During our recent travels south of the border, while photographing Route 66 we stumbled upon Nelson, a small town in Nevada. For those of you fond of everything Americana, this is like a Disneyland of old, historic, cool and strange artefacts.
We arrived there at midday with limited time to spend. Luckily, the area is quite small so you can park your car and walk around enjoying all the Wild West could offer. Most importantly, it is a place where you can train your eye.
Often when you find somewhere that’s visually busy, there is a tendency to shoot as many images as possible – after all there is so much to take your fancy. While it sometimes happens to us too, such a hurried approach never really works. A much more sensible approach is to focus, eliminate unnecessary elements and try to arrange elements so they form a harmonious whole. We tried exactly that during our brief stay.
The place is run by Bobbie and Tony, a great, friendly couple, so make sure you visit their store first before you begin to wander around.
Kasia and I used the X-T1 coupled with the XF 14mm F2.8, XF 50-140 F2.8 OIS and the X100T. We found this place perfect for the Classic Chrome film simulation.
Here is Bobbie and Tony with their son.
For those of you who are still considering the XF 50-140 F2.8 OIS lens, it is indeed an excellent glass. It’s heavy but super sharp and its OIS works like magic. Take a look at this image (JPEG straight from the camera).
…and 100% crop
2015 © Kasia & Olaf Sztaba Photography. All rights reserved.
Hi, I will be passing by Nelson soon (on a holiday from Ireland) going to Las Vegas for a few days…i’ll be sure to check this place out ( i’d appreciate any other nearby locations, if you have any)…great photos btw, i’ll also be using Fuji gear
Marty,
If I had to choose one location, it would be Death Valley, which is about two-hour drive from Las Vegas. Death Valley offers incredible vistas. However, you have to check the weather – at this time of the year it could be way too hot for a visit.
Thank you for visiting.
All the best,
Olaf
Love your work!!! Excellent post!
Robert,
We appreciate your kind comment.
Olaf
No problem. I love your work!
Love that sign “This Is NOT Disneyland”
Great images. The Chrome does work well for them
Charles,
Thank you for commenting.
Olaf
Olaf, thanks for sharing these pictures. It’s really a pleasure to look at them. And I’m still saving money for a 50-140 which will remember my old Nikon 70-200 2.8 and the next the 199mm micro lens. Greets and have a nice Easter.
Peter,
Thank you for your kind comments. Have a wonderful Easter!
Olaf