Diving into the Design of Namia

The completion of the teaser video and the initial photography work at Namia River retreat in 2024 meant a short break from the project. Which you can read about here. The second phase planning and photography began in ernest in early 2025.

Hotel interior and lifestyle shoots are my bread and butter. I have done hundreds of them. For many major brands including Accor, Intercontinental, and Fairmont to name a few. This time though was a tiny bit different. It seems like everything on this project was a tiny bit different. The biggest difference this time around was that I would not be doing all the stills. I would be focusing on the interior, exterior and facilities photographs. While Kevin Lee is my business partner at the Cake Collective. Would be taking care of the lifestyle shots and directing the final video.  

Yet, this was not the original plan we had in mind. 

Originally we planned to shoot the design photographs in tandem. In an attempt to speed up the process and cover as much of the hotel as possible. We would then work together to shoot the lifestyle. This was the plan because we also had to squeeze in the full interior photography. The Lifestyle photograph. A bit of food photography. And produce a final video. All into the same 6 day time frame. Not ideal. Not easy.  

What ended up happening though was a better plan. 

After the first hour or two of photographing the interiors of the first two villas. The client was running between the two of us getting frazzled and stressed. Trying to make sure the guidelines were met and the images had the same feel. 

Initially we as the creatives didn’t notice this as we were intent on making the photos. And using the best light to showcase the rooms. But it quickly became clear that this was not the best way to work. 

The lovely team at Lumina Wellbeing then made a suggestion. How about I take care of the design photography and Kevin handles the lifestyle shoot. Initially I was against this idea because we were sure that our original plan was solid. It would also mean that Kevin would be sitting idle for an entire day. Doing nothing as the models were not onsite yet to begin lifestyle photography. The other issue was the lifestyle shoot was supposed to be done in tandem with the full video production. Again, in our heads it would work. In reality, not ideal.

So after some discussion the plan was that I continue the design photography solo. While Kevin scouted the entire property for the upcoming lifestyle and video production. 

In the end this was an excellent decision. It freed up the client’s staff to slow down a bit and take some time to review the photos properly as they were made. It gave Kevin time to settle in and really look at the finished property with fresh eyes. To focus on lifestyle photography and pre plan the video shoot. Which he would be directing. 

It was also a great idea because we had a very short amount of preparation time before arriving at the resort. We needed all the preparation time we could get. 

This allowed me to focus completely on what I do best and that is to showcase the design of the property to its fullest. Rather than trying to bounce between two separate locations to check on things. Or double check if something had been completed.

Once I settled into a rhythm it became automatic. Enter a villa. Run through the checklist of things that need to be in order. Double check small areas that tend to get overlooked in the frenzy of preproduction. Settle in, adjust the angle. Look for interesting details. Lather, rinse, repeat. 

Sometimes automatic is nice. It’s rhythm. In a way, it is peaceful. 

Of course, it helps that the weather was perfect sun the entire time. Although it was outrageously hot as it was late March. A time when HoiAn starts to get warm. Very warm. 

To say that the Namia property is a simple one to shoot is a gross understatement. Natural light plays a huge part in the design and colours of the property. So shooting in my regular style was not going to be the case here.

Typically I like to photograph rooms on the opposite sides of where the sun is. This makes it easier to ensure that the room is evenly lit. The exterior lighting is controlled while the interior lighting is showcased. This means photographing sunrise facing rooms in the afternoon. And sunset facing rooms in the morning. Perhaps a little counter intuitive but it works for me. 

At Namia though the natural light is important. So we needed to shoot with the light streaming into the rooms. Creating deeper shadows and bright highlights. With the added difficulty of potentially over exposing the sky. We managed to avoid this by starting early. Very early. Most days we were up at 4 am to be ready to start work by 5. Photographing quickly and efficiently to maximize our time. Being able to reshoot something if needed later in the week. Middays were spent photographing areas where natural light wasn’t a priority. Or simply not available. Deep in the spa and around kitchens and dining areas for example. 

Even these areas though, in particular the dining areas. Relied on plenty of natural light to give them the proper look and shape. 

I think this is a credit to the architects at T3 who designed the project. It really showcases the best of what natural light can do for a space. And highlights the peaceful natural atmosphere that HoiAn can convey. They were also able to artfully balance the natural and artificial lighting. Creating a comfortable and cosy, yet open feeling space. 

The final stage in the process was the editing. Again, this was not your typical hotel photography editing process. The unique colours and feel from the original shoot had to be carried over. And matched into the massive number of images created for this library. Consistency was important. Here again, Kevin’s patience and editing were key in making sure it all looked good across every photo. From design to lifestyle. I can say with confidence, that if I had done the edits alone. the number of revisions we made would have driven me a little loopy. Even working together we both started seeing colours a little differently. In the end we were able to ensure the consistency and quality that the Namia team was looking for. No small feat with more than 250 total images to deliver. 

Overall the weather, light, and hotel itself cooperated to create a set of unique images that I am proud to have made.

Stay tuned for part three. Putting on my Producer Hat for the video production. As well, you can pop over to the Cake Collective blog and get a different perspective on the entire shoot.

Happy reading!