Photographer Angie Menze and Model Montana Cencarik explore the natural beauty and old desert towns outside their world famous hometown.

Words, Art Direction, and Styling by Angie Menze
Creative Direction by Angie Menze and Andy Gorel

Deemed the ‘city that never sleeps’, would you think that just minutes away from the strip are quiet suburbs and peaceful desert scenery?

I was born and raised in Las Vegas, until I left at 20 years old to pursue dreams in Los Angeles. While LA is where I truly grew up over the 9 years I spent there – I came back to Las Vegas to reset and reorient my lifestyle. I came back home, to feel at home once again. After being away for so long and not much visiting, I had to get to know Las Vegas with my grown sense of awareness, and shine a light on what I had missed all those years.

The first thing I came to appreciate in my return, was all the desert has to offer. You can learn a lot from the stillness – even in the breeze that blows through, you can sense peace. The mountains are strong in their stance, holding their ground, representing stability and support. The cacti are living with least effort, carrying out their natural state with little to no rain. The hot sun is fueling our energies to keep us grounded. The vast habitat to rattle snakes, jack rabbits, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and scorpions – to name a few. The desert’s intrinsic qualities stand out against the city scape in the distance.

Within this city they call sin, I found its virtues. I discovered what many do not know or acknowledge – the beauty in the scene aesthetic. Love is nature and nature is love. Next time you visit, remember there is more to experience than The Vegas Strip.