Romance in India - Pinterest Edition My first impression of romance in India came from Bollywood.  I was pretty sure that everyone fell in love then spent a long time dancing around a grapefruit tree.    There are other dancers involved, nearby, of course, as well as a series of fountains, slow-motion cattle, Hinduesque yodeling.But then, after being there, I saw romance was the same as just about everywhere else.  I did capture this couple together, exploring Humayun’s Tomb in the middle of Delhi.  Enjoy!- Trey RatcliffSee the entire Pinterest Exhibition here.The original photo can be found here.
The Hearst Tomb Thomas Hawk brought me to this cemetery. He always takes me to the most romantic places.He remarked (and he is right) that he is surprised that Hearst has such a “small” tomb. It does seem rather understated, compared to the other monstrosities he built. But maybe he’s just being a little bit humble in his tomb. It’s hard to say…This photo was pretty much pitch black with a little bit of light that would collect over time. This is what I got out of a 30 second exposure at f/6.7.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read this entire post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Dark Temple Corridor in Morning Mist at 4 AM I arrived at the temple of Borobudur a little after 4 AM. I had a tiny disposable flashlight, and, other than my driver idling about a mile away, I was the only person here. In fact, it was my second day in a row to do this, since I had so much fun the first. I was there with my friend Will, and he decided to sleep in the second day… but I had a few shots in mind I wanted to grab before the sun came up. There were these strange argon lights around the temple to light up areas of excavation. They cast a gloomy and surreal light on the Buddhist reliefs that make concentric circles up to the top. I was able to get about 45 minutes of nice darkness with unexpected light until the sun started to appear over the nearby volcanoes and jungle mist. - 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.
Once You're Dead, it's Too Late I don't know why I enjoy visiting cemeteries so much.  They are great motivators for me, really... to get out there and start doin' stuff.I try not to let things I really want to do go by the wayside, but some things can't be controlled, I assume.  I certainly go through life with a no-fear attitude, and I guess I shouldn't expect everyone around me to be exactly the same...Anyway, maybe cemeteries only make me think this way about stuff, especially desolate, remote cemeteries like this one in the cold windy plains of southern Iceland.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Romance in India My first impression of romance in India came from Bollywood.  I was pretty sure that everyone fell in love then spent a long time dancing around a grapefruit tree.    There are other dancers involved, nearby, of course, as well as a series of fountains, slow-motion cattle, Hinduesque yodeling.But then, after being there, I saw romance was the same as just about everywhere else.  I did capture this couple together, exploring Humayun's Tomb in the middle of Delhi.  Enjoy!- 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 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 Timeless Tomb The Taj Mahal is an awesome place. I spent the day taking photos of the place, and I was dog-tired when it was all done.  Plus, my feet were hella dirty.  You have to take off your shoes there.  It turned out, actually, to keep me pretty cool.  It was a very hot day; the marble was nice and cool on my feet.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Romance in India


My first impression of romance in India came from Bollywood. I was pretty sure that everyone fell in love then spent a long time dancing around a grapefruit tree. There are other dancers involved, nearby, of course, as well as a series of fountains, slow-motion cattle, Hinduesque yodeling.

But then, after being there, I saw romance was the same as just about everywhere else. I did capture this couple together, exploring Humayun's Tomb in the middle of Delhi. Enjoy!

- 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(742624581,'',XLarge,'',502,768);">Romance in India My first impression of romance in India came from Bollywood.  I was pretty sure that everyone fell in love then spent a long time dancing around a grapefruit tree.    There are other dancers involved, nearby, of course, as well as a series of fountains, slow-motion cattle, Hinduesque yodeling.But then, after being there, I saw romance was the same as just about everywhere else.  I did capture this couple together, exploring Humayun's Tomb in the middle of Delhi.  Enjoy!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Romance in India


My first impression of romance in India came from Bollywood. I was pretty sure that everyone fell in love then spent a long time dancing around a grapefruit tree. There are other dancers involved, nearby, of course, as well as a series of fountains, slow-motion cattle, Hinduesque yodeling.

But then, after being there, I saw romance was the same as just about everywhere else. I did capture this couple together, exploring Humayun's Tomb in the middle of Delhi. Enjoy!

- Trey Ratcliff

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