What Goes Into a Luxury Hotel Campaign? Behind the Scenes at Park Hyatt
Production
In the world of architecture and interior design photography, there's a fundamental distinction that often goes unnoticed: the difference between documenting a structure and telling its story. At AB Photo & Video, we believe that powerful visual content doesn't just showcase a space—it reveals its purpose, highlights its emotional impact, and communicates the vision behind its creation.
Let's explore how we approach storytelling in our visual work, drawing inspiration from unexpected sources to elevate the narrative of your spaces.
Visual storytelling in architectural photography and videography is the art of creating a narrative around a space rather than simply documenting its existence. While traditional photography might focus solely on showing what a space looks like, storytelling considers:
When done effectively, visual storytelling creates images and footage that don't just show viewers a beautiful space—they help them feel what it's like to be there.
In a market saturated with beautiful spaces, storytelling provides the crucial differentiation that helps you and your projects stand out.
Interior designers, architects, and custom home builders don't just create spaces—they solve problems, fulfill dreams, and shape experiences. Your design and build work tells a story about your clients and their aspirations, and your visual content should do the same.
As visual storytellers, we understand that when potential clients view your portfolio, they're not just evaluating your technical skills—they're imagining how you might transform their own spaces and tell their stories. Content that communicates this narrative dimension resonates more deeply and creates a stronger connection with your audience.
One of the most powerful ways we elevate our visual storytelling is by drawing inspiration from outside the architectural world. Here's how we incorporate techniques from other disciplines:
We borrow heavily from cinematic techniques to add depth to our architectural photography and videography. This includes:
Instead of approaching architecture as a frame of scene, we create more immersive experience.
The fashion industry has mastered the art of creating aspirational imagery that tells a story beyond the products. We apply these lessons by:
These approaches help position your designs as part of a curated lifestyle rather than isolated spatial elements.
The power of documentary work lies in its authenticity and ability to reveal deeper truths. We incorporate documentary techniques by:
This documentary sensibility helps communicate not just the what of your designs, but the why behind them.
Our storytelling approach isn't just about the final images—it's embedded throughout our entire production process:
Before we ever pick up a camera, we work to understand:
This foundation ensures we're not just capturing beautiful images but telling the right story.
Whether for a photo series or video, we carefully consider the sequence of images to build a coherent narrative:
Effective storytelling requires both the forest and the trees:
By thoughtfully balancing these perspectives, we create a more complete narrative.
Light isn't just a technical requirement—it's a powerful storytelling tool:
We plan shoots around optimal lighting conditions that support the narrative we want to convey.
The data is clear: investing in storytelling-driven visual content delivers measurable business results.
According to Stanford University research, stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone, and when paired with data, audience retention rates jump from 5-10% to an impressive 65-70%. For architecture and design firms, this translates to potential clients remembering your spaces among countless competitors.
Our brains process visual information efficiently—90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and research shows that users spend 10% more time viewing video content compared to static images.
The ROI is equally compelling: businesses investing in visual content marketing have a 63% higher chance of achieving positive ROI, while content with relevant visuals gets 94% more views than text-only content. For architects and designers competing for attention, this near-doubling of viewership can determine whether you win new business or get overlooked.
Most significantly, 73% of consumers prefer to purchase from brands using high-quality images, underscoring the importance of investing in premium visual content that authentically represents your work.
The message? Visual storytelling isn't just an aesthetic choice—it's a business-critical strategy that delivers results.
At AB Photo & Video, we apply these storytelling principles across diverse projects, from boutique hotels to custom homes. Here are some examples that showcase our approach:
In our Park Hyatt Siem Reap project, we focused on capturing the hotel's unique blend of contemporary design and traditional Khmer influences. Rather than simply documenting spaces, our visual narrative follows the guest journey, starting with the iconic façade, moving through welcoming public areas, and finally revealing intimate guest rooms that tell the story of luxury with cultural context.
Our Melia Chiang Mai advertising spot demonstrates how lighting becomes a character in the story. By photographing spaces at different times of day, we revealed how the property transforms from a bright, energetic daytime destination to an intimate, atmospheric evening experience—two distinct chapters of the same narrative.
Our collaboration with Alair Custom Homes and Medici Architects illustrates how we build visual stories around architectural concepts. The photography progression mirrors the architects' intent, showing how the structure engages with its environment and how spaces flow together to create a cohesive experience rather than disconnected rooms.
In the Proform Builds projects, we employed documentary-inspired techniques to highlight both the finished spaces and thoughtful construction details, telling a deeper story about craftsmanship and attention to detail that elevates a simple home tour into a narrative about quality and care.
The Amanda George Interior Design portfolio showcases our editorial approach to interior spaces. Drawing inspiration from fashion photography, we created vignettes that tell stories about how people live in and interact with these carefully curated environments, emphasizing emotional responses rather than just cataloging furnishings.
Our Eclectic Designs and Cosentino case study demonstrates how we use selective focus and detail shots to create a narrative around materials and textures, showing how they contribute to the overall design story and highlighting the designer's intent through visual storytelling.
These examples represent just a fraction of our storytelling-focused portfolio. Each project benefits from our commitment to going beyond mere documentation to create visual narratives that engage, inspire, and communicate the unique story behind each space.
If you're planning a photo or video shoot for your next design project, here are ways to maximize its storytelling potential:
By partnering with visual storytellers who understand these principles, you'll create content that doesn't just showcase your work—it immortalizes your design vision and communicates your unique approach.
Every space has a story. Every design solves a problem. Every project represents a collaboration between designer and client. These narratives deserve to be told through visual content that goes beyond mere documentation.
At AB Photo & Video, we're not just photographers and videographers—we're storytellers who help translate your design vision into compelling visual narratives that resonate with publishers, peers, and potential clients.
Ready to elevate how your work is presented to the world? Let's talk about how we can help tell your story.
AB Photo & Video is a Seattle-based creative production company specializing in editorial-style photography and cinematic, story-driven video content for architects, interior designers, boutique hotels, custom home builders, and marketing agencies.
