Dino''s

Wet streets are rare in Las Vegas. So are good dive bars. This one is the best in the world.

Jonny Jackpot

Meet Jon. We recently traveled to Jackpot Nevada for a working trip to Cactus Pete's, a cool casino in the middle of nowhere near the Idaho-Nevada border. We had a great time working for a few days up there shooting architectural with Sampsel Preston Photography. Our last night Jon and I had shared a room and couldn't sleep and as good assistants with a room full of amazing equipment we of course set up  portrait. Our apologies to Greg in the next room if our hi jinks kept you awake.


Sampsel Preton Photography

Kingman Run

Single Safari

I have an affection for single story motels. I like to stay in them whenever I travel. There is something I like about pulling my car to the door of my room. The rooms are generally small but comfortable. The outsides distinguish themselves with themed design and architecture. The signs, O those signs, that draw you in off the long road with promises of COLOR TV, free HBO, and recently free WIFI. Those signs are what I am addicted to. Each one is different and has it's own character. Hand made commercial creations lure me to photograph each and everyone. Most older towns have  a street with a stretch of these motels. In Denver it's Fairfax Ave. In Las Vegas it's Fremont St. and Boulder Highway. The Safari pictured here is on Fremont. It sits with a lot of other motels withering away in the desert winds waiting for someone to bring it back to it's former glory.

Stop Buggin Me!!!

                                

Found this shot while digging through my archives. I love seeing shots I have made a long time after. I have no idea why I didn't post this cute little ladybug.

Something Old

I love fishing. The desert doesn't have that many great fishing holes. Sometimes you just have to get creative and make one yourself.

One Dr. Pepper, A German Model, And Eleven Hours Downtown

My Friend Tonia is in town and we decided to hit every spot I have scouted Downtown  over the past two years. I picked her up at 6:30am headed to my house which was base camp for the day. We would grab a couple outfits and head out to my spots. I shot instant film all day, not one frame of digital. After eleven hours we ended up with eighty seven amazing images.

A Little Paint, A Few Throw Pillows...

A great little fixer-uper I past by on my way home from Colorful Colorado. I had an Ansel Adams Moonrise moment to get this shot. I saw the house and had my girlfriend pull a precision driving move to park near. I bolted away from the car with my tripod and had about seven minutes to compose, focus, and expose a bracketed sequence for my hdr process. I took my last couple shots as the sun was diving behind the mountains killing all the light I had. It just goes to show you if you see a shot, take it. You never know when you will get it back.

Residents of Clarksdale

As promised here is a look at a couple residents of Clarksdale Mississippi. I photographed these two gentlemen as we were walking around town.

O Miss Ashley

Laguna PI

My travels as a photographers assistant are always filled with discovery and fun. My last couple of trips have topped the charts. Laguna Cliffs Resort California to Tunica Mississippi. In one month I have seen the full spectrum of the great country we live in. Here is a taste of Laguna.

Cure Ignorance

Today I hung out with Donny Miller and took his photograph. I saw that he was in Vegas working on a project and sent him a message. We rambled a bit in Old Vegas and crashed an abandoned pool. I took some wonderful shots and had some great conversation. It just goes to show you, it never hurts to ask sometimes.You can check out Donny's work here. http://www.donnymiller.com/

Bon Jane

2nd Annual Big French Thanksgiving Day Turkey Shoot

Thanksgiving is a special day for my friends and I. Last year we started a tradition of taking our guns to the desert to shoot cheap frozen turkeys before we stuff our faces. This year T.B. found some awesome explosive powder. Let me tell you how fast you can cook a turkey when it is stuffed with that. Let's just say the buzzards wont have to shred the turkey meat themselves, it's pre-shredded. I took one of the Land Cameras I just recently bought at a swap meet for five bucks, loaded it up with Fuji film and blasted some great shots. The one below of T.B. might just be the best black and white photo I have ever taken. That Land Camera might be the best five bucks I have ever spent. I guess I am thankful for swap meets and instant film. Happy Holidays

