07. September 2012 · Comments Off on Scary Girl – Las Vegas · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: ,

A couple of day’s ago I posted a picture that I captured in the Westcott display at the Photoshop expo.  They have a number of stages set up with all their lights and professional models.  The image I posted the other day was called Sad Girl as the model was clearly uncomfortable.

Today’s image is totally different.  This girl was made and dressed up in a horror kind-a outfit.  She looked really good and was clearly used to lots of middle aged men pointing cameras at her.  She was very confident and pulling all sorts of faces that went along with her look.

These bays were manic, there were so many people fighting to get close to take a picture and we had to be pretty patient to get our shot.  What made matters worse was that we had expensive gear with really nice portrait lenses that required we stood back from the model, but every time we stepped back some idiot would go in front with their crappy cheap camera and lens and get in the way.

Anyway we bided out time, I called out to her and asked her to look my way and she gave me a great stare.  I got a few really good frames and chose one of them to post tonight.

Unfortunately the conference is now over and tomorrow we are driving over to Hoover Dam to get some shots there.  Then it’s home to review all the images I captured and pick which ones I post here.

Today Carter decided to checkout the artwork in the Mandalay Bay hotel.  They have some very interesting pieces.

06. September 2012 · Comments Off on Luxor Hotel – Las Vegas · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: , ,

Today was the last full day of Photoshop World – the whole thing ends tomorrow.  So today we got up at 7am and hit classes for training.  We went to 7 one-hour classes in all and spent 3 hours in the Expo, again photographing models at Westcotts stand (this time it wasn’t as creepy – but you will have to wait for those postings).

There were some activities at the conference tonight but Chris and I wanted to go out and take some pictures of Vegas, so we finished our last class and grabbed out gear and hit the road.

Obviously it was really hot outside even at 7:30 at night but we hit the strip and started to walk.  Mandalay Bay is located at one end of Las Vegas Boulevard (which is the Las Vegas Strip) but hotels like Caesars Palace and Bellagio are more in the middle, so we knew which direction to walk.

The first hotel we came to was the Luxor.  This is basically modeled after an Egyptian pyramid, with a huge Sphinx at the front.  What makes it doubly interesting is that it has this massive light coming out the top that fires up into the sky (clearly nobody has told them about saving power and being nice to the environment).

Anyway the hotel looks pretty impressive from the outside so I took a picture and that’s my image tonight.  I should point out that if you go into the Luxor it’s a HUGE disappointment, but I guess it’s really all about the external look as that’s what brings people in.

When we got home I found Master Chief going through some questionable cards!  I have no idea where he got them and I wasn’t impressed (neither was Carter by the look of things).

 

05. September 2012 · Comments Off on Sad Girl – Las Vegas · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: ,

So today was our first full day at Photoshop World.  We attended the Key Note opening presentation and then went to some classes with Joe McNally (an amazing photographer).

After that we attended the Expo where a number of resellers were showing their products.  The expo was really good, there was loads of amazing photography stuff there – Lisa’s worst nightmare!  But today I didn’t buy a thing, I’m really proud of myself.

Anyway, one of the resellers (Westcott) sells a lot of lighting equipment and they had a couple of “bays” set up with lights.  Each bay had a model posing for passers by.  If you had a camera (and we did) you could just snap away and test out how good the lights were.

What made this funny (and sad) is one of the girls was dressed in 1940’s lingerie and was clearly not that comfortable with all the photographers there.  Sure she was smiling at each person with a camera, but the eyes never lie.  Every now and then her smile would drop and you could see she really wasn’t enjoying it.

I guess being a model you are used to having your picture taken, but when there are so many people fighting to get in front of you it’s got to be pretty scary.  I really felt for her.  But then I thought sod it and took her picture too.

Today Carter and Master Chief visited the casino and I found them tonight splitting their winnings.

04. September 2012 · Comments Off on Seatac Airport – Seattle · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: , ,

Today I left town and flew out to Las Vegas to go to the Photoshop World conference.   I’ve wanted to go to this for a couple of years and decided this year was the year.  It’s basically a conference for a load of keen Photoshop users who want to learn more about the product and general photography.

About 3000 people attend and there are numerous training courses throughout the day and an expo where you can go and checkout all the latest photography gear and try stuff you want to buy.

Perhaps the best bit is you get to meet all your photography icons (yes there are amazingly talented people out there) and get some guidance and advice on how to improve. (The will even review your work for 20 minutes and tell you why you suck – but I have Lisa for that).

Plus you are surrounded to 3000 other sad photographers who all share the same passion as you.  So this for me is heaven.  I have a photography buddy at home (Chris Pearson) who came with me and as I write this we are sitting in hour hotel room in the Mandalay Bay.

Anyway, today I needed to post a picture and while at the airport in Seattle I captured the picture below of the food court that looks out over the airport’s runways.

As you would expect there is a Starbucks here and LOTs of people walking about (so some are a little blurry).  I HDR’d this image so I could clearly see outside and inside with everything being properly exposed.  In the end it came out pretty good.

Over the next few days expect some shots from Vegas.

Here Master Chief and Carter are sitting in our hotel room enjoying the Vegas view out the window.

03. September 2012 · Comments Off on Stones – Bellevue Botanical Gardens · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: , ,

The other day I visited Bellevue’s Botanical Gardens and got some really nice pictures.  On the way out I found these stacked stones in a grass garden.  I wasn’t sure how this image would come out as everything is so green.  But after post processing I think it looks cool.  The little bit of blue sky helps but for some reason the grass and stones just grab my attention.

When I got home I showed Abi the picture and told her I stacked them myself.  She was blown away, super impressed I managed to do it and kept asking how long it took and how I stopped them from falling down.  Eventually I had to tell here the rocks are just an exhibit

I tried several different compositions, some from really low, some at standing head height and a some vertical but this is the one I liked best.

Carter and Master Chief got excited today as they packed a suitcase ready for our trip to Las Vegas and Photoshop World.