Attn: Photogs- Avoid the Strat!
So far the trip has been great! Haven't gotten rich, yet, but I'm not in the poor house either. :>
Did hit a bit of a snag trying to do some shooting, however. Apparently, according to a security guard at the Stratosphere, I'm a professional photographer...
The misadventure started when we attempted to gain access to the tower. The 108 story Space-Needle-esque building is the tallest structure west of the Mississippi, and the view from the observation deck is rivalled only by a helicopter flight. A brilliant opportunity to test the capabilities of Big-Ass Glass(tm), my 170-500mm telephoto monster. I packed the kit on the wheeled cart I brought just for this, slung the lens case over my shoulder and we caught a taxi out.
We paid $10 apiece for tickets to the top. We then hiked what felt like forever to get to the airport wanna-be security checkpoint. Upon arrival we were rudely told by a female employee that tripods were a sin against Bob Stupek. Okfine, I can almost understand that- Tripods can be bulky and a hazard, qand can cause problems for other guests. The kicker was when we were told that we would have to hike all the way back up to the front of the casino to check the tripod at the bell desk. The walk to where we were at is a long one, and it took us close to 15 minutes to walk to the tower to begin with. She also pointed to my lens case and the camera case on the cart and told me the camera and everything else was alright, just no tripods. I didn't argue, instead just geting out of line as to lessen the inconvenience to the other people waiting to gain access to the tower. As TJ and I debated our next move (TJ wanted a refund which you cannot get, and I was just wishing they had some sort of a bell desk or baggage check closer to the entrance to the tower) a very nice lady showed us how to get back down to the hotel lobby and the bell desk without hiking the full distance. We made the far shorter trek, checked the tripod, then arrived once more at security.
This time we were told that the camera case and cart were most likely not going to be allowed to go through security. I couldn't believe it- if they were going to make me go back and check the camera case as well (especially after being told it was alright) then I was going to be one mad sonovabitch (err, daughter?). I told them that I had been told that the camera and the lens would be fine, it was only the tripod that was the problem. This, just as with the tripod, would not have been that big of a problem had I been told this when I bought the tickets, which was far closer to the front of the hotel. I explained to the security guards (who pulled me out of line) that I was happy to allow them to search the cases, that I would fold up the cart and not pull it behind me, and that if needbe, I'd even check the case or allow them to hold it. Finally, after being accused of hassling them they allowed me to take the case up to the top of the tower after a search of it. It was halfassed at best- TJ was forced to check his pocket knife at the bottom but they didn't even notice that I had one with me, and I was the one who ended up pointing out what all was in the camera case. Worst security screen I've ever been through.
Once that part of the harassment was over with (and the guard had radioed to the top that I was coming up and brining a case with me, which had already been cleared) we rode up the 108 flights to the top. The view, as usual, was spectacular. I stopped inside to mount Big-Ass Glass(tm) on the camera, then headed out. I was using the first railing (there's 2 for safety, something I'm glad of even though I love heights) to brace on, but soon found to my surprise that Big-Ass Glass(tm) was too long for the shots I wanted. I was having a hard time framing entire hotels in single shots, much less getting the whole strip. As I was preparing to swap out the 500mm for the 300mm Ultrasonic when another security guard approached me and pointed at my camera and lens. "That's professional equipment," he barked at me. "You have to talk to hotel marketing before you can use that up here." I just stared at him, dumbfounded. I attempted to explain to him that A.) I'm not a pro, and B.) I was swapping lenses out anyway because that one didn't do what I wanted it to do. He continued to argue with me, accusing me of being with the press or somesuch, even though I told him that security at the bottom had already cleared everything I had with me, and they said nothing about me not being allowed to shoot with the equipment I brought. Finally I got him to back off, and I went inside to swap lenses out of the wind.
When I returned, both of the guards for the observation deck were standing smack-dab in the best spot to try and get shots of the 'Strip. My guess is they didn't want 'The Press' to get the best angle off the tower. So I'm left with no tripod, and no good place to shoot.
I managed to luck out, and shot a lot of photos from inside through the large angled windows just under the observation deck. I could get away with using my case as a tripod, and managed to squeeze off a few desireable shots. When it was all said and done I was given the excuse that they were afraid of people doing 'reconissance' and that in a post 9/11 world, they couldn't be too careful. The real reason I think I was hassled- beause they thought I was going to shoot the same quality photos that they charge and arm and a leg for in the various shops at the base of the tower. In short, The Stratosphere, is /not/ camera- friendly. If you shoot anything nicer than a disposable camera, or know an incling about photography, be prepared to be hassled. Not to mention that their security screning is flawed, and the chances of them actually preventing someone from doing something harmful to the tower is slim to none.
I must give kudos to the woman who directed us to the shortcut as well as one guard on the ground level. Both of these two were friendly and helpful. The rest of them? Well, let's just say I'm not impressed. A suggestion that would have made things a lot easier on everyone involved- the management should post the restrictions and regulations on photography and their policy on tripods at the desk where you buy your tickets. Had they done that, we would have saved ourselves a lot of time and trouble. I have no problem with asking for permission to shoot at certain locales, and I always try and obey the rules and restrictions involving photography.
