Photo Tips Las Vegas and vicinity

„I dont care if the sun dont shine, I do my drinking in the eavening time, when I´m in Las Vegas
You can sit in the sun and camp, I get my color from a sunray lamp, when I´m in Las Vegas
I love the laughs I love the lights, there´s fun of every kind, Next time I come I bring my wife – I do that if I loose my mind
A wife in Vegas, take my advice, is like going to China with a sack of rice, when I´m in Las Vegas…“
Dean Martin, I love Vegas

• Located 650 m (2,132 ft) above sea level
• About 40 million visitors per year
• September and October are the most visited months

How, Where, What

If you were to point your camera at Las Vegas Boulevard from an elevated point in the dark and expose the film for a few seconds, what would the shot show? The sum of the lights would probably let us see a glowing worm with the tin caravan rolling up and down the Strip, surrounded by countless small and large points of light reflecting the amazement of the people.
Light and color, constant movement, and renewal dominate Las Vegas Boulevard and the phenomenally fast-growing metropolis that sprawls around it. Even after decades, the Strip continues to offer the world’s most delightful concentration of artificial light, with its intoxicating effect renewed every evening thanks to regular cosmetics!

Directions

I-15, the main link between the West Coast and the Colorado Plateau, runs through the middle of town, making Las Vegas a good starting point for a tour of the U.S. Southwest.
Hostels are a dime a dozen; those on the Strip are slightly more expensive than those two blocks away. To keep commutes short, choose a bed in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard. For RVers, the only recommended site close to the action is the campground at the Circus Circus Hotel.
7,5 km (4.6 mi) measures Las Vegas Boulevard on its most exciting stretch between Tropicana Avenue in the south and Fremont Street in the north. Quite a lot, even for new shoes!
Forget the various monorails – they run off the Strip behind the hotel complexes, run too infrequently, and don’t run long enough in the evening. The Las Vegas Strip Trolley is inexpensive and stops at almost all hotels, but it also takes a long time. The double-decker buses of the Deuce Line are a good compromise. They run up and down the Strip 24/7 at 15-minute intervals and stop at many key points. Depending on traffic, however, the whole route between Mandalay Bay and Downtown can take 80 minutes. There are info booths on every corner, but they would much rather sell their own services than give real advice. The real Convention and Visitors Bureau is at the Convention Center, 3150 South Paradise Road.

Planes usually take off and land in Las Vegas from west to east, so the best seats overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard are on the right side of the plane in front of the wings.

Geographical orientation and the most photogenic times of day

Without the water and electricity of the Hoover Dam, such a metropolis in this location would be unthinkable: Far isolated and surrounded by high mountain ranges, Las Vegas lies in a desert valley, which it now mostly fills. The mountain ranges to the west and east shade the sun for long periods in the morning and evening, shortening the twilight phases. Consequently, the hunting season for photographers begins at the „blue hour“ around 17:00, when the light flattens, the sky takes on an enchanting purple hue, and natural and artificial light mix perfectly. And after that, you can test your fitness until morning because Vegas is built for the night, when everything unsightly conveniently disappears into the dark. In direct sunlight, on the contrary, the shapes do not lose their effect, and you will often be able to see more details, but the makeup color is missing.

Seasons in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is located in the middle of a wide, flat depression, which is bordered in the west by the up to 2500 m (8,200 ft) high Spring Mountains. Climatically, this is part of the Mojave Desert. The environment here in southern Nevada, as in the rest of the state, is rugged, mountainous, and sparsely populated. The defining formations of the Basin Ranges – hundreds of parallel mountain ranges interrupted by just as many desert valleys – also have their own unique scenic appeal. Thanks to the waters of Lake Mead and the flow of Hoover Dam, the metropolis‘ immediate surroundings resemble an oasis with long rows of palm trees and large golf courses.

The climate is typically desert hot and dry, with more than 250 days of sunshine and, thanks to its location in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada, an average of 10 cm (4 in) of precipitation per year. The high summer months of July and August bring it to more than 40° C (104 °F). Then there are sometimes afternoon thunderstorms that move over from Mexico. The winter months are comparatively cool, with temperatures around 16° C (60 °F) during the day and only 4° C (39 °F) at night. The little precipitation that occurs at all falls between January and March. Early spring and late fall are the best weeks to visit because the days and nights are pleasantly warm.

Photographic peculiarities

Conventional daylight films react to artificial light with a more or less strong, warm color cast. And that’s a good thing because it emphasizes the subjective feeling. Pure artificial-light films render such situations comparatively cool. Both variations produce captivating images, and conducting tests at home ensures security. If you are working digitally, simply set the white balance to „daylight“ from time to time to achieve this effect.

An analog variant is the cross process, where an exposed slide film is developed using the incorrect negative process, resulting in surprisingly colorful and contrasty negatives. This method alienates artificial light and daylight situations, resulting in a truly unique pictorial universe. In any case, I recommend conducting experiments with different films, as each material reacts uniquely to this process.

Motion effects of people or cars with exposure times of a few seconds enliven the pictures and make them more interesting. Shooting in hotels often requires a tripod, even at 400 ASA.

In recent years, it has become increasingly common for hotel security staff to prohibit photography, sometimes even in public outdoor areas, if they suspect a professional background due to the equipment used. Particularly, they are triggered by SLR cameras on tripods. Sometimes you can talk about it. Otherwise, you have to accept the reprimand. Cell phone photos rarely lead to action.

Minimum program and daily schedule

Two days give enough time to explore not only the Strip but also the interesting surrounding countryside. The interior of the hotels and a drive through the varied landscape between Hoover Dam and Lake Mead take up the daylight hours; the remaining evening hours are just enough for the glittering world of Las Vegas Boulevard. If you begin and also end your tour of the Southwest here, feel free to plan another overnight stay before departure. – Over the course of a few travel weeks, the motifs you saw at the beginning can mature into finished pictures in your mind.

Next Photo Tips Las Vegas – Motifs on Las Vegas Boulevard

Next Photo Tips Las Vegas – Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

Next Photo Tips Las Vegas – Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

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