23_LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas. Some come for a few days to gamble, mix with the riffraff or get married. Others settle into an old hotel for a month, fill the minibar with rolls of film and set about trying to capture the essence of this strange place. Ronan Guillou belongs to this second category. Las Vegas is of course the mythical Strip that attracts over 50 million visitors every year. But it is more than that. Situated in the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas is at the heart of a vast, mountain-ringed valley. Inhabited by more than two million people spread out over a dozen towns, each year the Valley encroaches a little bit more on the desert. This colour photo-map captures the particular atmosphere of Las Vegas Valley as well as some of the characters encountered by the French photographer during his April 2013 stay.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas... except when Ronan Guillou stays in Vegas.