Ballet Behind the Scenes

Having photographed Nevada Ballet Theatre's production of "The Nutcracker" many times before, I decided to take a different approach this year. After the first act and the photos of Holly Madison, who did a guest cameo, were out of the way, I wandered backstage for the rest of the opening matinee production. As I wrote in the copy block for today's photo page in the Sun, the controlled chaos backstage at the ballet is a photographer's dream. Cute kids and ballerinas backstage, how can you go wrong with that?

Holiday Cocktail Mania

I love, love, love to shoot cocktails! And holiday cocktails are extra fancy and therefore extra fun to shoot. The Chandelier Bar at Cosmopolitan is a great backdrop for shooting because the ambiance is beautiful and there are varied backdrops and nice tabletops to choose from. Also, everything looks sparkly, twinkly and holiday-ish because of all the chandelier glitter. Here are four holiday cocktails you can get there if you want to get drunk in style. See Las Vegas Weekly's reviews of more holiday cocktails here.

Accidental Awesome

I'm not sure what I did to make this photo happen. I was taking a long exposure of a local holiday lights contest winner in Henderson (check out the published photos here). I must have accidentally kicked the tripod or something. I didn't notice it until I was editing later. I love this photo. I'm having it printed really big and hanging it on my wall! Accidents can be amazing.

Nostalgia Photographed

Families huddle together for warmth in the bed of pick-up trucks for the latest Adam Sandler comic romp. Couples share popcorn and snuggle under blankets inside parked SUVs. Multiple projectors whirl and spin films from the top floor of the ramshackle concession stand. Bright projections of Ben Stiller close-ups light up the darkened evening sky. I sneak around, trying not to disturb the scene as I photograph it quietly. Welcome to West Wind drive-in, nestled between Fiesta Rancho and the North Las Vegas airport. Once numbering over 4000, the drive-in movie theater stubbornly clings to existence like that last bit of ice in a soda cup. The West Wind drive-in, opened in 1966, is one of an estimated 370 motor movie palaces left in the U.S. If you find yourself photographing this nostalgic scene, one word of advice: Don't forget your tripod.

The Spouse Factory

People like to get married in Las Vegas. Last week, on 11/11/11, A LOT of people got married in Las Vegas. April Corbin wrote a very nice story for Las Vegas Weekly aptly titled "Welcome to the Spouse Factory." Here are some photos from Little Church of the West and the Welcome to Las Vegas sign from this year's spouse factory. See you on 12/12/12!

Elevens

Savanna turns eleven today. She also didn't mind wearing a birthday hat for the photo shoot. Is that the cutest? Happy 11/11/11 everyone!

Vegetables, Fruit and One Goat

I can't stay away from a good farm shoot. Close-ups of freshly picked vegetables and fruit, goats, nice light, rural Nevada... you can't go wrong. Quail Hollow Farm in Overton was the subject of a Health District crackdown for having a farm-to-table dinner a couple weeks ago. I got to travel out to the quaint farm this week to see how they do things, Overton-style, on harvest day.