Ever fantasize about giving up your 9 to 5? Throwing away your alarm clock? Rubbing elbows with bold-faced celebrities and beautiful women? Then consider a career in nightlife photography.
We sat with Fury, Vegas’ veteran nightlife paparazzo, and got the scoop on his start in the biz, the b
est parties in the city and being on a first-name basis with Sin City’s A-list elite.
Why would anyone give up daylight to become a nightlife photographer?
Fury: You get to go to some of the best nightclubs in the world, hang with folks with the same love of music, and participate in nightlife history. Every time I’m in the Playboy Club or Studio 54, I can’t help but look at the club shots from the 20 to 30 years ago. It’s refreshing to think that my photos may be on those walls 20 years from now.
How did you get your start?
Fury: I started in nightclub marketing doing in-house photography for websites. Word-of-mouth led me to shooting live events and DJs, and it hasn’t stopped since. I’ve been doing this for eight years. If it wasn’t this, I definitely would still be in the nightclub industry—possibly in marketing or graphic design.
It is a hard industry to leave. What’s your favorite thing about nightlife in Vegas?
Fury: I love that no matter what your taste in music choice or club scene, there’s a place in Vegas that has what you want. We have everything from multi-level megaclubs to plush, chill lounges—some within 100 feet of each other.
That’s good for you, but bad for recovering alcoholics. Describe a typical day in your life.
Fury: Day? (laughing) Don’t you mean night? I’m out of the house by 10, at my first of two or three clubs by 11, and home by 5am. Once there, I edit and upload photos until 8am, wash and repeat.
How do people respond when you approach them in clubs? Has anyone ever gone all Sean Penn on you?
Fury: 99.9% of folks are very excited to have their photos taken. I mean, they get to be on a nightlife website and possibly in a magazine. Not to mention they’ve found a new MySpace default picture. The other .01% don’t want their photos where anyone can see. (Coughing) Wife at home…
What’s the strangest response you’ve ever gotten?
Fury: Someone demanded I pay them a percentage of the profits for using their photo on our website. I told them, “Hey, you get to have a professional photographer take your party photo for free....say cheese!”
Ugh. You should have gone all Sean Penn on them. Who’s your favorite real celebrity you’ve photographed?
Fury: Tiesto! I got to take photos of him at Rain nightclub. He's been my favorite DJ for years. In fact, Tiesto’s double-disk DVD is permanently in my car’s player.
Who are you dying to shoot?
Fury: Hulk Hogan. I’m a huge Hulk Hogan fanatic.
Favorite parties to shoot?
Fury: Sundays at Moon, Light and Body English; Mondays at Foundation Room, RumJungle and JET; Tuesdays at ghostbar, Studio 54 and Pure; Wednesdays at Tabu; Thursdays at VooDoo Lounge and Tryst; Fridays at Playboy Club and Tao; and Saturdays at Moon and Empire.
Damn, son. You do mean business. If there was one thing you could change about Vegas nightlife, what would it be?
Fury: To be able to smoke a hookah and watch the sun rise over the beach at one of our clubs.
Will you be doing this when you’re 80?
Fury: Nightclubs come and go... but nightlife is forever. See you scenesters in 2057!
