How do I get the best night time photos in Las Vegas?

Question

I am going to Las Vegas in August with all my friends and family for a once in a lifetime trip (my wedding). I would love to take great photos, but I'm a little new at it. My camera is a Fuji FinePix S700 and I have a few lenses (uv, polarizing and diffusion). I can get daytime shots without a problem, but the night shots look terrible. I've practiced with all the settings, which are a little confusing, but it doesn't seem right. I know night shots are tricky, not to mention all the lights in the background that will be going on. Does anyone have any advice? I have read the owners manual several times, but I would like to hear from someone with experience in photography.

Answer 1

The best time to shoot on the Strip would be during very late afternoon and twilight before dark. If you shoot with some blue still in the sky, the neon will pop and you should have enough light to avoid using a tripod. You won't need any filters. Try to stay on the wide end of your lens and practice holding the camera still as you press the shutter. You will do better looking through the viewfinder rather than shooting with the screen at arm's length.

There is enough light on the Strip, even after dark, that with careful technique you should still be able to hand hold. Use the slow synch flash setting for people shots. Turn off the flash for cityscapes. Set your shutter speed manually to try a few. Start at 1/60 and try slower and slower until you find the slowest you can hold and still get relatively clean shots.

Have fun in Las Vegas and good luck with your wedding!

Answer 2

I live in Las Vegas. Because of that I can honestly say I've never tried to take night pictures of the Strip (no need to when it's right down the street!) however I have taken night photos. The thing with night photography is that you really need to leave the shutter open longer (ie slower shutter speed). When you leave it open longer the shots get blurry because any little bump happens while the shutter is open. So the biggest thing with night photography is a tripod. If you don't want to be carrying a tripod around, make sure your shots are within the recommended distance for your flash. Another helpful thing (if you have a nice camera) is the steadying feature on digital cameras - though I have found that these don't work as well as one would hope. Good luck!

Additional details: Any zooming will only make your pictures more blurry at night! Avoid it if possible. If you know how to use a light meter this is helpful as well.

Answer 3

Are you shooting scenery, or people at night??

You need either better light, or longer shutter speed.

If you shoot still life from a tripod, opening up the shutter a little longer wont be bad, and adjusting ISO, Exposure Compensation, and f-stop will help also.

Shooting friends, you dont want to open up the shutter to long, you will get lots of blur from any motion going on. Try adjusting your exposure compensation, ISO, and/or f-stop setting. Also, you dont want more light behind your subject, than in front, it will cause your exposur to adjust to the brighter lights, and your friends will be dark...

It all takes practice. Easiest way to solve your problems is with more lIght, to give your auto features something to work with.

Try a reputable camera store, and inquire about infrared slaved flashes, somthing that will be compatible with your specific camera.

Answer 4

I had the Kodak EasyShare V100 till I dropped it. (Beware!) I had a fireworks mode, and for some reason I think the lights would turn out. I wouldn't even bother with the two "Night" modes, they have flash and you don't need it. Good Luck!

Answer 5

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