Ryan Alexandar – Las Vegas Photographer Capturing The Revolution in Las Vegas

There is chaos happening in my city. Chaos. It was the one word that kept popping in my head as I scrolled through my Instagram feed this past week, taking in image after image and video after video of protests, marches, and riots happening across Las Vegas — a city I had loved, and called home for nearly five years. With a numb heart, I watched in horrifying awe as friend after friend posted shot after shot.

Working as a writer, I am blessed to have remarkably talented friends across all industries, but especially in media. Many of my friends are creatives – writers, videographers, musicians, DJs, and photographers. I have a deep respect for storytellers in mediums outside my own. Each of them create, perform, and contribute such beautiful works of art to the world. Yet, as I scrolled through my feed, I kept coming back to the protest images from my dear friend Ryan, whose photography from his moniker Petit Monstre was so overwhelming and emotionally stirring.

In fact, my all-time favorite photos of Las Vegas are shots by Petit Monstre. Ryan captures the essence of a city in a way that is so raw, so disturbingly intimate, and so hauntingly beautiful. I often say the gallery wall inside the first home I buy will be 90% portraits from Ryan. His vision is art. The way he captures a scene and transforms it into an emotion is magic; his photos are feelings. When people ask me to describe why I love Vegas so much I can never fully explain it, but I can show them one of Ryan’s photos. His images are emotions I can’t articulate in words, a true art form.

But more than that, Ryan is humble in a way that makes you often forgetful of how talented he truly is. In a city where nearly everyone is a photographer shooting models, club photos, t-shirt brands, and shots of mountains, the enchantment in Ryan’s work is rare. It’s, well... honest. Ryan captures the honesty of Vegas, it’s grittiness, it’s plainness, it’s constant contradiction of a city that’s full of the living and a city full of the lost. Most photographers in Vegas capture what they want the city and its culture to look like to the rest of the world, but Ryan captures what Vegas really is, and who the people living there truly are – so much so I always hate when he shoots me because he won’t let me use photoshop! But lately Ryan’s normally artistic, eclectic, and colorful feed has been one of chaos, destruction, protest, and frustration. He’s been on the scene at marches and protests across the city, capturing what’s been happening in Las Vegas, Nevada – one of the three cities I consider my home.

Right now, as businesses are reopening in Vegas and as hotels and casinos are focused on their appearances for their reopening strategies, I wanted to speak to someone who's always been focused on the truth of Las Vegas – someone who has been and still is on the front lines recording first hand and up close some of our country’s most inhumane sins in our country’s most sinful city.

**Petit Monstre** captured by Brandon Earl

Ryan, Petit Monstre. Photographer.
Las Vegas, Nevada.

Zauni Tanil: Ryan, how’s your heart right now?

Ryan Alexander aka Petit Monstre: My heart has been very heavy. There have been a couple of mornings where I just woke up and cried because I wasn’t sure what else to do. It’s maddening. The solution to all of this is very simple, yet the system that is in place is an archaic one and the people in power do not want it to change. It is built the way they want it to be, and for them everything is running according to plan....well at least up till now.

What’s it like being on the front lines at these protests not only a black man, but as an artist/photographer?

PM: Number 1, being a black man on the front lines is very intense and intimidating because I’m the target! I’m walking into the lion's den willingly. But as a photographer I’m highly excited because I know I’ll capture some great images no matter what happens. The air is thick – you can literally feel the tension. I pull up to these locations with my friends and as we’re getting out of the car it feels like we’re preparing ourselves for war. We have a plan each time if things get bad to be able to find one another, and we try to stay as safe as possible.

When you’re at these protests, are you shooting everything you can or are there specific shots you’re hoping to capture?

PM: When I’m at the protest, I’m just surveying everything. It’s like hunting. All these people are moving and doing different things and have these signs and outfits and the police are organizing themselves and reacting to the protesters. They have all this riot gear on, and it’s a lot to take in. Once something catches my eye that looks interesting I have to pounce on it quickly because a moment is a moment and once it’s gone you’ll never get that exact moment back – I must capture it.

How does it feel to actually see this happening in your home, in Vegas, firsthand?

PM: This is absolutely wild to me. I can’t believe it! I never would have thought I’d have to march and protest and do the same thing my parents, my grandparents, and my great-grandparents had to do. A march on the strip?! It was definitely a sight to see.

What kind of images do you feel like the media is missing in their coverage of these protests?

PM: To be honest, I’m not paying too much attention to mainstream media. I don’t have cable so I don’t watch the news. Instead I pay attention to people like myself who are out documenting what is really going on. Anyone who knows me knows I’m on Instagram ALL DAY. There is so much content that is being shared right now, and it’s coming from all sides.

In addition to the work you’ve done in the past, and all the work you’ll do in the future, these photos will be a part of your legacy. How does it feel to be a source capturing such an impactful and important piece of history?

PM: It's like a double-edged sword. I’m ecstatic that I’m documenting history, getting good shots, and spreading awareness. At the same time, I wish I didn’t have to be at any protest at all. There shouldn’t even be a reason to have protests like these, but sadly that is the world we live in.

What actions do you hope your photos inspire people to take?

PM: I hope my photos help inspire people to act and to do something that will help bring about change no matter what that [change] is. Whether it’s donating to a black cause, or inspiring our non-people of color to do research – to really look at the facts of what’s going on, become allies, and educate others who think this racism is just something that’s ‘in our heads’. •

Connect with Ryan: Ryan’s brand Petit Monstre offers both personal and commercial photography services, with prints available for sale on his online shop. Browse his work, and if you’re interested in viewing the protests happening in Las Vegas, follow his Instagram account for a fresh perspective.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in 2020.