Blog Archives - Underground Photography

Underground Photography

Las Vegas Desert Photography Shoot

2/27/2011

So you've heard of being a Day Late and a Dollar short? Well this is about a week late - you can figure out the rest. Saturday February 19th was part of WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International). Gavin & Erin Wade (incredible photographers out of Orange County, California) hosted a Desert Wedding & High Fashion photo shoot. I didn't go to WPPI, though I kick myself for it, but I signed up for Gavin's group shoot as soon as he announced it.

As I didn't attend WPPI, I got up Saturday morning and drove the 4 hours to Vegas for this shoot. The drive home was. . . well, through a BLIZZARD and I don't mean the Dairy Queen kind. I'll post a video of that too.

First and foremost, I need to give a HUGE thanks out to Gavin & Erin Wade for hosting the Desert shoot. 30 photographers, 3 model, and a whole lot of desert. It was amazing to watch some truly talented photographers create their vision.

Here is a shout out to all those who made this wonderful learning experience possible:
Styled by Erin and Gavin of Gavin Wade Photographers
Models: Brittanie and Tomas Cruz (Bride and Groom) Kate Colosi (High Fashion)
Hair/Makeup: Lindsey of Linsey Shea Photography
Amazing Hair Pieces: Custom Designed and Available by Dara Cobb
Tuxedo: Mission Tux Shop
Awesome Sponsor: Pixel2Canvas

Normally what happens in Vegas, well you know. We all had such a good time and our models were so great that we're all sharing some of our favorite shots that we took. Here are some of my favorites. There are quite a few pictures in this post so bare with me.

Picture of the Day - Venetian Waterfall

2/9/2011

This picture was also taken in the Venetian. I liked the symmetry of this picture. The lanterns from the Chinese New Year gave the picture some great color too.

Picture of the Day - Q*bert?

2/8/2011

I remember walking toward this hallway in the Ventician and stopping. I thought, hmmm - a game of Q*bert. If you don't remember, click on the link and read up. I was never very good at the game but I did enjoy it. It wasn't until I got home and really looked at the picture that I fell in love with the composition. The rows of pillars and the paintings on the ceiling. It truly is a beautiful place.

Picture of the Day - Arches

2/7/2011

This week, the Picture of the Day is all about Vegas. This first picture was taken just outside of the Venetian Hotel. I loved the way the arches pull your eye through the picture.

Picture of the Day Poll

2/6/2011

There is a new Poll at Underground Photography for last week's Picture of the Day. Come vote for your favorite picture.

Picture of the Day - Round and Round

2/5/2011

Warning .. if you experience motion sickness, are pregnant, or have back problems - view this picture at your own risk. A couple weeks ago I took a picture of two of my kids on the tea cups using a flash. I wanted the blur of the motion behind us but in my previous attempts I couldn't freeze them. With the flash I was able to freeze them but because it was a slightly slower shutter it created ghosting. I then saw a video with Joe McNally where he was taking a picture of a girl jumping toward light. He mentioned (warning photo geek alert) that by using the flash on the 2nd curtain setting, he could get a clear shot at the end of the picture as the flash fires just before the shutter closes. So last night I wanted to try the same picture with the flash on the 2nd shutter setting. I am pretty happy with the image. There is still a little blur in her hair but remember, we're both moving.

Picture of the Day - End of the Day

2/4/2011

At the end of the day at Disney with my son we were walking across the bridge that is the middle point of the parking structure. If you've never been to Disneyland, the parking structure is like setting two aircraft carriers next to each other. It's HUGE! Anyway, I stopped and told Chandler what the picture would look like because of the cars leaving the parking lot. He thought it was pretty cool. I think this was also a 20 second exposure.

Photo of the Day - Traffic flow

2/4/2011

Here is a picture I took while on a photo walk with the Light Chasers Meetup group here in Los Angeles. We setup our tripods on one of the overpasses to the 101 freeway. I believe this was about a 20 second exposure.

Picture of the Day - Candy Cotton Falls pt 2

2/2/2011

As promised, here is the 2nd picture in the Candy Cotton Falls. This picture was at the same location. It was just a different composition. The main difference I want to point out is the change in the water below the falls. This picture was taken at 1/2 second exposure at f4, ISO 3200. The falls are still silky but now the water in the pool has texture to it. Let me know which of the two pictures you like better.

Picture of the Day - Cotton Candy Falls

2/1/2011

Early post for today's picture of the day. This picture was also taken at Disney's California Adventure. This is the waterfall behind the Grizzly Rapids ride across from the entrance to Bugs Land. I wanted to try out my new Gorilla Pod and there is a big railing right there. I secured the camera to the railing with the flexible tripod (the coolest invention ever) and set to take a long exposure. This picture was taken with a 20 second exposure, at f3.5, ISO 100. It always amazes me what the long exposure does to the water. Tomorrow I'll post a shorter exposure so you can see the differences.