I’ve never considered it my style to shoot series.
… And then, I shot a series.
And it was far-and-away one of my favorite projects out of everything I’ve done in the last year. It was fun to do, and I was pleased with the end result! Maybe I should try new things more often, hm? If the series fits…
***
One rainy Saturday morning, I filled a little black suitcase with some pulpy detective novels, a hairbrush, a purple polyester slip, an expired lipstick, and a pair of shiny black pumps–oh, and a camera and cf cards. I grabbed that suitcase and I wheeled it right up to the door of the most atmospheric little motel I could find. I pretty much had the pick of the seedy-motorcourt litter in this town, but I knew upon sight that only the Courtesy Motel would do.
The Courtesy Motel’s address is on one of those wide, busy streets that just narrowly escaped highway status. The building itself is surrounded by others of its kind–just beyond that overpass is the Sunrise Motel, and if you drive a little ways down toward the mall, you’ll find the Lincoln Lodge. But the Courtesy motel has the biggest sign, the brightest neon, and apparently, a telephone in every room.
And now, it also has a seven-photo series in its honor. For the small sum of forty dollars a night, I got to do all the staging that I damn well pleased with those books and that slip.
And after everything, I was all packed up, finished, and gone home before dinnertime.
God, I love motels.
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