Down and gone,
~Laken
...who will probably never go to the top of the tower again, which breaks her heart.
Did hit a bit of a snag trying to do some shooting, however. Apparently, according to a security guard at the Stratosphere, I'm a professional photographer...
The misadventure started when we attempted to gain access to the tower. The 108 story Space-Needle-esque building is the tallest structure west of the Mississippi, and the view from the observation deck is rivalled only by a helicopter flight. A brilliant opportunity to test the capabilities of Big-Ass Glass(tm), my 170-500mm telephoto monster. I packed the kit on the wheeled cart I brought just for this, slung the lens case over my shoulder and we caught a taxi out.
We paid $10 apiece for tickets to the top. We then hiked what felt like forever to get to the airport wanna-be security checkpoint. Upon arrival we were rudely told by a female employee that tripods were a sin against Bob Stupek. Okfine, I can almost understand that- Tripods can be bulky and a hazard, qand can cause problems for other guests. The kicker was when we were told that we would have to hike all the way back up to the front of the casino to check the tripod at the bell desk. The walk to where we were at is a long one, and it took us close to 15 minutes to walk to the tower to begin with. She also pointed to my lens case and the camera case on the cart and told me the camera and everything else was alright, just no tripods. I didn't argue, instead just geting out of line as to lessen the inconvenience to the other people waiting to gain access to the tower. As TJ and I debated our next move (TJ wanted a refund which you cannot get, and I was just wishing they had some sort of a bell desk or baggage check closer to the entrance to the tower) a very nice lady showed us how to get back down to the hotel lobby and the bell desk without hiking the full distance. We made the far shorter trek, checked the tripod, then arrived once more at security.
This time we were told that the camera case and cart were most likely not going to be allowed to go through security. I couldn't believe it- if they were going to make me go back and check the camera case as well (especially after being told it was alright) then I was going to be one mad sonovabitch (err, daughter?). I told them that I had been told that the camera and the lens would be fine, it was only the tripod that was the problem. This, just as with the tripod, would not have been that big of a problem had I been told this when I bought the tickets, which was far closer to the front of the hotel. I explained to the security guards (who pulled me out of line) that I was happy to allow them to search the cases, that I would fold up the cart and not pull it behind me, and that if needbe, I'd even check the case or allow them to hold it. Finally, after being accused of hassling them they allowed me to take the case up to the top of the tower after a search of it. It was halfassed at best- TJ was forced to check his pocket knife at the bottom but they didn't even notice that I had one with me, and I was the one who ended up pointing out what all was in the camera case. Worst security screen I've ever been through.
Once that part of the harassment was over with (and the guard had radioed to the top that I was coming up and brining a case with me, which had already been cleared) we rode up the 108 flights to the top. The view, as usual, was spectacular. I stopped inside to mount Big-Ass Glass(tm) on the camera, then headed out. I was using the first railing (there's 2 for safety, something I'm glad of even though I love heights) to brace on, but soon found to my surprise that Big-Ass Glass(tm) was too long for the shots I wanted. I was having a hard time framing entire hotels in single shots, much less getting the whole strip. As I was preparing to swap out the 500mm for the 300mm Ultrasonic when another security guard approached me and pointed at my camera and lens. "That's professional equipment," he barked at me. "You have to talk to hotel marketing before you can use that up here." I just stared at him, dumbfounded. I attempted to explain to him that A.) I'm not a pro, and B.) I was swapping lenses out anyway because that one didn't do what I wanted it to do. He continued to argue with me, accusing me of being with the press or somesuch, even though I told him that security at the bottom had already cleared everything I had with me, and they said nothing about me not being allowed to shoot with the equipment I brought. Finally I got him to back off, and I went inside to swap lenses out of the wind.
When I returned, both of the guards for the observation deck were standing smack-dab in the best spot to try and get shots of the 'Strip. My guess is they didn't want 'The Press' to get the best angle off the tower. So I'm left with no tripod, and no good place to shoot.
I managed to luck out, and shot a lot of photos from inside through the large angled windows just under the observation deck. I could get away with using my case as a tripod, and managed to squeeze off a few desireable shots. When it was all said and done I was given the excuse that they were afraid of people doing 'reconissance' and that in a post 9/11 world, they couldn't be too careful. The real reason I think I was hassled- beause they thought I was going to shoot the same quality photos that they charge and arm and a leg for in the various shops at the base of the tower. In short, The Stratosphere, is /not/ camera- friendly. If you shoot anything nicer than a disposable camera, or know an incling about photography, be prepared to be hassled. Not to mention that their security screning is flawed, and the chances of them actually preventing someone from doing something harmful to the tower is slim to none.
I must give kudos to the woman who directed us to the shortcut as well as one guard on the ground level. Both of these two were friendly and helpful. The rest of them? Well, let's just say I'm not impressed. A suggestion that would have made things a lot easier on everyone involved- the management should post the restrictions and regulations on photography and their policy on tripods at the desk where you buy your tickets. Had they done that, we would have saved ourselves a lot of time and trouble. I have no problem with asking for permission to shoot at certain locales, and I always try and obey the rules and restrictions involving photography.
Down and gone,
~Laken
...who will probably never go to the top of the tower again, which breaks her heart.