Master of HDR Photography, Trey Ratcliff

all photos courtesy of Trey Ratcliff

Once again, traveling the virtual highways of the World Wide Web, I found an awesome photographer, Trey Ratcliff. Actually, I found him while checking my watchlist and browsing the behance.net community. His work is astonishing; I viewed his image compilation entitled, Digital Divination. Truly amazing; I had to see more, so I followed the link to his website. Need I say, unbelievable! You all know I had to contact him for an interview, and once you see his work, you’ll understand why. Take a few moments to become familiar with Trey and his work.

1. Thanks, Trey for the interview, I really appreciate it. So, how are things going? I’m sure you’re busy.

Things are great. I'm extremely busy with work and personal life. I'm over stimulated in every realm, but this is a good and necessary thing for someone like me.


2. Tell me, who is Trey Ratcliff? Where did you grow up?

Haha well... that's a tough one - the first part. The second part is easy... I grew up in Texas. Maybe that has something to do with me being a rugged individualist.


3. Was art always apart of your life? At what point did you decide you wanted to be an artist?

I think art is part of everyone's life. Even if you don't create it, you can still appreciate it. Sometimes people, later in life, figure out a good medium for them to finally create their own. That's what happened to me only three years ago when I got my first SLR camera.


4. What’s your favorite part of being an artist? Do you have any other interests besides art?

Personally, I like the immediate and extended feedback I receive from people that enjoy the art. It's very interesting to see what people like and don't like right after I complete a work and then share it with the world.

Beyond art, I have a wide array of interests. I have an intense interest in a variety of subjects and a reading list -- you can peer into this here:www.stuckincustoms.com/treys-book-list/

5. Has your work been hindered or helped in any way, in your opinion, due to being blind in one eye?

I think it has helped tremendously. Essentially, I've spent my entire life seeing things in 2D, just like a camera would. I can't see 3D like other people do (with parallax), but it did rewire my brain to process images and remember them in a novel way. I don't think the way I see the world is better or worse -- it's just different.

6. When I first saw your work, Digital Divinations, I was totally sucked in. What’s the story behind the compilation?

I pulled together a visually striking compilation of some of the strongest images for the Behance crowd. The artists there are really amazing, so I wanted to ensure that something remarkable could hit their eyes in a hurry.

7. Do you have any favorites from that compilation?

There are no stand-out favorites. I like them all! Also, it's tough for me to be objective...

8. Judging from your website, stuckincustoms.com, it seems you have an interest in traveling as well as photography, a kind of photojournalism. Could you elaborate on some of trips? Which have been your favorite(s)?

I do love to travel and explore new areas. I think my favorite trips have been to Iceland and India. They are both different in their own ways and both completely foreign to me. India is great because of the people. It reminds me how, in a land of one billion people, that each one is totally unique. Iceland is great because their geology is so far afield from the normal rules of how the Earth should behave. If I could only choose one to stay in for the rest of my life, it would probably be Iceland.

9. Your images are so crisp, rich in color and balance, intoxicating to say the least. What photo editing software do you use? Do you use any other mediums?

I have a full explanation of my process on HDR photography at www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-tutorial/ - I use a variety of software packages to accomplish the look. Primarily, I use Photomatix and Photoshop.


10. In your opinion, how would you describe your work?

This is a tough question. Putting words around art fails at some point. It's like describing a smell or a taste. I can put vainglorious words around a description, but it fails at some point. If I had to describe it at all, it makes a lot of sense to compare it to playing with light the way the Impressionists did. Light levels and contrasts change and adjust in close proximity, and the eye does a pretty good job of making this work out and make sense. The camera, by default, does not do that. My technique helps approximate the manner in which the eye and the mind work together.


11. Have you made good on your promise of one image per day, thus far?

Hehe- not so much. I usually miss 5-10 days per year. But I have been mistake free for about 6 months, so we will see if we can keep it up!


12. You mentioned the project Webwars on your blog. Are there any other projects in the works for 2009?

I have a few personal art projects I am working on, and I will share those as they are completed on the blog!


13. For up and coming artists, what advice would you offer them?

My best advice is to make a lot of mistakes and learn from them. Get feedback from someone that doesn't love you. And last, don't have any fear... that tends to steer people away from art.