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I did a post earlier this year that showed the progress of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge and we recently drove out to see and drive the new road and over the new bridge. It is a very quick trip, but one that will make any commuting from AZ to NV a much easier path. There is a nice walk up (stairs or incline walkway) from a parking lot up to the bridge. You can walk about half way over the bridge.
Here is the view.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 6mm 1/320th sec
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4.5 30mm 1/640th sec
We went to the season opener of the UFL Las Vegas Locos last night, it was a lot of fun! We met a bunch of fun people that we look forward to seeing again at the next home game. I had always wondered what really goes on at the stadium during the football games. Sure, it is a lot of fun to hang out with your friends and watch games on TV. You all play armchair quarterback and listen to not-always-so-good-commentary. The UFL even takes the camera and a reporter in a suit (yuk, it was in the 90s yesterday) and interview players during the game. Reporter “you carried that ball over 10 yards, how do you feel?” Player ‘I feel like we are really having a good game.” Or Player “It was AWESOME!”
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 200 f/4.5 30mm 1/20th sec
So what exactly happens during commercial breaks on TV. Nothing, absolutely nothing. The players stand around, the water is run out to them. They joke around with the refs. And the fans, well – they spend their time doing what people do at home. Drink beer. Lots of it.
The guys sitting behind us we are blast! And the more they drank, the funnier they got. It started out as a simple wall of beer.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 200 f/2.8 6mm 1/10th sec
Then, they made the first of many beer-amids.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 200 f/2.8 6mm 1/8th sec
Towards the end of the night the group had consumed the contents of over 40 of these shiny cans.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 400 f/2.8 6mm 1/8th sec
The last beer-amid they tried to build even included donations of shiny cans from others around them, but alas….not so steady hands…..
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 200 f/2.8 6mm 1/25th sec
Unfortunately, the Locos did not win their season opener – but there is always next time. Looking forward to the next game.
Being from Minnesota, I miss the grand scale extravaganza known as the Minnesota State Fair. Up until last year I was not aware that there is an annual county fair in Logandale, which is roughly a hour north of Las Vegas. The scale isn’t terribly grand, but the concept is the same. There are juried competitions for growing food and flowers, knitting and quilting, science projects and art and photography. I entered four images to the photography contest (one in this post) – I received two blue ribbons and two red. Besides the competitions, there are; exhibits and shows, a midway with games and rides, small animals and livestock and PLENTY of food. The Clark County Fair also has a rodeo, which someday we hope to make it long enough to be able to stay and attend.
The shows this year included pig racing, dogs and frisbees and a lumberjack show. I didn’t lug around a lot of equipment with me this time around – next year….likely to be a different story. My focus of the day was spending time with family and having a good time. The biggest mistake was not bringing sunscreen (yes, I live in the desert and totally forgot this one important item).
The first image here is one of the ones I got a blue ribbon for. I had it printed on metallic paper, so it had a really cool shine.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO200 f/5.6 60mm macro 1/250th sec
In the food competition area were these prize winning beets, I couldn’t resist the bright color.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO250 f/2.8 6.1mm macro mode 1/4 sec
The ‘dog catchin frisbee’ show was really fun. It was really bright out there and really windy, the dogs and trainer had quite a workout. I have never seen dogs jump so high so fast….. But the one that really catches everyone’s eye is a dog that acts like a cat (kinda looks like one too). She slinks up, low to the ground as if she is hunting like a leopard. I was in the right spot at the right time to capture how focused she is.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 10.8mm 1/800 sec
©320photography Canon G10 ISO80 f/4.5 30mm 1/500th sec
The lumberjack show was new this year and was certainly entertaining. The two lumberjacks are well versed in the lumberjack competition world. The one on the left is a Junior champion from Oregon. The one on the right has been world champion three times and currently resides in China – where lumberjacks shows are all the rage right now.
©320photography Canon G10 ISO80 f/4 21mm 1/640th sec
By the end of the afternoon animals and humans can have something in common…..
©320photography Canon G10 ISO200 f/2.8 6.1mm 1/30th sec
Sweet dreams.
