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Burning Through the Clouds - Angkor Wat in the Morning Morning at Angkor Wat was a very cool experience. It was very muggy — the kind of muggy that makes you just give up and give in to being covered in sweat. I wasn’t going to any dinner parties, so I figured it was okay. Moving around the complex to get photos from many perspectives was a lot of fun… this place was a treat to compose.- 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.
Monkey Love A male monkey and his mate relax near an ancient naga at the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.This is the first shot from a new upcoming tutorial that describes some new techniques with which I am experimenting. I hope you like it!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Lost Hindu Temple in the Jungle Mist If you want to see how I made this (and how you can too!), visit my HDR Tutorial. I hope it gives you some new tricks!I took an afternoon hike in the remote area of Java just outside the town of Jogjakarta to explore this temple. It's called Prambanan, and it was built around 850 CE.The rain was pouring down, which left me and Will there pretty much alone, except for a few wild deer in the area. I waited through the rain because I knew if it cleared there would be a great sunset. I had a little baggy over my camera to keep it dry until everything passed...While waiting on the rain to stop, I walked around and did more up close exploration of the temples of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma, which were three of the largest in the complex. All the temple blocks were on the edge of collapse, after many centuries of Indonesian earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Swallowing the Ruins - Trey Ratcliff I made it to the heart of Ta Prohm, an undisturbed Bayon ruin out the outskirts of Angkor Wat. It was late in the day and there was a break in the afternoon summer showers.To me, the best thing about these temples and ruins is that you can go anywhere, high or low, safe or not. There are hundreds of tiny nooks, old broken stone doors, lost hallways, and mysterious carvings peeking out of the overgrowth. There are no tort-related legal signs barring you from going anywhere... explorer beware. Besides, if you got injured, the jungle and insects would eat you alive before the night was over.As soon as I walked into Ta Prohm, the thunder started rumbling around and dappled clouds rolled in. The rain started and stopped several times, so I would take refuge in crumbling crypts and hallways until the rain let up. I took some wrong turns, but I eventually ended up here with a break in the storm. I popped out with the 10 mm get this shot.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Monkey Love


A male monkey and his mate relax near an ancient naga at the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

This is the first shot from a new upcoming tutorial that describes some new techniques with which I am experimenting. I hope you like it!

- 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(742621934,'',XLarge,'',546,768);">Monkey Love A male monkey and his mate relax near an ancient naga at the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.This is the first shot from a new upcoming tutorial that describes some new techniques with which I am experimenting. I hope you like it!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Monkey Love


A male monkey and his mate relax near an ancient naga at the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

This is the first shot from a new upcoming tutorial that describes some new techniques with which I am experimenting. I hope you like it!

- Trey Ratcliff

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