I try to get out west every couple of years or so. Some of my most favorite places around Tucson are San Xavier du Bac mission just on the outskirts of Tucson (best at sunset or sunrise or any time really). Also "Old Tucson" a great movie set to walk around. Gunfights in the street etc. Better if you have kids. Also Seguaro (catus) Nat. parks. A couple I believe in the area. Tucson is fun to drive/walk around - look for the artist's section.

Ops...I always thought that was "Get your chicks on Route 66"!

This is the way to do it. The problem you face is a brightness range beyond the capability of the camera. In other words, if the background is correctly exposed, then the lights will be as you say "white blobs". If the lights are correctly exposed the background will be too dark, or even black. Assuming you were using a tripod (I hope so) you need to take 2 exposures, one correct for the background and one correct for the lights. The correct exposure for the lights may make the background completely black, but that's OK. Next, you need software that uses layers as you need to mask in the correct exposure for the lights with the correct exposure for the background. Photoshop is the obvious choice but I believe there are others, like On1. There may be other ways to achieve what you want but they will not achieve perfect results like the method I describe above. I would suggest you look at On1 if you do not have Photoshop. It is cheaper than Photoshop and way easier to learn. They may even offer a free trial.

I got an LG 34UC88-B 34" 21:9 UltraWide Curved 4K monitor about 6 months ago after my 30" Dell wore out. I am thrilled with it. There seems so much more real estate to work with. I use Photoshop daily and Divinci Resolve (for video) every week and I love it with that software. I paid just under $600 for it, today they are $643. Still today after 6 months the joy of using it has not worn off. Just thought I'd add my pennies worth to help balance the more negative comments mostly from folks who don't own a big curved monitor.

Only ever use a wipe designated for wiping lenses. But NEVER overuse even a designated wipe. They will remove the lens coating that is for anti flare as well as assisting the transmission of light. A friend of mine used to wipe a lens he used all the time, and in 3 years the coating was gone. This was a Sigma lens. He returned it to Sigma who kindly offered to sell him a new lens with a huge discount or they could replace the front element (for a fee). I carry wipes with me but almost never use them. I use a puffer/blower now and again but unless the lens has a fingerprint or grease mark on it then try to avoid wiping.

Both the Sigma 10 - 20 & 8 - 16mm are prone to flare, although the 8 - 16 less so. Flare will show up mainly when phographing idarker interior rooms with bright windows. A tripod is of course needed indoors but has no effect on flare. Best to shoot the window from two different angles. Flare can be removed often in Photoshop.

As to sharpness is best indoors to use the hypofocal distance and switch to manual focus. The hypofocal point is just before the infinity mark on the lens but is not marked. Try some test shots moving the focus from after the infinity mark, on the mark, and just after it. On your computer zoom to 100% to check focus.

F11 will give better fucus, near and far, but f8 a sharper image. Your choice. You may get less flare at f8. Some testing required to find the setting you like.

I was there 20 years ago when I made three 1 month trips to India with 4x5 equipment. They would not allow a tripod into the Taj grounds so that was that. Luckily I had a Hasselblad and a few lenses so I took that in with a spare lens in my pocket. India is a funny place, just remember greasing somebody's palm can get the wheels turning.

Here's a tip. When you stand in front of the Taj there is a small road to your right. At least it was a small road 20 years ago, but walk a little way down there and you can get a great shot of the Taj from an angle different to what you might have already seen. You can include the Taj and most of the river. I was lucky as a man was saying his prayers who I asked if he would mind staying there while I went back to the car to get my tripod and 4x5. He generously did just that. Setting up the 4x5 took a little time but was worth the effort. That was one of 10 color images I made in 3 months of travel. All the rest monochrome. Those were the days....

I was much like you, a seasoned photographer, who wanted to get into video. I choose Power Director (now up to version 16). Muck to be learnt from You Tube. Just getting your feet on the ladder is the thing. The software recommended by PC Magazine.

Cross the Ringling bridge heading to St. Armands Circle and turn right immediately after crossing the bridge and park. Good shots of the bridge at sunrise from the parking area. Or walk over the bridge to the top and from here good shots of Sarasota Bay and skyline. Sunrise today just after 7:00am you need to be there an hour before sunrise for the best shots. Start shooting about 30 minutes before sunrise. Using a tripod think about vertical shots and making a panorama. The two positions I mentioned above cannot be used on the same day. Best to scout out these two positions before the morning of the shoot.

Give the lens a good bang on a hard surface or run very hot water over it. If that doesn't work boil some water and pour gently over the filter. These suggestions should get the filter off but assume you do not want to use the lens or filter again.

I travel out west every couple of years or so traveling Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Maybe because I go for the landscape and not wildlife but I don't recall seeing a lot. Either way I think renting a 600mm is money that could be better spent, perhaps put towards buying a lens with a 400mm reach. This would be true if you went to Yellowstone instead. But then if I'm not looking for wildlife maybe I'm not seeing any.

For good or better audio expect to spend big bucks. Audio is far harder and more expensive than photography but it all depends on your definition of "good' audio. In your situation, if you are further from the stage than you would like, you might be able to place a mic on a stand on the stage and connect a Sennheiser wireless transmitter to the mic. The Sennheiser receiver at your end should connect to a digital recorder. This set up will only produce a mono recording unless you duplicate it. The only other option is a gun microphone (many to choose from but again Sennheiser are good) placed in a shock mount, on camera, and feeding into a digital recorder. All these suggestions will probably cost more than you want to pay but that is the lowest cost for better audio I can think of. Oh, I should add that without a mixer/limiter you are better off setting the mic volume to a fixed level somewhere below peak levels. Try not to keep adjusting input levels. Overmodulated digital audio is screwed. Under modulated is recoverable to some degree. I would not use the audio settings on "Auto". Hope that helps.

Allstate offer "All Risks" insurance as I have it. I'm guessing I have $20 - $30,000 in equipment (photo, audio, video) and the policy cost me $30.00 a month.

Thanks for all the links you put up Jerry. I find it really useful as I'm sure many other Hoggers do.

I spent most of my life compromising on tripods which was a mistake. Several years ago I bit the bullet and bought a Gitzo. Life changing. Me and my tripod are never separated. I almost never take a picture without the tripod and as a result, my photography has improved as it now takes longer to compose. Remember a tripod can last you all your life whereas with cameras and lenses we are forever changing them. My advice, buy a Gitzo and never look back. Remember next year or the year after they will always be almost out of reach. So do it now.