Red Rock Canyon is one of the natural wonders in the Las Vegas area and I really do enjoy spending time out there. Every time I find something new and surprising, and this time was no different. Red Rock Canyon is just a short drive west from Las Vegas, some of it can actually be seen from the Strip if you are awake at the right time of day. For those that want to venture out for a pleasant escape, there is a thirteen mile scenic drive which is an amazement all on its own. Several parking areas along the scenic drive provide ample and spectacular photographic opportunities. Each of the parking areas, are situated at trail heads with a variety of hikes ranging from easy to strenuous.
Each of these hikes can provide you with a different view into the ecology of the Red Rock Canyon area. Some of the hikes are at a higher elevation, meaning you are likely to see more greenery than some of the lower elevations. The plant life at Red Rock Canyon varies throughout the seasons. Early on in the year Joshua Trees display a beautiful bloom of flowers to extend their height. Spring brings a variety of wildflowers, some of which will show up on this blog from time to time or in my website portfolio (which is about to get an overhaul).
Despite hiking there several times, I had not yet seen the seasonal waterfall at the end of the Lost Creek Trail – this really is due to not coming at the right time of year or after a dry winter. Over the last few months we have had more rain in the Las Vegas area than the last several years combined, so the possibility of the waterfall actually flowing was pretty great. Our first peek came about 3/4 of the way up, this first image inviting us to climb higher to find the source.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO500 f/5.6 200mm 1/25th sec (handheld)
From this vantage point we could hear the rushing waterfall, almost drowning out the calm trickle this mini-waterfall provides. Crossing a few more streams and up a bit more in elevation and you come upon the seasonal waterfall on Lost Creek Trail.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO500 HDR of five images at 18mm
Finally, I can say I have seen this waterfall. Water is such a precious commodity in the desert, it is treasured and something that causes desert dwellers a great deal of excitement. When the rains come, we celebrate. I grew up in the land of 10,000 lakes, so this certainly is not the first body of water or waterfall I have experienced in my lifetime. Living in the desert for the past 11 years has made me appreciate and miss the water at a greater level than I had ever anticipated. I feel honored to have seen this natural part of life and will treasure the personal experience for a long time.
The best surprise of the day actually came after visiting the waterfall. Generally it is expected to see the beauty of natural rock formations, desert plant life and probably small rodent or reptilian wildlife when visiting Red Rock Canyon. We were blessed with seeing some burros early on the scenic drive (unfortunately the photographer was not quick enough to get the camera out in time). On the descent from the higher elevations, approaching the end of the scenic drive, we saw something moving out amongst the brush. Stopping the vehicle to try to get confirmation that something was really out there provided us with a sight so glorious that the visit to the waterfall was briefly forgotten. A family of deer was wandering through the brush, eating while in the midst of a slow migration towards the mountains. Five of them total, at least two (if not three) of them young bucks, with their antlers roughly double the height of their head. Each time a car would rush by, a head or two would pop up to make sure the coast was clear. The passengers of these cars have no idea what they were missing. We followed them for roughly thirty minutes, watching them trek and eat.
©320photography Nikon D300 ISO 500 f/5.6 200mm 1/500th sec
I have never been disappointed with a visit to Red Rock Canyon and go back frequently. The wildflowers will begin blooming soon, turning the brownish ground into a bed of orange flowers. I look forward to coming back.
One of the major construction projects that is of interest not only to Las Vegas locals, but nationally and internationally, is the Hoover Dam bypass project. The project itself broke ground in 2005, but my photographic memories for purposes today begin in 2008. The bridge is an architectural marvel and it is going to be very exciting to drive over the first time – which the news reports say should be in November 2010. Additionally it has been reported the public should be able to walk over the bridge in addition to traffic. It will provide an awesome view of the dam and of the surrounding canyon area.
