Rich, dark, moody, romantic. These are just a few of the words used to describe the photographic style of Fairmont Hotels across the globe. Recently, Shawn Talbot’s artistry as a luxury hotel photographer brought him to shoots at Fairmont Chicago and Fairmont Winnipeg.
These are hotels steeped in history as well as cosmopolitan finery. So, how did Shawn achieve ‘the Fairmont look’ in a way that’s both true and original?
Let’s hear all about it in this Inside the Shoot…
Fairmont Chicago
Unlike luxury beach hotel photography, which often calls for a look that’s light and airy and fresh, Shawn says Fairmont Hotels, particularly Fairmont Chicago, calls for something else.
“The look is one that’s rich and velvety. Light is low, natural, sunlit,” says Shawn. “And yet, there’s just this warmth.”
How exactly did Shawn play up the unique mood of the Fairmont Chicago in his latest shoot?
#1 The Light
“I needed to allow the natural light to be the star,” says Shawn. “What I really wanted to capture were gorgeous sunrises and sunsets out the windows of the rooms.”
To do that, Shawn and his two assistants:
- Scouted floors in each wing to find the perfect rooms for capturing the sun’s glow
- Timed their shoots in certain rooms based on the direction of the sun
- Selected west facing rooms so that at sunset, for example, the sun was “just pouring in”
- For the added texture of shadows, he used minimal supplementary fill lighting and the room’s lamps for a little extra warmth and mood
#2 The Views
Fairmont Chicago has this idyllic location that straddles iconic, landmark views of parks (Millenium Park and Grant Park) and waters (Chicago River and Lake Michigan).
“The river is pretty spectacular,” says Shawn, “and that’s also what makes it unique, so the views were important.”
To capture the beauty of what guests can see out their windows, Shawn and his team:
- Scouted rooms for the best views of the river, the lake, downtown and public architecture
- Chose angles that let the backdrop come to the fore
#3 The Local History
There’s a lot of history in the Fairmont Chicago. In fact, it was here, in the presidential suite in 2008, that a photograph was taken of a young Barack Obama running for president. It was the night of the election, rather late, and Obama and Joe Biden were celebrating their win. Who should ring Barack’s room but Mitt Romney, giving the concession phone call. Pete Souza snapped the famous photograph of that moment. While Shawn wasn’t shooting the presidential suite on this shoot, he says:
“It’s such a cool photo,” says Shawn, “and it kind of captures what makes this hotel, in Chicago, so special. We looked for all kinds of ways to bring that kind of history in our shots.”
In lobby and room photos, Shawn and his team scoured the hotel for coffee table books that uniquely reflected the city and the hotel’s history. They chose decidedly loved corners of the hotel where viewers would feel the warmth of familiarity.
Compare Shawn’s Inside the Shoot Chicago Fairmont with his Inside the Shoot Mandarin Oriental Hotel New York.
Fairmont Winnipeg
Fairmont Winnipeg, too, is an iconic hotel in an iconic Canadian city just footsteps from a storied river. The hotel was embarking on a renovation (all new carpet, headboards, furnishings, etc.) and the hotel needed new photographs to capture the refresh of their timeless look – as well as the surrounding district, with all its history, modernity and charm.
#4 The Vibe of The District
“We thought, OK, if you’ve never been to this hotel or city, what would you find remarkable about it? That’s what we were there to capture,” says Shawn.
With the South Saskatchewan river bending around the edges of downtown, and a desire to convey the confluence of nature and brutalist architecture, Shawn and his team:
- Took a day for aerial drone shots of the hotel, the river and nearby buildings, like the museum (Get Shawn’s advice for managing drone permits)
- Shot at times of day when the sun was dim for a look that felt raw and true, and of the Fairmont aesthetic
- Merged the views of one room with the look of newly renovated rooms that would soon be found throughout the hotel
#5 The Artistry of Chefs
Luxury food photography is an art form all its own, and it’s one that’s smart for the hospitality industry to invest in – because these hotel chefs do make art. Delicious, one-of-a-kind art.
At Fairmont Winnipeg, Shawn and his team worked closely one day to capture a gorgeous breakfast room service moment
To get the food and the feel of the room just right, Shawn, the chef and the assistants:
- Selected a chaise by a sun-lit window as an inviting, cozy, have-a-lazy-luxurious-morning feeling
- Used a ‘dummy’ plate as a stand-in to get the lighting just right before bringing in the hot, fresh, beautifully plated breakfast (starring eggs benny and a fresh fruit yogurt parfait)
- Shot the dishes from the side, rather than down, to see the details of the dish as a guest would, and to incorporate a bit of the room within the shot so that the image didn’t look like a stock food photo
- Injected the yogurt into the bowl at the last second so the fruit, rather than sagging into the yogurt, would stay raised.
- Waited for the very last second for the chef to pour the hollandaise sauce “to get the perfect drip”
“I think it was nearly an hour of staging, lighting and prep before pouring on the sauce, and then in an instant, it was over,” jokes Shawn.
Looking back on the two Fairmont Hotel shoots, Shawn says:
“You can pick out a Fairmont shot right away, that rich, dark, moody feeling. It’s such a good fit for the aesthetic that I’m drawn to, but it’s one that I don’t get to visit as often, so it’s fun. It’s always fun.”
Does your hotel tell a story that’s bold and unique?
Shawn Talbot is the luxury hotel photographer with decades of expertise and artistry at the ready.