A Monday Wedding to Remember...

As a photographer, here in Las Vegas, I do cover my fair share of Weddings but on Monday i was very fortunate to cover the Herro Wedding. The whole group of family and friends was from out of town and they were all very nice and easy to capture, but the Bride and Groom were very personable and exceptional clients! I enjoyed covering their reception so much, I offered to take them out to the "infamous" Las Vegas sign and shoot some newlywed images after the reception had ended. They really wanted to, but didn't have a car... so I told them I would personally drive them there and shoot and then return them to their hotel after shooting. They quickly agreed and off we went...

Thank you very much, Alicia and Jeff, for allowing me the honor of capturing your special day! Have a great time on your honeymoon!

The Death Valley Experience... PART 3

After waking at my campsite in Furnace Creek, i decided to drive toward Zabriskie Point to shoot some morning Photos. On the way there I saw this amazing dead and weathered tree in a field. I had to stop and admire it and decided to take a few shots...


Then I did end up at Zabriskie Point, but missed the "sunrise shot" that all of the park rangers had told me was spectacular. It was still a magnificent location and really still majestic and beautiful. I didn't walk away empty-handed, and managed to capture this while i was helping other visitors by capturing them at this amazing landmark.


After Zabriskie, I headed toward Badwater. This is a very popular spot and the sign marking the 282 feet Below sea level gets alot of attention by visitors so I couldn't resist laying my camera on the boardwalk for a self-portrait...

You didn't think I was going to post it did you? :) Above is on the salt flats walking toward Telescope Peak (the snow-capped area in the background). After there I saw a sign for "Devil's Golf Course" and the road went into the salt flats valley. I had to see what a Golf Course made for the Devil would be like so I decided to take the drive. The salt crystals there were amazing and very pronounced! The landscape, even though only a few miles away, was Very different from Badwater. The formations are very solid and jagged and seem to go on forever into the horizon.

From there I decided to take Artist's Drive (a one way loop that has some very colorful scenery). Along the loop is a turn-off for Artists Palette. This place was just breath-taking! words can't describe....

While still on Artist's Drive I saw this bright yellow patch of flowers that stood out in the rocky terrain. I stopped to admire them and had to take them with me... well in images! They were beautiful and thoughts of them kept me smiling on my drive!

From there, I began by journey back to Las Vegas and while driving, I took time to reflect on the 2 day trek to Death Valley and all of the amazing places within the park that I was fortunate to visit and hope to return soon to see some of the treasures I missed on this trip.

Shoot ideas are brewing...

While at one of my favorite Thai bistro's, I started coming up with some great project ideas that are very specific and definately will be fun to develop into shoots. I will be narrowing the ideas down in the next week or two and hope to get to shooting them before I leave for Oregon and Alaska in June. One concept I am developing is a Homage to the pinup images of the 40's and 50's and mixes in a Vegas poker theme. I have a great location and models lined up, so I am now working a storyline for distinct roles each model will portray during the shoot. Well, my plate of Pad Thai awaits, so I will stop typing and start eating...

Mobile Post!

The Death Valley Experience... PART 2

After Scotty's Castle, a park ranger recommended that i visit Ubehebe Crater, and since it was only a few miles off the beaten path, i decided to check it out. It was definately worth the extra miles! Here is one view from atop the rim, looking down and into the crater:

The surrounding landscape around the crater was covered in black volcanic rock and looked very surreal. From there, i traveled to Stovepipe Wells and took a few shots of the Dunes close to there from the highway. Seeing the Dunes gave me some ideas for some upcoming shoots!

