Las Vegas Photography Tips : Bally's

You can get some nice photos standing near the entrance to Bally's (second photo posted below), but EVERY photographer has that shot, and you might have to wait a very long time if you don't want other tourists in your photo.

The better angle is available by riding the moving walkway from Bally's entrance to the first elevated platform at the top of an escalator. Turn left and walk to the edge of the platform. To your left you'll have a wonderful view of the neon tunnel from above the tunnel. This view offers an interesting "vanishing point" perspective and it conceals the tourists on the conveyor belt, so you won't have random people in your photo.

You probably won't get the best image by leaving your camera on the 'auto' setting. Flip the dial over to "S" which is "shutter priority mode" and find the button that lets you change shutter speed, which will be shown in your viewfinder and/or on the LCD screen. 1/8 second will let the neon show brightly but you need a steady hand, tripod, or use the metal railing in front of you to steady the camera. 1/25 second provides a darker image but will work if you keep getting blurry shots at 1/8 second. Also experiment with shutter speeds between 1/8 and 1/25. If you're using a digital camera you can review and delete bad shots immediately. Experienced photographers will experiment with different aperture settings as well as shutter speeds.

Some cameras also let you adjust color saturation, which I would increase a notch for shooting Bally's neon rings since they are so vividly colored.

These rings change colors about every 10 seconds. If you walk past Bally's at night with a camera, don't pass up this opportunity; as Las Vegas is constantly changing and even a beautiful landmark like Bally's neon rings could be demolished at any time to make room for a new casino or condo tower.