My New eBook

Light Falls Like Bits is now out in three formats, Kindle, iOS, and PDF! The new book is over 240 pages filled with over 100 of my favorite images, thoughts, and reflections, all there for you to enjoy!

iPad/iPhone
Kindle (Amazon)
PDF in Trey’s Store

There’s actually four different authors in here that write about the photos. There’s me, Maura Reilly ,Michelle Bogre, and Erik Davis who wrote the introduction and came up with the name of the book: “Light Falls Like Bits.”
As for this photo, it was really kind of a lucky cool morning in New York I think… often I don’t think I’m taking the photo! I just am kind of in some sort of a flow then I notice something incredible. Anyway, I was walking over to the Facebook HQ there to give a little talk and I just kind of looked up on the way for no reason and I saw this!

My SupaFresh List

If you wanna hear my latest music discoveries that I listen to while I edit and take photos, follow This List on my Spot

Daily Photo – Late Night in Dubai

There are SO many places to walk and explore in Dubai at night… and it’s all perfectly safe. I never felt in danger or anything like that. This area around the Burj Khalifa is especially amazing at night because no one is around and there are countless little sidewalks, pools, fountains, reflections, and all sorts of mysterious nooks and crannies. I feel like I only explored a small portion of them… I can’t wait to go back! 🙂

Late Night in Dubai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-16 08:07:27
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1.6
• Aperture4
• ISO125
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

Tesla

I really want a Tesla here in New Zealand! I’ve been honored to either drive or ride in a few of them (even Serial Number ONE) and they’re super fun and awesome. NZ is always a bit late to the game… but I really want one! 🙂

Daily Photo – Rainy Shopping in Dubai

It doesn’t rain much in Dubai, but when it does, everything is extra magical. Look, I will be the first to concede that Dubai is completely inorganic and fake. BUT, having said that, they do employ great artists to create buildings, shopping centers, and other architectural environments. So, even though everything is “pretend”, there are actually real artists that are building most of the city. In that way, it’s a bit like Burning Man… beautiful creations in a desert of sand.

Rainy Shopping in Dubai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-17 02:03:31
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time4
• Aperture6.3
• ISO160
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+2

6 HDR Shooting Tips

I recently wrote an article for a photography magazine with 6 tips. I thought I’d repeat them here! 🙂 You’ll see I make a few references to Aurora HDR Pro — so grab that if you don’t already have it! 🙂

1) Get your camera into Auto-bracketing mode. I take just 3 exposures most of the time at -2, 0, and +2. I also shoot in RAW mode so you’ve got a little more juice in the light to play with later in post.

2) Collect Auto-bracketed shots everywhere, even if you don’t think it’s an HDR situation. If your camera has Auto-bracketing, go ahead and keep it on most of the time. When you drag a series of photos into Aurora HDR Pro (or most HDR programs), you’ll be surprised at some of the textures and colors that come out of the woodwork.

3) If you’re shooting in the bright sun, go ahead and set your Exposure Compensation to -1. That means your three exposures will be at -3, -1, and +1. I find that the +2 on a bright day is just TOO bright and has no positive effect on the final creation.

4) Also, if you’re shooting in the middle of the day, don’t bother with a tripod. Just go handheld. All these programs nowadays are so good at auto-aligning that you don’t have to worry about it. Just save the tripod for sunset and night shots!

5) If you find that processing the photos is going a bit slow on your computer, just use JPGs (or export to JPGs) before bringing the shots into Aurora HDR Pro or any other program. Honestly, I can’t see a big difference in bringing in the RAW files at all. And I really pay attention to these things!

6) When processing, be sure to use layers to make different parts of your photo look unique. For example, you may not want the “whole thing HDR’ed” — maybe you just want the buildings to be highly textured with an HDR look, but not so much for the trees or skies. A common mistake most people make is they try to give the entire photo the same look… I think it’s great to make some parts smooth, some parts glowy, some parts texturey, other parts saturated… Each photo will come out very unique, much like you… think of yourself like a chef, organically creating a reflection of you and the scene at the time.

Daily Photo – The Burj Khalifa at Night

There’s no way to take a bad photo of this thing! Actually, I did notice a bunch of people with mobile phones having a heck of a time trying to fit the whole thing into frame. They would be taking photos of their friends and in almost every case, they had to lay on the 100 degree concrete and aim up to get the whole thing in… it was actually funny, walking around and watching everyone laying on the ground with their phones!

