40 Foot Blissful Dancer, a photo from Nevada, West

Photographer's Note

Please Please Please look at the TE Beta version here, the details are worth the time and effort. You will see how its made of cables, and its actually see through BLISS DANCER .

I returned yesterday from a 4 day mini trip to Las Vegas. So you know what that means, time to post some photos.

How many times have I been to Vegas, its 12 times now. Why so many? Many reasons, first of all, its only a 2.5 hour flight from Vancouver, and the flights are affordable.

Secondly, Las Vegas keeps changing, evolving, improving, and there's always something new to see and to experience. Which brings me to this new subject.

This is a 40 foot tall Dancer, named Bliss. She is beautifully posed, such a striking sculpture. I was so excited to find her and photograph her. She is new to the city, and a welcome addition.

You will notice most of my photos of her are taken from the back, that's because the VERY STRONG Vegas sunlight would have been terrible in the photos if I were pointing my camera in the opposite direction. This was taken at about 2pm, with a hot white sun.

I will post several photos of Bliss, trying to capture her in creative formations with the wide angle lens, and to show off the perspectives while taking advantage of her long limbs. It's strictly personal opinion and choice, but I enjoy this type of tight framing. It creates the feeling of being trapped inside a box, and the person is trying to get out.

In the WS are two more shots. First, one showing Bliss in her full view, so you can get a sense of how she is posed and her height. Secondly, a photo of her front, showing her head.

There will be more of her, so I hope you like it

Oh, and if you're wondering why I cut off her left elbow, its because there is a very tall hotel off to the side and I couldn't really avoid it. So i had to cut the elbow out to keep the scene clean.

pajaran, papagolf21, Fis2, snunney, holmertz, ikeharel, pierrefonds, jean113, jhm, worldcitizen, dale54, COSTANTINO, Hansaphotos, quovadis, clic, tyro, cornejo, adramad, fritzi007, PaulVDV has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jimmyjimmy (6164) 2018-09-20 21:43

Hello Mac

Your crop here is awesome. You don't get the real sense of her size because of her being so anatomically correct. I am still impressed with your crop.....I am stuck there. Wow. Interesting art for sure. Is there anything special with the sculpture of her at night? Nice work on this subject.

Jimmy

pajaran (114971) 2018-09-20 22:18

Dobro vece.
Lep pogled, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijama u radionici, lepo pokazano, dobar kontrast, lepe boje.
Lepa skulptura i arhirektura u pozadini.
Zelim vam lepu i mirnu noc, sve najbolje.
Paja.

papagolf21 (152605) 2018-09-20 22:57

Bonjour, cher Craig,
Tout d'abord un grand merci pour le rйcit relatif au voyage et aux diffйrents aspects ayant trait а la photo.
Cette sculpture monumentale est trиs originale par sa transparence et son apparence.
Merci pour tout.
Amitiйs.
Philippe

jemaflor (146330) 2018-09-20 23:10

Hi Craig,
Beautiful sculpture and photo, well framed, good sharpness and interesting presentation with this blue sky, tfs.

Fis2 (169791) 2018-09-21 0:36

Witaj Craig!
A very interesting sculpture, why it is so tightly framed.
I wish that elbow to the left.
Good colors and sharpness.
The structure of the sculpture surface is impressive.
Warm regards.
Krzysztof

jimmj63 (0) 2018-09-21 1:13

ciao Craig,
I like this composition: only one form, only two colors,
ciao, Giacomo

lousat (138655) 2018-09-21 1:30

Hi Craig,another trip in Las Vegas,this city for you is like Cuba for me..ehehe..but you have raison,there is always something new to take and this is a beautiful example,a very curious artwork taken in a great way,i like the full view with the surround effect made by the high buildings in background,and the other 2 pics give us the exact idea of how is made,very well done! Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

Nicou (193806) 2018-09-21 1:59

Hello

fantastique vue de cette statue quel rendu а la surface de cette matiиre sueprbe et quelle forme ce jeu de bras ces mains les belles fesses rondes sueprbe iamge et ocmpo
Bravo et belle journйe
Nicou

snunney (130967) 2018-09-21 2:34

Hello Craig,
All right I believe you, but are you sure that the point of view is not more to do with the curvaceous curves of her posterior ;-) The framing is superb and she stands out beautifully against the peerless Las Vegas sky. Spot on exposure with excellent rendering of the colours and textural details.

