Vegas Memories

The image below is the ceiling in the Bellagio Casino & Resort in Las Vegas:

(Click on the image to enlarge.)

This is a shot of the ceiling near the reception/registration area in the Bellagio in Las Vegas. This image is taken with a Nikon D700 with a 50mm/1.8 lens. The camera was mounted on a Manfrotto 055CXPRO4 Carbon Fiber tripod for stability during the relatively long exposure. The tripod affords the luxury of being able to opt for a low ISO and therefore achieving optimum image quality while maintaining sharpness. And by the way, I always have that 50/1.8 in the bag with me. It's tiny and light, and it lets in so much light that it becomes the go-to lens for low-light shooting in so many instances (wedding receptions, certain events) where a tripod is impracticable.

The lesson to be gleaned from this shot is: Look Up! I was part of a judging committee for a photo competition last week, and in going through the submissions, I was struck by how important it is to avoid pat and obvious compositions. Think about it: the vast majority of photgraphs are taken with the camera at eye-height, with knees locked. Sadly, many photographers are simply recording exactly what is directly in front of them with little thought given to options regarding perspective and composition.

One of the things I feel a photographer should impart to the viewer is a sense of surprise -- adventure. And an excellent way to achieve that is by seeking new ways to look at the subject -- by varying your approach to the subject. Don't simply settle for the obvious.

Boy, do I love Las Vegas. Love it. So much. Try to get there as often as I can. There's the restaurants, the shows, and of course for me, Vegas is just a paradise for photographers. Although it's not such a much for nature shooters, it's an amazing scene for low-light, landscape, macro, and people work. In the course of wandering the Strip, you'll pass through multiple Casinos/Resorts. Look up. The ceilings in many are gorgeous, each more ornate than the last. And that's just the ceilings. Try the opportunities for landscapes, too, as the place is quite vast. Me, I can wander the Strip for hours on end, and everywhere I look, there's another great photo op right in front of me. And I have to remind myself when faced with the grand scale on which Las Vegas is built, to look for details: look for the oft-ignored aspects, look for off-angles, the interplay of lights, colors, shapes...what a treat it is to shoot in Vegas. I hope to be there again in the coming few months. Hope I run into you on the Strip out there. If you see me, stop and say hello.