I recently had the opportunity to be featured in an interview by Cyme, where I discussed my passion for photographing luxury hotels. I’m thrilled to have been published by Cyme, as they have a fantastic mission to help photographers organize and streamline workflow on their photos—something I know we all could use a little extra help with, no matter how organized we think we are. The interview delves into how I capture the essence of luxury through my lens, and it was a pleasure to share my insights with them.
Extracts from the interview
“As an avid traveller, luxury and historic hotel photographer Michelle Chaplow loved exploring new cultures. In her twenties, she took a year out from her job to journey around central and south America, and then moved into travel photography. Michelle took enormous pleasure from staying in hotels – the architecture, the décor, the history – and the eureka moment came in 2010, when she decided to dedicate the rest of her professional life to capturing the essence of these unique hotels around the world, expertly carving out her out her specific niche. She unveils the behind-the-scenes world of luxury hotel photography”.
Hotels that took my breath away
“There are actually two hotels that spring to mind.
The first story is about photographing the lobby of the George V Four Seasons hotel in Paris. I visited the hotel for a meeting during the spring – the most romantic time of year in the City of Lights. I walked into the George V and was stopped in my tracks by the sight of the lobby decorated with hundreds of peonies. A historic hotel lobby with marble floors, a beautiful chandelier, an antique tapestry behind the reception, and then to top it off, a wealth of stunning pink blooms. It took my breath away, whilst other people walked through the lobby seemingly oblivious to the extraordinary floral display. It was an amazingly impactful experience but also immensely satisfying to photograph.
The second hotel I’ve chosen is Park Hotel Vitznau in Switzerland. A magnificent contemporary redevelopment of a historic hotel that dates back to1903 located on the shores of Lake Lucerne, with unrestricted views across the lake to the Swiss Alps near the chocolate box village of Vitznau. It was a delight to capture on camera”.
Our photographic legacy
“I love history and historic preservation and feel privileged that the images of the hotels that I photograph today, even the contemporary ones will eventually form part of their historic archive of tomorrow, to be enjoyed and used as a reference – and hopefully an inspiration – in the future”.
You can read the full interview here.