Two Am

In the city of sin that never sleeps, Las Vegas is at it's peak during the hours of early morning. A portrait series of Las Vegas, Nev., taken on December 14, 2009 (PHOTOS BY L.M. PARR/ BROOKS INSTITUTE ©2009).

My final assignment from my PJN150 lighting class one of my first sessions at Brooks. This is a small selection from that assignment.

Developing an idea for a theme and executing a series of photos based around that idea, I created the concept of "two am" inspired from my home, Las Vegas. Everything I found lacking in Ventura... the 24-hour, all-night lifestyle that I had grown so accustomed to growing up in Nevada that couldn't be found there, I tried to convey here... Trying to best explain my city to new friends in California.

Using my best friends as models, we shot a "guerilla" photoshoot throughout the city over the weekend. Completely candid, these photos are true portraits of who these people are to me. None of them have any professional modeling experience.

Experimenting with my 580ex flash and different light to convey emotion, I wanted to really push the boundaries of what I knew about the use of light in photography.

Faces of Las Vegas Boulevard

In the city of sin that never sleeps, Las Vegas is at it's peak during the hours of early morning. A portrait series of Las Vegas, Nev., taken on December 14, 2009 (PHOTOS BY L.M. PARR/ BROOKS INSTITUTE ©2009).

Portraits taken of my friends after a long night spent on the Las Vegas strip.

Exhausted and slightly drunk, the honesty of the evening is what struck me the most through my glass. Though we tend to be jaded from the bright lights and instant gratification provided by the lifestyle of Sin, even children of Vegas find themselves swept away by the glow of city.

Quiet, candid moments found... unexpectedly. These photos, despite obvious composition errors, are still some of my most adored images taken.