The Trump

Click to enlarge.

This was my other view from my hotel room at the Palazzo. I found this to be an interesting perspective because I normally see multiple casinos crowding the skyline and, here, it looks like there's only one in the entire world: the Trump.

I've stayed at the Trump before and it's a fabulous non-casino/gaming hotel that is also smoke-free! Such an contrast to the rest of the Strip. Unfortunately, it has mandatory valet, which is such a pain in the butt, and which prevents me from strongly endorsing it. Last time we were there, it took them 30 minutes to find our car. I could have walked to my destination in that time. Oh well. Vdara is now another non-smoking/gaming option (although only a 4-star versus Trump's 5). I'm definitely looking at City Center next.

Glass Ceiling

This is my other favorite ceiling at the Bellagio. I, of course, took some artistic license to get its representation to look as seen above. But, overall, it retained the true nature of the glass panes and ceiling.

In other news, I'm weighing an offer to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to San Francisco this weekend. If only I weren't so busy...

Travel: Las Vegas - Palazzo (Maybe For the Last Time?)

This weekend, B and I stayed at the Palazzo again. I still love their suites and we had a great view this time. Not only did we see the pool but we got to see the fireworks from Treasure Island's nightly show.

Above is the new display near the waterfall. Their fall theme included a lot of giant orange leaves and barrels filled with grapes. I wonder what's in store for winter.

We met up with G, E, and B. Although we did take in a show, it was fun seeing "local Vegas" (aka not so touristy places). Our only mistake was going to Fremont when there was some D-list celebrity making an appearance that caused foot traffic to halt to a standstill and a fight to break out right in front of me. :(

E and B offered to put us up at their place for future visits, but I think I'll be moving down the strip for my next trip though. There are plenty of 5-star resorts down on the other end. ;)

Walking Toward The Light

Click to enlarge.

I actually shot this on the moving walkways at the Bellagio in Las Vegas over the weekend. I was trying to discreetly photograph this super romantic couple that passed me. Unfortunately, I think my DOF is a little off because the guy started to turn his head toward me and I only had one shot.

As for the funky colors, I'm applying the process I normally do on my black and white photos to a color one just to see its effect. I sorta like it; so, perhaps I'll play with it in a couple more photographs. Definitely a difference from the super sharp photos so common today.

Running on the Beach

I'm thrilled beyond belief that I can now view my G+ page account on my mobile phone (thank you Google engineers!). I've been waiting for this feature ever since I got started on G+. I'm hoping my engagement will increase from practically zilch to astronomical. I'm wondering if I should start posting photos from my phone as well. This is so exciting!!!

As for this picture itself, I was in Imperial Beach watching children and dogs running around while waiting for the sunset on Labor Day. This was originally a horribly underexposed shot that I decided to make black and white in my usual style.

Travel: La Jolla - H's Wedding

First off, yes, I'm playing around with my processing technique again.

So, over the weekend, I attended a wedding in La Jolla at a private residence. It was an interesting concept: rent a gorgeous vacation house for a week to use for both for out-of-town guests, and for a wedding. I wish I had taken more pictures (again).

Anyway, this wedding was by far the most unusual wedding I've been to. I guess I had gotten so used to over-the-top, completely manufactured weddings that I had ridiculously high expectations when I arrived at the uppity location. For this particular wedding, they had us hum the march song during the bridal party's entrance (because the band arrived 4 hours later), and the ceremony was more ceremonial than official (the couple was already married a few months earlier). The food was to die for though (Korean and American cuisine!) and the location provided an absolutely stunning sunset (what a view being on a high up hill!). Unfortunately, standing in 4-inch heels for 5 hours(!) killed my feet and I had to leave right after the cake-cutting and "first" dance. :(

In reality, it was a casual wedding (no rehearsal!!!, no coordinator, buffet dinner) with formal touches (a rented mansion, matching bridesmaids dresses) that made it clearly the couple's own and a night neither they nor their guests will ever forget. :)

Travel: San Diego - Border Patrol Airplane Silhouette

I had originally wanted to use this airplane shot for the hunt, but I didn't get a chance to submit any photos this round. :( I originally snapped this while mindlessly strolling on the beach in San Diego when all of a sudden a plane, ATVs and an SUV come roaring onto the sand in pursuit of illegal immigrants. Never a dull day in Imperial Beach.

Anyway, talk about a whirlwind month! Between a wedding, a birth, a home purchase, and travel, I was slammed this month with varied photo opportunities. I want to get back into the flow of things (aka posting on G+), because, boy, do I have a backlog. It was sad to see that I didn't miss much while I was gone, other than some minor drama. I'm constantly amazed why some people keep going and others choose to quit (other than for time issues). If only darned life didn't get in the way of Internet addiction. ;)