2024

2024 Photography highlights

An annual round up of travel and hotel photography assignments, hand-picked highlights from spring, summer, autumn and winter to share with you here on my website.

January 2024 Nikon Owner Magazine feature on the work of Michelle Chaplow

The Nikon Owner magazine is published quarterly and it was a pleasure to end last year and start this one with the Nikon feature on Michelle’s hotel photography, still on the Nikon newsstands.

WOMEN in PHOTOGRAPHY MICHELLE CHAPLOW
A Room with a View by Gillian Greenwood Nikon Owner magazine

Feb 2024 Corporate portraits for law firm

March 2024, Hotel Maria Emerges as Helsinki’s Newest Five-Star Haven

Named in honour of Maria Feodorovna, the esteemed consort of Tsar Alexander III of Russia, the hotel pays tribute to her enduring connection with Finland when it was a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. Maria Feodorovna’s legacy of philanthropy and cultural appreciation is woven into the fabric of Hotel Maria, reflecting her deep admiration for Finnish traditions and customs. The street where the hotel is located and the nearby hospital also bear her name.

Hotel Maria Spa, Helsinki. Finland

At the heart of Hotel Maria lies its pièce de résistance: an extraordinary spa sanctuary that epitomizes relaxation and rejuvenation. Featuring traditional Finnish saunas, invigorating cold plunge pools, and sumptuous massage treatments. Guests can unwind in the central patio adorned with plush relaxation beds, surrounded by serene neutral tones that create an ambiance of serenity and calm.

The understated elegance of the décor, furnished with pieces from Restoration Hardware in New York, evokes a sense of timeless luxury. This hotel is a very inspiring place to shoot, everything is brand new and the neutral palette with colourful artwork by Finnish artist Pia Feinik brings visual harmony wherever you look. View more images here

This hotel is a very inspiring place to shoot and very easy on the eye.

March 2024 The Pool of Life

The School of Photography in Helsinki is considered to be the world’s best school for contemporary art photography, and indeed it was this school that inspired Michelle’s ongoing lifelong art project, The Pool of Life.

April 2024 A Podcast Interview with Mary Gostelow
Michelle was honoured to be interviewed by The Sage of Hospitality, Mary Gostelow for her weekly Girlahead podcast, which has a reach of over 80,000 followers in 154 countries.

“Michelle Chaplow takes hotel photographs that are works of art, enhancing luxury throughout,” says Mary.

Mary Gostelow is the leading authority on luxury travel, hospitality, and lifestyle 

In Mary’s interview, Michelle offers insights on various topics related to luxury hotel photography, such as use of models, camera equipment, average duration of a hotel photo shoot, food photography, Social Media, and Michelle’s top aim in her work – to help owners show off their hotel to its fullest potential.

Mary Gostelow is in Global Hospitality’s top 25 social influencers of 2023, and featured in the International Hospitality Institute’s 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.
As well as hosting the Girlahead podcast, Mary has published the Gostelow Report, the definitive monthly market intelligence chronicle for the luxury hotel sector worldwide, since 1992. She is the Robb Report Hong Kong Global Ambassador and was awarded Authority of Luxury 2024 by the luxury lifestyle magazine.

In addition, to travelling 200 nights a year, Mary is contributing editor of Elite Traveler and HOTELS magazines, and a regular columnist for Best In Travel magazine, leading Middle Eastern luxury travel magazine Destination of the World News, and iltm.net (International Luxury Travel Market). She also writes for ELF, Enness Lifestyle First (for Enness Global International Financial Brokerage).

May 2024 New photography for the Five star GL Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno.

Michelle Chaplow and her Hotel Essence team were commissioned to photograph a 5-star GL Relais and Chateaux hotel near Tarragona. Situated in the heart of the renowned Priorat wine region, the Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno is surrounded by lush vineyards and breathtaking scenery.

The hospitality photography shot list included, all room categories, an amphitheatre with fire pit, the stunning bodega with a spiral staircase, signature Hotel Essence details and much more.

An exquisite bodega with a contemporary spiral staircase

This assignment will included video and drone footage as well as stills. Michelle and her Hotel Essence photography team worked  in partnership with Quanvision to really capture those all important aerial scenes.

Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno, Torroja del Priorat, Tarragona , Spain The Pool Aerial View

The 500-year-old building includes the main house, the “Masia”, and the Garden Suites, which are situated in the original atelier. The name Mas D’en Bruno translates as “the house of Bruno”. It is always wonderful to feel that you are staying in a heritage property; the sundial is dated 1797. The pool bar’s name, Tarraco, is the Roman word for Tarragona. Such small but important details convey to guests an interest in, and respect for, the heritage of the property and surrounding area.

In July 2024, was awarded #6 Best Resort in the World by Travel + Leisure as well as Best Resort in Europe. It is also a proud member of Relais & Chateaux.

You can browse photos and read more here

June 2024 Michelle Chaplow: Approved Photographer for Le Méridien, (Marriott International)

This Architectural Photography assignment took Michelle Chaplow and The Hotel Essence Photography team to the luxurious five-star Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa, located on Spain’s stunning Costa Daurada in Tarragona.

Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa. This really is a frontline property, right on the beach

A heartfelt thank you to Marketing Director Desirée Santos Masip, General Manager Conor Cushnahan, and Alexander Bawden, Photography Lead at Marriott International’s London headquarters, for their invaluable support and flawless coordination in bringing this project to life.

Le Méridien is an American upscale, design-focused international hotel brand with a European perspective. It was originally founded by Air France in 1972 and now owned by Marriott International.

It’s an honor to be an approved photographer for Le Méridien, a proud member of  Marriott International.
You can browse our images here

July 2024 Michelle Chaplow’s photograph of The Hotel Maria spa in Helsinki is featured in Architectural Digest

We are thrilled to announce that Michelle Chaplow’s photograph of The Hotel Maria Maria spa in Helsinki is featured in Architectural Digest’s article on nine new hotels to book this summer. Her work brilliantly captures the spa’s serene beauty and sophisticated design. Congratulations, Michelle, on this prestigious recognition!

Photography of the Hotel Maria Spa by Michelle Chaplow published in AD

August 2024  Cyme.io published an interview on the work of Michelle Chaplow 

Michelle was around to be featured in an interview by CYME, where she discussed her passion for photographing luxury hotels.. The interview explores how Michelle captures the essence of luxury through her lens, and she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share her insights.

“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”.

The full interview can be read here