Wedding Desert Photography- Vegas

[Epiphany]

Tips and tricks for desert photography? Favorite presets for desert photography editing?

My cousin is getting married in Vegas and wants photos in the desert.
Anyone know my best park option for easy to get to red Rock formations since the wedding party will be dressed up. Any other info you have is greatly appreciated! Not much desert shooting experience in WI.

Thank you!

 

[Soocom1]

First and foremost, try NOT to change lenses very often.
Secondly, you will be in heat, so water for you, and keep the camera out of direct sunlight.
Nevada is notoriously hot, so keep the camera itself in shade as much as possible. You would be surprised what can happen and quickly.

Desert shooting means ALOT of reflective light, so exposure compensation and other aspects along with a good polarizer and or UV filter is in order. remember that in many areas of NV your elevation is around 1/2 mile (3,500-4,000 feet) so there is alot more UV light. Keep shirts long because of the sun exposure.

Lens flair covers work very well here and watch the sun flair.

CA can be annoying if not careful.

There are many other aspects to watch, but the single most important is elevation and lack of tree-ground cover. So I very STRONGLY recommend researching that single aspect, not just the photographic, but physical, and because elevation is higher, you will experience some shortness of breath. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THAT, and make sure the wedding party has ALOT of water available.

The reflective light is important as stated, so pay attention to poses and if you can find shade, use it.

 

[Epiphany]

I should add that I will be photographing one hour prior to sunset. Hope this will help with flair and heat!

 

[Soocom1]

More challange.
In NV and especially this time of year you will have alot of sky color due to dust and smkoe from wildfires.

If it gets windy, you will definitely want the UV filter because of scattered light and poss. the polarizer.

Early evening means the suns light will be a majestic golden yellow and with the red rocks will cause a MASSIVE alteration to orange.

This is the golden hour and run and play quickly. The opportunities for light is masssive and the love silhouette time is right then.
Also backward reflective light.
Ergo: sun behind you but reflective light in front to make a partially lit up silhouette.

Make good use of it and have fun

 

[Epiphany]

Thank you!!

 

[Galaxy Studios]

Deserts can make for very dramatic and beautiful landscapes but it can also be challenging to avoid your photos appearing flat and uninteresting. It’s no secret that photographing in the early morning or late afternoon provides a wonderfully soft light for your images which helps you avoid making them look flat and the desert is no exception. The soft light can give the sand a beautiful glow and in the above photo, the red late afternoon light has really brought out the color of the sand. As always, if you are going to be using a slow shutter speed make sure you have a tripod.