Las Vegas Portraits is a visual exposé of a city that is often associated solely with the lifestyle of the rich and famous. The goal of the exhibit however, is to show the audience a side of Las Vegas that is mostly seen by the people who live there.
It is an honest effort to provide a visual record of a strikingly different reality, a reality that is far from mass produced images seen in mainstream media. My hope was to truthfully depict the city from the perspective of someone who experiences it beyond the bright lights, roulette tables, showgirls and noisy bars.
In order to enhance the documentary feel to my work I chose to use black and white photography in order to “strip” the city from the burden of its overwhelming color explosions that are often seen in the typical Las Vegas photographs.
The image titles are based on pure observation. The subjects in the photos were not formally interviewed, questioned or even asked permission to be photographed. They simply represent and are the “small things” that often go unnoticed.
The images were solely taken throughout the Las Vegas valley area. While some represent well-known parts of town, others do not, yet they all collectively represent the many “faces” of the city.
Denitsa Yotova 