Yes I am fully aware that my titles are epic to say the least. Hah, I need to hold up my sarcasm sign now. Before the name change from Treasure Island to TI and the dismantling of the famous skull one bones sign with the change of the pirate show, this casino used to be my favorite. The Sirens show now sucks,  and the new sign is atrocious.  Some things just shouldn’t change. Aside from that, the casino hasn’t changed very much from the outside, only some cosmetics the the pirate ships. On the inside, still fairly the same, just some restaurant and club changes, but that’s to be expected here in Las Vegas.

I started my journey from The Fashion Show Mall. I had walked over the overpass walkway for easy access to the casino. About halfway though the walkway I decided to shoot the walkway. Reason: unknown. Sometimes I just shoot weird shit.

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 100

I really can’t talk about Treasure Island without showing the full casino shot now can I. This was shot across the street from The Palazzo Hotel and Casino. I was shocked I got this without any pedestrians walking across the boardwalk. I did have to wait for some traffic to clear in order to achieve this image.

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 22 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Back across the street I found myself walking down the infamous Treasure Island boardwalk. The skull rock and pirate ship look amazing. I love the detail in it. It feels more like a movie set and not the front of a casino. The bull horns are a little much for me and feel a little out of place but still cool overall. The skull rock just looks amazing. The sunlight shining against the skull almost puts a smile on my face.

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 100

The Siren ship looks a little more appropriate. My only problem is that it looks “too nice” or “too new or clean.” I have seen several styles like this in the movies that have the naked lady bust on it, usually some gold or brass color though. I wanted to get the whole length of the ship in the photo but could get the composition correctly without having giant casino in the background which I wanted to avoid. Since I couldn’t I had to frame it much tighter.

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 24 mm
ISO Speed: 100

After walking down the boardwalk and examining the pirate and Siren ships it was time to hit up the inside of the casino. But before we can go in I had to shoot the entrance doorway. My framing is a little off in this image. There is large canopy off to the right that I was desperately trying to avoid, because of that my framing is off. It just shows that even I make mistakes.

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 100

As soon as you walk through the large doors the first thing you will see is a chopper type motorcycle all chromed out with a siren head mounted on the handlebars. The whole cycle incorporates the whole Siren theme from the front fender, to the handlebars and gas tank all the ay to the rear fender. The bike will be given away in a contest I believe. I can only imagine a heavy set bearded biker riding this hog down the street. Won’t he be the envy of every Hells Angel out there, hah!

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 22 mm
ISO Speed: 500

Whenever I enter a casino I always have the routine, I take a right and walk around the casino that way. Think of it as a labyrinth. If you keep your hand on the outside wall, you will eventually find the exit. The casino is the same way, designed to keep you in. A few yards in I come cross an empty bar. That right I said it, an empty bar in Las Vegas. I set my camera on the bar top and set it for a long exposure. The result was this very cool perspective on my first attempt on a bar shot.

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.5
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Down one of the hallways, towards the pool area is a Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream shop. Since it was still very early the store had several hours until it opens. Eyeing the location down it just screamed to me to shoot it. I had to give in and so I took this photo. Right after I took this image I was approached by three blond girls, drunk out of their gourds they stumbled over to me and begged me to come back to their room and take photos of them. The immature side of me wanted to jump at the opportunity to photograph three drunk blondes in a Vegas hotel room. Imagine the possibilities. However the responsible side of me took control and realized that I, being in a relationship of almost 4 years, was defiantly not going to put it on the line for three drunk Vegas barfly’s. So I carried on with my business.

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 400

My final two images are of two different restaurants within the Treasure Island Casino and Hotel. Nothing too fancy here, just empty areas that I liked to shoot and shows the emptiness of the casino during the day. Within an hour or two both places will be jam packed with hungry tourists ready for the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas strip.

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Camera: Nikon D200
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Thank you for reading this post and checking out my photography. Stay tuned and check back daily for more updates and adventures through my eyes and my camera lens.

- Travis Sackett