Stuck in Customs – Trey Ratcliff's Travel Photography blog with daily inspiration to motivate you!

Stuck In Customs

My daily travel blog to inspire and get you motivated!

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Long Road to Montana

Daily Photo – Long Road to Montana

This is the road I got stuck on after my 4-wheeler caught on fire. Now, of course, I had all my photography equipment with me… who wouldn’t take a whole host of photo equipment on a 4-wheeler joyride? I don’t know! I mean, you gotta be ready just in case the dang thing catches on fire!

Long Road to Montana

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2008-08-10 21:37:20
  • CameraNIKON D2Xs
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time1/10
  • Aperture8
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length10.0 mm
  • FlashNo Flash
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias+2

Machine Elf #118 – “We Cut Ourselves Off” (8K 360 version)

Here’s that recent Machine Elf, now in glorious 8K/360! 🙂

Over Laucala Island

Daily Photo – Over Laucala Island

Here’s one of the many amazing villas that are scattered around the resort at Laucala Island in Fiji. It’s one of those situations where you never see your neighbors and you feel incredibly private. So private, in fact, that I spent most of my time inside and outside completely nude. I don’t know why I needed an adverb in front of nude. The word itself is already complete.

Over Laucala Island

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2019-01-26 18:46:26
  • CameraFC2204
  • Camera MakeDJI
  • Exposure Time1/400
  • Aperture3.8
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length8.6 mm
  • FlashNo Flash
  • Exposure ProgramProgram AE
  • Exposure Bias

Film View of the High Line in New York City

Daily Photo – Film View of the High Line in New York City

I recently re-worked a few of my older photos for an exhibition with Vanity Fair and the Oscars. There was to be a bit of a “film” feel, for obvious reasons, so I went back and used various cross-processing techniques for the shots. This is a process where you push the whites into one color space and the blacks into another. Every scene is completely different, so I may start with a preset but then push it into another direction.

Film View of the High Line in New York City

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2009-11-21 13:37:19
  • CameraNIKON D3X
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time1/30
  • Aperture11
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length17.0 mm
  • FlashNo Flash
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias+2

Crossing the Sahara

Daily Photo – Crossing the Sahara

I had an amazing and rather hot time in the Sahara. To get this photo, I had to go up a huge dune on foot. I gave my own camel a break and decided to walk up. How hard could it be, I figured. Even with my past troublesome dune experiences. I figured wrong. And that night, I got so dizzy and sick, then realized it was probably because I hardly had any water… even though I’ve seen thousands and thousands of shows and movies about people not drinking enough water in the desert, I was so excited that I forgot to drink water!

Crossing the Sahara

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-03-08 06:48:55
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/160
  • Aperture5
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length70.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Te Arai in the Evening Light

Daily Photo – Te Arai in the Evening Light

Here’s a photo from my road trip around the North Island of New Zealand. This is one of the coolest golf courses in the world called Tara Iti. It runs right along the beach and when the sun gets low, you get some pretty incredible shadows along the fairways. I like shooting on golf courses, but I don’t always like making it obvious it’s a golf course. I like the idea that it’s a beautiful place that’s just convenient for playing golf if you want to.

Te Arai in the Evening Light

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2020-08-05 00:00:50
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/640
  • Aperture5.6
  • ISO250
  • Focal Length86.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

We Are Made From Stars – 8K 360

Welcome to a very different Machine Elf creation (This time re-rendered in 360)! All my latest ones seem to be my favorite, but this one definitely gives a new perspective on the cinematic quality and storytelling of fractals. This creation was incredibly complex and took about a month for the visuals and another month for the music from Joshua Ryan. We’ve been collaborating on this one forever and now it is finally ready for release!

This creation explores how incredible complexity and the fabric of the universe could possibly be boiled down to a few combined fractal equations. I’ve always been fascinated by the fabric of the reality around us. Maybe it’s just math, or a higher order of mathematical formulas that collide with different sorts of energies. It’s really hard to say, eh? All these Machine Elf creations explore different facets from the same jewel of the reality that is being built around us all the time.

Mountains and Valleys in Switzerland

Daily Photo – Mountains and Valleys in Switzerland

The light was hitting this valley in the most amazing way. I’d like to say I was patient and waited on the perfect lighting. I wasn’t. I was just very lucky and happened to be in the right place at the right time. I’m not sure of the name of that peak there on the right… anyone know?

Mountains and Valleys in Switzerland

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2011-07-25 13:41:42
  • CameraNIKON D3X
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time1/30
  • Aperture6.7
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length90.0 mm
  • FlashNo Flash
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Wolf Attack

Daily Photo – Wolf Attack

This is one of the many cool sculptures at The Hills country club in Arrowtown. The guy that owns it is Michael Hill, who also owns one of my prints and hangs it in his home here which is located on the golf course.

Wolf Attack

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2018-05-17 09:58:40
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/500
  • Aperture8
  • ISO200
  • Focal Length63.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Machine Elf 122 – Everything Connected

In my various journeys “to the other side” I’ve had a repeated message from the entities that not only everything is connected, but we are all in one in a beautiful and crazy dance together. This has always been one of my favorite Jon Hopkins tunes. It’s incredibly complicated with wild layers, so I built a series of hybrid fractals to explore the visual space around the song and take you on your own journey of visual meditation. Enjoy.