy ends up actually being easy!  This isn't usually the case.  Even better, the wind wasn't howling a mile a minute, which I think can happen around here if you don't watch out!After I took this, I could hardly wait to get back home to process the final image.  I don't know about y'all, but I find the post-processing just as fun as the actual shooting... I really get a kick out of it!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The State Capitol of Texas at Dusk I went down on Saturday evening to do some shooting around Austin and caught the capitol around sunset.  There are all kinds of interesting things about the Texas capitol, like this cool underground Illuminati chamber you can see here, but the one thing that all Texans seem to know is that our capitol is 14 feet taller than the one in D.C.  This is a source of pride for Texans, along with the cool and trivial fact that we maintain, in our state constitution, the right to secede from the Union.The capitol is made out of this pink granite, and it gets a little pinker at night at soon as they turn on the lights, especially against the blue sky.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
La Ville de Paris Gets Ready for Night I was on the hill in the Montmartre part of Paris just after the sun had set.  I pointed the camera over the sprawl of the city just as the lights were coming on for the evening.  I made it my personal mission to walk down into the city that evening, meander around, and visit at least three pastry shops and eat a silly number of desserts.  I tricked myself into thinking that I might be burning a lot of calories by doing so much walking.  It's amazing how easily I was able to justify French desserts.Trey's Tip:  While taking photos, it's good to have a few side-quests to keep an eye out for.  In my case, it's eating pastries.  This is not the healthiest side-goal, but it's a fun one!  Anyway, my point is that you don't just have to be a "photography machine" -- you can always do a few things at the same time to enrich the overall experience.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Megopolis Hong Kong - What Happens Around Dusk Believe it or not, there is a small documentary being filmed about me.  I don't know what to think about it - only to assume it is going to be rather boring!  I think it is going to be a lot like Grizzly Man, just without the bear.As this gal is going about her process of gathering materials, she asked me for a few of the original shots from Hong Kong so she can show them during the documentary.  I was going back through my old shots, and found that I had never processed THIS one of Hong Kong, which has a really moody dusk sky, so I spent a few hours to clean it up for publication.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Le Arc de Triumph from the Champs-Élysées This wonderful landmark is always fun, but challenging, to photograph.  It's right in the middle of a roundabout that is as dangerous as that thing Bond got stuck in to test G-forces in Moonraker.  There was a recent rain, and the Champs-Élysées was shiny and perfect in the cool dusk air.  I set up and kept the f stop as high as possible so that the French passerby would fall out of the frame during the long exposure.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Setting Sun and the Farm As I was leaving a network of jagged roads through some mountains at the end of a fjord, I emerged out into this Icelandic fertile crescent of sorts.  There were tiny farms all over the countryside and they looked very nice while the sun was setting, so I grabbed this shot to remember it!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Megopolis Hong Kong - What Happens Around Dusk


Believe it or not, there is a small documentary being filmed about me. I don't know what to think about it - only to assume it is going to be rather boring! I think it is going to be a lot like Grizzly Man, just without the bear.

As this gal is going about her process of gathering materials, she asked me for a few of the original shots from Hong Kong so she can show them during the documentary. I was going back through my old shots, and found that I had never processed THIS one of Hong Kong, which has a really moody dusk sky, so I spent a few hours to clean it up for publication.

- Trey Ratcliff

Click here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Click here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog." href="javascript:openLB(742623383,'',XLarge,'',1024,677);">The Megopolis Hong Kong - What Happens Around Dusk Believe it or not, there is a small documentary being filmed about me.  I don't know what to think about it - only to assume it is going to be rather boring!  I think it is going to be a lot like Grizzly Man, just without the bear.As this gal is going about her process of gathering materials, she asked me for a few of the original shots from Hong Kong so she can show them during the documentary.  I was going back through my old shots, and found that I had never processed THIS one of Hong Kong, which has a really moody dusk sky, so I spent a few hours to clean it up for publication.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Megopolis Hong Kong - What Happens Around Dusk


Believe it or not, there is a small documentary being filmed about me. I don't know what to think about it - only to assume it is going to be rather boring! I think it is going to be a lot like Grizzly Man, just without the bear.

As this gal is going about her process of gathering materials, she asked me for a few of the original shots from Hong Kong so she can show them during the documentary. I was going back through my old shots, and found that I had never processed THIS one of Hong Kong, which has a really moody dusk sky, so I spent a few hours to clean it up for publication.

- Trey Ratcliff

Click here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
See photo in original gallery.