Contrast: fun with street photography in vegas

last week i shared THIS post about our recent trip to las vegas. we were there for nearly a week because NM had a conference to attend for work. while she was at the conference, i was left to wander the streets "enjoying" the sights and sounds of vegas. i dont gamble and i pretty much dont drink, so for me vegas was kind of like watching an electrified train wreck.

after the first full day of walking the strip, i began to notice an interesting dynamic present in the tourist culture of vegas. despite the exorbitant resources invested in creating a magical adult-disney-like atmosphere for tourists....everyone around us seemed absolutely miserable. couples fought with one another, women sobbed as husbands/boyfriends/children yelled at them in public, kids whined and cried while parents jerked them to and fro. perhaps it was the heat, or the alcohol, or the pressure to have a "totally vegas" experience. *shrug* whatever it was, it became more and more difficult to not absorb the negative energy around me.



also, i should mention that htis was my first trip to vegas since beginning my current job (im a sexual violence prevention educator and victim advocate). so, it was nearly impossible for me to remove the lens of advocate as i watched men carry intoxicated women to hotel rooms, groups of guys cat calling and groping women around them, public advertisements selling various parts of women's bodies, etc etc etc. *sigh*



the smothering examples of rape culture coupled with the over-the-top displays of forced-fun made it really difficult to relax and enjoy my time in vegas. i felt tense and frustrated and needed desperately to do something with that energy building up inside me.  so, i decided to do a photography assignment.



i have recently become reengaged with the art of street photography. if you aren't familiar with street photography i recommend THIS site or THIS site but the basic gist is that street photography aims to tell the story of culture around us...often the ignored/invisible/forgotten parts of society that become so commonplace, we hardly notice they exist.



another great element of street photography is that it is often shot "from the hip", without looking through the viewfinder. so, unlike formal photography where elements like blur and bulls-eye are discouraged, street photography welcomes unorthodox composition so long as it causes a visceral reaction in the viewer.



so, to make a short story long, i spent two days shooting street photography of vegas. i paid attention to what was happening in the backgrounds, behind the scenes, in the directions opposite to where tourists were looking. if hoards of tourists pointed their cameras up, i pointed mine down. if i saw someone taking a photo of a famous attraction, i searched for the keepers and maintainers of those attractions. for any fans of the book Hunger Games, i became katniss everdeen looking for the ripple in the sky of the arena.



i ignored the attention-grabbing flashiness of vegas and instead started tracking service workers, examined the concrete, looked at the colors in discarded rubbish. the more i did this, the more i realized that the real vegas, is actually quite beautiful.



here are some of the photos i shot along with a brief description of what i found compelling about some of them. some shots were composed with the use of the viewfinder, but most were shot from the hip. you can click on the photo to see it in full size. my hope is that these shots tell the story of my time in vegas better than a slide show of postcard-quality images might.

Contrast: 6 days in vegas

Momentary Rest

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Colors on the Strip

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The Eyesore

(this shot was taken while standing in a crowd, waiting to cross the street. people in the group stretched their arms and bent awkwardly, attempting to capture a shot of the bellagio that did not contain this groundskeeper. i happen to think the shot is better with him in it.)

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Fountain Blues

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The Post

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A Superhero's Smoke-Break

(you cant tell from this image but this shot was taken in a small little alcove-of-sorts where the NY, NY casino stores its dumpsters. as one of the few spots with complete shade, it inevitably becomes a smoke-break location for street performers like this red power ranger.
i loved how human he was in this moment.)

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Herds

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Blood Red

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Taking 5

(this shot was taken shortly after noon. i loved the juxtaposition of the activities being done by both people. while the man on the left takes a break from work and pulls an apple out of a plastic bag from home, the woman on the right sits on a bench sorting through the photos on her camera.)

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Self Portrait - Black and White

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12-Hour Shift

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Going Green

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Bellagio Valets

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Bellagio Groundskeeper

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Tattooed

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Bellagio Groundskeeper 2

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Cabs

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Shine

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Ants in the Sky

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Daylight

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Gay Vegas

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Curb

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The Sweeper

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Self Portrait - Girls

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Lost

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Blood Red 2

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Yellows

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Grey

The Sweeper 2

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Beautiful Day Outside

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Free Beer Culture

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Window

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Music

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Invisible Girls Girls Girls

(this was one of many shots that demonstrates the invisibility of the escort promoters who hand out "stripper cards". i have to admit that i wasn't sure how to respond when they offered me cards. it gets pretty ridiculous saying, "no thanks" every 30 seconds so without realizing it, i quickly adopted the i-dont-see-them strategy too. it was amazing and somewhat disturbing how little time it took for me to learn how to completely zone them out... as if entire human beings ceased to exist. *sigh*)

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Colors of Life

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Train Wreck

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While You were Out

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Fixated

(this shot was taken in MGM. these three men were playing the slot machines when a female server began dancing on the bar in the background. i was struck how these men sat at their slot machines, continuing to push buttons and gamble while their eyes remained glued to the woman dancing.)

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Lost 2 - Winter in June

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Invisible Girls Girls Girls 2

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Modifications

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Grey 2

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To Tourists, With Love