October 13th, 2008 by Rick
Last time, I talked a little bit about the Las Vegas Strip. This time, we’re going out into the beautiful Red Rocks a few miles west of Las Vegas. Officially known as the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, the area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The area is popular with tourists, photographers, hikers, mountain bikers and general sight seers. If you’re on the Strip, it will take you about 25 minutes to get to the park. If you take Charleston Boulevard straight west, you can’t miss it. As you drive into the area, you’ll see the Spring Mountains in front of you and the red hills of Red Rock on the right. First, you’ll pass a small road to Calico Basin (worthy of exploring, but not part of the park) and then you’ll see the turnoff for the visitor center. If you continue west past the visitor center, you’ll see an overlook (where the first two of these three photos were taken).
There are many awesome vantage points within the park – some are accessible right form the road and some are remote. The park can be enjoyed from the 13 mile scenic loop – there are plenty of stopping 
points at areas of interest. Note that you’ll have to pay a $5.00 entry fee at the gate. To take advantage of the beautiful desert light, consider showing up right after sunrise or just before sunset. The red hills are nesteled between the Las Vegas valley and the Spring Mountain range, so the sun is always changing the available views – what works in the morning won’t work in the evening.
Remember that Las Vegas has much more to offer than just the casinos, gambling and the night life! The beauty of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is remarkable and unique to Southern Nevada’s desert! If you get out to
October 9th, 2008 by Rick
Being in Las Vegas means that there are tons of opportunities for awesome photos. Since some of you undoubtedly travel to Vegas, I thought I’d provide you with a list of must see places to go. This topic will span several posts, so check back often.
The first and most obvious is the Strip. Known officially as Las Vegas Boulevard, the Strip is the focal point of tourist activity. The casinos themselves are great places to start. The themes of the casinos create great opportunities – for example, the sights of the Venetian and its canals are much different from the New York New York theme. Nightime views are amazing with all the lights. From the top of the Stratosphere you can view the whole city (for a small price). Another vantage point is the top of the Eifel tower at the Paris Hotel & Casino (again, be prepared to pay a small fee for the experience). There are water shows, roller coasters, art, people (some really interesting ones at that!), desert scenes, and much more.
In future posts, we’ll take a look at other places including Red Rocks, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Nelson and others.
October 6th, 2008 by Rick
Now that the initial move of the blog is over, I thought I’d post a little more information about the 2008 Super Run that I shot pictures of last weekend. The event was awesome… Henderson’s main street was shut down for several blocks, and there was nothing but beautiful cars being showcased.
With the huge number of people that turned out for the event, it was a bit tough getting shots of the cars by themselves. I was there on Saturday, so there were tons of folks out enjoying the beautiful weather and sights. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to see everything… too many cars and too little time. Overall, I shot just over 300 photos – almost 250 of them are displayed in the gallery.
Take a peek and let me know what you think. Remember that you can browse to your heart’s content – and if you like something, you can buy it right online. Whether you want a print or just something for your 
personal blog, you’ll surely find one that you’ll love!
October 5th, 2008 by Rick
The move is under way! The place is definitely taking on more of a photography site feel, now that I’m purposefully moving it in that direction. There are many changes yet to come, but there are links between the Lautenbach Photography Galleries and this blog. The return trip from the gallery page is the “blog” link in the header.
Right now, visitors to www.lautenbachphotography.com still land on the galleries first. That’s not the best for search engine optimization since it is a flash site, but changing it will have to wait until a bit later.
While you’re visiting our galleries, don’t forget to check out some of the latest pictures! Last weekend, I was out at an awesome car show in Henderson, NV called the “Super Run”. It was chock full of beautiful hot rods of all types – muscle cars, antiques, dragsters and more. Click here for the 2008 Super Run gallery page (alternately found under “Events” if you surf into the main gallery page).
Last time, I talked a little bit about the Las Vegas Strip. This time, we’re going out into the beautiful Red Rocks a few miles west of Las Vegas. Officially known as the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, the area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The area is popular with tourists, photographers, hikers, mountain bikers and general sight seers. If you’re on the Strip, it will take you about 25 minutes to get to the park. If you take Charleston Boulevard straight west, you can’t miss it. As you drive into the area, you’ll see the Spring Mountains in front of you and the red hills of Red Rock on the right. First, you’ll pass a small road to Calico Basin (worthy of exploring, but not part of the park) and then you’ll see the turnoff for the visitor center. If you continue west past the visitor center, you’ll see an overlook (where the first two of these three photos were taken).
points at areas of interest. Note that you’ll have to pay a $5.00 entry fee at the gate. To take advantage of the beautiful desert light, consider showing up right after sunrise or just before sunset. The red hills are nesteled between the Las Vegas valley and the Spring Mountain range, so the sun is always changing the available views – what works in the morning won’t work in the evening.
