My Favorite Five 500px Photographers

I put my photos at 500px.com/TreyRatcliff and have been having a good time with it! Thomas Hawk first recommended it, and now I see why. I’ve had a good time “collecting” interesting people to follow.

Are these the top 5? I don’t know! But they are the top 5 I have found SO FAR. Who am I missing? Leave comments below…recommend people for me to follow, even recommend yourself!

1) Aleksandra – It’s not just nekkid girls, it’s high art! Hehe… no, really, her work is a must-see. She’s very talented and has a very wide range. I think it is interesting how women photographers choose to take photos of other women… it’s always a bit different. Plus, she’s from the Ukraine, so she has no shortage of subjects. To see some of my favorites, look at these: 1, 2, and 3.

2) Alexander Corvus – This Moscovite is really quite amazing… his work is beautifully post-processed and really has a remarkable vision. He’s given me many ideas and things to think about… this is something I like to see in photography… stuff that makes me wonder and dream.

3) David Lloyd – This Londoner takes fantastic animal photos. I’m really such an average animal photographer… so when I see really good wildlife work, I’m impressed. It’s all well-balanced and smart.

4) Janez Tolar – Another interesting photographer from Slovenia. It’s amazing how many eastern-bloc countries have so many photographers here…I think that is because this site started over there? It’s inspiring to see that so much creativity and range can come out of any country in the world.

5) Thomas Hawk – This obviously is not a ranking of skill… so don’t take the #5 to mean anything… but Thomas has always been a very interesting photographer and a good internet-friend. Plus, he turned me on to 500px, so he gets extra props. Check out his work!

Six Hours in New York – What to do?

I’m connecting at JFK for six hours before going to Iceland…  I have a 6-hour connection time, and I’d like to visit the city a bit.  Now, I have my wife and 10-year-old son with me… so it should be something kinda fun for all of us.  What are your suggestions?  Note that we effectively have 3.5-4 hours with security and re-checkin and whatnot…

Daily Photo – Walking to Dinner in Paris

Today’s photo is another one processed during the new HDR Video Tutorial.

When I go to take photos of famous places, I follow sort of a star-pattern.  Maybe it’s more of a devilish inverted pentagram, but you get the idea…  It’s really hard to imagine how it would look from various compositions, so walking around it…getting closer and getting further… these can help give me idea.

After outings like this, I like to find little restaurants where no one speaks English.  Even though I speak a little French, I still have no idea what I’m ordering…  Understanding the intricacies of French menus is a whole new level of confusion.  But, it gives you a chance to look blankly at the waiter and say, “Surprise me!”