13911 Malabar Home Twilight Photoshoot

Back in August I got the chance to work with Team McKnight of Bay Realty and photographed the exterior of this beautiful White Rock home. I was asked to do a Twilight shoot and once the lights came on and the ambient lights went down, this house truly came alive.

This newly built luxury home is incredibly well built and the Builder and Architect did a remarkable job with it. Everything from the wooden arches to the landscaping and lighting was impeccable.

I absolutely love the design of the steps leading up to the main entrance and the choice in door was an excellent touch.

Just when I thought this house couldn't get better I walked to the backyard and was blown away. The backyard featured this beautiful outdoor kitchen complete with a stainless steel Napoleon grill. The centrepiece of this area was of course the unique table fire pit. This area would truly be perfect for late night Summer barbecue's.

If you want to learn more about this beautiful architectural masterpiece, be sure check out Bay Realty's listing (check out the interior as well)!

The Cascade Room - A Vancouver Bar

I recently had the chance to photograph the Cascade Room which is a unique bar/restaurant located in Vancouver. The Cascade Room offers a great selection of beers and cocktails with a British Pub inspired menu and is a part of the Cascade Company which owns two other restaurants, The Union and El Camino's, each of which offers something different.

When I first saw photos of the Cascade Room I absolutely loved the unique look of it. What especially loved was the great atmosphere it provided. This bar looks even better in person! It is evident that a lot of thought was put into the interior design, with some excellent choices in décor.

My two favourite things would definitely have to be the bar and the lounge area. The bar is definitely the centrepiece of the place and features a variety of a different drinks. I especially liked how the menu and their offerings were written in chalk above the bar which adds to the authentic look.

Next, I absolutely loved the lounge area in the back, which has a very nice ambiance to it. Everything from the beautiful red wallpaper to the unique pieces of art all tied together quite nicely. After seeing this lounge area, I knew that it would translate very nicely in the picture.

This was the first time that I had the chance to photograph a restaurant and I'm very pleased with how the final photos turned out. Normally when I photograph something new for the first time, it's a great learning experience as I learn a lot through the mistakes I make. Surprisingly for this photoshoot, there aren't too many things that I would do differently apart from some very minor tweaks to the photos. For the past couple months I've been researching restaurant photography and I think all this research definitely paid off. That combined with the Cascade Room already being photogenic definitely helped as well.

Taking photos of the Cascade Room was an awesome experience and I look forward to delving more into restaurant photography. If you're ever in the area, I would highly recommend checking it out!

Vancouver Home Built by Precise Homes

Last Summer I had the chance to photograph this beautiful Vancouver Home built by Precise Homes. Precise Home's 40 years of experience in construction and project management definitely shows as the team did a marvelous job with this home. This beautiful architecture has English Tudor, Craftsman, and Georgian influences and it is evident that plenty of thought was put into even the smallest of details. From the detailed white moulding to the excellent choice of marble flooring, everything fit together quite nicely. 

For most of these photos, I decided to have the lights turned off and manually light certain parts of each scene. I feel this better suited the airy ambiance of the house. The all white ceiling and walls helped greatly for bouncing light and made for some excellent shots. With the exception of three photos (the photos of the washroom, wine rack, and theater), all were lit by a single speedlight that was bounced onto the ceiling and I used multiple flash and ambient exposures. Luckily the house was fully staged with furniture and decorations which made for better photos.  

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One thing I found really striking in this area were the beautiful chandeliers over the dining table. 

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I really liked the design in this office - the choice of wood was an excellent touch.  

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This was the last photo I took that day and my camera ended up dying before I could light this scene with my flash (I've since bought a few extra batteries). Luckily, the natural lighting in this washroom was perfect with the window acting as a large softbox, and this scene didn't require any additional lighting. 

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Like everything in this house, the kitchen was designed incredibly well, and for this shot I opted for a one point perspective which worked great.

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I especially loved the staging in this particular room. I feel like the choice of furniture and decor was a perfect fit. I could definitely see this photo being in a magazine (maybe one day haha). 

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For most of this shots I tried to use a longer focal length, but for this shot it was a bit difficult and had make do with a slightly wider focal length. 

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One of my favourite things about this house would have to be the wine rack, it was designed incredible well and looked great.  

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I would have liked to photographed this theatre a bit differently. Unfortunately, there wasn't any furniture in the room so I had to change the composition slightly. I could definitely imagine myself watching movies here, I think the Man from U.N.C.L.E. would probably be the first movie I would watch! What would be the first movie you would watch here? 

