Big Sur Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Stuck in Customs
23
Aug 2013 : Friday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Photo Software

Aliens over Big Sur

Reposting the smugmug Review show

This was such a fun show that I wanted to repost it! I also added it to the full SmugMug Review here on the site.

Daily Photo – Aliens over Big Sur

I went out one night to see the meteors go crazy, but it turned out to be a little bit weak on the meteor part. And then the most interesting thing would be when cars would crest over the hill to come towards me.

I was wondering… if someone from a few thousand years ago were to be transported in time to be standing there with me — would they have any concept of the car being driven by a human, or would they just think it is an alien ship? I mean, if they could not see inside (it was dark) — would people have any idea that the car was a human-created and powered-device, or would that notion not even enter their heads?

Aliens over Big Sur

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-04-22 15:24:19
  • CameraNIKON D800
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time25
  • Aperture2.8
  • ISO2000
  • Focal Length16.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
10
Aug 2013 : Saturday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Sony NEX-7

Walking on the moody beach

From the same beach

It’s hard to believe this video is from the same moody beach that is in today’s photo. Of course… it is a different day when I took this photo… about two years later in fact! 🙂 Another version of this video is also in the newly updated SmugMug Review here on the site.

Daily Photo – Walking on the beach

It was a cold and blustery evening here on the beach in Big Sur. Every time I go to this beach, it is a little bit different. There are some trees upon entrance to this beach that are also fascinating. You’ll notice I’ve never posted a photo of them because I simply can’t find how to capture their essence in a photo… but I’ll keep working on that…

Walking on the beach

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-04-23 06:32:47
  • CameraNIKON D800
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time1.3
  • Aperture11
  • ISO50
  • Focal Length16.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
18
Jun 2013 : Tuesday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Travel

The Golden Seaspray

Don’t Miss Nicole’s new eBook on Inspiration

  • Grab it now on Flatbooks – The Inspired Photographer!
  • Filled with ideas and resources to help you find your “spark” of inspiration
  • 146 beautifully designed pages filled with colorful photographs
  • Presented in Nicole’s approachable and conversational style of writing
  • Real-life inspirational examples
  • Dozens of ideas to help get those creative brain-cells active

Want to see more from Nicole and the book?

Watch the show that went live last night here on the blog. She joined us to talk about it!

Daily Photo – The Golden Seaspray

It’s fun to take photos of waves exploding on rocks. You never know what you’re gonna get, so it’s a good idea just to take a ton of photos. I must have taken 50 or 60 to get this one. It’s a lot of guesswork involved!

In cases like this, maybe I could have done even better with the Sony NEX-7 instead of the D800. The thing is that I could have hit that 10 FPS, and it would have come in very handy! One of the main problems with the NEX-7 would NOT have reared its ugly head here — the buffering. You can get enough shots when the wave hits and then just wait for the buffering to catch up while waiting on the next wave!

The Golden Seaspray

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-04-25 06:30:21
  • CameraNIKON D800
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time1/250
  • Aperture8
  • ISO160
  • Focal Length100.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
17
Jun 2013 : Monday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Nikon D800, Travel

The Mighty Trees at Glen Oaks Big Sur

Stuck On Earth in Big Sur

I was able to use Stuck On Earth to find a lot of great places in Big Sur! By the way, don’t forget that you can now get it for iPad AND Android. We are glad that so many people are enjoying it! Anyway, don’t forget that one cool feature that lets you download all the photos in a given area and add them to a new trip. This came in handy here… I just kind of vacuumed up all the good spots into a “Big Sur Trip” with a single click!

Daily Photo – The Mighty Trees at Glen Oaks Big Sur

Here’s another photo from that amazing place I stayed in Big Sur. It’s called the Glen Oaks, so be sure to take a look at this place when planning a trip to the area!

It’s fun to take photos of these huge trees. The difficult thing is getting a sense of scale. So it’s good to use things in the photo like humans or houses to give everything a sense of perspective. This trick also works with caves or anything that is impressively huge in real life.

The Mighty Trees at Glen Oaks Big Sur

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-04-26 09:39:15
  • CameraNIKON D800
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time8
  • Aperture3.2
  • ISO400
  • Focal Length16.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
8
May 2013 : Wednesday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Nikon D800, Travel

The Pink Sea Spray at Sunset and Interview with Kate Russell

Recent Interview with Kate Russell

You may remember Kate from the BBC; many years ago when she did a story about this site. She helped to make the site very popular in the UK — so we all have her to thank for that!

