Nau speak: Vegas: Summer Nights and nostalgia part 2

Black and white photos always tend to have a nostalgic sort of feel to them,don't they? Given our technological advancements and high-def camera phones occupying most of our pockets, it's good to remember that we've come quite a long way in the field of photography. Now we have fancy high-definition cameras capable of recreating nostalgic, old-timey portraits through filters and various back-end settings and enhancements! Back in the early days, your ONLY option was to stand in one place grimacing and hoping that you didn't blink and ruin your grainy capture. Given that these months mark the final few we intend to reside here in Las Vegas, Antho's choice to shoot in black and white seems especially fitting given its nostalgic connations. As much as I opine and lament the heat and consumption that rule this city, it will always hold some special sort of place in my heart because it was my home for so much of my life. I was even born here, in this city, one hot fetid night riding the coat-tails at the end of summer. Over the years I've watched the city grow and evolve, and I'm ready to close the book on it.

Of course, one of the best things about books is that you can always revisit them, and if you're the author or someone who's opinion holds some sort of merit pertinent to the material, you can always add an epilogue, too. I've absolutely no doubts we'll be visiting this place again in the future when the city has evolved further in its endless quest for relevancy and temptation and surprises us with all new growths and developments. One out of the multitudes of reasons why I look to leave this city is this endless pursuit of growth- it's like an amoeba, expanding its feverish flagella into the expanse of desert surrounding it, consuming remorselessly from the fleeting resources nearby. Nevada and surrounding desert communities are already growing perilously close to the edge of our water-reserves, which could lead to pronounced difficulties going forward as the city keeps growing, and growing, and growing. Cost of living is going to soar as more people move from California to support their team (we're getting the Raiders, in case you haven't heard) and the population booms in directly inverse proportions to the resources available...this seems an inherently bad idea, to me.

But, I digress. I'm no city planner, and as the city grows and expands, so too perhaps will its financial resources and the ability to spread it's tendrils farther to secure its future resources. I don't particularly care to stay and ride out the storm, though, as I expect it won't be easy. Like countless generations before my own, I'm striving out in search of the American dream, opportunity, and better weather.

So, this nostalgia seems fitting. I'm grateful for Antho's foresight to utilise the black and white setting on my camera to capture these, and I hope you enjoy.

Cheers.