Does anybody else find the photo of the motel owner a little jarring? It's something about the lens distortion, I think, that makes me see him as a cardboard stand-up when I just glance at the picture.
I think it is due to a combination of using a wide-angle lens to fit in the entirety of the motel front plus the flash/lighting seems to be hitting him more from the side (our right, his left) than straight on (maybe bounced off a reflector off to the side to avoid harsh facial shadows). Combination is a weird forced perspective effect that makes him look flat.