holmertz (102042) 2018-09-21 3:09

Hello Craig,
It's an interesting statue and three good photos, and the neutral blue background works very well here. But I can hardly believe what I'm seeing. Public nudity in a country where a nipple seen on TV for less than a second can cause a national outrage. Children will see this! It can cause them irreparable psychological damage. Where are the CCP (Concerned Conservative Parents)? If you show this on Facebook it will be immediately deleted.
Have a nice weekend,
Gert
PS In that photo from the church in Gdansk you really see more than "some parts" of the clock. There is less missing than of this statue. ;-)

pierrefonds (113634) 2018-09-21 5:05

Hi Craig,

The tight frame is putting the sculpture in evidence. The point of view is showing the details of the sculpture. The colors and the sharpness are very good. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jean113 (27639) 2018-09-21 5:29

Hello Craig, an excellent trio of shots.
I have never seen an artwork made from this material before. Semi-transparent? Unusual.
I like your idea of the tight framing, it really works well here.
What is the hair made from?
Excellent note.
Regards Jean.

Sergiom (117241) 2018-09-21 6:39

Bonjour Craig,

Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais probablement que oui, mais je vois les fesses de Byonce dans cette statue а grandeur de son vedettariat. Le cadrage est excellent et la contre plongйe utilise bien le ciel comme faire valoir.

Amicalement

Serge

jhm (211734) 2018-09-21 6:42

Hello Craig,

Your trip has nice picture delivered.
The silhouette of the dancer against a nice blue sky..
Colours an sharpness are very well.
Composition and presentation are pleasant to look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice day,
John.

worldcitizen (15960) 2018-09-21 8:03

Hello Craig,
Wow! This is great! This photo was screaming "open me" from the thumbnail, and it's so captivating. I really like your crop, even without part of the elbow, since it has a more artistic feeling. The details are amazing, and the sense of movement is so real that I expect her to keep dancing through the frame. The blue sky is a perfect background, too. I must admit that from behind I thought this was a very young woman, but looking at the WS photo her face seems a bit older. Ha ha! This is a great work of art, and a great photo. :-)

dale54 (17766) 2018-09-21 11:54

craig to you good evening and hello..looks like she is getting down for the weekend!great choice for POV-angle,love her pose! tfs dale

Tue (91612) 2018-09-21 13:32

Hello Craig,
A great photo of this sculpture, incredible sharpness, especially in the beta version, and the light and blue sky are ideal circumstances. I don't remember seeing her in Vegas, but maybe she's so new, she wasn't even there yet last year.
Lars

ChrisJ (171280) 2018-09-21 19:36

Hi Craig

With all those visible electrical wire circuits throughout the sculpture, I just had to see what this looked like illuminated at night, and here is what I found.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LIjdaLLMPYI/maxresdefault.jpg

Good sharpness and tight framing. Tfs!

COSTANTINO (115583) 2018-09-21 22:45

Hello dear Craig and have a nice time
original version
this dancer which is a striking sculpture
is beautifully posed with a real movement
of dancing
welldone and wellseen
regards
Costantino

Hansaphotos (11381) 2018-09-22 2:30

Hello Craig

A fabulous photo of this statue. Excellent choice of angle. The way the arms of the sculpture are shaped makes me think of Usain Bolt and his trademark, the way he celebrated a victory. It is a kind of minimalistic scene you have set up here. Three fine photos with this one as the best. Well managed light and colours. Excellent! TFS.

Enjoy your weekend.

Greetings, Erling

mkamionka (73440) 2018-09-22 6:33

Hi Craig,
wow this is very impressive! LV is really changing a lot as you have mentioned in your note.
I have been to LV three times but not for a while and twice I had just one day stops...
I have been near NY casino but the lady was not there yet of course.
I actually prefer the capture in the context of the buildings but all of them make a very interesting reportage together.
I am sure you had a great time there but...what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Looking forward to seeing more,
M

BennyV (34746) 2018-09-22 9:38

Shake it, baby! Great lively composition of an impressive piece of artwork, Craig.

Explaining why you cut off the elbow on the left, is a bit of a let down, to be honest. I think it adds even more dynamics to your picture, as if the dancer is completely absorbed in the dance, lost in her own world, almost out of it, moving so fast that it's hard to catch her in your frame.

