A housekeeper. A crossing guard. An underground DJ. A street vendor.

In the heart of Las Vegas’ economy lies a group of workers often unseen but undeniably vital. These workers are highlighted in the Nevada Humanities exhibition, The Hidden Faces of Work: Behind Las Vegas' Non-Stop Economy.

This exhibition, supported by a grant from Nevada Humanities, features the visual storytelling of students enrolled in JOUR 214, a digital photography class at the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies. Led by associate professor Julian Kilker, the course was much more than simply mastering camera shutter speeds and image processing software.

“While the course title focuses on digital photography and it is a very applied training class,” Kilker says, “really the overall theme we looked at is the broad notion of photography — what's involved in terms of hard skills and the soft skills? The hard skills being the technical skills, and the soft skills being working with people: interviewing, doing background research, and certain negotiations as well.”

Photography as Research

Kilker integrated guest speakers and behind the scenes tours with Brookings Mountain West, University Libraries, the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, and innovative photographers from the community into the curriculum. These experiences helped train students to see photography as a process of research and community engagement.

Using Las Vegas as a research site, students independently found, interviewed (often multiple times), and photographed the hidden workers in the community. The results did not disappoint: "We got a surprisingly wide range of folks,” says Kilker, “everybody from a street vendor working out of a parking lot at Ross to police officers on campus.”

The photographs depict the essence and struggle of the overlooked, but vital, labor. 

Student Development Through Visual Storytelling

Isabella Pupo, a freshman in information systems, found herself drawn to the world of housekeeping. Through her lens, she captured the often underappreciated keystone of the hospitality industry.
“Las Vegas is well known for its hotel and hospitality industry, which I think housekeepers contribute a lot to. Due to the work of a housekeeper being done when nobody is around or when guests are away, it’s often overlooked as an important job in the industry,” explains Pupo.

The project opened her eyes to the research that goes into photojournalism and opening an exhibition. 

“I’m really grateful to have an opportunity like this where I can display my work for a large group of people to see,” Pupo says. “This project has helped me grow creatively. I’ve learned to think better on the spot — whether that’s by quickly having to capture an important moment with my camera or getting a creative angle using my surroundings.”

Much of the learning students took from this class — like the work of those highlighted within the photographs — was invisible. “Photography is not just pushing a button,” Kilker explains. “The real value of the work is in those soft skills and in pushing yourself to do something that is challenging. Push a button, but really think about the deeper issues. Photography is a form of research, essentially. Photography is storytelling with documentation.”