汕头市金阳小学:难以置信的美丽照片

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The Little Girl Blowing Bubbles in Chernobyl

I recently had some spare time. Well, not really. But I did insert into my schedule something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time – go back and re-examine some of my Chernobyl shots. I wasn’t ever happy with the way this one turned out, so I went back to give it a fresh pass.

I wrote up a long story about my trip to Chernobyl, which you might enjoy. This photo was taken just a uranium rod’s throw from Chernobyl in the little town that all the workers lived in called “Pripyat”. It was abandoned immediately when the meltdown happened. It was a perfect little Soviet master-planned community from the 80’s. During the emergency evacuation, kids left their schoolbooks on desks, families left clothes unpacked, and cafeteria workers left food unfinished. This particular picture was taken by the playground where creepy toys creaked in the wind.

July 13th, 2009 | Delhi, India, New Delhi, Nikon D2XS, Travel | The Blood-Colored Walls of Tomb

This is Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. It’s a wonderful place full of a rich bouquet of textures and light. There isn’t a bad shot of it to be had in this well-preserved Moghul tomb, and these light levels were made for HDR.

I’ve put another image of this tomb in the upcoming book. I talked a little more about the shot and some additional explanation about how it was made. When I go around and give talks, get feedback, and hear all the comments here on the blog, flickr, and facebook, I get a lot of repeat questions. I think the book will be a good chance to get them all in a nice definitive place where almost everything can be addressed. At least, I hope so!

July 12th, 2009 | Austin, Nikon D3X, Texas, Travel | The Broken Spoke Bus for the Texas Top Hands Western Swing Band

Outside of the famous Broken Spoke in Austin, Texas, sits this old, dilapidated bus. I don’t know how long this thing has been sitting there, but it looks like quite a while. If it wasn’t for the rust, I guess you can assume its age from the phone number only having 7 digits. Remember that? 7-digit phone numbers now seem so quaint, like browsers without tabs.

I wonder if this bus still works. I know we have a lot of smart Texas readers who can probably tell us the answer to that little piece of trivia! Under the photo of the bus, I put up the older picture of the Broken Spoke dance hall that was taken about 20 minutes later as the sun was finishing it’s daily duties.

July 11th, 2009 | Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel | Documenting the Pilgrimage

The temples sprawl all around Cambodia. This is quite the holy spot for Buddhists who travel here from locations all around the world. You can tell what sect they are from based on their robes. I was able to sit with one for a few hours and we watched dozens of monks walk by and he could tell me exactly where each one was from based on the slight color variation in their robes and the way it was folded.

Also, if you all want to see some of the behind-the-scenes activity here and see the book-cover selection process for “A World in HDR“, visit the Stuck In Customs Facebook Fan Page, where we have a discussion forum. Once you are in there, just click on “Discussions”, and you can see the four images we were considering for the cover. Feel free to give your opinions in there… I put one of the other favorites here below!  These were all designed by the great Fabian Barral, who I feel very lucky to work with on the book.

That FB Fan Page is also a good place to have “General Discussions”. The only bad thing about the blog is that each discussion is tied to a single post. That’s great, and people always seem to have interesting ideas and experiences to share. But I wanted you to know that you are more than welcome to start up any discussion you wish inside the FB Fan Page Discussions area…

July 10th, 2009 | Las Vegas, Nevada, Travel | The Inflammable Flammable Restaurant – The FiAMMA Trattoria and Bar

I think this restaurant is amazingly cool. Wood always gives a nice warm feeling to a place, and this place could not have possibly have had more wood inside! I’d love to meet the interior designers of these places… I bet they are real characters. This place is the FiAMMA Trattoria and Bar inside the MGM Grand Hotel in Vegas.

I’ll be back in Vegas in a few weeks and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got a lot of unpublished photos from there and there are about to be a bunch more! It’s a shooter’s heaven there… and a nice distraction from the gaming tables!

July 9th, 2009 | France, Paris, Travel | The Sacred Heart of Paris (and the announcement of the Nikon D4X?)

This is the Sacred Heart Church that sits high on a hill in a very artsy area of Paris. Actually, all of Paris seems artsy to me. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a “full time artist” living in Paris. Wouldn’t that be just about the coolest thing in the world? Or maybe you would become spoiled in just a short while and take it all for granted. It’s very hard to empathize or sympathize with any mystical miserables that might be in that situation.

I usually take these with a single RAW, but I kind of like the motion in these people… on occasion it seems okay to me, like here.