International Guest Blogger: Kelly Marie Fitzpatrick

I haven't had a guest blogger in awhile so I thought this week would be a great time to get back into it. The guest blogger is my very close friend Kelly Marie Fitzpatrick. I met Kelly in classes at the College of Southern Nevada. After having a few classes together with her we became fast friends. Kelly is one of the photographers I collaborate with the most. We work together on at least two projects a month. Usually we are working portrait shoots that she organizes like an amazing field general. Vegas is a hot pin up town and Kelly has found herself immersed in that world. She thinks of big concepts and puts together an amazing team to pull off some amazing shots for the lack of budget that goes into them. I get to run a lot of the lighting for her and I truly enjoy it. With Kelly shooting and working with the model I can concentrate on the pattern and quality she is seeking. Together we get some great results. I haven't hung out with Kelly in a couple weeks. She is roaming Germany with her mom, brother, and friend that lives there. The shot above is hers, taken at Neuschwanstein Castle. If it looks familiar it should. It is the real live castle that Disney used for inspiration for Cinderella's castle in the 1950 classic. It's just one of the many beautiful places she has experienced there. I can't wait for her to get home. I'm sure we will hunker down behind her laptop and look at tons of beautiful images. Images I would love to share with you. I will post some more of her shots when she gets back and has time to edit and get settled. In the meantime enjoy this shot. You can check out more of Kelly's work by clicking her name on the list of links at the side of the page.

First Friday at Retro Vegas

Billy Boy Hipster Hater

Billy is a friend of mine. His role is one of Producer. If you could explain his job in a few words; Billy gets shit done. He doesn't mess around. If you can help him great. If you can't, get the hell out of his way. He has shit to do. It's nothing personal, it's efficiency. He doesn't have time to contemplate the finer aspects of skinny jeans. Billy is three dimensional. At any given moment he is on the phone with five different people. He has to be able to understand people and be understood. He uses technology to his advantage. Rotary phones are cute but you won't see Billy slowing himself down with one. He can make ten different things happen with five different people by the time you dial 702. Don't get me wrong though, Billy does love the finer things in life. Like the graceful dancing lines of a '56 Cadillac, or the symphony of twelve hand crafted cylinders of Ferrari glory. Objects of man's timeless obsessions. Objects Billy uses as inspiration. Inspiration to get shit done.

Fade To Black

Lately I have been in a destructive mood. That's why I think it's time to share a project I have been working on for quite some time. It's called Paper Hats, Polaroid, and Profoto. I don't want to give away too much more but I am leaving a taste of what the film looks like. The shot above is from Brian Head, Utah. I went snowboarding with some friends and did some testing with this film stock. The emulsion fades as soon as you take the photo. You can stop the fading process by ripping the acetate away from the developing layer, resulting in a fixed exposure and a clear transparency. I like the excitement of watching the print fade wondering if I should wait a couple more seconds or tear it apart as fast as I can because I like what I see. The process is the fun part. Sometimes with digital we forget to get absorbed in the process. If I could offer any advice I would say pick a project that slows you down. You never know you just might get a great idea waiting for the developer.

Sexy Rick Rides Again

I love working for my friends. They always have the greatest ideas. So I wasn't surprised when my fellow photographer and tattoo artist, Sexy Rick Reffner, came to me and said, " I want to be a cowboy." After a bit of explanation I learned that Rick wanted to get new business cards and he would like yours truly to take the photos. I loved the idea. We did some brainstorming and tons of shopping looking for the right shirt. It was a blast going through all the western wear shops in town. The best was the reaction of the clerks that worked there. Some were into it and helped us look for a shirt and some just looked at us like we were crazy. It was a hoot! My girlfriend and I made the hobby horse. It was kind of amazing the crap we made it out of. The list goes like this, mop handle, two pre-made pedestal for wheels, an old shirt for the head, and string for the mane. With an added tattoo machine (IT'S A MACHINE NOT A GUN) we were ready to shoot. The shot above was Rick being silly at one point. It reminded me of the cowboy that welcomes you to downtown Vegas. We shot a few of this set, then we did a mugshot set up. Karla Joy did Rick's makeup for the the mugshot and let me tell you he looked like he got rolled by The Las Vegas Club security boys. A facebook photo proved how real it looked by comments replied. I had a blast and now Sexy Rick owes me big time. So make sure you go visit him so he can save up to pay the invoice. He drills at Fallen Leaf Tattoos, 1801 E. Tropicana #17 Las Vegas, NV. (702) 489-5323

Dr. Sketchy's

I love photography and I love to photograph. But sometimes I like to get out of the photo world and find inspiration from other mediums. Dr Sketchy's is perfect for this. It's a live figure drawing class held once a month at our local bar Dino's. Hosted by Las Vegas' own burlesque superstar Cha Cha Velour, it is a great time to meet artists and be creative in a social and relaxed setting. I usually draw but the other night I decided to shoot some Polaroid. The film stock I was shooting was old and not exposing properly so I starting drawing on the surface of the print. It felt constructive and destructive at the same time. A feeling one can only achieve at Dr. Sketchy's.