I apologize in advance if I have the wrong train station geotagged here! I took the train from Paris to NImes in the middle of the day, and ended up here with half an hour to spare. I had just enough time to get some pastries and some HDRs. What else does a man need in life?
Trey's Tip: If you want a symmetrical shot, get in the absolute center. And I mean absolute. Check your corners, count the girders, etc. You'll have to get a little OCD if you want a perfectly centered shot!
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Driving from Reykjavik to Isafjordur is just about one of the longest possible drives you can make in Iceland in a day if you have a reasonable level of sanity. There comes a point when you feel like you're getting close, when you start weaving in and out of fjords. They are huge and each one seems to take over half an hour to drive around.
In the midst of one of these, I espied an old house up the side of one of the valleys. It was partially obscured by a hand-built stone wall. I stopped the car and started hiking up the side of the valley to investigate. Once I got up there, I began to think that maybe this place was actually occupied! There were new lace curtains hanging in the windows and everything seemed to be in pretty good repair.
So then, I felt like I was intruding, and not just exploring an old ruin. But, it was 3 AM in the morning, and I figured if anyone was indeed inside, they must be fast asleep. So I set up for a shot and then made a hasty elf-like egress.
- Trey Ratcliff
Read more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
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As usual, Paris is off-the-rails perfect. The weather has been remarkable, the sunsets amazing, and the chocolate flows like mana from heaven. I made it over to the Eiffel Tower for a big night of shooting, and arrived there just as the sun was setting. I have a few little special spots I like to visit around the tower that are not full of tourists and the like.
This shot looks much more delicate, perhaps, than I did while achieving it. Unfortunately, this was one of those tricky ones where the tripod legs were splayed out like a flattened armadillo. I looked beyond redonkulous while taking it...
Trey's Tip: If the only interesting feature nearby is on the ground, well then you better get on the ground too. Get down and get dirty! People don't like you for your clean pants anyway.
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This is a dangerous spot! But so pretty...
It was a cool night in Paris. It was a bit damp too, as if it might rain at any moment. So that kept me moving from spot to spot pretty quickly. I was secretly hoping for a bit of rain... Europe at night in a light rain is always kind of charming. I'm pretty sure that locals don't find it charming... just annoying.
Trey's Tip: Go ahead and get several long exposures. It's a bit like shooting a spinning ferris wheel - you never quite know what you will get until you check it out later that night when reviewing your work.
from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
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Beautiful Notre Dame looks different in the morning, noon, and night. Perhaps its best to go there towards the end of the day when the lights come in the window at a nice angle. The windows have so many colors that you just can't go wrong.
Trey's Tip: Setting up with a tripod in the middle of a walkway is tough. I often use my feet and legs to block the tripod so people don't kick or trip on it. I feel a little funny using my body like a giant shield, but I've done stranger stuff with my body. Let's be honest.
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