From there, I decided to travel across the park for a chance to capture Dante's View at sunset. This trek was up a very wild and winding road, but the view at the top was incredible. From atop of Dante's View, one can see the entire salt flats below and look across the vast valley at the snow-capped Telescope Peak. To make this view even more spectacular, some light clouds were forming right at sunset. I shot many images and here below are 2 favorites:

While atop Dante's View, i met an astronomer named Ted and he lat me view Saturn and Mars and several constellations and indivudual stars through his telescope after i had packed up and was getting ready to go to my campsite for the night. Based on this experience, i took out my camera at my campsite and attempted to capture some stars, as the sky was alive as far as the eyes could see. Here below is one of my attempts at the Big Dipper: (no photoshop and i was guessing exposure times)

My last day in Death Valley was just as incredible as the first and the details are... coming soon!

A fun shoot in the Sun...

I was getting the mail one day a few weeks ago, when i saw a new face in the neighborhood getting her mail. She was very much a Rockabilly Girl and i had to ask her to shoot! We had originally arranged to shoot at Death Valley when i as there, but she wasn't feeling well and postponed ~ 'till this morning! We went to one of our neighborhood parks and with Ernie (her husband) helping with lighting, we managed to capture some really cool images! She also convinced her friend Ana to shoot ~ Ana is very pretty but VERY shy! So, after some convincing, she also went in front of the lens and i am glad she did. While we were shooting, I came up with another shoot that i proposed to Danielle and she agreed! So.... I will be doing a 3 girl Pinup Poker shoot in May! Until next time, I will leave you with a few images from today's shoot!

Linking this Blog to my website...

Great News! Now you will be able to move seamlessly from my website: www.beyondpairadice.com to this blog by clicking on the Blog link on the bottom row of links on my site. This should hopefully expand the amount of Blog readers in the near future! In celebration of this for your viewing pleasure is a photo that i took many years ago. The pomegranites were left rotting on a tree in Goodspings, Nevada and i just loved the way they looked. Enjoy.

Glenn B.

The Death Valley Experience... PART 1

I really had a great time in Death Valley over the weekend. I was able to see almost everything I had planned to see in the 2 days I was there. My trip started outside of Death Valley in Beatty and nearby Ghost-town "Rhyolite" (my favorite Ghost-town) with me shooting away...

Then I went into Death Valley and went straight to Scotty's Castle. Along the way in the middle of the road, there was a beautiful coyote walking like it was his highway. I stopped and slowly got out of my car with a zoom lens and got within 50 feet of this magnificent desert creature and captured a few amazing shots before it started getting closer...

I got back in the car and proceeded to Scotty's Castle. I spent over an hour admiring the architecture and the intricate detailing on the buildings, gates, and doors. This was one highlight to Death Valley and i am glad i went "out of the way" to go see it.


Part 2 Coming soon....

Glenn has a really good eye for beauty and bringing life to print, take a look around here and you'll see some of his inspiration. He's asked me to be a regular contributor, providing insight from the outside of a photographer's eye, and I'm happy to be here!

Some exciting news...Glenn is going to have an exhibit at MASTER SOURCE ART coming up soon, with several photos as canvas prints being on a rotating display. I actually got to see some of the photos and pick some of my favorites, and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Glenn is making some changes to his wedding photography services and used me as a guinea pig. I can tell you if I were in the market for a wedding photographer now, I'd hire him in a minute. His style is unique and he's able to capture all the traditional moments as well as truly show the excitement and beauty of the day in photos. There's nothing cookie-cutter about him and his images show it. I learned something as well - there are so many choices for photo print paper! There's this PEARL photo paper that just makes the photos look so beautiful, and there is specific paper for true black and white photos. I had no idea... all I knew of was glossy and matte?

A two day Photo Journey to Death Valley and Rhyolite

I am off for a 2 day photo-journey into Death Valley and the surrounding area. I am going to be shooting as much as possible using my ZUNE for a soundtrack! I plan on capturing as much of Death Valley as i can in the time i am there and have a Model joining me tomorrow for some "Rockabilly" and "Asian" themed shooting! i will be keeping a paper journal while i am there and will post the "Highlights" from that with some images when i return. For now i will leave an image from Rhyolite (my favorite "Ghost-Town").