The series for the Premier Inn opening concentrates on the people putting the new location into operation and celebrating together. Staff in branded clothing, speeches, conversation and applause tell the evening more directly than frames of a finished hotel would.
That is a deliberate departure from the usual hotel opening series, which normally starts with the building.
Reactions cannot be staged again
The reactions during the official moments matter most. When every guest looks in the same direction, applauds or talks to the person beside them, a credible picture of taking part comes out of it.
Situations like that cannot be reconstructed afterwards as a group photo. A staged frame shows people looking into a camera; the report shows people living through something, and the difference is visible at a glance.
The series is in the project Premiere Inn.
Backlight through the glass front
The glass front of the event area brought strong backlight into many of the frames. The exposure was therefore set for the faces, while the brighter areas outside were allowed to fall back.
That decision has a price: whatever lies outside loses its detail. In a report about people it is the right trade, because a correctly exposed exterior with dark faces is of no use to anybody.
Additional details of the brand, the room and the decoration give the report the context it needs.
The beginning of an operation
What came out of it is an opening record that makes not only the place visible but above all the team, the sense of community and the start of a new operation.
For the brand that is usable inside the company and outside it. A team that recognizes itself in the pictures also shares them, and that is exactly where an opening report differs from an architectural series.
Related work is under event photography.
