This was shot under the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas where they have this lavish aquarium. It's really gorgeous and dreamy under there, as you can tell. This area has all kinds of sharks and other wild-lookin' things that were swimming all around me.
I was fortunate enough to take a private tour of the place thanks to the nice people at the MGM/Mirage management company, who also owns the Mandalay Bay. That allowed me to take the time I needed to set up this 5-exposure HDR shot without tourists getting in the way.
One time I did find a nurse shark in the Caribbean. It was a baby. I followed it for a while until it occurred to me that it might be swimming back to its mom. That sudden realization made me turn around pretty quick.
All of this underwater stuff reminds me of watching those Discovery channel shows about strange ocean creatures. I swear I could watch those things all day. I can't get over how some of these things have evolved to fit their environment... just amazing. My favorite creatures are cephalopods ... I never get tired of those documentaries!
From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: Portfolio d3x Las Vegas Nevada vegas mandalaybay acquarium shark dreamy gorgeous wild swimming tour underwater discovery creatures ocean color carribean Trey view colors Blue Magical Shot Capture cephalopods combination composition depth scale journey deep amazing beautiful grades super eye-catching lovely attractive artist top100 world travel photography
If you want to see how I made this (and how you can too!), visit my HDR Tutorial. I hope it gives you some new tricks!
I just recently got back from Las Vegas and betwixt a panoply of activities that kept my mental faculties on edge, I did manage to go out and get some photos, of course. At least I am assured that these always turn out winners!
I stayed in THE Hotel (perhaps it's called THEhotel). I think you are supposed to capitalize that THE. Before going, I thought it was just "the" hotel at Mandalay but now I know it's much different.... It was a great place and probably the best of 7 or 8 hotels I have stayed there. Although 2 or 3 of those should barely be on the list...
This is a shot of the restaurant area of Club Mix, which sits on the top floor of THE Hotel. I was able to see so many cool places there -- I hardly knew which to process first! ...more coming in the next weeks and months!
from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: d3x StuckInCustoms Portfolio Las Vegas Nevada club clubmix party hotel thehotel mandalay gamble cool mandalaybay UFO scifi ceiling HDR Photographer Pro Nikon Photography Trey Ratcliff Panorama details tables chairs reflections lighting treatment processing angle masterpiece bubbles tones top100 las vegas travel design architecture interior installation 2009
Vegas is filled with all these cool secret spots. I suppose this one isn't all that secret, but I had never heard of it! This is the entrance to the Skylofts At MGM Grand Las Vegas. And this is just the elevator bank! I got a nice little private tour of some of the suites and they were quite amazing. I have those pics sitting in waiting, still unpublished. At first, I was thinking these were the kinds of places that were saved for the uber-elite whales of Vegas, but the prices aren't that different than a nice Four Seasons.
I've been working on editing a new video of how I took an HDR photo in Yellowstone. I'll give a first look to everyone that is on the Newsletter list. We'll try to get that thing out this weekend or so! Now, I can tell you that as I edit this thing... it's very shaky! What can I say... I just used one of those little Flip Video jobs. So, obviously, I'm trying to undersell the thing.... but maybe y'all can get some good information about how I took one of the Yellowstone shots.
From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: StuckInCustoms Portfolio d3x Las Vegas Nevada SKYLOFTS Nikon blue blues Vegas secret adventure coolest unusual bank private tour unpublished prices newsletter video information shots blog interiorDesign crome light Favorite polished mixed HotandCold devil gate fire HDR Photographer Pro Photography Trey Ratcliff Panorama details Perspective Shot Shoot Capture Images Photos Pictures Edge Angle lines work HighQuality Composition Processing Treatment Framing Lovely, Emotions, Beautiful, Stunning
There is an amazing hallway that connects the The Hotel at Mandalay Bay with the rest of the casino. It's long and at its end is a cool bar, which is a welcome respite no matter what kind of night you had in Vegas. Actually, I wouldn't really know since I don't drink... but, I do like to hang out in them, drink tomato juice, and process photos on my latptop. Yes, this is lame, I know.
I'll be going to Vegas again in two weekends. I've got a list of places I want to visit with the camera... any suggestions?
From the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: Las Vegas mandalay bar hall amber stuck customs stuckincustoms stuckincustoms.com trey ratcliff treyratcliff travel blog travelblog hdr tutorial hdrtutorial imaging photography digital high dynamic range processing world north America united states usa west coast Nevada desert las vegas clark county mandalay bay casino hotel hallway borg interior architecture creepy quiet nightlife cool reflection marble clean design modern postmodern January 2009 Nikon d3x
Daily Photo - The Consumer Tube
This is one of the new shopping areas in Las Vegas inside the City Center. At the time I shot this, the mall had just opened and many of the stores had not yet been completed... but the architecture was all in place and it was impressive from so many angles.
While I was there, I saw another dude with a tripod setup. I like seeing other photographers around with tripods... I always give them a brotherly nod of approval.
Previous Shot from Nearby
I did a post a few months ago called "Dale Chihuly is My Kinda Guy" (follow link for pic), which was shot only a few hundred meters from this place. That's one of the many cool things about Vegas. Just a few more steps away and you are in a completely different place!
from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: stuck customs stuckincustoms stuckincustoms.com trey ratcliff treyratcliff travel blog travelblog hdr tutorial hdrtutorial imaging photography digital high dynamic range processing world north America united states usa west coast Nevada desert las vegas clark county citycenter city center strip paradise mgm mirage dubai world construction harmon avenue las vegas boulevard monte carlo resort Bellagio ehrenkrantz eckstut Kuhn architects architecture design sculpture development fine art installation crystals Daniel libeskind david Rockwell Louis Vuitton shopping commerce Nikon d3x December 2009