Girl Carrying Basket in China These out-of-the-way places are some of the best for photography because the locals actually like photographers from the west. About 98% of the time they find us interesting and worthy of a smile. They seem to like the attention we give them with our cameras and there are many smiles to be had.I don’t take a lot of photos of people smiling, because I like to take photos before people notice or right as soon as they notice. Usually though, everyone smiles after I take a few… I do a few facial maneuvers so that they feel more comfy.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Kids in the BathsThis is my oldest son, Ethan, holding my youngest daughter, Scarlett.I took the NEX-7 (see my ever-updating Sony NEX-7 Review) into the amazing waters of The Baths in Virgin Gorda. I feel more comfy taking my NEX-7 into “risky” situations because it is so small and light. It’s still fairly expensive, so that is a worry (!!), but I do find myself getting “more” shots with this camera in certain situations like this.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Girl in Japan While walking down a busy street in Kyoto, most of the people were in regular clothes.  And, by "regular clothes", I mean that the Japanese are often quite stylish dressers.  There is something unique about the Japanese style that varies from other Asian cultures.  They have a different kind of fashion sense, and it's usually very smart.  They dress in a lot of layers, fine cloths, nice textures, and somewhat fanciful.  Maybe you know what I mean.On occasion, I would see traditional girls wearing kimonos, drifting in and out of various shops.  This girl was taking small steps while leaving the shop,- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
This is Sujatmi Sujatmi’s dream is that her grandkids grow up to be brave and smart. She is currently sitting in a makeshift annex area in a bustling riverside community in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Dozens of tiny thatched and improvised houses are cobbled together and brightly painted. There are kids running around and other adults running after them, trying to get them to sit still so they can begin school. I’ve accidentally interrupted the whole affair while getting confused in the tiny alleys, no wider than a set of shoulders. She’s thrilled by the excitement as she looks on, nodding at me and the kids. - Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Pretty Girl in Cherry Blossoms I started riding the wave of the cherry blossom bloom in Osaka before ending up here in Kyoto.  All the news stations in Japan have a long nightly report that shows a fluttering line of pink cherry blossoms that flow across the map from the west to the east.It's a huge national celebration -- and it's really fun to be part of the sensation.  There are hundreds of tiny and large parks all over the country that have cultivated gardens of these special trees.  I visited a few dozen, and I enjoyed wandering around taking photos while the blossoms fell down like gentle pink snow.  Millions of Japanese people also go out to enjoy the event.  This girl was standing alone under a tree, taking photos and just sort of smiling, enjoying everything.  I gave her the international sign for "mind if I take a photo???"  She gave me a little bow along with a mouth-covering giggle before relaxing into a smile.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Indian Family on Motorcycle When traveling around outside of the usual spots, I continually see entire families on motorcycles. This one is in India, but I’ve seen this all over southeast Asia as well… but don’t think I ever posted a photo!The most I have ever seen is five people on a motorcycle from the same family. Usually two of the kids are crammed between the parents with the baby or smallest on the very front. The motorcycles are usually tiny and loud, darting in and out of traffic. These are usually very hard to photograph — I don’t dare use a flash or else I might make the dad crash the motorcycle! That would be a little too much… so I just crank up my ISO and hope for a good angle.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Guardian of the Tomb I sometimes mistakenly call the Taj Mahal a "temple".  There is a fleet of people ready to jump down my throat and tell me, in no uncertain terms, that it is most certainly a tomb.  Of course, whenever I do call it a temple, these are all honest mistakes; I'm always a bit flummoxed as to why people get so agitated.Anyway, besides all that mess, I thought you might enjoy this photo I grabbed of one of the gentleman guards of the tomb.  I slipped on my 70-200mm lens (See my NIkon 70-200mm Review) to get both the guard and the tomb compressed in the background. I was a little worried that he would see me lurking about, aiming a giant lens at his head.  So, I took shots quickly then moved on...  I had no burning desire to make a guy like that angry.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
From Trey Ratcliff at www.stuckincustoms.com
Flying on a Harley This is the subject of one of the other new videos in the newsletter.  It speaks to a common problem many people have when uploading photos online.  Sometimes, I've noticed, they don't look the same on Flickr as the do on my home computer!  That's no good... I figured out the best way to do it and put it in a little video for you.  You can get to it here at the ColorSpace Video- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Girl in Japan


While walking down a busy street in Kyoto, most of the people were in regular clothes. And, by "regular clothes", I mean that the Japanese are often quite stylish dressers. There is something unique about the Japanese style that varies from other Asian cultures. They have a different kind of fashion sense, and it's usually very smart. They dress in a lot of layers, fine cloths, nice textures, and somewhat fanciful. Maybe you know what I mean.

On occasion, I would see traditional girls wearing kimonos, drifting in and out of various shops. This girl was taking small steps while leaving the shop,

- Trey Ratcliff

Click here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Girl in Japan


While walking down a busy street in Kyoto, most of the people were in regular clothes. And, by "regular clothes", I mean that the Japanese are often quite stylish dressers. There is something unique about the Japanese style that varies from other Asian cultures. They have a different kind of fashion sense, and it's usually very smart. They dress in a lot of layers, fine cloths, nice textures, and somewhat fanciful. Maybe you know what I mean.

On occasion, I would see traditional girls wearing kimonos, drifting in and out of various shops. This girl was taking small steps while leaving the shop,

- Trey Ratcliff

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