Kate has launched a new book called Working The Cloud, where she just posted a recent interview with me. There is a lot about business and this sort of thing, not so much about the photography. But maybe you’ll still enjoy it if you want to hear about those sorts of matters. Here is a little snippet from it:

Pinterest is another huge success for you, but is there any reason for non-visual businesses to engage with it?

TREY: Pinterest is awesome. I think I have about five million followers there and it is 90% women. Women connect the world and make it work! I know this because I was raised by my mom and sister… so I am sensitive to these things, you see. Anyway, even if, as you say, someone has a “non-visual business”, then they should still use Pinterest to build a brand around people and passions associated with the product or service. Let’s say for example, err… maybe a non-visual-business is something like… errr… let me see here, thinking out loud… well it’s hard to think of one… okay how about an accounting firm. I can’t think of anything more boring or non-visual than that. You could post photos of things that people in the accounting firm are passionate about… and you can build a personal connection that way. Let’s say that Steve, who is an expert in Irish Intellectual Property Tax Law is really into collecting steampunk stuff. Well he could pin a lot of steampunk gizmos. And Sally, who is a real killer when it comes to Inheritance Law in the Isle of Man is into candle-making. She can pin a lot of pretty candles and nonsense like that into the firm’s Pinterest with her own little personal note. That will give the accounting firm more of a human face and a bit more personality.

Daily Photo – The Pink Sea Spray at Sunset

Behind this exploding wave at Big Sur is something that I have never seen before. Why didn’t I take a photo of it? It’s because taking a good photo of a pod of whales from the beach is almost impossible! At least, it appears to be impossible for me. I’ve never seen whales so close into the beach. Maybe it happens all the time around there, but I was quite surprised. Have you ever seen a pod of whales from the beach?

The Pink Sea Spray at Sunset

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-04-25 06:36:38
  • CameraNIKON D800
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time1/200
  • Aperture5
  • ISO160
  • Focal Length72.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
5
May 2013 : Sunday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Travel

The Glen Oaks Big Sur

Queenstown Speaking Engagement with NZIPP

Join me in Queenstown on the 8th of May! All are welcome! 🙂

This will be a fun event! Thanks to the NZIPP for setting it all up. There is limited space, so please contact [email protected] to hold a spot for you. Here is more info below:

Beautiful hidden gem in Big Sur

I bet most people drive by this place at 60 MPH and never notice – but they should! I ended up staying here a few nights recently while I was taking photos all around the area. It’s a perfect homebase for all the hotspots in the area. Plus, the rooms are really nice, comfy, and swanky… I took a bunch of other photos I’ll share soon, but you can also see some good ones at their website. One of the photos is below: the Forest View cabin.

Daily Photo – The Cabin in the Forest at the Glen Oaks Big Sur

These trees are huge! I’ve visited these huge redwoods along the coast of California many times, and I don’t think I could ever get used to how gigantic they really are. It’s almost like an alien planet!

The cabin there is one of the many varied rooms at the Glen Oaks. They are all different, but each one is nicely appointed. I’m recommending this place to my friends who are looking for awesome lodgings in the Big Sur area!

The Cabin in the Forest at the Glen Oaks Big Sur

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-04-24 00:38:26
  • CameraNIKON D800
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time1/13
  • Aperture8
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length16.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
3
May 2013 : Friday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Nikon D800, Travel

Google Science Fair !

Gather the kids and join me online soon!

I’ll be broadcasting live on YouTube for the Google Science Fair! You can watch online on the Event Page Here. This is a free educational event, aimed especially at kids. It’s all about science and photography.

It’s on May 7 (May 8 in some parts of the world) – check The Event Page for your local time. I’ll be joined by schoolkids from all around the world. It should be great fun!

Here is info from the event:

The Science of Photography

Digital photography offers amazing flexibility to capture and modify images. But how does the science of photography actually work? What are the basic principles of light, and how do they affect how photographers shoot? How do different cameras and lenses capture images differently? And how do software tools change the way those images are ultimately viewed?

Come to this Hangout On Air with Trey Ratcliff, the world-class photographer whose work is displayed at StuckInCustoms.com. He will be interviewed by well-known blogger, technology analyst, and amateur photographer Robert Scoble, as well as by Google Student Ambassadors. Here’s your chance to learn about the science behind those amazing images.

