SIGHT UNSEEN: OUR FAVORITE PHOTOS THAT DIDN’T RUN THIS YEAR

Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007 | 7:19 a.m.

By Steve Marcus

One of the advantages of being a photographer in Las Vegas is the amount of world-class entertainment we cover.

My favorite photos for 2007 include shots from the Miss America pageant, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the NBA All-Star Game. Initially, when I edited the all-star images, I was disappointed that I couldn't see Tracy McGrady's expression as he dunked the ball. Much later I realized the ball was perfectly positioned in front of his head, making for a funny picture.

It's hard to cover funerals because you have to try to make photos showing emotion without causing additional stress to the family members. The funeral of Diego "Chico" Corrales was more difficult because, even though I was not his friend, I had covered so many of his fights that I felt I knew him. When Corrales died in a motorcycle accident May 7, he was just 29 years old.

Some photographers hesitate to take a photo if they've already seen a similar shot. My feeling is that I should do it better. I saw a photo of fans taken through the legs of a porn star at the Adult Entertainment Expo last year. So I went to the opening of this year's convention but ended up having to go back because I found out the expo wasn't open to fans until the second day. I wanted to capture the zeal of the fans trying to take pictures of their favorite porn stars.

When I met boxer Joseph Kiwanuka in 1999, my first reaction was that he seemed too nice to be a professional boxer. Kiwanuka is from Uganda but has been a Las Vegas resident for a long time. When I heard he was down on his luck and needed help, I jumped at the chance to tell his story. His eyes were damaged as a result of his boxing career and he needed surgery. I took his picture as he thumbed through a Swahili-English dictionary at Silver State Eye Care before an eye examination. Through the donations of Thomas Kelly, the ophthalmologist who is doing the surgery for free, and the Seven Hills Surgery Center, Kiwanuka has had an operation on one eye and will have the other eye operated on in several weeks. Even though he has no money, he has many friends willing to help him.