The bridge is officially named the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. The namesakes represent important people from both sides of the bridge. Mike O’Callaghan is a former Nevada governor and an editor at a Las Vegas based newspaper. Pat Tillman was a member of the Arizona Cardinals, but gave that up to join the military after 9/11 and was unfortunately killed in Afghanistan. The construction of the dam has been the subject of at least two TV documentaries run on the Discovery/Science Channel – Megabuilders and Build it Bigger with Danny Forster (I say at least because I think there is actually another one, but I cannot find any evidence to support that theory). According to the official project website (http://www.hooverdambypass.org/) the bridge will span nearly 2000 feet and it will be the third highest bridge deck in the country – over 800 feet from the canyon. The entire bypass, including the land based aspects of the project, will be 3.5 miles long.
The looming question for the local economy is how much the bypass will affect visitation to the Hoover Dam visitor’s center – which has yet to pay for itself. Also, how much commerce might spring up along the new route. Only time will tell on this, but it will be an exciting day when traffic is finally diverted onto the new roads and bridge.
May 2008 ©320photography Nikon D300 ISO200 f/18 36mm 1/100th sec
May 2009 ©320photography Canon G10 ISO 80 f/4 6mm 1/800th sec
October 2009 ©320photography Canon G10 ISO200 f/8 6mm 1/500th sec
March 2010 ©320photography Canon G10 ISO80 f/4 9mm 1/320th sec
Unfortunately, the image below is a representation of what a stalled economy looks like. Sure, there is a lot I want to share about the beauty of Las Vegas, but there is the other side. Las Vegas was the fastest growing city for several years in a row, then the real estate market fell, tourism slowed and the general economy came to a screeching halt. There are many construction sites that have been frozen in time. Not only on the strip, because there are a few on the strip that are major efforts that have stalled. But there are a lot of areas near where I live where office buildings and condos sit idle – no construction workers, no activity – just desolate areas with evidence left behind of what it might have been.
My intent in the image is to capture the mood, the somber feeling you get when you stand near these areas. The trash left behind in the foreground, the rented construction vehicle sits idle and the building itself only partially finished. Someday some of these projects might start up again.
Nikon D300 ISO 200 f/16 48mm 1/125th sec
One of the most visited sites in Las Vegas is the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas….or old Las Vegas. I do remember what it was like to drive down Fremont Street, way back when I was a visitor here myself. The Fremont Street Experience was built as a way to attract more tourists to the downtown area, to bring business back to the ‘old school’ casinos such as Binions and The Plaza. Essentially, it did just that. It is an interesting and unique spot in Las Vegas. Lots of photo ops, lots of unique characters…
In continuing with the Self Park series, this shot was actually taken last summer – during the Summer of ’69 celebration series. Both of the annual Kelby Photo Walks were at Fremont Street. I think for the next one I want to take it out to the Strip….I digress.
Whenever we go down to Fremont Street, we park in the main parking garage that is not part of one of the casinos – it is at the tail end of the experience, right above Hennesseys. I always thought it had a nice view from the parking garage, so I did finally make it down there to get a few shots. This is an HDR of five images, taken at f/25, tone mapped in Photomatix Pro and I made a few other adjustments with white balance in Lightroom. I have played with this with many different white balance settings – from the absolutely garish to the hardly there and this is the one I like best (today anyway). That is the beauty of expressing your self through imagery….you can make it whatever you want. There is still a lot of discussion out there in the photographic world on the right way to do HDR – I agree with those that are like minded with me – whatever level of tone mapping you do and your end result is up to how you want it to be. There is not hard fast written rule on how HDR should look, it is simply another way of translating.
Nikon D300, ISO 200, 32mm, f/25, HDR of 5 images
As I have mentioned in the past, I am not native to Las Vegas. However, I have been here long enough to become familiar enough to know that there are two sides to Las Vegas. The way visitors see it (or expect it to be) and the way the locals see it. When I first started this blog it was to share with others what it is like on the local side. My mind wandered on what sort of topics might be of interest.
Architecture of Las Vegas is often discussed, the feats accomplished or the smartness of how the scale of Las Vegas is displayed in the buildings that make Las Vegas what it is…hotels/casinos. If you spend any length of time with someone who lives here they are likely to tell you that they don’t spend a lot of time on the Strip or at Fremont Street (unless it is because they are at work). So, what is it that the locals do here – or what do they see.
