In years gone by, November was the time to travel to Comdex, the huge COMputer DEaler eXhibition. For as long as it was alive – some 25 years, I attended the Comdex Expo in Las Vegas.

Although the last Comdex took place in 2003, I’ve continued to travel to Las Vegas to analyze and discuss the publishing business with two of my closest friends. Lest you think these trips are gambling junkets, we actually visit lots of mass merchandise, retail and book stores to gauge the products, trends and competition. And most of us don’t gamble at the tables – the publishing business is a big enough gamble.

Well, this November was a little different. Due to other pressing issues, my two friends were unable to make it to Las Vegas this year. Not wanting to cancel my plane reservations and forfeit the airfare, I decided to turn the 4-1/2 day jaunt into a series of mini photo trips. Armed with a couple of cameras, a notebook computer and an iPad, I once again descended on Las Vegas.

To maximize the use of my time there, I developed a rather hectic schedule: Thursday: arrive by air 10:00 AM pick up rental car 11:00 AM photos in Red Rock Canyon Nat’l Rec Area 2:30 PM night time photos of The Strip – north end Friday: photos in Valley of Fire State Park 8:00 AM photos at Nellis Air Force Base 12:00 PM night time photos of The Strip – entire Saturday: photos in Death Valley (150 miles) 7:00 AM dinner and photos at MGM 8:00 PM Sunday: photos in Zion National Park (170 miles) 7:00 AM night time photos of The Strip – north end Monday: photos at Mt Charleston 8:00 AM photos at Sunset Park/McCarran Airport 1:00 PM night time photos of The Strip – south end drop off rental car 9:00 PM depart by air 11:00 PM

Red Rock Canyon dusk at Red Rock Canyon

Below are a few photos from each of these mini photo trips. My conclusion is that with careful planning and a lot of running around, I can fit a lot of different types of photography into a very short period of time.

Arch Rock in Valley of Fire	multi-color formations in Valley of Fire
F-16 Falcon at Nellis Air Force Base	HH-60 Pavehawk at Nellis Air Force Base
Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley	Badwater salt flats in Death Valley
one of the great dinner dishes from Joel Robuchon	inside the MGM at L’Atelier
rain-swollen Virgin River in Zion National Park	snowy and rainy rocks in Zion National Park
early snow at Mt Charleston Lodge	grove of Joshua trees near Mt Charleston
American B737 from Sunset Park	US Air B737 on short final to Rwy 25L
Rialto Bridge at The Venetian	view from City Center
skyward view of Mandalay Bay	departing view of the strip

As you can see, I packed a lot of activities into only a few days. When I returned the rental car to Hertz, I found that I had driven 1100 miles during my stay. I did manage to make a big dent in my workload but didn’t quite complete all of my assignments. So I’ll be back again soon. But next time, I’ll have to plan a little more flexibly and arrive equipped to shoot in inclement weather.

Written by Arnie Lee

 

Equipment used:
Canon T2i
Canon 7D
Canon SX210IS
Canon 10-22mm lens
Canon 75-300mm lens
Sigma 18-200mm lens
Gorillapod
Lowepro Fastpak 350
PhotoTrackr GPS

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