Las Vegas

[keithisnor]

I am going to Las Vegas in October, have never been before. I am looking for some interesting places to take pictures, any suggestions!

[fire-eyes]

Hi, I live in Vegas, please contribute to our economy grin.

Obviously the strip itself, though I suggest staying away from the north end of the strip, which is the Stratosphere Tower (can't miss that), it's a bit crime-ridden.

Particularly on the strip is the Bellagio, which has a very large water pool and they do very large water jet presentations to music there. This can be interesting both in the daytime and at night.

The quarter-scale eifel (sp?) tower right across the street from there is a can't miss as well. Also interesting in both day and night.

The Welcome to Las Vegas sign is not where people would imagine it is. It is just south of the strip, not far (google maps, short url): is.gd - Forwarding Script

This post could get really long if we stuck just to the strip though. Here are some things many people do not know about:

The Fremont Experience

Info: Fremont Street Experience - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location (google maps, short url): is.gd - Forwarding Script

Red Rock Canyon, which is on the west side of town. It looks far on the map, but it is really about a 30 minute drive from the strip. The most visually stunning part is a few miles in the park (there's only one road, and only one way in/out), and is best illuminated in the evening. However keep in mind that the other side of the canyon is comprised of mountains that are quite high, so don't go TOO late.

Location: is.gd - Forwarding Script

Hoover Dam - This is forgotten a LOT and is not to be missed. Perhaps an hour drive from the strip. Drive over the dam: It will probably be the last time you ever do, because (as you will see) they have constructed a bridge downstream to close the dam itself to traffic.

Location: is.gd - Forwarding Script

FYI when driving around town, be especially aware of North I-15 approaching Tropicana -- This is the most dangerous intersection in the entire city.

[keithisnor]

Thanks for the info. I will not miss the Hover Dam. Hopefully I will not contribute too much to he economy through the casino's.

[pekelo]

Ditto on the Bellaggio...I took some nice photos there earlier this year.

[fire-eyes]

Originally Posted by keithisnor

Thanks for the info. I will not miss the Hover Dam. Hopefully I will not contribute too much to he economy through the casino's.

There is a tour you can take of the inside of the dam, I strongly suggest doing that. The price is a little absurd at $25 per person last I knew, however it's worth it to do once. I won't spoil it with details.

Be sure to get shots of traffic on the dam, it seems quite ordinary but it will soon be a thing of the past, and then it will seem unusual.

The dam is quite photogenic at night as well.

[Crossfire905]

1: Taken with a Vivitar Vivicam 3500 [basic digital P&S], May 2002, from my 9th-floor room at the Gold Coast, looking southeast toward Luxor, Mandalay Bay, etc. The Gold Coast does not necessarily have the grandest views in Vegas... [Note: The dirt lot across the street is part of the Palms construction site.]

2: Taken with an HP PhotoSmart C618 — 9th floor at the Gold Coast again, April 2007 — with 3X optical zoom looking toward the northeast [Stratosphere and several others, Turmberry Place condominiums, yet another Donald Trump thing under construction]. I couldn't pan any further right.

As you might guess, both were taken late in the day. At any rate, you can probably get some good skylines if you're close to the Strip, but you might want to use some zoom. As for photo opps on the Strip... Actually, I wouldn't know. I've never wandered around Vegas with a camera.

edit: fire-eyes mentioned the Fremont Street Experience. I've been there a couple of times. It can make for some very good photos if you know what you're doing — I'm thinking particularly crowd shots [and, oh yes indeed, there WILL be crowds!] and the overhead light shows.

[fire-eyes]

Well, I have a new suggestion. After living here three years, there were a lot of things I never did. One of those was to go to the top of the Paris hotel, which is a 1/4 scale of the Eifel (spelling?) tower. Which doesn't sound big, but it IS!

They have little squares cut out of the fence and I was able to poke my 24 - 105L out of it, just barely. This didn't leave much room for movement. So that is neat enough, but I figured I would go for a 360 pano -- and it actually worked out! I'm still dealing with the 25,000 x 3900 + image however.

I'll work on getting a version of this up tonight (halfsize on my site).

[oldwolf]

A picture of the fountains in front of the Bellagio from the top of the Eiffel Tower. You have to be quick about it though and no tripods.

[MOmilkman]

Originally Posted by pekelo

Ditto on the Bellaggio...I took some nice photos there earlier this year.

In the casino? I thought that was a big no-no?

[MOmilkman]

+1 on the Red Rock Canyons. Heres a pic from when we went in 2005


Don't forget your not that far from the Grand canyon if you've never seen that. Just don't take a chartered tour. I will never do that again. Just drive yourself.