Travelling to Las Vegas on Saturday, August 14th--Interesting Places to Photograph/Visit

I'm travelling for a week with my family (wife and 9-year-old twins)

to Las Vegas. We plan to spend some time in Vegas--we're not really

gamblers--but we also plan to go to Death Valley, Bryce Canyon (plan

to spend a night in Utah), and Grand Canyon.

 

I like to shoot mostly landscapes in black and white (Hasselblad) and

some abstract/macro stuff (usually with Canon 10D). I'm sure I'll

shoot a some Vegas shots a night just for the hell of it.

 

We're really interested in unusual spots, interesting places, and

good restaurants that are a little off the beaten path. We prefer to

wander around without a lot tourists, though, obviously, this isn't

possible in some of these parks. We also realize it's going to be

hot, so we'll try to do some stuff early in the day. In general,

we're fairly hardy and like to hike, but we'll be in a rent-a-car, so

really rough roads are out.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

There's plenty to see at Grand Canyon but it is 275 not very

interesting miles from LV which inevitably means getting there

when the light is at its worst and the crowds are biggest. Up to

you of course but I wouldn't make that journey unless I stayed

over and had a dusk/dawn opportunity. To a lesser extent the

same is true of Death Valley where you have to expect it to be hot

enough so hiking around won't be a pleasure. If you want a

drive-through tourist experience then fine, DV is doable in a day

from LV. If the quality of photographic opportunity is important to

you you'll need to stay over or subject yourself/family to a very

early start/late return with a long hot hole in the middle of the day.

Photographically, even though you're working in b&w I think DV is

a marginal photo opportunity in high sun.

 

Closer you have Red Rock Canyon about 20 miles west; Valley

of Fire to the northeast . Both of these are close enough to be

there at the best time of day from a LV base. Then there's the

dam and Lake Mead if you like that sort of thing. I also think that

unless you know LV well already you might be under-calling the

potential in town. There's some pretty interesting architecture

around and it doesn't mean you all being stuck in a car for hours.

 

Zion Canyon is closer to LV than Bryce and you might consider

incorporating it into your Bryce trip. Equally remember that Bryce

is very much a morning opportunity and if you're not at the

viewpoint set up before dawn then you've missed the best bit.

There isn't much if anything of a sunset at Bryce, so you can run

off to Cedar Breaks (50 miles approx) which faces the other way

and at 10 000 feet is a good place on a hot afternoon.

Seconds on Red Rock Canyon (be sure to visit both the free area and the pay area). Also north, by about 45 minutes (if you drive like I do), is the Mt. Charleston area. Did some star trails up there one night at about 8200 feet on a road-side pull off w/ the mountains in the background. At night it'll be cooler and you're away from light polution (though you can still see the Luxor beam to the south...).

When we were in Bryce in June, getting a little bit off the beaten path changed the Crowd Quotient a lot. If you have time to get more than a mile or two from the trailheads, you'll find great views, but many fewer people. Also, if you're willing to hike back up to the rim or down into the canyon by headlamp, you'll find something closer to solitude for sunrise and sunset. You'll never really be alone there, but you can avoid feeling too crowded. Enjoy your trip.

Robert,

 

I went to LV last year. The best time to shoot LV is after midnight. While my family slept I crawled out silently with camera, tripod, and bunch of films (just because I promise I would sleep). After midnight is a good time because crowd is lot less, especially in summer time they stay late. Tripod can really disturb the people circulation anywhere. On the "strip" is all you need to photograph. Scenes are beautiful with nightlights, cars, etc. It is approx. 2-3 miles from circus-circus to mandaly bay. It should keep you awake whole night.

Here are what i took:

 

http://www20.brinkster.com/edwardedw/las%20vegas.htm

Years ago, I shot the old downtown (before it was the "Freemont Street Experience" with a Hassy and 50mm lens with 100 speed chrome wide open and handheld at 1/15th. Worked great and I have a 24x30 print of it. I'd skip the downtown now.

 

I just returned last week from Vegas. Didn't venture outside the city this time (Red Rock Canyon is very nice), and used a Leica with 15, 35, and 21 with 100 speed chrome at 1/15th, 1/8th, and a few at 1/4th (camera braced) for night neon shots on chrome. Load some faster color neg film and 1/60th or 1/30th are fine.

 

If you want to spend some money, try Aqua in the Bellagio. They only serve seafood, but what a meal!! Be prepared to pay $16 a glass of wine (scotch on the rocks is only $6).

 

Less expensive is Mon Ami Gabi at Paris....excellent food (we ate there twice) but it will be very crowded and reservations at all major strip hotels are a must unless dining VERY late. Off strip, I can't help.

 

Have a good trip...be prepared for airport security to swab EVERY ROLL of film if you ask for a hand inspection (happened to me with 12 rolls) and don't trip over any strollers in the casinos!

Wow--Death Valley is going to be pretty hot this time of year.

 

I would spend time in Zion before Bryce any day. It's closer and just more interesting.

Although the photographs aren't presented to you on a silver platter the way they are

at Bryce, there is more room to be creative in Zion. If you do end up in there, stop in

Silverdale (right outside the park) and eat at

Oscars--it's not fancy, but has a fine local flair and good food. Then head across the

parking lot to the Mean Bean for a good cup of coffee and a chat about local politics.

On the other side of the park (several miles past the exit) there is a little place called

the Buffalo Grill--or something to that effect--they have good food and are friendly.

Have a great trip.

Did I say Silverdale? Sorry, I meant Springdale...no more late night posts for me.

Thanks everyone for the responses. Looking forward to trying out several of your restaurant choices, as well as hiking and photographic possibilities.

 

Mark, I checked out your website--you've got some fantastic landscapes!