I’m fairly certain I was born about 50 years too late. Almost everything I really like – photography, music, styles/fashion, architecture, automobiles, records, film cameras, etc… generally tends to come from the 1950s, ‘60s. So it’s not surprising that the old motel signs from downtown Las Vegas tend to attract my attention much more than the flashy new casinos down on the Strip.
Other than the cover photo, I pretty much ignored the neon and lights that remain active on Fremont Street. Instead I focused on the older motel signs still standing downtown… at least for now. Most of these motels are actually closed, but these quaint, charming, cool signs continue to reflect the design concepts and imagination of the mid-twentieth century designers. This was the look of the future back then.
All of these images were shot on film using my Leica film bodies. I love photographing historical subjects using film cameras. The combination of the old signs and the look of the film really transports me back in time.
This handful of photos is not a complete collection of Las vegas signs that would fit in this category, but just some of my favorites that always seem to catch my attention every time I see them. I’m just glad I get to photograph these beauties while there still here. That won’t be the case forever.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
Portrait Shoots Using Both Film and Digital