This was my first time photographing an interior like this (lit by strobes), and it was a great learning experience. Looking back there are a few things that I would have liked to do different, and for each of these photos there's something that I could nitpick, but overall I'm very happy with the final results! It was a pleasure photographing this home and working with Precise Homes. Let me know what you think of the photos, I'm always open to hearing constructive criticism!

The Best Hotel Lobbies in Vancouver

Over the past few months I've been taking photos of my favourite hotel/elevator lobbies in and around Vancouver. I've come across a ton of very beautiful and unique lobbies, and I decided to share them all in a blog post. All the photos were taken with an iPhone 6S and edited with a combination of VSCOcam, Snapseed, Lightroom, and Photoshop. Just a disclaimer, I wasn't commissioned to take any of these photos and I mainly took them for the fun of it. I haven't stayed at any of these hotels so I can't comment on their actual quality. This blog post is based purely off their aesthetics alone. Here are my favourite hotel lobbies in and around Vancouver (in no particular order).

Rosewood Hotel Georgia

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The recently renovated Hotel Georgia lobby is absolutely beautiful - I love the dark and classy look. For 90 years old she doesn't look too bad!

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

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Loved the look of this little lounge area in the main lobby of the Fairmont Vancouver. According to the Fairmont Vancouver the lobby "...was inspired by the romance of travel, celebrating the hotel's history as a luxury hotel along the Canadian Pacific railway." I think they definitely accomplished this. The suitcase table in the centre is a nice touch. 

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I love everything about the elevator lobby at the Hotel Vancouver from the beautiful wallpaper to the chandelier. The unique design of the chandelier cast these beautiful circular shadows on the ceiling.

Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver

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I came across the Sutton Place Hotel after a Google search, and the European look of it peaked my interest and I knew I had to check it out. In person this lobby is even more beautiful, and it really does feel like you've been transported somewhere in Europe. I'm a huge fan of the epic chandelier and the overall choice of decor is really well done. 

Four Seasons Vancouver

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Love the decor in the main lobby of the Four Seasons Vancouver, it has a very interesting theme and all the colors really compliment one another. My favourite thing would have to be the unique design of the tables. 

Fairmont Pacific Rim

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The Fairmont Pacific Rim is an absolutely beautiful hotel inside and out. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get a good shot of the main lobby as of yet, but the eleveator lobby is beautiful! It has a very sci-fi/futuristic look to it and feels as if you're in a spaceship. One thing that I like about this photo is how the wall at the end caught my reflection.

Pan Pacific Vancouver

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I'm personally not a huge fan of the main lobby at the Pan Pacific and I've never been able to get a good photo of it. However, the elevator lobby is beautiful and has a very nice look to it. Love the red and yellow tones, and the lighting here is really well done as well.

The Hotel at River Rock

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This is is one photo that I didn't plan on taking and unexpectedly came across this lobby while wandering around River Rock (I may or may not have been a bit drunk at the time haha). The decor and styling at the River Rock Hotel lobby is on point, and the designers and decorators did an incredible job with this space. I absolutely love the unique look of the chandeliers and I think the statue of the gazelle? is a nice touch. 

Trump International Hotel

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I had to include the Trump Tower. Say what you will about President Trump and his policies, but this is certainly a very beautiful hotel. I'm a huge fan of the marble tiles and especially love the red centerpiece which contrasts perfectly with the black. 

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Here's another shot of the main lounge area, the ambient lighting in this lounge was very well done and it was lit very nicely. One thing that surprised me about the Trump Tower was how the main lobby wasn't on the West Georgia side but instead the opposite side, I found this to be an interesting choice.

Living Shangri-La

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Last but not least, we have the Shangri-La. At 660 feet, it's the tallest building in Vancouver. The beautiful lobby definitely doesn't disappoint, and I love the chic look of it. I'm a huge fan of the painting and the chandaliers are a very nice touch. 

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Here's another photo of the lobby from the opposite side which does a better job of showcasing the chandeliers. 

Conclusion

And those are my favourite hotel lobbies in and around Vancouver. Each of these hotel lobbies have a very unique look to them and are different in their own way. I know I missed a few and will be updating this blog post with any new photos. Taking these photos over the past couple months really taught me how to take advantage of the camera in my iPhone, and while there's no comparison to a DSLR, taking these shots is a ton of fun. And you know what they say, the best camera is the one that you have with you. 

Once again I wasn't hired by any of these hotels, never stayed at them, and only commenting on their aesthetic appeal. Let me know what you think of the photos and if I missed any hotel, let me know!