Celilo Inn, a Boutique Motel

Last week I had an overnight job in The Dalles, OR. A 50's era motel that has just gone through a head-to-toe makeover. They've hired a PR firm, Media Maison, who then contracted me to make some cool photos to help build "the buzz" for their grand re-opening next month. The "Inn" is perched high up on a hillside overlooking what used to be Celilo Falls, now The Dalles Dam. A nice view of Mt. Hood to the West as well. The interior design and furniture style are definitely cool, but with an abundance of class. The architecture and layout of the buildings screams 50's era family roadtrip motel. Lots of interesting textures and patterns. And the enormous wood laminated beams in front of the lobby and over the pool are impressive and richly finished.

This one started out with just me. Then Anna and I saw the opportunity for some much needed alone time and she decided to come along. We dropped the kid with her Grandma, tanked up the FJ, and hit the road. The original plan was for Anna to lounge poolside while I knocked off my shot list. When we got there we decided it might be fun, and more efficient, if Anna did some of the details on the shot list. We were both thrilled with how it all came out. Her set of images so strongly complemented mine that the overall take was much better than what I could've done alone. And we had a great time doing it. Now we just need to line up more of these, and in exotic locales no less.