Las Vegas is a city of lights, entertainment, and action. There are hundreds of thousands of subjects to photograph here, all of which may be flashing or constantly moving. Getting a good snapshot in can be a challenge, and sometimes it isn’t worth the hassle to get a good photo. On the other hand, Las Vegas is a beautiful city that deserves to be in the spot light. Here are 5 tips for taking magnificent travel photos for your memories.
1. Try to avoid view obstructing objects. The farther you are away from people and trees, the better your photos will be. Therefore, rooftops and parking garages make great locations for “certain” photos. If you can get to a parking garage with a good view of something, take advantage of the lack of people and high height. Rooftops are hard to get on top of, but they are the perfect place to take quality photos. Any time you can be higher than the general public, is most likely a good time to get beautiful photos of the nearby buildings.
2. Don’t use flash unless you have a professional camera. Flash on a regular digital point and shoot will be disastrous. All of your photos will likely come out ugly and overly bright. Since Las Vegas is already lit up, you will have all of the light you need. If you are taking photos of people, then flash may be necessary. Otherwise, it really messes up photos and you will go home with nothing to show!
3. Use tripods, but only during less crowded times. It is frustrating to take photos in a big city with thousands of people walking the street, if you have a tripod. They can be knocked over, broken, and they also crowd walkways. It is extremely rude to try to take a photo with a bulky tripod if other people are trying to walk by. The best thing is to learn to hold still and take a photo without a tripod.
4. Adhere to the rules. Some hotels, such as the Luxor, have a strict policy on no photography. This is protect those staying in the hotel, but also to protect the hotels image. If you are caught taking photos in the hotel they do have the right to either kick you out, or take your camera. None are worth it just to get a few photos. If you are a professional or own a website for reviews, they may give explicit permission to photograph certain things within the hotel.
5. Some restaurants are absolutely beautiful, as are most of the malls and shops. If you want to take photos, ask. It is important to respect the privacy of others, and it is extremely rude to take pictures without asking. Plus, if you have permission you are more likely to get in a good shot or two, rather than trying to be sneaky and missing an opportunity.
Subscribe...
To my feed via RSS 
. (?) or via email.
if not, come back tomorrow on journeyetc.com and see what's new :)
I’m not sure where you ever got the idea that a hotel can take your camera from you for taking photographs but you are very, sadly, mistaken. There is no legal precedent and the few casinos, like Barley’s Casino, who have done this have faced lawsuits and lost time and time again. They do not have any such right and the hotels have open policies about this due to the lawsuits and the law not siding with them on this. While it is true that they can ask you to leave because it’s private property, they cannot confiscate your photos or your camera.
Adam is 100% right; they have no right to confiscate your property without due process of law. Neither do the police, for that matter.
HOWEVER, much of Las Vegas — including the sidewalks along The Strip — is private property so where you’d be OK taking pictures in most cities, you may be in trouble in Vegas. More often, though, security personnel focus on people with professional-looking equipment (video and/or still cameras) who might be looking to profit from the pictures or video they’re taking. Vegas is not interested in harassing tourists which, after all, are the basis for the city’s economy.
Actually, Steve is mostly incorrect also. The sidewalks in front of the vast majority of hotels and casinos in Las Vegas is considered public property, not private property. There have been numerous landmark cases in Las Vegas that have set this precedent, not notably with the MGM Grand suing the different labor unions for picketing in front of their hotel. The MGM made the case that since they paid for the sidewalk, they should have the right to serve a trespass notice to anyone who walks on it they deem inappropriate. This case was thrown out when the City made the case that since it is a public walkway, regardless of who paid for it, it is now deemed as public property, not private property. This is also why all the porn peddlers are able to distribute their cards on the sidewalks also…because it’s public property.
[...] the recession, it certainly seemed as though Las Vegas didn’t have a chance of recovering from the economic blunder. Fortunately for avid travelers, [...]
[...] the recession, it certainly seemed as though Las Vegas didn’t have a chance of recovering from the economic blunder. Fortunately for avid travelers, [...]