Biltmore Hotel Photography

Project Details

For a jewelry feature in the Biltmore Hotel magazine, I wanted the photography to feel like it could only have been created at the hotel. Rather than bring in a conventional backdrop and studio environment, we built a temporary photography studio on site and worked with plants, surfaces and materials found around the property to give the jewelry a direct connection to the Biltmore.

The feature included pieces from Cartier, Swarovski and other luxury brands, with each composition planned around the character of the hotel and the surrounding landscape. Natural materials and architectural textures gave the photographs more depth while keeping the jewelry at the center of the image.

Because of the value of the pieces, the jewelry arrived under tight security and could only be handled during specific windows. That meant the sets, lighting and compositions had to be worked out in advance so we could make the most of the limited time available once the pieces were on site.

Many of the pieces were suspended with clear fishing line and positioned by hand, with the support removed during retouching. The final images carried the jewelry into the visual world of the Biltmore without relying on a traditional luxury studio look, which was exactly what I wanted the feature to accomplish.