Pacifica Marina del Rey Hotel | Los Angeles Hotel Photographer

The Marina del Rey Hotel is a beautiful 4-star hotel and is a part of Pacifica’s line up of amazing boutique hotels along the California coast.

In addition to the lovely rooms, the hotel boasts a variety of amenities including a beautiful sunset view of the sailboats on the terrace, an outdoor pool, and a bar onsite.

Back in January 2023, I worked directly with the marketing manager of the hotel to produce a variety of interior, outdoor, and lifestyle photos for the team’s digital marketing. I also collaborated with actress and model DeAnza Banuelos as a creative director to produce the client’s intended vision.

Preparing For The Hotel Photoshoot

For this collaboration, I met with the marketing manager at the hotel in person to look over the hotel different hotel rooms, outdoor spaces, and restaurant that I would be photographing. The marketing manager was also kind enough to provide me with a reference of one of their previous photoshoots. The reference photo helped give me a starting point on the direction of the photoshoot.

I spoke with DeAnza to go over wardrobe options that she would be able to bring to the photoshoot. In the end, we ended up going with two different outfits: a white shirt and pants, as well as a blue evening dress.

In addition to discussing wardrobe details, I had to plan my time for the 4-5 hours I would be on location. The photoshoot would take place around noon when the sun would be at its harshest, so I decided to start with the interiors first and then have DeAnza come later on in the evening.

Hotel Photoshoot Day

On the day of the photoshoot, I started off by quickly photographing the exterior of the building. I made my way into the lobby and hotel room suite to capture some room photos. For this part of the photoshoot, I used my Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G-Master lens. I find that keeping the focal length at 24mm provides a wide enough angle to capture the details of the interior without distorting the space. I also used a tripod in the room to capture different exposures from the same spot.

We worked until sunset, which allowed us to capture some beautiful golden hour images overlooking the sailboats from the terrace.

My photography was featured on the main page of their mobile site, as well as on the homepage of Pacifica Hotel’s website. You can see more details about the hotel’s amenities on their website.

TIPS FOR HOTEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Bring a tripod: If you’re going to be taking any interior shots of the hotel, then you’ll likely want to capture the same image at different exposures. This is especially helpful when you need to take photos of a room with a window and you need the final image to be as evenly exposed inside as it is outside.

Create A Shot List: In order to use your time most effectively, you’ll want to create a shot list so that you’re not spending time thinking about what to shoot next or where to go on the day of the actual shoot. While you don’t want to be too attached to a schedule, having a basic guide to follow on shoot day can make your life a lot easier.

Selecting Hours: I always aim for at least a 4-hour shoot for hotel photoshoots because I want to capture the property at different times of the day.

Work with Talent: Lifestyle photography is a great way to showcase the hotel property beyond just standard images of a hotel room and lobby. Having a model interact with the porperty the way a guest would can help create more interesting photos and create a distinct brand image for the hotel.

“Brian was such a pleasure to work with. He is professional, comes prepared, and the best part – takes beautiful photos! He takes direction well but also has an amazing creative eye and catches beauty in every shot. He is humble and overall a great photographer to work with.”

Kiki Popa | Marketing Manager

LOOKING TO HIRE A HOTEL PHOTOGRAPHER?

You can see more examples of my hotel photography work with other clients. If you’d like to get a free quote, feel free to contact me below!