Tuesday, May 7, 2:00PM PT / 4:00PM CT / 5:00PM ET / 2200 GMT / 2300 CE / 900 NZDT (8 May)

Daily Photo – Close Encounters over Big Sur

I went out to take photos of the shooting stars in Big Sur last week, but I only saw a few. I took a few shots of the night skies, but I think the most interesting one was this. It reminded me of that opening scene from Close Encounters! This is what it looks like in the middle of a long exposure when a car comes up over a hill towards you…

Close Encounters over Big Sur

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-04-22 15:34:41
  • CameraNIKON D800
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time25
  • Aperture2.8
  • ISO2000
  • Focal Length16.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
30
Apr 2013 : Tuesday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Nikon D800, Travel

Moonrise Kingdom and new story from the BBC

Did you miss the latest newsletter?

I hope not! It’s always free and we promise to never spam you! We send out one a month (or so!). Anyway, here’s a link to the April newsletter and be sure to sign up at StuckInCustoms.com/news if you have not already! 🙂

Our Austin PhotoWalk on the BBC

You’ll see a short interview with me in the middle of the first bit from the Austin Photowalk. You may see a lot of other familiar faces in here too! Thanks to LJ Rich from the BBC for putting together this piece – that was fun!

Daily Photo – Moonrise Kingdom

This is one of my favorite new pieces from this year! I just shot it a few days ago.

It was shot waaaay after the sun went down in Big Sur, California. This is a crazy waterfall that pours off onto the beach. You can’t see it from the road, and it requires a short walk. I found it thanks to Stuck On Earth, although I am sure other locals have known about this semi-secret place forever! You can go here too… it’s not terribly difficult. It’s called “McWay Falls” and it’s beautiful any time of the day.

Also, btw, I’d like to thank those of you that have been ordering more prints recently — I am honored! 🙂 You can always click just below the photo to check sizes and prices to find something to fit your budget. Thanks again!

Moonrise Kingdom

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-04-22 07:16:54
  • CameraNIKON D800
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time25
  • Aperture5.6
  • ISO200
  • Focal Length70.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
20
May 2012 : Sunday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Nikon D3X, Travel

Wind and Driftwood

PhotoWalk in San Francisco

Are you coming to the Google+ Photographer’s Conference and joining me on my PhotoWalk on Monday the 21st? I’m getting many questions about the location, so Here Are The PhotoWalk Details!

Video Recap for Smugmug

As you know by now, I process photos out of order.  The photo I am posting today was taken on the day I made this video for Smugmug.  If you want to know more about it, see my Smugmug Review.

Daily Photo – Wind and Driftwood

It was so windy out there — I’m not even sure the video captures it!  Maybe you can see the wind ripping the top of the foam away from the waves… or maybe you can see some of the sand blowing across the beach.  And it’s just as hard to capture the feeling of it all in the photo as it is in the video.  I don’t have the benefit of multiple frames, so I try to get all of that in a single frame.  It’s a wonderful challenge and puzzle!

Wind and DriftwoodIt was so windy out there — I’m not even sure the video captures it! Maybe you can see the wind ripping the top of the foam away from the waves… or maybe you can see some of the sand blowing across the beach. And it’s just as hard to capture the feeling of it all in the photo as it is in the video. I don’t have the benefit of multiple frames, so I try to get all of that in a single frame. It’s a wonderful challenge and puzzle!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Comments
5
May 2012 : Saturday
filed under  Big Sur, California, Nikon D3X, San Francisco, Travel

Sitting on a Bench and Watching the Sunset

Previous EG Talk

I don’t have my latest up… but here is the previous one that you might have missed the first time around.

Daily Photo – Sitting on a Bench and Watching the Sunset

I took this at the Post Ranch Inn one evening.  I went here after my last talk at EG to spend some time relaxing.  It’s not like the EG Conference was stressful or anything, but it is high-intensity.  I do like having periods of high-intensity followed by periods of low-intensity.  A nice sunset in the Big Sur area qualifies as one of those low-intensity events!

Sitting on a Bench and Watching the Sunset I took this at the Post Ranch Inn one evening. I went here after my last talk at EG to spend some time relaxing. It’s not like the EG Conference was stressful or anything, but it is high-intensity. I do like having periods of high-intensity followed by periods of low-intensity. A nice sunset in the Big Sur area qualifies as one of those low-intensity events!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Comments