New Blog!

Hello friends! Please check out my new blog here: http://leilanavidi.tumblr.com/

Housekeeping Olympics

I was a Housekeeping Olympics first-timer. This event, so quintessentially Vegas, pits the housekeeping teams of all the major casino-hotels against each other in feats of strength, dexterity, speed and spirit. Cheering, costumed teams packed the stands to root for their casinos. There were cheerleaders, mascots and pom poms everywhere. The focus of the athletes was fierce. After watching the intense competition -- flourishes of bed making, intense vacuum cord winding, and blindfolded buffer toss -- I left with a deep admiration for those who keep this town looking shiny and new, day in and day out. And for anyone who's keeping track, the Mirage upset three time champion Mandalay Bay.

Camp Two - The Trailerpark

The second installment of my summer camp series is a camp in the city. It's held in the recreation room of a trailer park, and is open only to the kids that live in the Aloha Vegas Mobile Home Community. The camp is run by community activist Ylonda Dickerson and employs at-risk teens as counselors.

Read the story by Jackie Valley for more on this amazing camp.

Camp One - Heart and Sole

Camp Heart and Sole is a free camp held at Torino Ranch designed to help children at risk of heart disease and obesity. I'm no writer, so please read the wonderful story by reporter Brian Nordli to get more insight into the camp. I'll just say that it was a real joy to see these kids having the time of their lives.

Annie and Andy Get Married

It has truly been the summer of weddings. It must be my age, but it seems as though everyone I know is getting married this year. With my own wedding coming up in October, I have been excited to go to other weddings and absorb what makes them fun and great. Annie is my cousin and is very special to me. She was around when I was first started getting into photography as a teenager, and was always an eager subject of mine -- an early muse, if you will. I don't usually photograph weddings, but this one was special. Annie is now a beautiful woman and was getting married to her college sweetheart Andy. They asked me to shoot their wedding in gorgeous Eastsound, Washington on Orcas Island. It was a privilege and honor to be there with them documenting almost every moment of that special day. It was definitely the best gift I could give them, better than any crock pot or towel set. Here are some of my favorite photos.