The Burj Khalifa at Night

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-04-29 03:39:16
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time2
• Aperture4
• ISO200
• Focal Length11.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Rooftop Bar Tip

Here’s a hot tip for Dubai or any other city for that matter. A great way to explore the city and get photos from multiple angles is to hit as many rooftop bars as possible. I call it Rooftop Bar Photo Hopping! It’s great… you can go in, have a wine, take some photos, then pop over to the next one! Three a night seems to be a good pace… what a fun way to pace yourself I say! 🙂

Daily Photo – The Edges of Dubai

This is the only city I’ve been to in the UAE. I really would also like to visit Abu Dhabi for sure! It’s really big on my list. I have an upcoming trip to Italy for Carnivale and I was trying to get my travel agent to book me there for a night.. we’ll see. But, either way, I feel very lucky I was able to go to Dubai twice and was fortunate enough to take some photos!

The Edges of Dubai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-04-28 04:23:41
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time2.5
• Aperture4.5
• ISO200
• Focal Length52.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

More Aurora HDR Action

Today’s photo was also processed in Aurora HDR Pro! Be sure to grab that pre-order now get all the extra goodies. Only 9 days to go! 🙂

Pano Advice

One of the most common questions I received during our little Q&A sessions in the 13 cities across the US tour was, “What pano software do you use?” I use Autopano Giga. It has an absolutely bewildering interface, but it’s much better than Photoshop.

Daily Photo – Inside the Burj Al Arab

The reason I brought up panoramas is because this is a verti-rama. I don’t know if that’s a word… but this is three photos stacked vertically. They are actually quite hard to stitch together. Anyway, besides all that, how incredible and colorful is this hotel? It’s off the charts!!

Inside the Burj Al Arab

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-20 06:01:53
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1.3
• Aperture8
• ISO200
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

3 Hot News Updates from The Arcanum! Raising Money, Pete News, and New Software that is mind-blowin’!

All in this video we just released – enjoy and let us know your feedback! 🙂

Craziest drinks ever

This Skybar has absolutely the craziest drinks ever… Here’s the crazy menu so you can kind of get the idea!

Daily Photo – Entering the Bar Atop the Burj Al Arab

What an amazing place this is! I never expected the entrance way to look like this. I thought maybe it would be more elegant… not like I’m walking into TRON or something. I didn’t know what to expect. In fact, it was so strange that I almost forgot to take a photo. Almost.

Entering the Bar Atop the Burj Al Arab

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-20 05:35:17
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time3.2
• Aperture8
• ISO200
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+2

Vertical Symmetry

The little lines inside the Sony viewfinder are pretty good for centering stuff, but they could be better. Vertically, there’s always a bit of a question mark for me too. I’m never totally sure till I get it back home. If you don’t get it close to right, then it’s almost unrecoverab

Daily Photo – The Massive Burj Khalifa

Right after I took this photo, I started my love affair with the Ritz Carlton. You see, I was inside shooting the Armani hotel, and they didn’t like it too much. Well, not at all. I came outside and did a live Periscope about how I was just kicked out… and the Ritz Carlton sent me a great tweet that said, “You can come over here anytime to take photos Trey!” What an awesome thing to hear… And now we’re besties! 🙂

The Massive Burj Khalifa

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-04-29 03:35:04
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/5
• Aperture4
• ISO200
• Focal Length11.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-0.3

Tip for waiting for the sunrise

If you’re trying to figure out exactly where the sun is going to rise (and you don’t have an app), here’s a mini-tip. Now, the crescent moon has to be up… so, there’s that bit that might not be happening. But if it is, just look at the thicker part of the moon and it will draw a direct line to where the sun will be rising. It’s sort of one of those things people that are into astronomy know, but I notice many people don’t! Anyway, there ya

Daily Photo – Dubai from the Four Seasons Bar

I love this photo! I shared a small version of it on Instagram but it wasn’t that popular. I actually don’t REALLY care who likes what on which platform, but I do notice. Whenever I REALLY like a photo but no one else does… I certainly take note. I don’t really judge myself or them, but I do notice the discrepancy and think it is interesting.

Dubai from the Four Seasons Bar

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-04-28 04:54:53
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time3.2
• Aperture4
• ISO160
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Eve Online

I started playing Eve Online with my son recently… he had never played before and the game is so monstrously complex that he’s finally old enough to do it

Daily Photo – The Final Photo From the Dubai Photo Walk

It was another extremely long photo walk! Often times these things go way longer than I expect. Thank goodness it was not the hot season… this is where the group said their goodbyes and everyone went their separate ways. I got one final shot before heading out myself…

The Final Photo From the Dubai Photo Walk

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-16 22:53:34
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1.6
• Aperture4
• ISO200
• Focal Length18.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Thanks Again Dubai films!

Thanks again for arranging this amazing helicopter ride over Dubai — I’ll never forget it!

Daily Photo – The Beaches of Dubai

There are SO many beaches along here that it’s just incredible. There are two main sections of the city, and this part you see is right in the middle. These are the beaches I got to know the best because I happened to be staying here, but as far as I can tell, all the beaches are amazing. The water is calm all the time too… no waves or anything.

The Beaches of Dubai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-15 22:03:56
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/400
• Aperture4
• ISO320
• Focal Length17.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias