A.D. Drumm Images, LLC – Landscape, Portrait, and Fine Art Photography in Rochester MN Photography

On Saturday after Photoshop World, and after taking in Red Rock Canyon, I decided to wander down (or up?) the strip with my camera. I took a few shots that I like, and they look good. But the strip and the big casinos have, I’m sure, been shot over and over from every which way by all sorts of photographers, many of whom were terrific.

I needed to find something different, a new angle or perspective. The conservatory in the Belagio is great and makes a perfect place to watch people. And people are always different, so that seemed like a good place to start. Oh, the cameras! Everywhere. I started shooting folks shooting.

I also began offering to take photos for couples and others for them to be all-in, for use of an appropriate term. These three young women accepted my offer with smiles. One of them says, “you don’t know what you’ve got yourself into!” As she says this, she and her two friends all reach into their bags for their cameras. Three shots, not one! I’m in no rush, so that’s fine by me. I look around and find a good angle. Then I look at them and say, “okay, you two get closer, oh, and tilt your head this way…” They laughed. I don’t think they expected that, but what can I say. I’m going to give them the best shots I can.

I really wonder if there was anyone there who didn’t have some sort of camera. Probably not. Cell phones were in use. Point-and-shoots. DSLRs. Maybe the real question is, was there anyone there not taking pictures? I don’t think so.

There were clicks and flashes happening all around.

After spending some time there, I walked back outside to the 108F sunnshine still thinking about finding my perspective in this busy place. Then I saw this reflection. Reflections! Yes – one of my favorite subjects (see my entry about the photowalk in July). There were indeed many reflections to take in and to photograph.

The Pink Jeep guide for the Red Rock Canyon tour told me the unofficial state bird of Nevada was the construction crane. So this photo was perfect. Of course, I related to her our state bird in Minnesota, the mosquitto.

I didn’t see many street performers which is a bit surprising in a city the size of Las Vegas and with the large number of tourists. But I ran into this fellow who gave me a great smile as I dropped down to take his picture. I started this post with people-shots, so it seems appropriate to end the same way.

I thanked him and left him a little cash. I’m left with reflections of my own from my trip to Photoshop World. Reflections of the people I met, the great photographers and artists who shared their inspiration and techniques, the vendors who would take time to talk one-on-one, the other attendees as passionate and happy to be there as me.

I’m still recovering, as it were, from my first Photoshop World. Recovering means trying to digest and process the information and inspiration packed into my head during four days in Las Vegas. I started out taking a six hour pre-conclass (the day before the official start of the conference) on wedding photography by David Ziser. David is a renowned wedding photographer and recent author of the book, Captured by the Light. His focus for classes, tutorials, and his book is primarily how to achieve great lighting. His portfolio speaks for itself.

The plethora of amazing photographers all gathered in one place, showing their techniques and points of view is awesome. It’s also interesting to compare their approaches. Their emphasis can vary quite a lot, but in all cases, the ability to interpret, control, and record light in a manner that matches their vision is foremost. I’m still processing the insights imparted by these legends.

The conference is put on by NAPP. The NAPP president, Scott Kelby, is a musician as well as photographer and Photoshop guru. (See my links in the sidebar to both Scott and NAPP.) Scott’s band, Big Electric Cat, opened the festivities on Wednesday and provided the entertainment at the PSW party that evening. I enjoyed their music, but maybe enjoyed shooting tons of photos of the band even more. Two or three of the shots of Scott show him looking right at me, but I don’t know that he actually saw me shooting away through the lights.

With my love of theatre and doing show photos, this isn’t a huge stretch for me, but it’s super fun to see if I can catch a moment here or there, like this next shot.

Scott’s wife, Kalebra, is the lead vocalist. I have quite a few decent shots of her, but catching this glance over at Scott – the look on her face and in her eyes – this is “the shot” for the night. A moment in time captured. It’s what shooting people is about. Emotion.

As you might guess, PSW is not all about classes and work. All these artistic-types know the importance of laughing and having fun. The keynote and the party were great fun. The classes were, too, in their own way. 

Midnight Madness, a get-together Thursday night at 10 PM,  lived up to its name and the guarantee that attendees would not learn a thing about Photoshop there. I have to say I loved all the cheesy contests and shenanigans. I often think it must be a blast working on David Letterman’s or Jon Stewart’s shows in the art departments, putting together the graphics and Photoshop work, even when it appears on air for just seconds. The NAPP folks who worked on Midnight Madness must have had a blast, too.

Yes, lots of fun. I really did attend classes, too, though! I just didn’t take photos. I needed to keep my attention on the instructors to absorb all I could in the one-hour sessions. Oh, and the Expo – where the vendors hang out and where attendees like me tried not to drool too much. But I’d rather drop a few bucks there than in the slots down the hall in the casino. I like the odds. Spend carefully, and the return on the investment could be good indeed. If not financially, then artistically.