MGM Grand – heath ofee dot com

Conference Lounge – MGM Grand

Heath OFee — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:48:38 +0000

I was in Las Vegas for the very first time in May and we stayed at the MGM Grand. Not only was this my first time in Vegas, but it was also my first trip anywhere since I started shooting HDR in January of this year. Needless to say I was extremely excited about all the amazing photo opportunities I knew I would have, but I was also a bit nervous (and self-conscious) about carrying my camera/tripod setup with me everywhere since I’d never done that in such a public place before. I hope I’m not the only one who felt this way the first time they walked through a busy hotel or down a busy street with camera on tripod, legs extended just looking for a cool shot! After the first day of exploring and shooting I was feeling much better about things and was almost feeling confident…until the first time I got kicked out by security. Well maybe not kicked out altogether, but I was definitely told my tripod was not welcome…so I asked if I could shoot handheld…of course that was forbidden as well. Crap. Back to feeling like I’m some weirdo with a tripod.

To be fair, this was only one of two times I was told I couldn’t use my tripod in any of the hotels in Vegas, and the vast majority were more than welcome to accommodate me. But it’s those few bad experiences that stick with you. So…if any of you have some good tricks for getting in under the radar or how to approach security about permission to shoot I’m all ears!

One very early morning (4 AM) while staying at the MGM Grand, I went downstairs and explored as much of the hotel as I could before it got too busy. Eventually I made my way down a long corridor past the pool and ended up in the conference center which is absolutely enormous! We definitely don’t have hotels with conference centers like that here in Calgary. After snapping a few brackets in the main lobby area I made my way upstairs to where they have some of the smaller conference rooms…and stumbled into this really cool lounge type area. Anyway, enough rambling. Here’s the shot:

Canon EOS 50D, Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5, 10mm, F 8.0, ISO 100, 3 Exposures

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.