SEPTEMBER 2003 – Nightly view of the huge fountains in front of the Bellagio Hotel in Nevada. Photo © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
We had arrived on a Saturday in Las Vegas. In the late afternoon we started to explore the famous Las Vegas Strip with its countless hotels, casinos and restaurants. We slowly made our way to the Mandalay Bay Hotel, and at sunset, zillions of tiny lights began to glow. On our way back, the night completely took over, and I captured the majestic fountains in front of the Bellagio which are synchronized on music playing, an overwhelming choreography of sound and water. The hotel played a key role in the hit movie Ocean’s Eleven by Steven Soderbergh in 2001.
This image was hampered by the fact that I had loaded daylight film but was shooting a scene consisting of just artificial light. Skilled photographers could correct this by using filters of the (blue) 80-series filter (80A, 80B, 80C), with the 80A being the strongest and generally recommended for standard tungsten bulbs. Using these, the light appears as daylight for the film. For fluorescent lights, specific FLD (Fluorescent Daylight) or FLB (Fluorescent to Blue) filters can correct the green/yellow cast. But I did not have any of these filters at that time.
While Las Vegas does not belong to my preferred destinations in the world, I like the dynamic and vibrance of the city, especially at night. I especially like this image, even if not perfect, for the nice memories associated.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 20-SEP-2003 |
| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6640 x 4314 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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