Viva Las Vegas - Days 2 and 3

I had originally planned on a new entry each day, but each day was not interesting enough on its own. I spent about 3 hours on Monday night on the strip photographing the lights. I wanted a slow shutter to get light trails from the traffic, so I used f/22 for my aperture. The one thing I forgot is that past f/16 you start to get diffraction which leads to softer, fuzzier photographs. I did not realize this until I was post processing the photographs and they were not as sharp as I would have liked.

I used my tripod for almost all the shots, and this caused problems with the elevated ones. I was shooting from walkways and I could feel the bouncing as people walked past. During a 6-8 second exposure this vibration really shows up. In hindsight, I should have used the tripod less and depended on the vibration reduction of the lens. I might have had more noise, but the photographs would have been sharper. Even so, for my first time shooting on the strip at night, I am fairly pleased with the results.

This was shot from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay.


I shot these two from an overpass designed for foot traffic.


The first time I saw the MGM lion, I dismissed it. The more I walk around it and the surrounding statues, however, the more I intriguing I find it. I really like this shot of it at night.


I think it is interesting that Las Vegas tries to be like other places, such as New York and Paris. It does makes for interesting photographs. I have never been to the real Statue of Liberty or the real Eiffel Tower, so it is interesting to see the representations of them in Las Vegas.


One of the most impressive sights on the strip is the water show in front of the Bellagio. I don't know how high this fountain shoots up, but it must be 50 ft. or more and it has to be thousands of feet long.

I shot this from the opposite side of the Paris balloon and I really like the composition. I met a fellow photographer at this point who was very nice. His name is John Harris who was visiting from Alaska. We had a very nice talk and shot a few photographs together. Meeting John is one of the things that makes a trip special. We forget the things we see over time, but the chance encounters we have with people can stick with us for a lifetime.


My last photograph of the evening was a gentleman panhandling for his next drink. It is an honest sign, but still a sad representation of where some people end up.

The next thing I would like to do is get off the strip and find the less glamorous side of Las Vegas (besides the homeless people panhandling on the strip). This is easier said than done, however. The strip is very strategically designed to KEEP you on the strip, at least if you are on foot. There is a freeway on one side and the other side quickly disappears into what appears to be an industrial area. The South end of the strip appears to degrade very quickly once you get past Circus Circus. With a second or third shooter I would be more eager to explore this area, but on my own that is probably not the best idea. I am going to see what I can find tonight that is safe enough to explore, but not quite as glossy as the strip itself. I may not find anything, but I have to at least try.