The Stratosphere tower at 1,149 feet tall is one of the most prominent features you'll see when approaching or taking off from McCarran Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas. Unless you're on the wrong side of the plane. Photographers should not pass by the opportunity to shoot some photos from the top of this tower (admission prices are shown here.) You may have to wait on line to get on the elevator (although you can sometimes purchase a line pass to bypass the line for an extra fee, which was $10 in 2007) and you also must go through an airport style metal detector before being allowed to ride up. Once you're on the elevator it takes about 30 seconds to reach the observation deck (see the first photo posted at the bottom of this intel, taken inside the observation deck).
Enclosed in glass, the indoor observation deck offers a full 360 degree view. The most popular view is of the Las Vegas strip as seen from the south side of the tower (second photo posted below.) I took that photo in March 2006, about a year before the Stardust was imploded.
Two problems presented to the photographer are 1) you're not allowed to bring a tripod up to the observation deck, and 2) you're shooting through glass.
Daytime shots (third photo posted below, from August 2007, which shows how much the strip has changed in two short years) are easier to get. Blurring is less of a problem with daytime shots since you can use much faster shutter speeds. During the day; the more zoom you use, the steadier your camera needs to be.
Night shots (second photo) require slow shutter speeds; from about half a second to four seconds or longer. These would be impossible to shoot hand held.
A number of coin operated binoculars and telescopes are spread out around the entire circumference of the observation deck. These are the trick to getting good shots.
While small "point and shoot" cameras produce poorer quality images than SLRs and digital SLRs, they are ideal for these tricky shots from the top of the Stratosphere because of their small size and light weight.
Buy some sticky putty (sold in grocery stores as an adhesive to use for hanging pictures and posters on walls) before your Las Vegas trip and bring it with you when you visit the Stratosphere. Using this putty, you can anchor your camera on top of one of the binoculars or telescopes. This provides a solid platform which is almost as good as a tripod.
Another option is to use a "bean bag" type of device (sold at most camera supply shops) to balance your camera on top of the binoculars or telescopes. The beanbag is a less solid anchor than the sticky putty, but it will work.
SLRs and digital SLRs are a bit more difficult to handle, but the same strategies can be implemented.
The Stratosphere tower is so tall that it sways back and forth almost imperceptibly most of the time. You'll notice this sway when you're trying to get a long exposure shot. So even with the trick I explained above, you may get blurred images. Just delete them and try again. Eventually you will get a sharp image.
Rather than pressing the shutter button you should use the automatic shutter self timer. Almost every camera has this feature, which is primarily designed for shooting photos of yourself; but is also ideal for operating the shutter without risking camera movement.
The second problem, shooting through glass, can't be avoided from inside. The only advice I can offer about that is to NOT USE A FLASH, which will ruin your photo with a bright reflection off the glass; and to be diligent in obtaining a sharp focus on your subject. Cameras may try to auto focus on the glass rather than on the scene you're shooting. If auto focus refuses to focus properly, switch to manual focus.
However, the Stratosphere also has an outdoor observation deck (fourth photo posted below.) There are some scary thrill rides up there, and a few more of the telescope and binocular things that you can use as tripods.
Photos shot from the outdoor deck are not hindered by glass; you're right out there. The fifth and sixth photos posted below were taken from the Stratosphere's outdoor deck.
The outdoor deck is not always open, however, depending on the weather. Rain or high winds might keep you restricted to the indoor deck.
Stratosphere's deck is open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily (an hour longer, until 2 a.m., Fridays, Saturdays & holidays.)
