Where the Princess Dwells at Night…
I called for a little PhotoWalk at Disney! It was really really really fun - and getting this shot was tough! I think +William Beem +Gilmar Smith +Keith Barrett or perhaps +Ali Elhajj got a video of me trying to convince half a dozen Disney workers to "sweep water" in front of my camera, which was splayed on the ground. At first, one guy didn't want to do it because he might get in trouble... then the other acquiesced... and then, before they knew it, they were all being controlled like crystal farmers in Starcraft... we eventually got all the water in the right place!I had to go over and whip out my sweet Android phone to show them some photos from Google+ -- I found the one from Paris with the puddle - I said I needed a puddle about thiiiiis big … and eventually we got it all engineered out. They were all very helpful and nice… I convinced them all to come onto Google+ to see the final result -- so I hope they are here! Hi guys - Y muchas gracias!- Trey RatcliffRead the rest at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Old Market
I have another Disneyworld trip coming up, and I was reminded of this place.  This is Epcot, one of the best spots for photography at sunset and into the evening.This area makes me long to go to some of these places for real.  It's all so wonderfully fake around Disney, but that is nice in its own way.  I have several more places in the Middle East to visit, and I hope to make that happen over the next few years.  Before I actually decide on a place and land on the shores of Tripoli, I'll be sure to blog about it!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Sometimes, I’d rather be in Disney World Actually, maybe I should change that title to: "I think I'd like to always be in Disney World!" They shoot off fireworks every night in the Magic Kingdom, and I feel bad if I miss it.  I'm sure that's a strange thing to feel bad about...  To get everything in, I have to plan the days and nights like a neo-Clark Griswald to ensure the perfect storm of technology meets up with whatever spectacular events are happening that day.  For this shot, I had got reservations three months in advance at the California Grill restaurant, which has a nice majestic view of the show, as the restaurant empties out onto the roof of the Contemporary Resort.  There is not much of a viewing area up there, and there were a bunch of people around me while I tried to get my tripod in place.  I could deal with the crowds and fleshy shouldering, but the one thing that always annoys me is people beside me with little cameras that use their flashes to take photos of something a mile away.  Sometimes they see I have a big camera, and they turn to ask for advice.  They ask, "Do you think my flash helps?"  I am really a totally nice and approachable guy, but since this is one of the very few things that annoy me, I usually just give them a shameful negative nod of the head.This doesn't have anything to do with the shot, but I had some great sushi in that restaurant.  It was made by a Japanese female sushi chef, and she is one of only three "official" sushi chefs in the world (or so the matri'd told me).  The Japanese do not let women be sushi chefs normally, as their hands are too "weak".- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Endeavor to the Beyond
This photo was a bit of an accident.

I was as close as humanly possible to the launch, on the edge of the media area in the NASA compound. When the shuttle blasts off, there is a long delay before you hear the thing. Right when I took this, the first staccato wave ripped through my skeleton. I think I just hit the trigger out of fear and shock combined! But, it came out pretty good, all the same.

- Trey Ratcliff

Read the rest here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Shuttle Rips Space/Time at the End of an Era
I'll try to describe the sound.  

Since this is as close as you can get, and this is 3 miles away, it takes a while for the sound to get to you. And it does rush across the water in a rumbling, tumbling way like you might expect. But then, after that, something other than sound starts to come across the water. It's a series of concussive waves that vibrate your entire skeleton and thrum through your soul. It's not a steady din of vibration, but a violent staccato rhythm of unseen forces that cause a tremulous cadence around and through your chest.  This is the final space shuttle launch of our lives. 

And so we could not help but be reminded of this finality when this unearthly sound combined with the final sight of the lonely craft arcing away into space.

- Trey Ratcliff

Read more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Final Night of the Space Shuttle I was completely soaked after laying in mosquito-invested waters for an uncomfortably long time. At one point, a concerned French news reporter came up to me and said, "Excuse me, but you're quite covered in bugs." It must have been pretty bad for him to come over and say that... I think perhaps he thought I was dead because I stayed in the same position for so long, trying to zen-focus on the shot.  This is the Space Shuttle Atlantis, in case you do not know. It's also the final space shuttle launch, ever. So, it's incredibly special, and I'm happy I got to spend time with the ship on its final night.- Trey RatcliffRead more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Old Market


I have another Disneyworld trip coming up, and I was reminded of this place. This is Epcot, one of the best spots for photography at sunset and into the evening.

This area makes me long to go to some of these places for real. It's all so wonderfully fake around Disney, but that is nice in its own way. I have several more places in the Middle East to visit, and I hope to make that happen over the next few years. Before I actually decide on a place and land on the shores of Tripoli, I'll be sure to blog about it!

- Trey Ratcliff

Click here to read the rest at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Click here to read the rest at the Stuck in Customs blog." href="javascript:openLB(1707335857,'',XLarge,'',1024,703);">The Old Market
I have another Disneyworld trip coming up, and I was reminded of this place.  This is Epcot, one of the best spots for photography at sunset and into the evening.This area makes me long to go to some of these places for real.  It's all so wonderfully fake around Disney, but that is nice in its own way.  I have several more places in the Middle East to visit, and I hope to make that happen over the next few years.  Before I actually decide on a place and land on the shores of Tripoli, I'll be sure to blog about it!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Old Market


I have another Disneyworld trip coming up, and I was reminded of this place. This is Epcot, one of the best spots for photography at sunset and into the evening.

This area makes me long to go to some of these places for real. It's all so wonderfully fake around Disney, but that is nice in its own way. I have several more places in the Middle East to visit, and I hope to make that happen over the next few years. Before I actually decide on a place and land on the shores of Tripoli, I'll be sure to blog about it!

- Trey Ratcliff

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