Abandoned Motels

Today was my first full day in San Clemente. I was up early for a ride with my 2 room mates, who also work at the magazine, and a friend from Laguna Beach. We rode along a trail that parralled the army base. We could hear machine guns firing from the gun range on the base. The heat was killing me even though I was assured that this was a nice cool morning for the area.

In the one day I have been here I have noticed that there are a strangly high number of motels in the city. They are liitered through out the city in very odd locations. There are the obvious ones off the main roads but they are also spread out through residential streets. Its strange to see the tightly packed houses with a motel sqeezed in, trying to blend into the comunity. They are all unique; no two seem to be alike. It is obvious that time has not been kind to many of them, and signs of neglect dominate their appearance.

Tonight I started documenting some of these locations. During my time in San Clemente I am going to try and photograph as many of these motels as I can. I'm not sure what kind images this project will produce but I feel an obligation to photogaph these locatons. The most interesting location I photographed tonight was just off one of the main streets. The suits were in a semicirle shape surrounding a C shaped parking lot with an entrance on each side of building. The building was abandoned, the windows and doors had been borded up, and all the contents from the suits was pilled in the center of the parking lot. Matresses, furniture, and garbage from the nieghborhood made up the pile. It was amazing, I shot there about ten minutes before the sun went down. I can't wait to see the images, the light was perfect. If I wasn't racing against the light I would have taken a few polariod tests to post, but I plan on going back to keep exploring.

I am without a digital body right now as I sold mine before I left. I plan on picking one up next week so I should be posting more images. Once I find a lab, and get access to a scanner I will post some of the film I have been shooting. I have to admit that shooting on film is really satisfying. There is such and extensive set up when I am working with my 6 x 6 camera, it seems more rewarding when I get the film back.

If the next 3 months are as good as the day I'm gonna have a hard time coming home.