Travel photography in Las Vegas

Travel photography in Las Vegas, is little tricky. The lighting condition changes so abruptly, it is hard to keep up with lighting. If photography is the sole purpose of the Las Vegas trip then I guess it is not all that difficult, but if you are are a travel photographer like me, lighting can be very challenging. Each place has its own different lighting situation. Sometimes the light seems superfluous, sometimes it feels like creepy. Here are some things I learned in my last Las Vegas trip:

Keep a small bounce flash. Bounce flash is very useful is Vegas. Chances are high that you are taking indoor photographs, in that case bounce flash is really useful. You can definitely carry a large flash but if you want to travel light, bounce flash works just fine. I used SB-400 in my last trip and it served well.

Keep a careful eye on ISO. ISO is really important in Vegas. Each lighting situation deserves different ISO setting. The other two things of the triangle is pretty important as well. Carrying a monopod could be useful, but I used available camera supports (nearest wall or glass) for my pictures. But I definitely recommend something light, like monopod.

If you can keep up with white balance well, then no problem; otherwise I strongly recommend shooting raw. So that you don't have to worry about white balance. Otherwise white balance is another thing to worry about. Each place has its very different light, some are warm some are cool. Fixing white balance on-the-fly requires significant skill. You may ruin your trip messing with your camera settings. Hence, my recommendation is: shoot raw and fix the white balance later.

Play with frame ratio. Square frame or full frame could be very interesting as well. The good thing about Vegas, you can find all kinds of pictures for all sorts of frame ratio. Composition is the most important part of travel photography, at least to me. Frame size plays key role in composition. Don't get scared of experimenting with frame ratio. Experimenting with frame ratio could be very rewarding.

Finally and most importantly, don't ruin your trip in photography. There are other ways of enjoying Vegas, not just taking stunning pictures. Most importantly have fun in Vegas, don't ruin your entire trip on just the photography. 

Skalds And Shadows

Would you believe in a night like this?

A night like this, when visions come true

Would you believe in a tale like this

A lay of bliss, we're praising the old lore

Come to the blazing fire and

See me in the shadows

See me in the shadows

Songs I will sing

Of runes and rings

Just hand me my harp

And this night turns into myth

Nothing seems real

You soon will feel

The world we live in is another skald's

Dream in the shadows

Dream in the shadows

Do you believe there is sense in it

Is it truth or myth

They're one in my rhymes

Nobody knows the meaning behind

The weaver's line

Well nobody else but the Norns can

See through the blazing fires of time and

All things will procede as the child of the hallowed

Will speak to you now

See me in the shadows

See me in the shadows

Songs I will sing of tribes and kings

The carrion bird and the hall of the slain

Nothing seems real

You soon will feel

The world we live in is another skald's

Dream in the shadows

Dream in the shadows

Do not fear for my reason

There's nothing to hide

How bitter your treason

How bitter the lie

Remember the runes and remember the light

All I ever want is to be at your side

We gladden the raven now I will

Run through the blazing fires

That's my choice

Cause things shall procede as foreseen

[Blind Guardian]

Going back from Vegas

Vegas is the ultimate fun place. My Vegas trip this year was a total disaster. We were is Vegas for three nights. First the hotel! I don't wanna talk about it. All I want to say, you are spending so much for the trip, do yourself a favor, don't pick super secret hotel from travelocity.

It would have been not that bad, if only the hotel is the problem. I feel like it is one of the worst trip I have ever had. From the very moment I saw lipa, I felt like I don't know her anymore. I was feeling like everything is a big dream and everything gonna go away once I awake. It was a terrible feeling. I didn't know I was missing her so much. Bit then once I met her, I felt like I didn't know her at all. I kept feeling like everything is temporary, part of a big dream. I did not know feeling something temporary could be so terrible.

And then most part of the trip I kept thinking that why I am feeling so bad. Finally, I realize it is the feeling, feeling something transient, that is bothering me so much. Finally, my plane is one and half hours late. I came here in the airport around 4:45 to see off zafar, parisa and lipa. My flight is still two hours from now. I am sitting here in Vegas airport, leaving behind a horrible trip and my sweet loving wife. Life is beautiful.