The Mini-Land of San Francisco Everyone always seems to like San Francisco, eh?  It's one of those places that people either have fond memories of, or an ongoing feeling like they need to go there.I know some photographers are probably familiar with this tilt-shift type of shot.  For those of you not familiar with it, there is a way to take photos and convert them into something that looks like a miniature.  You can do it in-camera with a certain kind of lens, or afterwards with some post-processing.  I don't do a lot of tilt-shift stuff, but I thought I would share this one!- 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.
The Secret Underwater Passage This was shot under the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas where they have this lavish aquarium.  It's really gorgeous and dreamy under there, as you can tell.  This area has all kinds of sharks and other wild-lookin' things that were swimming all around me.  I was fortunate enough to take a private tour of the place thanks to the nice people at the MGM/Mirage management company, who also owns the Mandalay Bay.  That allowed me to take the time I needed to set up this 5-exposure HDR shot without tourists getting in the way.One time I did find a nurse shark in the Caribbean.  It was a baby.  I followed it for a while until it occurred to me that it might be swimming back to its mom.  That sudden realization made me turn around pretty quick.All of this underwater stuff reminds me of watching those Discovery channel shows about strange ocean creatures.  I swear I could watch those things all day.  I can't get over how some of these things have evolved to fit their environment... just amazing.  My favorite creatures are cephalopods ... I never get tired of those documentaries!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Alone at the Beach I can't tell you how many times I've spent mornings and evenings on the beach by myself.  I think it's quite alright, and I don't entirely mind it at the time.For me, it is even more strange, I think.  Because I always have my camera with me, I suppose I'm not really alone because you are there too, along with the tens of thousands of others.  We're there at slightly different times, but still there together with the moment frozen.  I'm not sure I can be good company to everyone at the same time, but there are always certain people with whom bare toes on the beach would be more than welcome.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
There's a pool party at sunset - everyone mark your chair with a towel I have the pool reserved for all of us! Be sure to mark down what you'll be bringing along (and if you are on Flickr mark your chair with a note)!I think pretty much all kinds of food and drink are welcome. I'll bring a BBQ pit and an ambulance in case there are any problems. And I hope someone brings a boom box. Are they still called that? I don't know. Maybe that means it will be a lame party because I don't even know if they are called boom boxes any more, but I'm sure I'm not the only one that will bring a bit of 80's music.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Lighthouse This is one desolate place. I was on the coast of Iceland where the sea and the wind were absolutely ripping their way past the lighthouse. I always imagine what it is like to be inside of one of those lighthouses, all night long through the winter. I can’t even envision what that would be like, and after only a short time there in the icy wind, I got the willies and was happy to get out of there.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Morning Seagull over Vesuvius This was the morning that made me never question getting out of bed before sunrise again.  It's always a painful thing to do, but once you get out there, it's usually worth it.  Even if you don't get the perfect shot, you still have a nice early start to the day.  I shot this in Naples, Italy, where the bay looks across to the cratered Vesuvius.  This shot was an HDR taken from a single RAW, as you can tell from the seagull which was caught in flight.  Moving subjects usually require the use of a single RAW file for the creation of the HDR.  Otherwise, there would be a staccato ghosting of the bird across the sunrise.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Edge of Iceland at Sunset This is the latest photo I have processed with Lucis Pro 6.0 -- there are several more samples in the Tutorial- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Blue Before the Storm This was taken literally five minutes before I got drenched to go under the shade and drink coffee for an hour, stranded with my camera, imagining my panacea of Photomatix later in the day.- 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 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(742623246,'',XLarge,'',997,768);">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.

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 Ratcliff

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