Lookout Point Lakeside Inn is an upscale bed & breakfast located on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Local photographer Karen E. Segrave had been to Lookout Point many times over the past five or so years. The owners had also been familiar with her work for years. So when Lookout Point needed new photos of one of their renovated and updated rooms, they contacted Karen.
Lookout Point needed high-quality new images of one of their guest rooms which had been completely renovated and redecorated. The photos were mostly for their website and social platforms but were also used for their print advertising. Karen wanted to photograph the room with the window shades up and down and lamps on and off. She wanted to give the client a variety of images.
Karen didn’t do much planning or pre-production since she had visited the B&B many times in the past and knew the property very well. She spoke to the owner over the phone to find out what the needs for the shoot were, and to coordinate her arrival time. Karen estimated it would take two to three hours to photograph one room. She also knew beforehand that she had to be finished and out by 4:30 p.m. for the B&B guests who booked the room for the weekend.
The room was 99% perfect when Karen arrived. She spent the first 15 minutes or so planning her angles by moving chairs, fluffing pillows, and hiding some items she knew she didn’t want to photograph: the clock radio, the sound machine, TV remotes, drink coasters, waste baskets, etc.
Lookout Point had only one request: they wanted one image to be photographed from the same angle and perspective as the original photo before the renovation. It was easy to duplicate the angle.
Karen’s only real challenge for the project was that it was a small room & bathroom. While photographing in the bathroom, Karen found herself shooting from inside the shower for one particular angle. She also had to wedge herself against the wall with her tripod partially on the new built-in tile seat at the end of the tub.
The room had ample available light from south-facing windows and a door leading to the patio. But, Karen needed some studio lighting to fill and emphasize a color pop.
The owner of Lookout Point loved the photos and Lookout Point appeared on Trip Advisor as #14 in the top 25 small hotels in the US and #21 in the top 25 for romance. The transformation of the room is nothing short of incredible. You can see more of the before and after photos on their website. Lookout Point typically renovates one or two rooms a year continuously, so Karen is hoping to come back out in the future to assist with more projects.
See more of Karen’s work on her website.
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