River to the Maelstrom To honor ReadWriteWeb and its founder, the great Richard MacManus, I decided to post a new photo from his homeland of New Zealand today.On the way to Milford Sound, there are a variety of little rivers that twist and turn into the mountains.  I didn't have nearly enough time, but I did a small amount of hiking to find some good compositions.   - Trey Ratcliff There's a ton of other stuff in this post, which can be found here at stuckincustoms.com.
About to Explore Milford Sound Milford Sound was one of the three places that everyone in New Zealand told me I had to visit.  And after arriving there, I'm glad I did!  It was a bit foggy and cloudy while I was there, but it made for a nice mood.  The light rain would get a bit annoying on the lens, but we all learn to deal with these little bummer things that happen.  Nothing is perfect and nothing is easy...  - Trey Ratcliff Read the rest of this entry here.
The Lime Couches One of my favorite sites for finding boutique hotels is Tablet Hotels.  They are not an advertiser or anything...  I just wanted to thank them for having an awesome service!  I quite like staying at boutique hotels.  These are usually smaller, quaint, with unexpected interiors.  Often times, I like them better than the huge hotels because they seem more intimate and I sometimes get more personalized services.This hotel is The Magnolia in Houston.  At least, I am 95% sure that is the name of the place!  It was one of those I found on Tablet...  give it a try next time you travel and let me know if you like it too!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
A Morning at the Secret Lake This was shot in the Andes of Southern Argentina just near the border of Chile.I spent several hours of hiking in the dark just so I could get to this spot at sunrise.  All the darkness in the lower half is the shadow of the mountain behind me as the morning sun rose above it.  I was so thirsty from the hike, and had not brought any water with me.  Looking on Google Earth beforehand, I knew there was a lake up here and I could fill up… so I got down on my hands and knees and drank like a horse…  oh boy that was some good fresh water…  You can see my little footprints in the snow there on the left.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Solar Flower - The Giant Robot of Buenos Aires This thing is enormous.  In grinds and churns as it follows the sun.  The metallic petals flex and bend with the light as the sun sweeps across the sky.  I had never seen anything like it in my life.  It sits in a park and public walking area of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  I walked around it for a while to get a good angle of the monster.  My tripod was stuck in customs, so I had to do this one handheld... and do my best to keep the camera as steady as a T-1000.In less than 24 hours, I will endeavor to introduce a new type of photography to you guys.  I don't have a name for it.  It's experimental.  You'll have to help me come up with a good name for the technique.  People that get the Newsletter (it's free!) will get a sneak peak tomorrow a little early.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
La Recoleta - The Crypts of Buenos Aires We are getting ever-closer to the release of the new Stuck In Customs Textures tutorial.  The video is now over 90-minutes long and it's full of all sorts of examples and new techniques that I've figured out over the past few years.  I'll go ahead and post the results of one of the finished products.  I recorded video live of all these things... didn't know how they would turn out before I started.  I kept it live and voiced aloud my "thinking process" around accomplishing these images.Everyone who has bought a previous Textures Tutorial will get a coupon for either the same level of product or an upgrade to a new "Ultimate Package".  The coupons will be very fair because we want to take care of all previous buyers.This shot is another from the outdoor crypt area of Buenos Aires called La Ricoleta.  The airlines lost my bags, so I did not have my tripod!  I had to walk around this awesome place without a tripod.  So I had to do everything I could to wedge myself against statues and scary-spikey-gargoyles to try to stay stable.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
A Sunset on a Texas Farm This photo was shot about two hours outside of Austin in a little town called Brady.  You'd like it.  They have a Sonic there.  This was a 5-exposure HDR shot at f/16.  This kept everything in focus and kept the shutter open long enough to let the clouds drag across the sensor.  In these conditions, you don’t have a lot of time to fool around because the sun is bookin’ it towards the horizon.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Abandoned Harrods in Buenos Aires There are parts of Buenos Aires that are not too safe to walk around by yourself.  This part was not so bad, but there were several abandoned stores around, including this Harrods.  I was surprised to see such a nice store in a state of disrepair, especially after visiting its Valhalla-like anchor in London.  Out front, there was a man playing the violin alone.  It echoed around in a strange way through the acoustics of the tile, the roof, and the lonely streets.  There was a Argentine rhythm he mixed into his playing that really made me feel like I was in a different place.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Glassy Lake Near Antarctica I’m in the middle of working on a full upgrade for the Stuck In Customs Textures Tutorial. I think it’s already very good (only had ONE return in over a year!), but I can do even better. I’ve learned a lot in the past 18 months about this stuff and the technique continues to evolve. As I am working through some new shots for the tutorial, I thought I would go ahead and post this one. It was taken late one afternoon near a glacial lake on the southern edge of Argentina.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Abandoned Harrods in Buenos Aires


There are parts of Buenos Aires that are not too safe to walk around by yourself. This part was not so bad, but there were several abandoned stores around, including this Harrods. I was surprised to see such a nice store in a state of disrepair, especially after visiting its Valhalla-like anchor in London. Out front, there was a man playing the violin alone. It echoed around in a strange way through the acoustics of the tile, the roof, and the lonely streets. There was a Argentine rhythm he mixed into his playing that really made me feel like I was in a different place.

- 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(742622986,'',XLarge,'',707,768);">The Abandoned Harrods in Buenos Aires There are parts of Buenos Aires that are not too safe to walk around by yourself.  This part was not so bad, but there were several abandoned stores around, including this Harrods.  I was surprised to see such a nice store in a state of disrepair, especially after visiting its Valhalla-like anchor in London.  Out front, there was a man playing the violin alone.  It echoed around in a strange way through the acoustics of the tile, the roof, and the lonely streets.  There was a Argentine rhythm he mixed into his playing that really made me feel like I was in a different place.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Abandoned Harrods in Buenos Aires


There are parts of Buenos Aires that are not too safe to walk around by yourself. This part was not so bad, but there were several abandoned stores around, including this Harrods. I was surprised to see such a nice store in a state of disrepair, especially after visiting its Valhalla-like anchor in London. Out front, there was a man playing the violin alone. It echoed around in a strange way through the acoustics of the tile, the roof, and the lonely streets. There was a Argentine rhythm he mixed into his playing that really made me feel like I was in a different place.

- Trey Ratcliff

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