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Vegas City Centre

Heath OFee — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:55:59 +0000

This is another one of my favorites from our trip to Las Vegas last month. The new Vegas City Centre complex is very cool and I didn’t spend nearly as much time there as I would have liked to (although I have a feeling I would have been given a hard time trying to take photos there with my tripod without permission). This shot was taken from across the street on the busy corner just outside Planet Hollywood. As usual, it was a pretty busy night on the streets of Vegas and there were dozens of people on the corner waiting to cross the street while I was patiently setting up and taking this shot. Before I got there with my tripod nobody was taking the time to snap any photos of this scene…but after I got my gear all set up there were at least 3 or 4 others taking photos with their point-and-shoots of the same scene! Funny how people assume that if some random guy is taking a photo of something with a big tripod setup it must be a good photo opportunity…for all they know I could be the worst photographer in the world! Anyway…let me know what you think of this one:

Canon EOS 50D, Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5, 15mm, F 7.1, ISO 100, 3 Exposures

The details: 3 exposure HDR tonemapped in Photomatix, Lightroom for color, contrast, clarity, spot removal, Photoshop for layer masking and a bit of smudging, Noiseware for noise control.

MGM Grand Elevator Lobby

Heath OFee — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:37:03 +0000

I’m pretty excited about some of my Vegas photos and I’ve been having a great time going through and processing them all. If any of you have stayed at the MGM Grand before I’m sure you’ve walked past this fountain area a number of times on the way back to your room after a long day of drinking on the strip. I woke up very early in the morning to get this shot before anybody else was around (well, there are always a few people around in Vegas no matter what the hour) and it was well worth it; this is probably my favorite photo from our trip. Enjoy:

Canon EOS 50D, Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5, 10mm, F 11, ISO 100, 3 Exposures

The details: 3 exposure HDR tonemapped in Photomatix, Photoshop for some masking, Lightroom for catalog, color correction, sharpening, and Noiseware to finish it off.

An Engagement in Las Vegas

Heath OFee — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:46:04 +0000

It’s official, I’m engaged!! Brei and I took a trip to Las Vegas for the first five days in May and I popped the question while we were down there. I had a hard time finding the right spot to do it (there aren’t many places where two people can be alone in Las Vegas!) but we got an opportunity to have Fiamma (an Italian restaurant in MGM Grand) all to ourselves so I jumped at the chance and asked for Brei’s hand in marriage there.

The ambiance and decor in Fiamma is absolutely amazing and made for a wonderful place to propose. To make sure Brei would be surprised, I got her into the restaurant under the guise of me getting the chance to photograph the place. I won’t tell the whole story here, but I will show you the spot in which I proposed:

Canon EOS 50D, Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5, 10mm, F 6.3, ISO 100, 3 Exposures

The details: 3 exposure HDR tonemapped in Photomatix with a few tweaks in Lightroom.

I’d like to give a special thanks to Jeffery Metcalf (the assistant manager of Fiamma) who granted me access to the restaurant after hours.