Photographing Vegas

[wongyboi]

I'm about to head out to Las Vegas with my RF. I was wondering whether anyone here has some general tips or advice on shooting Las Vegas, particularly the night scene.

Any recommended film? I've considered Provia 400x but I'm hesistant to use slide film as I've never used slide film before 🙄

 

[Al Kaplan]

Don't use slide film unless you have experience with that type of film. Your exposure has to be spot-on, and in many situations you'll have to bracket your exposures to get the best exposure. You'd be best off not using any unfamiliar film if this is a once in a lifetime trip. The air is mostly very clear and dry giving you harsh shadows during the daytime compared to many cities.

 

[wongyboi]

photography inside the casinos is a big no no and will bring the goons down upon you....

Oh, I wasn't sure about the photography rules indoors but thanks for the heads up. Hmm... that is quite restrictive but I guess it makes sense (in the gambling zones).

 

[35mmdelux]

vegas is very well lit at night. 400 neg film ought to do it. there are alot of foto ops on the street. btw ton of people with cameras. enjoy. Paul

 

[tjh]

As I remember, the no photography rule isn't true in all casinos. I know it isn't true in one Casino in Laughlin, Nevada - It's the one in the fake riverboat. That casino had signs that (at least non-commercial) photography was ok but please respect others. (Otherwise, if you stick your flash in someone's face, the casino can kick you out.)

If in doubt, ask.

 

[rbiemer]

I was there a few years back and I don't remember any casinos where I couldn't shoot. The exception to that is taking pictures of the other patrons. But I would suggest asking since that may well have changed and they each likely have their own policies.
One other piece of advice I'll offer: DON"T jaywalk. Cross streets at the light/intersection. Dunno if it's an offense but the cars won't stop for you.
Rob

 

[.ken]

Hey, if you are photographing scenery with lights etc, fountains at bellagio... there's adequate lighting to shoot but if you decide to shoot people... it's actually pretty dark. I've shot with 1600iso neopan and got a lot of blurry shots (granted it was a point and shoot). My recommendation is to shoot people during the day. Downtown Fremont is fairly lit at night but the rest of the strip is sparsed out, some areas are lit and some are not... Inside the hotels and shopping areas you should be fine.

Casinos, you can shoot but you have to be fast. No tripods and act dumb if you ever get questioned but I never have because I don't stay in one spot for too long.

 

[raindog61]

I would head over to "the boneyard". The museum of neon signs that were once part of the landscape of Las Vegas.

http://www.neonmuseum.org/

 

[wongyboi]

No tripods and act dumb if you ever get questioned but I never have because I don't stay in one spot for too long.

Based on the quotes here, I would be asking for trouble if I was to set up a tripod in the casino. I guess it wouldn't hear to take a few snaps and be smart about what I do.

I would head over to "the boneyard". The museum of neon signs that were once part of the landscape of Las Vegas.

http://www.neonmuseum.org/

Thanks! Looks like an interesting place. Need to start squeezing all these places to fit my schedule now. 😱

I've taken pictures in both the MGM Grand and the New York casinos without incident (no flash). In the New York they gave me a tail, who trailed me, but kept their distance. After a while I walked up to the security following me and asked if it was o.k. Their response; no problem. 🙂

Sounds like serious business. It looks like a few people on this forum have quite a few experiences in Vegas and run-ins with security. Even with a discrete RF precaution should probably be taken and act sensible.

 

[Morca007]

If you're photographing outside, I like the idea of using a realtively neutral, muted film to tone down the super saturated nature of Vegas.

 

[tbarker13]

I think one of the tricks to photographing inside is to avoid looking like a pro of any sort.
Raising your camera and taking a few quick shots probably won't draw too much attention. It is a tourist destination, after all.
But if you spend a bunch of time photographing the same scene from different angles, etc., you're going to be much more likely to draw unwanted attention from security.

Funny. The biggest problem I've ever had in Vegas was at the movie theater at the end of Fremont Street in the downtown area. They wouldn't let me bring my M8 into the theater - insisted that I leave it in the box office. (I refused, and opted for other entertainment) Maybe they thought I was going to shoot a few hundred thousand frames and piece together a silent bootleg.

 

[maelswarm]

What's the best neg film for night shooting? Which one would be most versatile for shooting fluorescent and incandescent/sodium lighting?

 

[bhop73]

I dunno if it's the best, but I like Fuji 800z

 

[dmr]

I've shot thousands of frames in Las Vegas, day and night, on the Strip, in the casinos, and in the hinterlands.

At home I have a semi-accurate list of some casinos and what their policies are on photos. It varies widely. I'll post that tonight.

I'll also try to post a few recent shots.

A rangefinder is the PERFECT camera to do LV night shots!

As for film, for night shots of the Strip and such, I recommend plain old off-the-shelf Fuji 400 or 800 C41 films. They handle mixed lighting quite well. I will sometimes shoot 400 film at ISO 800 (yep, underexpose a stop) to avoid blowing out the highlights, which is EASY to do.

I've found that handholding, 1/60 or 1/30 is what seems to work best, autoexposing or guessing.

 

[dmr]

Here's my somewhat dated collection of answers to the photo question ...

On the past several trips, I made a point to ask at the casinos we
visited to see what their photo policy was. I always asked a uniformed
security person or else a "suit", so I would be sure I was getting the
actual policy and not somebody's whim.
. . . . .

Sahara: "Well, you're really not supposed to, but ..."
. . .

Sam's Town: "Over here by the machines is fine, don't shoot the pit."
. . .

Green Valley Ranch: >>>>NO!<<<< Very emphatic. He said that some of the
other Station properties do let you do it.
. . .

Gold Coast: "With you and your friends by the machines is fine, don't
get other people in the background. The pit is off limits."
. . .

Westward Ho: No! (Kind of a moot point now ...)
. . .

Slots-A-Fun: "No tables, no cage, anywhere else is fine."
. . .

Stardust: Long discourse about how the pit, cage, showroom and sports
book are a no-no, but about anywhere else is ok. War story about how the
cage was robbed a couple years back, so if they see you photograph the
cage, they may get nasty. (Kind of moot too ...)
. . .

Imperial Palace: No tables, no cage, no flash. Some entertainment may
be restricted. Be considerate.
. . .

Wynn: Very snooty answer from suit type floorperson:

Me: What is your policy on photos here?

FP: Oh, the same as in all of the better casinos.

Me: What is that.

FP: {condescending look} No gaming, all else is ok.
. . .

South Coast: "Media only, with prior arrangements."
. . .

Rio: Guard took me aside for a grand tour of what could and could not be
photographed ... said while pointing ... "Machines ok, no tables, no
cage, no personal shots of the photos with showgirls. You are encouraged
to take photos of the show in the sky."

They seem to have lightened up over the past couple of years, as I've shot freely in Harrah's, NYNY, and the new Encore with no hassle at all.

Here are a few very recent ones ...

Oh, as I said, I literally have thousands, many of them on line, but the guy I am borrowing the web space from is concerned about his bandwidth and asked me not to post the URL in public. If you want it, PM me.

The two night shots here were done with Fuji Superia 800 with the GIII. The day shot of the Encore was done on the el-cheapo Kroger/Ferannia film.

 

[Gumby]

Wow... thanks DMR. I never expected those kinds of responses. I always left my camera at home. I guess I'll do differently on the next visit!