When I go places, I go looking for what the locals do, where they eat, how they get around…one ongoing project I have started with a funny little side trip on my honeymoon (more to come on that later). So, what is it that locals in Las Vegas see that not all visitors do. Partly, we see the other side of the architecture. This first photo I am posting is just the start of the idea and we will see where it goes. This is the view from the parking garage at the Monte Carlo. I started the Self Park project awhile ago as just a way to keep the juices flowing – and so far it is mostly comprised of photos taken with my Canon G10 (as that is the camera that is with me all the time). Frankly, who knows which tool I will use to capture now days, the G10 is always with me – but so is my phone……
It isn’t during the golden hour, it isn’t even the best time of day to have taken it – I was just there at that moment. Stay tuned for more.
I have been in Las Vegas over 10 years now and feel pretty acclimated to the climate. I used to kid people and give them a hard time when it was 40 something outside and they would say it was cold. I was born and raised in Minnesota, it truly gets cold there. My favorite story to demonstrate that is when my daughter was two weeks old my mom called me and told me that we should get out of the house that day – as it was going to get warmer, up to zero degrees. Warm up to zero.
But, really it is all relative. For instance, in Minneapolis in the fall the temps fall from 70s and 80s in the summer to 40s in the fall….and even down to 20s and 30s as winter approaches. That is a 50 to 60 degree difference. Down into the 20s and 30s people start to say it is getting cold. Las Vegas is 100s in the summer, cools down to the 90s, 80s and 70s (about a week of each it seems) and then we get down into the 50s…and over the last week only in the 40s for highs (20s in the morning). That is a 60 degree difference as well….so it is cold to us who live here in the desert.
This weekend we have a storm pushing through, it has been raining on and off for the last three days. We here in Las Vegas get really happy and excited when it rains, because it just doesn’t happen that often. This week is a one year anniversary to one of the biggest storms I have ever seen here. On my son’s birthday last year in snowed. Las Vegas does usually see a snow event each year, but last year it snowed many inches really fast. The southeast suburb of Henderson saw 8 inches that day. My house on the west side saw 3 to 4 inches. The picture below was taken in my back yard. School was canceled for the next day – snow drifts existed for months (those in the shade).
It was a heavy wet snow, and it took us an hour to pick up my husband from work to go out to dinner for my son’s birthday. A normally 15-20 minute drive took an hour….the roads were awful, and of course people here don’t know really what to do in a snow storm. Some drive to fast and spin out (we saw more than a dozen of such folk on the side of the road because they had damaged their car in the spin). Some drive really slow – which by the way Las Vegas folks is what everyone else does when it snows. It was weird driving in such snow again, I flashed back to several snow storms that I drove through as part of my daily commute there. I remember the Halloween storm in Minnesota in the 1990s – it snowed 36 inches in two days. But, it is all relative – 4-8 inches of snow here (where there is no road equipment to handle it) is comparable to 36 inches in Minnesota.
Unfortunately, I feel obliged to do a post about the responses I have received regarding the chosen photograph for the Las Vegas photo walk. While I truly expected that there would be people who were not happy with the photo I selected, no matter what photo was selected, I did not expect some of the truly ugly feedback. First and foremost, this gathering was exactly that – a social activity with photographers. To spend time with people who have something in common. The contest was secondary – as could easily be noted by the few images that were actually submitted for the contest.
But let me set the record straight for those that have commented.
- The only people I knew prior to the walk were my family, and they were not eligible to win the contest.
- Photography is subjective. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect that.
- While on the subject of respect – I did not attack you personally with the photo I chose, so I am unsure why it is warranted and ‘okay’ for you to attack me personally.
- I also did not threaten anyone, so I am unsure why it is warranted and ‘okay’ for you to threaten me.
In the end, it was a great experience and I look forward to more in the future. I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at the chosen photos from all the walks around the world and I hope you do as well. There has not been a lot uploaded to the Flickr site, I hope to see more up there soon.
