Last Chance Joe

Last Chance Joe is a massive sculpture that stood high at the entrance of The Nugget Hotel and Casino for 56 years. (The 36-foot high miner was created by Juke Reading of Boise in 1952)

After the Casino was bought out it went into a remodeling face. The statue was going to go to the trash but, with the donation from an anonymous donor that calls him self “Max America” the statue was saved and moved down the street to The Sparks Heritage Museum and Cultural Center along Victorian Avenue.

Now more visible than ever, it puts a smile on pedestrians and drivers day in and day out my self included :)

Camera settings:
20 Seconds F16 ISO 100 14-24mm Lens at 14mm

Last Chanse Joe

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Best Photography Spots Reno Nevada

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Reno Nevada, also known as “The Biggest Little City” Known for its gaming and being close to Lake Tahoe (Nevada and California). These are the best places to shoot in Reno Nevada.

I shot both of this photos shortly after sunset. On the first photo it was so cold I couldn’t wait to be done, but I had to tough it out as the conditions for photos were good.

For my composition, I wanted to get the mountain in the back as part of the landscape because its one of Renos most popular sky resort “Mountain Rose” and the Reno skyline would not be the same without it.

THE GEAR

The gear I used for all my photos: Nikon D800 with a Nikon 14-24mm and a Nikon 24-85mm.  A MeFOTO tripod and a wide angle is a must. I edit all my images with my Lightroom Presets download them and give them a try.

Best Photography Spots in Reno Nevada

Camera settings:
6 Seconds F16 ISO 100 70-200mm lens at 122mm

Reno Nevada Skyline 2

Getting to this spots:
The best time to photograph any of this two places is at sunrise and or sunset. (I prefer sunset)

You will need a tripod and zoom lens of your choice, but it must be a zoom because the city is far away.

The dots on the map indicate where I was standing. Super easy to get to and accessible by car.

Camera settings:
6 Seconds F16 ISO 50 24-85mm lens at 85mm

Reno Nevada Skyline

Pyramid Lake Nevada

Pyramid Lake Nevada

A giant mirror in the middle of the desert placed there by the gods, there in complete solitude hearing my own thoughts, when dusk came a pack of coyotes followed running me off leaving me with great memories and a few photographs.

Pyramid Lake Nevada (11 of 7)

Pyramid Lake is located 40 miles North East of Reno Nevada. You will know when you get here. When you first peak over the mountains you see a massive mirror on the floor surrounded by mountains, when you stop and shut off your car it is so quiet you can hear your heart beat.

Pyramid Lake Nevada

Pyramid Lake Nevada (17 of 7)

This particular lake is unlike any Lake I have ever been to before, and there is something very special about it. I can’t explain it, is just so peaceful and magical., it is in the Paiute Tribe’s Indian Reservation and most of the East side is off-limits to the public. (that’s where I shot all this photos except for the first one)

Pyramid Lake Nevada (13 of 7)

People come here from all over the world to fish for LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT. The world record for this particular species was 39 inches long, weighed 41 lbs. and was caught in 1925 from this very Lake by Mr. Johnny Skimmerhorn.

Pyramid Lake Nevada (14 of 7)

Pyramid Lake Nevada (16 of 7)

Pyramid Lake Nevada (15 of 7)

Pyramid Lake Nevada (12 of 7)

If you ever make it to Northern Nevada, you have to check out Pyramid Lake, there is nothing here but peace and quiet. A great place to reflect, think, write and take some photos. If you come here alone even better, you can begin to understand how powerful the desert is, specially at night…

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California King Fire

California King Fire

I shot this photo in Reno Nevada this past September. There was an insane fire in California that ended up burning 97,717 acres. It took them a long time to contain it but they finally did. Reno was covered in smoke for weeks and you could barely see 50 yards in front of you. The smoke in the air was really thick making it hard to breathe. I was only visiting for a few days and I couldn’t believe the conditions. Horrible for all the residents of California, Reno and all the surrounding affected areas.

I shot this from a bridge I was driving across, when I looked out my window I had to stop swap lenses jump out of my truck, climb on the roof of my truck and take a few shots before traffic got too crazy behind me. The red comes from the sun, if the smoke was not there you would actually be able to see the sun on top of the trains. It was crazy, it made me feel like I was in some sort of end of the world movie.

Camera settings:
1/500 sec at f/5.6 ISO 100 200 mm (70-200mm f2.8 lens)

Reno Fires

Lake Tahoe

Its days like this that I live for. On my last trip, (I just got back yesterday) I went up to Lake Tahoe with my good friend Gil, it was an amazing drive up the road and some great conversation. I love photography for this reason, I mean its not only about the photo, its about all that happens in between.

This is Lake Tahoe, an amazing gift to us from mother nature. I have been here many times for the last 15 years. I have some amazing memories here but the older I get the more I can appreciate places like this.

I have shot this place so many times but have always been disappointed with my photos, this time the photography gods hooked me up, all I really had to do was press the shutter. Im very happy with my shots. It was so silent, so still, nobody around and the sunset was unforgettable. Thank you Gil for coming up with me, catching up, and sharing this awesomeness with me.

Click photo to see HighRess.

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Lake Tahoe

Rum Bullions Island Bar

Good afternoon my peeps, I have been traveling the last week, I got in this morning a bit under the weather, blah… I went to San Francisco to Outside Lands with some of my really close friends, what an amazing music festival (photos soon to come). I got to see Metallica, Steve Wonder and some other amazing bands and musicians.

Of course I had to make a pit stop in Reno Nevada where I took this photo. I was shooting a couple bars my friend built here and of course I took some other personal photos. This is a mine inside the Silver Legacy Resort and Casino in Reno NV. I spent a better part of my youth roaming this place amongst others close by, if this walls could only talk, my Reno peeps know what Im talking about….. Have a crazy awesome weekend peeps and spread the love…

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Rum Bullions Island Bar

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