Jeff Johnson and I have been talking about this for quite a while. The looming deadline for ‘WORK,’ Jeff’s curated neon collaboration show, gave us the impetus to finally get it done. The model is Tova Ramos, who not only did a great job modeling but did the make-up as well.

The contrast of the neon (so often used in casinos and bars), the reverent image of the virgin, and the sinister make-up all came together just as I envisioned. In spite of our difficulties on the shoot (we battled 70mph+ winds and thunderstorms), everyone had a great time producing this image.

The image above is the centerpiece, but it is actually a triptych as pictured below. It will be on display at WORK in the West Street Market for August 1-8.

In the course of working on the Tutto Ferro project, I photographed Sezmu Restaurant. It’s a newer establishment and I haven’t yet had the chance to sample their food. I will say that if their food is as good as the architecture of the restaurant, it will be amazing (and by all accounts that I’ve heard, it is). I was mainly concentrating on the bar and metal details, as these were the items that Tutto Ferro had produced. However, I did get a chance to photograph the exterior as well.The owners are very nice people and were quite helpful with arranging the shoot. Sezmu is on Mt. Rose street in Reno, just east of Arlington.

Paolo, the owner of Tutto Ferro, carved out a few minutes from his busy schedule for our photo session. His warehouse/work space is filled with interesting projects (his racing Vespa will hopefully be the subject of another photo shoot), but I finally settled on the above background. I’m guessing that it is destined to be a clock, but it was the perfect background to establish Paolo as the company’s visionary and leader.

This is the image that was used for the Passport’s cover. In keeping with Paolo’s ultra-modern minimalist aesthetic, all the roll-up doors in his shop are painted bright yellow.

I’ll follow this up with another post about Sezmu Restaurant, one of Tutto Ferro’s projects. But for now, I’ll close with this image of Paolo’s sculpture by the River Walk in downtown Reno. It’s near the corner of Sierra and First if you’d like to check it out in person.

During the Tuaca photo shoot, I was able to set aside just a little bit of time for an architectural photo of the Aces Tattoo building. It’s on Virginia Street, just south of downtown. This area is full of interesting old buildings, and I’ve always liked the neon and hand-painted signage of this one. Glad I got a chance to light it a bit and photograph it just for fun.

I recently photographed Reno tattoo artist Elijah Cole (of Ace’s Tattoo) for a Tuaca advertisement. In larger markets, Tuaca produces a Body Art Ball – a body paint and dance extravaganza. In smaller markets, like Reno, they’re running ads that profile a local tattoo or body paint artist. I think that’s a pretty cool way to work with the local art community, so I was excited about the project.

Elijah is a truly talented artist. The depth and detail of his work is incredible. I realized while looking at some of his pieces that most tattoo artists learn to draw a nice hard line and stop there. Not Elijah. He can produce some of the most subtle shading I have ever seen in a tattoo, adding a depth and subtlety to his work that is rare to see.

The model, of course, is Jenessa. I’ve photographed her for album covers and clothing companies before. She is always fun to work with, and since Elijah is working on an extensive tattoo project for her it was a natural fit.

For obvious reasons, I can’t post the image used in the ad until it’s published. However, the above shot is an outtake that I really liked, and here’s another shot of Jenessa.

A beautiful scene that I came across while roaming the Nevada desert.