I’m Jeff, host of the PhotowalksTV series and former USA TODAY columnist, with my photo meets tech meets travel newsletter. As always, the edition is free, and supported by our friends at SmugMug, which hosts my photo website and allows me to sell prints to clients. Get access to our full archive of posts with a paid subscription. The latest Photowalks episode: Vegas Neon.
Anyone who has spent time in the old “Glitter Gulch” remembers the amazing light show that Las Vegas casinos used to put on to attract business. They were huge, blinding, flickering and constantly changing. They were amazing to see.
But in the new Vegas, the great old neon signs gave way to a vertical video billboard of sorts, with images of entertainers, chefs and their food, gamblers and such. And the attractions? Not signs anymore, but giant water shows, replicas of the Eiffel Tower, a huge geodesic dome and the like.
As a fan of old Las Vegas, I recently went searching for the old neon, for photographic and aesthetic pursuits, and there’s a lot of it, but for the most part it’s far from the Strip, in the old downtown Las Vegas, where neon is still alive and well.
In the latest PhotowalksTV episode, we bring you with us downtown to Fremont Street, where you find some of the great old neon signs surrounded by light shows and zip liners, and on the sidestreets, home to classics at the California Hotel, El Cortez and the new Circa.
In this episode we take a sidetour to the great old Atomic Liquors sign, home to the first bar in Vegas, circa 1952 and then head over to the Neon Museum.
This is where old signs go to die, and are celebrated in the “boneyard.” For $20, you can tour the great old signs of yore, like the original Golden Nugget and long-gone masterpieces for the Stardust, Riviera and Hard Rock Hotel. You get to walk through a historical potpourri of free air conditioning, steamed heat and cable TV.
Finally, we also check out the two remaining major classics (Denny’s doesn’t count) on the Strip, the Flamingo and the masterpiece, Circus Circus.
I invite you to watch the episode, if you haven’t seen it already, and enjoy photos from my Vegas visit. They were all taken on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
SmugMug
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Questions & Comments
In response to last week’s post about the joys of swimming with an iPhone, one viewer noted that despite my success, Apple’s warranty won’t cover water damage if you swim with the phone. Great point. If you’re looking to get lots of swimming footage this summer, I’d recommend buying a used iPhone and putting it to use underwater. How about an old iPhone 11 for $175? You don’t need the latest and greatest for pool shots.
And speaking of the iPhone, I’ve been known for counseling would-be buyers at this time of the year to wait for September for new iPhone season, when Apple tries its best to convince us that the latest model is indeed the fastest, most powerful device ever, and how you’ll feel absolutely horrible if you don’t buy it.
From a listener to my appearances on YouTube’s “The Mark Thompson Show.” “I currently have the iPhone 12 Pro. I'm going next month to walk the Spanish Camino and considering getting the iPhone 15 Pro. Is it worth it to buy the 15 Pro? I don't really want to wait as my walk is next month.”
In this case, buy the 15 now. The improvement from the camera will be substantial, especially on video, and you’ll be glad you had it in Spain. If you really wanted to ditch the 15 for the 16 in September, you’d probably get $700-$800 in trade-in. That help?
Photowalks in French
In yesterday’s edition, I told you about this amazing AI dubbing tool called Dittodub, and showed you the Spanish translation for a Photowalks episode in Venice Beach. If interested, here’s the same video in French.
Thanks as always for taking the time to watch, read and listen. Don’t forget to support our sponsor, SmugMug and take advantage of its free two-week trial. Have a great week!
Jeff
C'est un miracle! Your French is perfect!