Town Square Impromptu-ish shoot

My very good friend/internet marketing queen called me on her way to Town Square, one of the newer and nicer malls in Las Vegas. There's a cute playground area that I had noticed and commented to her about a possible photo shoot. So when she called me to say she was taking her out of town guests there, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring my camera. We ended up making new friends/potential clients. I really enjoyed shooting although, I think next time I will have to get more shots in before the kids get their hair wet and messy.

Bellydancer

Everytime I type the word bellydancer I think of the Elton John song Tiny Dancer. Then I start singing the song in my head and it carries me off to the scene in Almost Famous where they start singing on the bus after a tense moment. I love that movie. Yeah, it's a little sad how immersed in pop culture I am.
I took these of Amber, a friend of a friend, who is now my friend. Yes you guessed it, she's a bellydancer. I was obsessed with having a shoot at a dry lake bed, so that's where we headed. We started off late in the afternoon and ran out of natural light. I brought my lights but the power inverter I had wasn't strong enough to handle them so I was bummed. Of course we tried using the headlights as an alternate light source, but it wasn't working well. I did manage to squeeze out some nice looking photos though so I was happy! Not to mention making a new friend always works! I am still obsessed with the dry lake bed idea, this one we found wasn't to my liking so I'm on the lookout for a better one. I am perpetually in search of isolated, nicely lit, scenic areas.

Just in Case

I wandered the Las Vegas strip about a month ago, drunk and armed with my back-up camera, Veronica. The reason I had Veronica is because I go through these phases where I force myself to have a camera with me at all times. You know, just in case. The phases end when my shoulder, neck or back start aching from carrying around a heavy bag that would make even Mary Poppins envious. The reason I was drunk was because of my friend, who celebrated her birthday with bowling and drink.
I love the Bellagio. It's such a beautiful place. When I moved to Vegas the first time, I was a 21 year old girl intent on partying and enjoying my newfound independence. It wasn't until I dived into this whole photography thing that I started appreciated the little things. Maybe it was during broadcasting school, maybe it was before and I just never noticed. Not only do I notice details like decor and design but I am touched by them. I am feeling myself getting a little hallmark-card cheesy so I shall stop. I ended up at the Bellagio because of the model with working fountain.
There's one photo of fountains outside The Mirage. Not only was I drunk but I totally slow-shutter speeded those without a tripod! I did it with the aid of a rail and camera's timer. Ok, but that's all the trade secrets I will share!