Legacy Resort Hotel & Spa | San Diego, California

Summary: An ongoing partnership spanning three still photography and drone video shoots. Now the images inform the entire visual brand for an independent San Diego resort.

The brief: Legacy Resort Hotel & Spa needed photography that matched the ambition of the property: a full-service, independent resort with restaurants, event spaces, a spa, and some of the more unique meeting venues in San Diego, including a domed IMAX theater and an LED globe display suitable for large events. The goal was a cohesive, high-end visual identity. It works hard to show prospective guests and event planners the property's full range before they ever set foot on-site.

The approach: The first shoot covered the full property over one week. I photographed guest rooms, restaurants and bar, spa and gym, and a full sweep of conference and event spaces, including a “fishbowl” conference room, breakout rooms, ballrooms, and a domed theater. Food and drink photography was prioritized to help drive restaurant and bar revenue beyond hotel guests, given the property's location among other hotels and daytime office and commercial traffic in Mission Valley. Some of the event spaces required extensive layered work in post — the LED globe display, for example, needed multiple exposures to show different projected images within the same table setup. Event coordinators reached out to have me attend a live charity event to show the main conference room and outdoor bar in a real, configured use case. The client asked for drone footage from the shoot edited into :15 and :30 videos for online booking platforms. Additional shoots have followed since, and the resulting photography and video now form the resort's complete visual brand.

Outcome: Legacy now uses my still photography and drone video across the resort's full marketing footprint. Legacy uses the images in a combination of digital and print assets, from key cards and trade show materials to digital presentations and advertising. Restaurant and food imagery has driven measurable interest in the property's dining outside of hotel guests, and the event space photography is used directly by the resort's meetings and sales team to show prospective clients the property's capability.

From the client: ”Andy is my go-to photographer for my clients. He knows technically what needs to be done, has an excellent creative vision, and understands the various use cases in modern marketing. He's always on time, delivers the specific deliverables by deadline, and goes the extra mile at the shoot and in post-production to make sure you're set for what you need. I highly recommend him for photography, video, and drone work.” — Steve Saars, owner, Parallel Interactive [Legacy Resort Hotel & Spa marketing consultant]