Zenno Styles

    This is Zenno Styles. I was walking down Casino Center during this week's Las Vegas Document   walk when I spotted Zenno. I began discretely taking his picture as he was preparing to cross the street. He spotted me taking his picture, set down the large, full trash bag he was carrying, and what came next is something I will never forget.

    Zenno thanked me for taking his picture, which surprised me and then asked if he could share something with me. I figured it was fare to hear him out, after all he was letting me take his picture. First he pulled out some papers (which turned out to be someone else's wireless bill) and then rummaged through his pockets to find a pen.

    I figured he was going to try to sell me something, so I was surprised when he began to write. He began in the middle of the page and started writing. I looked for a pattern, but quickly realized that there was no pattern or reason to what he was writing. Zenno is mentally ill.

    Zenno wrote for the better part of 15 minutes or so. I honestly couldn't tell you how long it was. He seemed quite content to write his message as I circled around him taking pictures. I began to notice details about him. He had very interesting finger nails. They had various symbols in black and white polish, though I couldn't tell what all of them were. Her also had several bracelets. One had skulls, the other had the name "Miguel" spelled in beads. It seemed to have been homemade by someone.

     Zenno also wore a watch, which he would check obsessively as he wrote. It was if he were checking it for information.

 

 I was loathe to leave Zenno, as meeting him was a singular experience, but I had to move on to another subject that I had spotted walking past and would soon catch his bus. I would try to leave and Zenno kept saying he was almost finished. He finally tore out the pages he had written on and gave them to me. They are now prized possessions.

 Among the things Zenno wrote on the 3 pages he tore out were the phone number for the U.N., the address to the National Treasury, and the phrase "Peace Drinks Iced Tea", which what I decided to call the piece below.

      I will forever wonder exactly who Zenno Styles is and was. How did he end up where he is? Who was he before? Why does he have these things in his head and what are they supposed to mean? I have lost 2 Uncles to mental illness and I know people who currently suffer from it. I feel that Zenno's writings are a peek into the mind of mental illness, and I will always treasure the experience.

Love, Las Vegas Style

   This week I found a lot of people that love seemed to have abandoned, people who put a lot of love into what they do, and people showing love to complete strangers. I added a fair few shots to my street portrait series as well. I met some really interesting people last week, and I am excited to get to share. One thing I wanted to note: For each week's pictures I have used a unique texture, shot that day, in the processing of those pictures. Each week has it's own unique look.

I was so thrilled when this guy stopped to talk to me. Saw he was a character right away. He was very open and gave me this great pose.

He said that he is going to be famous soon. He just hasn't been discovered.

Spotted him sitting against the wall of a 7-Eleven. Not sure he understood why I wanted to take his picture.

"I'm a Dictionary Mechanic".

Love is blind.

I watched this scene through my lens and smiled. He nearly missed his bus twice while making sure she had her directions straight.

This super nice lady owns a little antique/western mall downtown. Never knew it existed until that day, but now it's one of my favorite places in Vegas. 272 East Colorado Avenue.

Co-owner of the Chuck Wagon food truck and future owner of one of the coolest restaurants in Vegas. It's being built in an old railroad bunk house. 272 East Colorado Avenue.

Remember, for every stuffed bear you give on Valentine's Day, there is one that is discarded and passed out on the street somewhere.

Split

Conspiracy

Stirrup

Lurking

The Strip

   This week our class headed down to the Strip for more street shooting. I was a little worried, as the light is pretty harsh during the middle of the day on the Strip. I woke up that morning, looked outside and pumped my fist as it was a cloudy day . The day just got better from there. People were really friendly and perfectly content to let me take their pictures. I was able to talk to people and get some really genuine moments. I even got a guy to repeat the goofy dance he had just done while nobody was looking. I was so excited to get home and edit these. Just a fantastic day.

Saw him doing this little dance and asked him to repeat it.

He said if I put this up I had to let everyone know this is called a party tie.

He didn't really understand why I wanted to take his picture, but he was OK with it.

The Pigeon Overlord.

I am shocked as you are to see that silhouette in the upper right. I have told there is also a screaming skull and a baby dragon.

Maintenance on the Bellagio Fountains

One wasn't enough for her. She said that she had just quit smoking and switched to vapor. One was kiwi flavored and the other was vanilla.