Last, I don’t know how real this report is, but I saw the Nikon D4X (a 30 megapixel monster) was leaked out on Nikon Rumors. I am waiting for Nikon to send me an email and hook me up! It may be the only thing that makes me get rid of the sweet lady D3X!

July 7th, 2009 | Travel | Finally! A Book Announcement! “A World in HDR”

I am very excited to announce A World in HDR! It’s a 216-page book that should be everything you have been waiting for. The vast majority of the book contains select pieces from the portfolio along with extended descriptions, tips, and more information about how the photo was achieved. The second part of the book contains the HDR Tutorial along with a few bonus steps to help you get extra oomph in your creations!

Pre-Order Now Available

The book is now available for pre-order. It will be out at least a month before Christmas, although the exact street date depends on the publisher, Peachpit / New Riders. We will inform you as the date becomes more solid.

This has been a long process, and we have been looking at four different publishing partners. Peachpit had the strongest offering, and I am excited to work with them. We wanted to bring you the highest quality book by partnering with world-class organizations. These guys are very strong in this space and currently dominate the top 10 books in the booming photography category.

Two Exclusive Options

We are offering two options exclusively here on Stuck In Customs for pre-ordering. The first package is an autographed book. The second premium package includes an autographed book and a signed 9×9 and numbered exclusive print. This print will only be available in the pre-order premium package and then never be available again. We will shut down all online autographed book sales after the book hits the street. So, be sure to grab yours today! My family and I thank you in advance!

Your pre-order options are below. We are not accepting International orders at this time, but perhaps soon!

Inside the Book

The rich cover and interiors have been designed by the great French designer Fabien Barral, who also did the graphic design for the website. We have spared no expense in bringing you the highest quality book! More photos of the interior and other tidbits will be revealed in the next few months as we get closer to release.

Besides new and extended descriptions with various tips, the book will also feature 10 unpublished photos that will remain exclusive to the book.

Because I like to teach by example, the book will feature over 100 photos that I consider to be some excellent examples of “HDR done right”. Whenever possible, I include tips and tricks and discuss the conditions of the shot. Often times, I also talk freely about various subjects that are related and help describe more about the way I think about these things. There are many thoughts and questions around human nature, the arts, science, religion, and more. This style has sprung up from the wonderful congenial and conversational style that has helped make this community so fun and exciting. I thank you all for your involvement, your passion, and your feedback. I appreciate it very much.

The Press Release:

If you’d like to read the full press release, head on over to the aptly named “Press Releases” area!

A selection of Images from the book


July 7th, 2009 | Argentina, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel | This is gonna be a long hike (and an announcement soon!)

The 40km hike in Argentina (which my legs still feel and probably always will), it started out by ascending a small mountain in the Andes. A small mountain in the Andes, by the way, is a mountain of incomprehensible proportions in any other part of the world. After a harrowing trip, I was greeted with this view of the rest of the hike. Luckily, I was tired enough to grant myself an excuse to take off my pack and put together my Inspector Gadget camera setup to grab this shot.

In other news… wait just a few hours… we have a big announcement coming!

July 6th, 2009 | France, Lyon, Nikon D2XS, Travel | Notre Dame in Lyon

Lyon is one of those wonderful European cities where things look romantic and timeless from either side of the river that inevitably flows down the center.

Here is a view from one side looking across and up the hill to where the Notre Dame de Lyon resides.  I’m glad they take the trouble to light it up… it gives the city a lot of character at night I think!

July 5th, 2009 | Iceland, Nikon D2XS, Reykjavik, Travel | After Breaking the Ice

When I was in Iceland, I made a visit to the dock area. The edges of the dock were just beginning to freeze and occasional snow would blow in and pile up. All the ships were giant, metallic, and cold. I thought about what a hard life it would be to work on one of these ships. I don’t really like being too cold and I’m not sure if the old “dress in layers” trick would work so well when out on one of these ships in the north Atlantic. Those guys that do that every day are tough!

On this one, I kept the aperture pretty wide open to minimize ship movement on the rolling water. I don’t normally tell the software to automatically align images (mentioned in the HDR tutorial), but this time I did.

July 4th, 2009 | Montana, Nikon D3X, Travel, Wyoming, Yellowstone | An Evening Stroll Around the Cabin

I’ve had a wonderful week here in Montana. I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to this private conference here in Yellowstone. We get together and talk about science, art, and Libertarianism… It’s a very cool and interesting collection of people!

