Hey all.

I'm a keen photographer and when in Vegas love to wander around snapping whatever I see.The problem is that often, even a decent snapshot camera does not like the conditions that Vegas can throw at you.

I am making the assumption that most readers have a digital snapshot camera and are not camera experts.

Here are a few brief tips (all of which are my own opinion and others may disagree)

First off, if it's sunny set the ISO as low as possible (100 on most cameras), on a cloudy day set the ISO back to Automatic.

When taking panoramic long distance pictures of the Strip or a Hotel, be aware of where the sun is. If it is in the picture the camera will freak out and the results won't be great (and you will go blind!!)

The whereabouts of the sun is also very important when snapping your friends and family. If the sun is behind you (the photographer) the people in the pic will squint. If it is behind them, you may find the camera over compensates leaving the subject (your friends) too dark. If the sun is out of shot at 90 degrees to you, then you may end up with very harsh facial shadows.........The upshot of this is where possible take this kind of picture in the shade. If this is not an option the best plan is to have the sun behind the subjects and to set the shutter speed manually (normally 1/80th to 1/125th of a second should be OK.

The other BIG problem with Vegas is that we all want to take great pictures of the sights at night....and they often come out badly.

The best way round this is to spend $$$$ on a digital SLR but for the majority this is not a sensible option.

First off set the ISO back to Automatic (most modern cameras are pretty good at selecting ISO in low light)

So..........if you are taking pics of the fantastic lights on the Strip or maybe of the Freemont lights, my big tip is this:

Leave the flash on but cover it up with your finger. If the flash is turned off then your camera will select a much slower shutter speed and your pictures will be blurred. Cover it up because if the flash fires in the normal way then anything in the foreground of the shot (heads, passers by, cars and so on) will be far too bright and will pull your eye away from what the picture was actually of.

Another tip is to place the camera on a solid surface and use the self timer so there is no camera shake when you press the button. The problem with this idea is that if you are not careful someone might grab your camera and run!! If this is an option, leaving the camera on Automatic is generally OK and can produce some great results.

A tripod is much better but who wants to carry one around when in Vegas?

A picture from the Stratosphere observation deck looking down the Strip at night is a nightmare to take no matter what you do. Try the above ideas and hopefully the results will be pretty good.

Taking pictures of your friends at night is the easy one....let the camera do what the hell it wants (with the flash on) and you will have some great memories of your trip

Hope this helps at least one of you...........

Happy snapping,

Dave.

0 comments View Entry

This blog keeps going wrong...sorry...when I posted it the top part of the text got deleted.

Essentially I play 1c machines with no "plan", I don't set a budget for a session, I don't walk away if I double my money, I don't walk away if I have no quick wins and I certainly don't walk away if the machine "seems" to be tight.

I often find that a machine might suck up $2-300 before paying but then it will hit big time.

I always play max coins........

I leave a machine when I'm good and ready.

Anyway, if I'm doing well with my budget on 1c slots I will often venture onto the Big Boys...the $5 slots. I only do this if I have several $100 bills in my pocket but my experiences of doing this are most favourable. Once again, on a $5 slot I will play max credits.

So here are a few wins....enjoy

The bottom 2 pics are the ones I enjoy the most!!!!!

A

0 comments View Entry