UNLV

      This week my class was down around the Maryland Parkway area. I tried several places in the area, but I had a hard time finding people, and a lot harder time finding people who would let me take their picture.  I decided I would give the UNLV area a try. I figured I would find more people down in that area and it would be less distance between them. 
       I did some early shots and finally convinced a few to let me take their picture. After a while I was ready to give up, but as luck would have it  I noticed a facebook post by a college girl from my home town that her sorority was participating in a campus fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House. I had just been in that area of UNLV and so I made my way back. She and some of her friends let me take their picture and really helped me out. 
     My theory has always been that you don't always need an elaborate setup or location to get a great portrait. To me a great portrait comes down to relating to your subject and a study of their face. I have developed a knack for quickly finding a person's best side and features, and then emphasizing them. This week's images don't quite fit with my series, but they demonstrate the same principle.

You look sad man. "It's college".

I spotted Diamond walking by and immediately noticed her hair and headband. Luckily my friend at UNLV knew her and stopped her for me.

He was carrying his walker across the street in front of me.

Water Street

 

Last week we went down to Water Street in Henderson. It's place I really didn't even have any idea existed. I really enjoyed stopping in on the farmer's market and meeting all the cool people in the little shops. Even met a little slice of Spain.

He paints really fun pictures of cats in dresses. His wife sells really cool jewelry that she makes herself. I asked him why he paints cats. He said he and his wife both are cat lovers.

My classmate Ivan.

Segunda is from Vigo in Spain. We talked a while about all the places in Spain we have both been. She was making bread holders. She misses how much simpler people live back home.

She said that people back in Jamaica don't believe her when she tells them that there are people in America that don't have to work for what they have.

One of the owners of the Purple Monkey, a cute nicknack shop.

Chef Flemming, Flemming's Bakery He was very nice, and funny. They have amazing pastries. Definately worth a trip down there.

She was so nice and welcoming. Flemming's has some amazing pastries.

City Center

   I am finally catching up my blog. Missed a few weeks due to illness. Went down to the City Center to shoot and I was in a fair amount of pain. Thankfully getting out and shooting really helped me ignore it. I really enjoyed meeting new people and seeing new sites. There is something about interacting with strangers and getting out into the real world that reminds you there is a lot of life out there.

He had his doubts I could get a good picture of him.

I asked him what was up with th crutch. He said one knee got messed up when he had a fight with a bus. The other knee just buckled on him one day. He said one day he was hurrying to get on the bus and saw another, older guy with a cane doing the same. He was determined to beat him to the bus, so it became a race. He won.

He was watering the plants and I noticed that the lights from below kept lighting up his face like that.

I ended up having to buy 2 rap cd's that I will probably never listen too, but I think it was worth it.

Dowtown

   This post is long time coming. Had a nice vacation for Spring Break. Now it's time to share again. My class went do to the lower end of Fremont. I mostly ended up on Fremont Street, but I also encountered The Life Cube Project. It was an amzing project, that i really wish I could have seen more of, but I left town right afterwards and now it is no more.

This composite was just meant to be. This kid jumped up on the bicycle just as I came next to it. I just had to take the picture.

This guy became my self-appointed guide. Introduced me to everyone. I think he figured I was giving a lot of money out and he wanted to spread the wealth.

He Gave his friend an impromptu shave.

He also introduced me to Laryy "The Crooner" Holmes.

Larry is from Chicago and used to sing for a living. Eventually he married and had a family, so he had to get a steady job to pay the bills. Now that he is in Vegas he's started this to live his dream again. He said, "Sometimes what we love doesn't pay the bills.

Gardner Ziggy. His job was to erase work on the cubes after a time to allow for new artwork. He, like most of the artists travels from place to place, lving off as little as possible. He is called the farmer, because he knows how to grow a lot of food.