Norse God
The Pillars of God This is an awesome church in Paris.  These places are great to photograph.   I believe this one was taken inside Le Sacre Coeur up near the altar.   At the PhotoWalk, I had a few questions about how to get a tripod into a church, of all things!  I wrote up a 10-step guide for this sort of activity a while ago that you can view at your leisure!I'm spending the weekend in Atlanta.  It's about 10 degrees cooler than Austin here, which means it's still inhumanly hot!  I did get a chance to do a little shooting this evening.  I'll see if I can grab the sunset tomorrow night!  I don't yet have a good Atlanta shot...  I'll hope for some good clouds!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Anyone Want to Join Me at the Beach for a Good Conversation? I’ll take the seat on the left… no… okay, the one on the right. It’s alright… sit in whichever one you like. Where should we put our drinks? Ahhh the grass will be fine… okay, now, what to discuss? So many places to start!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Dante's Gates of Hell This is Rodin's huge famous La Porte de l"Enfer, also known as the Gates of Hell.  I found it off to the side of the Musee Rodin in Paris while I was in a tempestuous mood.  The sculpture depicts a scene from Dante's "The Inferno".  It contains over 180 of his finest sculptures.  If you look closely towards the center of the top, you can see "The Thinker", one of his most famous.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
A Little Place I Found on the Way to Dinner in Germany I wish I could walk to dinner every night and find little places like this along the way. Since I carry my tripod and camera just about everywhere, I'd always be ready in case something like this pops up!This was shot in Halle, Germany, just a short train ride from Leipzig.  I love how these old churches are often lit with orange lights... I think it always makes them look nice against the blue dusky skies.Setting up the tripod for these evening HDRs always allows you to set the ISO as low as possible, and in aperture priority mode, the shutter will stay open for a long time, letting those clouds drift by and drag light across the lens.  It gives a nice feel to the shot and makes the church look even more timeless and solid.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The High Altar and the Inner Cloister of Notre Dame This is one place they do not like you to use a tripod — inside Notre Dame. I stuffed it down beside my leg inside my overcoat and acted like an invalid, limping in to pray to the pantheon of saints. Once inside, I dropped the rouse and extended the tripod like a transformer and shot away. I got off enough right before they told me to stop in rather polite French.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
A Godly Dance at the Taj I was barefoot like the rest of them.The day must have been around 95 degrees and as stuffy as can be, but the cool marble seemed to keep me from being drenched in sweat.  After a long walk, I had finally made it to the inner core of the Taj Mahal, around the main tomb structure where pilgrims from all over the country had gravitated.  The faithful coiled in long lines and snaked their way around the complex, waiting patiently to reflect at the megamausoleum and communing with the god of their choice.  How could a billion people be wrong?When I travel, I actually always enjoy talking to Indians (or whoever) about their religion.  Here is a little thing I do... I'm not sure it's totally ethical since I say the same thing over and over, but I enjoy seeing people's reaction as a probe a panoply of personalities.  Inevitably, when I'm in a taxi or man-powered trike-mobile, there is some sort of deity that is jiggling about on the dashboard or handlebars.  It can be anyone from Shiva to Brahma to Vishnu to Krishna to Ganesha and beyond.So, I always ask, "Who is the god to whom you pay reverence?"They respond quickly and directly, usually naming one from of the top ten from the pantheon of possibilities.I respond back, in all seriousness, "Oh!  He is a very powerful god!"To this, they always turn to me and nod gravely.My guide there was from no from one of the traditional Hindu sects -- he was a Jain.  The Jain don't recognize the divine origins of the Vedas (made popular in the US from Oppenheimer's re-quote after testing the Bomb), nor do they believe in any one supreme deity.  They instead revere Tirthankaras who have raised themselves to divine perfection.  So anyway, if you ever try out the little trick above, don't bother with a Jain because they will just give you a funny look and a wobble of inconsequential solitude.So if any of you get the chance to go, I recommend it.  The people are all nice as can be and very eager to engage in conversation about just about everything.  Or, of you've already been, then you know what I mean!By the way, this comes from my new Lucis Tutorial.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Wrath of the Norse Gods Hewn from stone, the temple spire awaits my approach, making my chest rattle with thunder.This is Hallgrímskirkja, a church in downtown Reykjavik, Iceland.  It is built to resemble an ancient area of the countryside, near a waterfall, where stones in these shapes were found as part of a natural geological formation.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
A Votive in the Dark Cathedral I love a scary cathedral.  They can put you in such a melancholy and gloomy mood if you want them too.  You can feel the overbearing saints from above judging your moves, and giving you a few bonus points in the big game if you light one of the votives.  In a scientific study, it was proven than a votive makes a prayer 35% more likely to be granted.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Norse God
Norse God
Norse God
See photo in original gallery.