The Death of a Small Town

Las Vegas Documents - Final Project

The images of down town Henderson keep drawing me back to take a deeper look. Maybe it is the small tow feeling of open yards with chainlink fences that draws me to it, or maybe it's the feeling of despair that keeps drawing me back to these images.

I lived in small towns growing up. Shooting these images resurrected some deep feelings of sorrow.

A Few years ago I took a trip to see the home I grew up in. There were so many happy memories at that home, the home of my childhood. To my dismay it had been abandoned, gutted, windows broken out and was now in the middle of a horse corral and being used as a chicken coop. I remember taking pictures of that home and feeling like I wanted to cry.

I knew that the same thing was happening in downtown Henderson, and it made me sad to know someone else would feel that same sorrow when they came back to visit the neighborhood that they played with their friends in, or the home that they grew up in. I think the death of the small town is a tragedy, and I am sure that is why the downtown Henderson images draw me back again and again.

"The Back Door"

"No Girls Allowed"

"Back Yard Swing"

"Wash Day"

"Front Yard BBQ"

"Red Neck Lock"

"Platinum Suites"

"Hot Water"

"Crystal Cleaners & Laundry"

"Cracked"

Fremont Street Las Assignment

self portrait

Using my 10 stop ND filter I was able to capture standing still subjects and the moving subjects were blured

Petting a Shark. Nice Shark!

1 Million Dollars

Ghost Gamblers

Get out of my way

best friends

bar stools (just after I was asked to leave)

amber light

4 queens

LV Documents South Strip

This is my favorite image of the 10 I selected for this shoot. I used a 10 stop filter to get the cloulds moving through the sky. I was able to make a 30 second exposure in the middle of the day. I am really going to enjoy this new ability. I set the camera on my camera bag to give it stability because I didn't have my tripod. I am enjoying abstract images very much.

this is an abstract of a painting on a wall in the Luxor it is part of a cape.

this is one of Dennis' favorite images. I like to as well but it wasn't my favorite it was 3rd

this was a my 2nd favorite image. the lighting tracks were really cool and when they came to a corner they illuminated up on the metal walls

desert (oh I wish I wasn't trying to loose weight)

I didn't know there were any motel 8's in existence any more well I guess anything can happen in Vegas

at an abandoned motel the roof was being held up by these metal straps

I really liked the contrast between the 2 spires. the Luxor Obolisk and the old motels sign

at the 4 seasons this wedding cake begged to get photographed so I snuck in the wedding planners office and took a few shots. (no I didn't get asked to leave)

Reflections in glass in the Aria (before I was escorted out) "Textures and Light"

I have been really excited about going back to City Center. I remembered a restraunt in the Mandirin Hotel when I was there at Christman that had this amazing wall of textures. I wanted to come back some time and shoot it. I could have used all 10 of this weeks images from here. It was amazing.
shadows on a waterfall

got the corners

more from the Mandrine

manderine

"Light and Lines"

"Disco Lights" well not really reflections from the slot machines in Aria. (before I got escorted out)

more corners

this looks like a painting to me. I really like it

CSN Habitat

I had an enjoyable shoot this week. Henderson is a mixture of old really old (at least by Las Vegas standards) homes and businesses. We started out at the Rainbow Club Casino for breakfast. Good food cheap prices. I am finally starting to realize about layering in these documentary photographs how to make images not look flat and one dimentional. Forground middleground and background. Except for a few dog incidents everything went relatively smooth. " Platinum Suites" Really! Platinum?

Redneck Lock

" Shopping Cart Graveyard"

"Wash Day" I remember having to do this. I didn't like it at the time but I think I wouldn't mind doing it again. I remember your clothes had such a wonderful fresh smell to them.

" Watering the Grass" Not much grass in this yard only where the laundry hangs.

" Locked Down" The chairs and the table on Water street were all locked together

" Hot Water" well maybe 10 years ago

"Home is where you lay your head"

"Crystal Cleaners and Laundry"

"Cracked" This is my favorite of all of the images. It just all worked for me.