This was my first time on the High Roller in Las Vegas (hard to believe right) and as a professional photographer I was like a kid waiting for Santa. I stayed up late cleaning lenses, picking and packing gear, imagining the shots, the settings and the experience. With gear packed and my mind set I arrived at 7:10pm on a beautifully clear evening. My plan was to time the 30 minute ride so that I could get some sunset and some night shots.

Being that the ride never actually stops, you simply get on as the last passengers get off. Luckily there were only 5 other people in my car. I had the freedom to walk around the entire car and shoot from any angle. I did manage to take quite a few nice images BUT not as many as I planned or imagined.

Here’s my Pros and Cons ….

Pros:

•Great and unique views of fabulous Las Vegas.

•Excellent for the cellphone camera user.

•Good for the experienced pro gear user.

•Good if you have a working knowledge of editing images (My images required a ton of editing)

•A fun time for groups and some very unique selfie opportunities.

Cons:

•Of the 30 minute ride duration the car only provides about 15 minutes of optimal views.

•OMG reflections everywhere. It’s one giant bubble with lights inside and outside so glare is everywhere.

•The glass (?) was covered with fingerprints and forehead grease. (Pro Tip – Bring a towel to wipe where you’re shooting)

•All images will need fairly significant editing to remove the unavoidable reflections and funky color casts (unless they are cellphone pics)

•Forget using a tripod – not allowed. Monopods are ok but basically useless due to the vibration of the car.

Making the most of your photography trip to the High Roller in Las Vegas

Tips:

•Remove your lens hood if you use one and put your lens as close to the glass as you can without touching it to eliminate as much glare and reflection as possible. If you have a flexible rubber lens hood this would be the perfect time to use it. (I’ll write another article in the future on how and where to use one of these gems)

•Use your lens’ widest aperture and a shutter speed that is at least 1 – 1.5 times the focal length of your lens. Example – If you’re using a 50mm lens use a shutter speed of at least 1/60 sec or faster.

•Use a lens with image stabilization or vibration control if possible.

•Take a wide stance with knees bent while shooting to neutralize the ride’s vibration which is significant … at least from a handheld camera perspective.

•Have your camera ready to go before you board. Remember the ride is in constant motion and you’ll have very limited time to get set up.

•Don’t use Auto ISO or you’ll end up with some blown out and grainy images. Learn your cameras high ISO capabilities before your ride. (Something you should be familiar with anyway)

My Photography Location Rating

Photography Rating for Value & Image Capture Quality – 6/10

Non-Photography Rating for Value & Experience – 8/10

If you enjoyed this article please share it using the links to the left ~ Bror Fredrik