Las Vegas photography workshops: On-location lighting
Every year when I attend WPPI in Las Vegas, I simultaneously present my own mini-workshops and photo shoot-out with a small group of photographers. This year the workshop was a photo shoot-out at the picturesque Nelson Ghost Town. These events are limited to just small group of photographers. Definitely un-crowded! The format is similar to the Photo Walks in NYC – I bring a Profoto B1 flash, and enough Nikon and Canon TTL controllers for everyone. So the attendees just had to bring your camera and lenses.
I changed the format from previous years, which were mini-workshops in and around the MGM. Shooting at a a more exotic location like the Nelson Ghost Town, offered us a great variety of settings in a small area.
A pull-back shot to show how the e Profoto B1 flash (B&H / Amazon) was positioned. Because we had to deal with strong gusts of wind, a softbox would’ve been impractical – so we used the bare flash. A harder light source, but it worked well against the strong back-lighting.
The B&W image at the top is an HDR version, created with Aurora HDR software.
Haley and Travis were the couple we had as models – a touch of glamor in the desert landscape.
With these two photos of our other model, Shawna, I just used the available light – hard sun outside, and the shadowy area inside the barn.
Images from previous mini-workshops and photo shoot-outs in Las Vegas
Photography workshops
- More info about upcoming photography workshops.
- Recap of previous photography workshops.
- Photo Walks, NYC.
Details about the workshop
Fee: $350 payable by Paypal.
Date: Sunday, March 6, 2016
Duration: (excluding travel time): 4 hours
The venue is about an hour away from the MGM, so we will leave around 12:30 pm.
There will be two models, and I’ll provide the lighting gear.
You only need to bring:
- Your camera. Nikon or Canon. Doesn’t matter.
- A few lenses, for example, 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8
Contact me via email to book a spot, or to ask for more details.
Register for a workshop – $350
Payment of fees for the workshop is via Paypal.
If you wish to pay via credit card or check, please call me at 862-485-7276
Refund policy:
With the limited number of spots available for these mini-workshops, there is no refund. While I have a specific cancellation policy in place for the full-day workshops with 10 people, with these mini-workshops there is no refund.
Hey Neil!
I own Exposure Photography here in Las Vegas and shoot at the strip all the time.here is what you need to know. You will more than likely not be able to use anything but your cameras in any of the casinos. They don’t like soft boxes or tripods due to the liability issues. Also some casinos are snobs about copyright issues from shooting images on their property. Hiwerver, you can shoot in the fronts of the casinos to your hearts content.
Places like Fremont street are a great place to shoot but about 50% of the time I get confronted by security when using soft boxes and lighting. The Fremont Street Experience is actually a venue…so they will sometimes gripe.
That being said, there are plenty of other places to shoot. The arts district is great and no one will bother you. If in fact anyone bothers you, just say you are photography students. Works for me every time!
Also, I shoot Sony, would it be beneficial for me to sign up for your workshop? I have my own triggers and ezbox.
Either way, have a great time!
This is a great workshop! I attended while Neil was in town for WPPI 2012, and even as a long time reader of the Tangents blog, I was able to take away a lot from the workshop.
There were other workshops going on at the same time on The Strip, and we didn’t get hassled by security. Tourists that decided to take pictures of our model got hassled by Neil, though, with good reason.
I live in Vegas and I shoot everywhere. I have hosted photo walks with 50 people and never been kicked out of anywhere. The places we shot were Aria, Bellagio, CityCenter, Crystals to name a few. Tripods near gaming floors is the only no no. Shoot where you want, have fun and lean how to bounce!
Nice stuff from that Vegas trip. It looks like it was tons of fun. I bought Aurora HDR when it first came out. Something tells me I need play around with it a lot more.