A few nights ago, I took a dusk walk around the main cabin. The horses come graze all around the meadow in the evening… I finally convinced one of them to stand still for a bit.

July 3rd, 2009 | Brenham, Nikon D3X, Texas, Travel | The Roadhouse

This classic Texas roadhouse sits about two hours outside of Austin. It’s not even really in a town, but one of those places that is somewhere between. I happened to catch a cowboy just popping in at the last possible second.

Tomorrow night we have a most excellent horse on the ranch picture that I am working on for all you animal lovers… (and ranch lovers!)

July 2nd, 2009 | Montana, Nikon D3X, Travel, Wyoming, Yellowstone | The Ice Lake in Summer

I made a video! When I took this shot a few days ago in Yellowstone, I had a little video camera to record the process. It’s not the highest quality thing in the world, but at least you guys and gals will be able to see a little bit about how I took the shot in the field. I’ll probably include the video in the next newsletter, which is free and I invite you to subscribe.

This place is called the Ice Lake. I saw it on the map and it sounded like a cool hiking destination. I didn’t expect it to be icy, so I wasn’t disappointed.

July 1st, 2009 | Disney World, Florida, Orlando, Travel | Disneyworld for us

Disneyworld is the perfect place for 7-year-olds and the 7-year-old in me.  We had a great time there and I can’t wait to get back again.  Tina took this shot for us one afternoon in the Animal Kingdom.

This picture reminds me of how nice it is to be a hero to someone.  It’s kind of one of those things that I’ve always wanted to be.  I’m afraid some day I will lose this “hero” status.  I don’t want to think about that right now!

June 30th, 2009 | Montana, Nikon D3X, Travel, Wyoming, Yellowstone | The Morning Steam Through the Forest in Yellowstone

I woke up just before 5 AM today so I could get out there and do some sunrise shooting. It was a great morning and I found all kinds of interesting spots. I drove by a bank of trees that had some steam from a nearby river flowing through them… and it looked so cool that I hiked around the forest to find a nice configuration of trees and steamy fog.

I was exhausted after shooting most of the day. I drove over the the Firehole River to have a swim. There was no one else around, and I didn’t have a swimsuit, so I just went in my undies. This seemed like a great idea until my underwear ripped on a rock. This, combined with very sensitive feet that make me look crazy when walking on a rocky shore, made for quite a scene.

June 29th, 2009 | Florida, Nikon D2XS, Palm Beach, Travel | no pool this beautiful should be empty at a time like this

I think the title says it all!

I’ve never been much of a swimmer. I mean, I can swim just fine and I’m as bouyant as anyone my age should be, but I don’t really like it as a form of exercise. THere is always so much that goes into the perparation bit of the exercise. Also, since I can’t liseten to my iPod while I swim, that’s kind of a deal-killer. I’ve heard they have some new water-proof MP3 players, but that just sounds like too much trouble all around.

Anyway, this was a 5-exposure HDR that went from -2 to +2. I’m convinced it’s the only way to shoot into the sun and get all the light levels of the details around the pool.

June 28th, 2009 | Agra, India, Nikon D2XS, Travel | Approaching the Taj

The Taj Mahal is an extremely crowded place! People from all over India, which tends to have a lot of people, come visit this mausoleum from every corner of the country. It’s right near the northern border of the country, and I know first hand how difficult the journey can be to get to this point.

Just beyond one of the official entrances to the Taj is the interior of a huge gatehouse, that was teaming with people trying to get a closer look. I held the camera high in the air after trying to position myself as centered as possible to try to capture a sense of the huddled masses.

June 27th, 2009 | Montana, Nikon D3X, Rudyard, Travel | Cutting the Wheat

I am headed back to Montana tomorrow for a week. I’ll actually be in both Montana and Wyoming in Yellowstone National Park. I think it’s my 5th or 6th trip there! I’m really looking forward to it… This will be my first trip with the D3X, so I look forward to rediscovering some old favorites with the new camera. Also, since it’s Yellowstone, the weather patterns are always unique and unexpected.

This shot is from the northern part of Montana, up where the fields go on forever. These nice crop rows are the ones that get caught in your eyes when you are driving by at super-sonic speeds…but you can still make out single rows like frames in an old movie.

June 26th, 2009 | Argentina, El Chalten, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel | The Autumn Tree After the Snow Storm

On one of the mornings when we woke up in Patagonia, I came out of the tent to find everything covered in a soft blanket of snow. It was the middle of the autumn there, so the rich deep colors on the trees stood out in sharp contrast to white snow.

