Open Ended – from the series Insomnia: Hotel Noir copyright 2009 Douglas Stockdale
One of the outcomes of gaining clarity of a project or series, is that all of a sudden, there are seeming less decisions to be made. As to what I need to do just seems so obvious. I am also realizing that with a cinematic story, in my role as a director, I have a lot of creative latitude. Kinda of enlightening.
So earlier in the week, I really tweaked my two prologue photographs, including giving them the horizontal flip to provide better directional flow. Then it dawned on me, I did not really have an effective ending to the story, the suitcase sitting on the bed had just too much ambiguity and now did not feel right. What I wanted was something more like the prologue, the traveler back on the move again.
But of course, to where? Maybe to home, but then again maybe on to the next temporary lay-over? Of course the cycle will be repeated soon enough again. Which is why I really like this particular photograph, one person, but also a duality, which for me is symbolic of internal angst and conflict that results from traveling away from my family.
Nice.
Best regards, Doug
Update: Although for a good portion of this project, I have been the person in the photo, for the prologue and ending, I have been working with other images that I made. Another nice autobiographical touch to this photograph (other than finding a fitting image of an older guy) was that he is carrying a book. And that the book is not well defined.
Singular Images 
I really like this one – nice reflection on the left.
I like this series, though it’s a little hard to use the word like. I’m getting ready for a trip to next week to France and Armenia, and looking at this picture just makes me tired in advance!
Joe, sorry to bum you out;- )
As to the reflections on the left, that required some fine tweaking to get that in a proper balance within the photograph. I find it to be an important detail, thanks for noticing.
Doug, we had previously discussed how the absence of color in B&W can add rather than remove something. It also strikes me that part of the mystery of this picture derives from the lack of detail. Our minds are left a great space in which to wander. Keep up the wonderful work.
Wayne Phillips
Wayne, thanks, and I really appreciate your phrase, “a great space in which to wander” for this photograph. I feelt that this is a good description of the physical movement that was occuring, as well as the mental state that I was attempting to elicite.