Benny

Silvio1953 (220665) 2018-09-22 10:12

Ciao Craig, great view of lovely statue, fine details and splendid sharpness, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

alvaraalto (42804) 2018-09-23 5:34

Hello Craig,
This image deserves to be viewed from all sides, zoomed in and zoomed out. The close-up workshop shows beautifully the structure of the statue, but also that the face is the least attractive part of the sculpture.
Have a good Sunday,
groet Rob

kasianowak (17672) 2018-09-23 7:03

Hi Craig
I really like this crop, even with the elbow cut off. With the perfectly clear blue sky and the grey colour of the subject, the image is almost abstract in spite of the human shape of the sculpture. Great TE post with supporting shots in WS, one showing the lady in her "natural environment" and the other her face, not as perfectly lit as the main photo but informative.
Thanks for your comments about my last post - the colourful squares, partly showing at the top, are prayer flags - pieces of fabric with prayers written on them. The idea is you hang them up and they do all the praying for you while you are e.g. having a cup of tea... ;-)
Greetings from Poland.
Kasia

Cricri (176) 2018-09-23 7:40

WOW Craig tu es a Las Vegas, je t'envie :-)
Intйressante sculpture bien dйtaillйe sous le fond bleu, pas vue en 2016, c'est donc nouveau ! faut que j'y retourne , rien que de beau moment passe lа bas
j'attend la suite ….
Beau dimanche
cricri

clic (76) 2018-09-23 8:26

Hello Craig What a graceful motion of her arms masterly captured for an elegant diagonal across the picture! She also stands right on the beam of a distant stage spotlight, throwing from the balcony an even light on her odd and mostly-invisible costume that confirms the allover hi-rez ! Cheers

gervaso (28177) 2018-09-23 14:29

Hello, Craig!

Indeed this POV shows better the details of the sculpture, as we can see in the workshop with strong shadows on her face. And these details are shown here with impressive sharpness and excellent light! I like this framing! Wonderful job!

quovadis (5711) 2018-09-23 18:00

Hi Craig.

Wow, a very inspiring model, a great pose, I mean POV :-)

Twelve times inVegas and still interesting? Well, I do believe in what you say, even though personally, I visited there only once but, I travelled in the comfort of my car all the way from BC to San Diego, throughout Utah and Nevada deserts. Anyway, I like your composition even with the missing left elbow, the figure looks really magnificent. TFs!!!

tyro (30513) 2018-09-24 2:15

Hi Craig,

Is she saying, "Hey, does my bum look too big?"?

I can just imagine you running about all over the place around this remarkable statue trying to capture the perfect viewpoint - and you have certainly succeeded in the end!

Three brilliant photographs of which your main image is the star while the two workshop pictures put the whole thing in context. And you have coped with the strong light and contrasts superbly well.

Absolutely Brilliant!

Kind Regards,

John.

ikeharel (112475) 2018-09-24 4:55

Good choice to show different stuff from Las-Vegas, not the usual illuminated buildings and boulevards, Craig, which also attractive as always.
The frontal perspective as we see on the WS, is "less interesting" photography-wise, IMHO.
Fine contrast to blue sky.
Ike

*** Wing-tips vortices are avoided by the winglet-tips. Turbulence on wing-ends is a known phenomenon, and since 20 years or so are very common in built aircrafts. You may read about it here. Thanks.

cornejo (61504) 2018-09-24 10:42

Hello Craig, very good photograph of this interesting sculpture, very well captured in this beautiful image, with good sharpness, light, color and quality. Very good and interesting work perfectly done, my congratulations my friend. Thank you for sharing this beautiful work.

Good afternoon and happy week.
Warm greetings from the south of Spain.
Angel.

adramad (72564) 2018-09-25 12:59

Hello Craig.
Impressive image of this sculpture in a slightly contorted posture, I really like the general view in the WS, also the frontal detail that gives us a great detail as a structure of many wires, without a highly original work because of its size , as by the effect of pose.
Magnificent color, which gives great strength to the image.
Very good brightness and perfect sharpness.
Well done. I like very much.
You have a good day.
Very best regards.
Luis.

fritzi007 (14698) 2018-09-25 14:44

Hi Craig,
very good perspective and comment, well done!

Best regards
wolfgang

carlo62 (81265) 2018-09-25 15:22

Ciao Craig
passare dall'Islanda a Las Vegas и un bel salto e non parlo di distanze, ma di modo di vivere e di paesaggi.
Le tre foto sono belle, ma questa и senza dubbio la migliore, eleganza nel movimento e sinuositа nelle forme.
Saluti
Carlo

emka (157280) 2018-09-25 23:45

Hello Craig, Again in Las Vegas? I can't understand by what you and Rob are so attracted to this city. I found it awful and wanted to go out quickly. Interesting sculpture, especially with the material it is made. I find this composition rather amusing.
In WS she looks rather ugly.
Kind regards MAlgo

LamCam (3717) 2018-09-29 4:50

Hello Craig, Wow! ( and I don't say that often ) This is a dynamic image of what must be a stunning sculpture. Beautifully managed light and cropping.
Best wishes...........Maggie

PaulVDV (62804) 2018-09-29 22:33

Hello Craig,
Very graceful and elegant.
Fantastic composition. Excellently cropped.
On your first picture in the WS I can see it's made of cables.
Best regards, Paul