At first, I didn’t think hotel photography was my thing. I’d always been focused on shooting food and had never considered myself an architectural photographer. At least, that’s what I thought—until Jennifer McMahon, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing at Boston Harbor Hotel, took a chance on me a few years back, with a request to shoot newly renovated guest rooms. (A request I’ll forever be grateful for.)
Although I was hesitant at first, that first gig set me on a path of being able to do more for hotels than just the restaurants. I realized that hotels were entire ecosystems that could utilize different skills I was nurturing: architectural photography, food photography, lifestyle photography, and event photography—each of which became an entire world in and of itself. It’s especially exciting when each of those little worlds come together, feeding into the overall brand identity of a property
During COVID, which brought so many challenges in the hotel world, I found myself looking for inspiration in empty hallways and lobbies—settings where I’m used to absorbing how people flow through them, and getting inspiration from effortless vignettes that I’d later mimic in a photoshoot.
As people come back together and hotels rebuild their contagious energy, I’m really excited to see what takes shape. As much as it might make my life easier to photograph a hotel without any guests, it’s much more exciting to have a hotel that has a little bit of buzz and a little bit of energy going on, so I can capture life as it flows naturally. And that’s the best part.
Want to see more of my hotel and spa photography? Check it out here!