A photographer has captured the ‘darker side’ of Las Vegas in his gritty series of black and white pictures featuring a juxtaposition of hopeful tourists looking to hit it big at the casinos and destitute locals on the street.
In an article published by Bored Panda, Kurtz Frausun wrote that he was on his honeymoon with his wife when he took the evocative pictures, saying he ‘was able to find that hidden beauty in the urine-soaked streets.’
The filmmaker and photographer from Dallas, Texas, explained that he wanted to explore the stark contrast between the ‘Haves and Have-Nots’ in Vegas as opposed to the glitz and glamour of the casinos and shows.
‘There’s a desperation in everyone,’ he said. The tourists wanting to strike it rich at the casinos, the hustlers making money off of them, and the destitute looking for scraps. I hate the “obvious” pictures people can take in a city like Vegas, the easy shots, the selfies while getting drunk.
‘I wanted to photograph what other people tried not to see, the person crying about a broken heart, the man yelling for his mother, the couple hugging and not sure of their next direction.’
Forget the glamour: Photographer Kurtz Frausun has captured the ‘dark side’ of Las Vegas in his gritty black and white picture series featuring both tourists and locals in Sin City
The dark side: The filmmaker and photographer from Dallas, Texas, was on his honeymoon with his wife when he was inspired to capture the stark contrast between the ‘Haves and Have-Nots’ in Las Vegas
Reality: Frausun explained that there is ‘desperation in everyone’ in Sin City, from the homeless people begging on the street to the hustlers preying on tourists who are looking to get rich quick
Heartbreaking: Frausun said he found this man rambling outside of the Hard Rock Hotel, desperate to find his mother. He explained that the man only stopped when he took his photo
Feeling hustled: Frausun admitted he had a hard time photographing people because they automatically assumed the was a scammer and would try to charge them money once he snapped their picture
Juxtaposition: The pricey designer stores on the strip were offset by the people who were suffering and begging for scraps on the Las Vegas Strip
Nothing’s changed: Frausun said ‘it was your usual time in Vegas’ aside from people wearing masks, noting that it was ‘packed’ everywhere they went
Ick factor: Frausun said he stepped in vomit while photographing this woman leaning against a wall and smoking a cigarette with her mask pulled down
Awful: Frausun said this stranger was crying about having a broken heart when he walked by with his camera
Suffering: The person was sitting in the shade on the side of a building while Frausun was snapping photos
Hidden: One of Frausun’s photos from the series shows someone lying on the ground below bright lights of the restaurants packed with patrons
Feeling it out: Frausun said he never has a detailed plan when he has his camera. Instead, he likes to ‘feel [his] environment’ and ‘study those around [him]’ before taking pictures
Memories: Frausun said he prefers to shoot in black and white because he was born colorblind, and while he eventually developed the ability to see color as a child, he remembers ‘seeing the world that way’
Caught on camera: Frausun captured one woman asleep in her wheelchair with an Eataly bag hanging off of the back
Not his thing: The photographer explained that he had no interest in taking the ‘obvious’ pictures of people in Vegas taking drunk selfies while enjoying a night on the town
Making music: One particularly moving photo shows a man playing the saxophone outside of the Sugar Factory restaurant as the crowds pass him by
Consumption: Frausun’s photos highlight the rampant consumerism in Vegas, where many tourists were seen carrying around shopping bags
What happened? A woman in a mini dress was caught reacting to something on her cellphone, though her mask blocked most of her face
Tourist attraction: Las Vegas is known for its glamorous shows, over-the-top casinos, and incredible night life, attracting tens of millions of visitors each year
Taking a moment: Frausun photographed one couple embracing between two escalators near the pedestrian bridge on the Strip
No trust: Frausun said he couldn’t get anyone to talk to him and tell him their story because they feared he was trying to hustle them
Destitute: One man was slumped over and sleeping on what appeared be a cardboard box while sprawled on the sidewalk
Goal: ‘I wanted to photograph what other people tried not to see, the person crying about a broken heart, the man yelling for his mother, the couple hugging and not sure of their next direction,’ the photographer said
Source link : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10034259/Photographer-captures-dark-Las-Vegas-haunting-images-taken-honeymoon.html