I grabbed this shot as quickly as I could before the snow started to cover everything up too much, which can tend make for a somewhat washed-out shot. I believe this photo was at f/2.8 with the 24-70 lens. That aperture helped the most interesting tree in the foreground to stay sharp while everything else stayed foggy and snowy (which it kinda was anyway).

June 25th, 2009 | Las Vegas, Nevada, Nikon D3X, Travel | The Secret Underwater Tunnel

This was shot under the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas where they have this lavish aquarium. It’s really gorgeous and dreamy under there, as you can tell. This area has all kinds of sharks and other wild-lookin’ things that were swimming all around me.

I was fortunate enough to take a private tour of the place thanks to the nice people at the MGM/Mirage management company, who also owns the Mandalay Bay. That allowed me to take the time I needed to set up this 5-exposure HDR shot without tourists getting in the way.

One time I did find a nurse shark in the Caribbean. It was a baby. I followed it for a while until it occurred to me that it might be swimming back to its mom. That sudden realization made me turn around pretty quick.

All of this underwater stuff reminds me of watching those Discovery channel shows about strange ocean creatures. I swear I could watch those things all day. I can’t get over how some of these things have evolved to fit their environment… just amazing. My favorite creatures are cephalopods … I never get tired of those documentaries!

June 24th, 2009 | Argentina, El Chalten, Nikon D3X, Patagonia, Travel | It’s a hot summer in the states but a cool winter in Argentina

I know some of you remember Natalia from El Chalten on the southern tip of Argentina, so I thought I would add another photo of her.

When we were walking back from the shoot, it got a little chilly, so she covered up a bit. I don’t know if you’ve experienced this or not… but she’s one of those gals that always seems to be posin’. Kinda like Angelina, I suppose, where you get the sense that she is always aware of the presence of a camera. So, since I had on the 50mm 1.4, I took a few quick ones like this while walking down the trail.

June 23rd, 2009 | Borobudur, Indonesia, Nikon D2XS, Travel | The Beating Hearts of the Buddhas

The morning fog coming off the top of the jungle trees was not like anything I had seen before. There was just enough morning light to give everything a twilight blue and paint the mountains in the distance a deeper color.

I tried something a little bit different with this photo. I was holding two flashlights to help me climb the temple in the morning. I think I got there about 5:30 AM when it was still pitch black, so the flashlights helped me find the right footholds and whatnot. Anyway, this was an extremely long exposure, so I used some of that time to “paint” the inside of the bell cages with the beams of my flashlights. Each of those bell cages held a solitary outward-facing Buddha. I’m glad I was there alone, because I’m sure I looked like a loon running around shining the flashlights in patterns to illuminate the Buddhas inside.

June 22nd, 2009 | Bombay, India, Nikon D2XS, Travel | Scooping Junk in Mumbai

These three guys spent at least eight hours out in the bay of Mumbai (Bombay is the British name) scooping up junk into their little boat. I know this because I kept passing the same place over and over again by the seafront. This was actually right by the Taj Mahal Hotel that was recently bombed, so I remember it very well.

After my third go-around, I leaned over the sea wall as they approached. After I got a few shots in, they all waved happily. There were not many white people around there, so I think I kinda stuck out, especially with the big ol’ camera.

June 21st, 2009 | France, Nikon D2XS, Paris, Travel | Le Arc de Triumph from the Champs-Élysées

This wonderful landmark is always fun, but challenging, to photograph. It’s right in the middle of a roundabout that is as dangerous as that thing Bond got stuck in to test G-forces in Moonraker.

There was a recent rain, and the Champs-Élysées was shiny and perfect in the cool dusk air. I set up and kept the f stop as high as possible so that the French passerby would fall out of the frame during the long exposure.

June 20th, 2009 | Glacier Natl Park, Montana, Nikon D2XS, Travel | The Granite Cleaves

I’ll be going back to Montana towards the end of the month, so I decided to process this shot from Glacier National Park.

I took my wife and son down to the edge of the lake, and there were these giant granite blocks on the perimeter. The regular freezes and thaws around the lake created these right-angle cuts. It was nice to have them there with me… they got to hear me drone on and on about rocks and whatnot. I used to have a double-major in Geophysics and Computer Science, so I know the sorts of things about rocks that only come in handy when you have a captive audience like a family stuck on one while you are taking photos.

I ended up dropping the Geophysics part of the double-major after an ideological fight with a professor. That’s a longer story.