Trey Ratcliff, stuckincustoms on Flickr, is perhaps the web’s hottest travel photographer. He weaves magic into his photography giving it a vibrancy that leaps from the screen. Here is a brief sampling of his work.
Trey has a huge online following, especially on Flickr( Where he has over 19 million photo views!), and has been granted many awards and honors including 2008 Blogger’s Choice Awards Nominee – Best Travel Blog. Check out Trey Ratcliff’s website and blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
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Trey uses a technique called HDR to achieve his signature look. Do you use any photo editing software or do you prefer to go all natural?
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12 Comments... join the discussion!
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Sorry, but when did HDR become a realistic reproduction of the given scene/situation? And isn’t that what travel photography is about? I see travel photography more as journalistic than artistic kind of photography.
Tell me if I’m wrong but I don’t see highly manipulated/edited photographs fitting in to travel photography.
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I have to agree with Nilas. HDR has its place, I suppose, but I find it cold and sterile even with the pretty colors. I’ll take a street scene where you can smell the grit and the spices in the air over Photoshop virtuosity any day. His site says he’s gotten 16 million views though, so I guess some people like it.
I don’t think “journalistic” and “artistic” are mutually exclusive though. Composition, lighting, etc. always matter, but to serve a vision.
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I see where you two are comin from but I don’t want to put confines on what “travel photography” is and is not. I love the look, albeit artificial, of Trey’s work. I don’t think it is any better or worse expression of travel photography. Only different. I love untouched, visceral photos, but I also love the creativity and illusion that post production work can also lend.
Either way, cheers!↵ -
I have goosebumps. Granted it’s cold in here, but still. Goosebumps.
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The HDR seems gimmicky to me. As a photo student, if I ever presented a work in HDR in one of my courses, I’d probably get laughed at and get a not so great grade. The monkey shot is nice though.
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Beautiful Photography!
HDR or unedited Photography it is still a great skill to produce such moving images!!
I think people are a little too hard on any photoshoped image it is just a part of digital Photography and another tool in our belts use them or don’t but don’t give someone S#!7 for using tools available to them!↵ -
HDR photographys place as artistic photography is fine. Where the line is blurred is when it is presented as something else. As a guy with a “magic touch” who can “make photos come alive!” A “visionary”.
As long as people know that this is photoshop magic, then whatever. Considering that, you still have to be a good photographer picking the right angle to create a pleasant photograph.
I think they’re OK, just more flashy.↵ -
Good travelers make photos. Good presenters make fine photos. Why not to share nice pictures if you have them (and know how to create them).
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I love the thread and perspectives on travel photography. A good question is raised; if a photo is altered in photoshop or another program, is it different from other travel photography?
These images are obviously altered, the contrasts are jacked and whatnot… does that put them in another category than pure travel photography?Thoughts?
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I think it depends to what kind of degree of photographic manipulation we’re talking here. HDR is obviously a very extreme form, but I don’t know many photographers these days who don’t use Photoshop (or similar) to post-process their images. In fact, given the increasing predominance of the RAW (“untreated”) file format, it could be argued that post-production is these days essential – a modern equivalent of dark room techniques (which were generally accepted as part of the photo taking process).
Plus you have to remember that even photos snapped on point and shoot and other digital cameras are generally processed – just within the camera itself. The question then becomes: how MUCH image manipulation are we prepared to accept for an image to consider itself a “real” travel shot?
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Agreed with Paul … all photography is processed to so extent. I process alot myself, other images remain as close to natural as possible. This HDR stuff is travel art, more than photography.
Regards MRP – AKA – the candy trail … on the road across the planet, since 1988
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