7 Photo Spots for your next trip to Las Vegas, NV

iPhone Photography

Mar 16

During my trip to Las Vegas in 2012, my iPhone photography journey started. One day, the heavy camera bag with the DLSR and the lenses had to stay in the hotel room, and I used only my iPhone to photograph during this day. Three years later, I was able to revisit Las Vegas.

I'm well aware that there are more than seven photo spots in Las Vegas. Probably, there are more than 70 (or more than 700?). Nevertheless, with this post about seven photo spots in Las Vegas, I want to provide some photography inspiration for your next trip to the city that never sleeps.

This photo of Wynn and Encore Resort was one of the first photos I took on that day. Back then, I still used Pro HDR X (not available anymore) for many photos. Today, I'd probably use the HDR feature of ProCamera App.

Wynn @ Encore Las Vegas, Shot on iPhone 5

Also, back then, a touch version of Photoshop was available on iPhone that Adobe later sunsetted. I used it to add the moving clouds. This version already had a motion blur filter, that's still missing from Adobe Photoshop for iPad today. But luckily, there's Superimpose that has such a filter (and much more). To learn more about this photo editing app, head to the Superimpose Review.

Another photo I took on this day was this one of the Stratosphere Tower.

Stratosphere Tower Las Vegas shot with Pro HDR on iPhone 5

From up there, you get a stunning view over Las Vegas, and you can see even the desert surrounding the city. But be warned, in 2012, I was not allowed to take my tripod up to the tower. Even my Gorillapod for iPhone had to stay in a locker downstairs.

Next was the Mandalay Bay Resorts with its beautiful surroundings.

Finally, on this day, I tried to get an acceptable photo at night using the iPhone. Back then, there was no iPhone night mode and no special apps for night photography with iPhone. So I took this one using the built-in camera and applied noise reduction in Lightroom Mobile Premium.

Mirage Vulcano shot at night using iPhone 5

Three years later, with a better iPhone and a better camera, I took this photo of people watching the Fountains of Bellagio show.

Silhouettes in front of the Fountains of Bellagio. Shot on iPhone 6 Plus

To take such a photo, you have to be fast. Once the fountains and the light start, tap to set the exposure to the bright areas of the screen and tap the shutter release right away. This is how I got the silhouettes of the people watching the show.

A “short” video of the Fountains of Bellagio show with Billie Jean. It’s a MultiCam Clip recorded from three different angles including views from a hotel room.

And finally, here's the Mirage in Las Vegas during the daytime.

For this photo, I originally used SKRWT to fix the perspective distortion on my iPhone. Today and in such light conditions, I'd most likely use the automatic perspective correction in ProCamera App.

And finally, a night photo taken with iPhone of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas. That's a great place to get a view over the city and to photograph the Fountains of Bellagio from above.

What I also found fascinating about Las Vegas is how fast this city changes. Within just three years, half of the strip looked different.

Where to stay in Las Vegas

Well, you have hundreds of options to stay in Las Vegas. The hotels close to the strip are more expensive than the ones a little further away.

If you're looking for an affordable option, check to see if it's located anywhere near the Las Vegas Monorail that runs a bit hidden in parallel east to the strip. Check the offerings for hotels in Las Vegas east of the strip on Booking.com.