Makeup by Elizabeth Chang

Next time you go to a hotel and ask yourself who knows who’s been on the furniture you’re sitting, eating, or sleeping on, just think of one of my photo shoots. Bon appétit!

My last project took place at The Standard in Downtown LA. Undoubtedly one of the largest rooms I’ve ever gotten at a hotel, for a great price too! A room with the same cost in New York City would be 250 square feet, while this one was 710 square feet. The emperor bed (larger than a king) is big enough for any NBA player and the bath tub can fit at least 5 ladies. I booked the Wow! room, and everything in there really makes you go “wow!”

I heart hotels. The crux of my travels is deciding what hotels I will be staying at for photography purposes. For that, I have to thank Tablet Hotels and Trip Advisor and their members for contributing photos. I always enjoy the service and secludedness of staying away at a hotel, though I usually stay by myself which is only half the fun.

Hotel on Rivington, New York, NY

One of my favorite spots in New York is Hotel on Rivington, which I’ve been to at least five times, and every time, the floor plan is different and the bathroom is different. The bed feels luxurious because the mattress is memory foam, I haven’t found any other hotels that uses the same. This hotel is one of the few that has floor to ceiling windows, which is amazing for natural light photos during the day. Of course the higher the floor, the better the results. While all the beds are the same in every room, the bathrooms are all different. The tiles range from small black squares, to bright yellow, to gray concrete slabs. Some bathrooms have one shower head, dual shower heads, Japanese soaking tubs, or even a stand alone egg-shaped tub. The color theme of the room is pretty much always white and black, with the only hint of color from the dark wooden closet doors and possibly the bathroom tiles. Almost every luxury hotel room nowadays has an iPod player/alarm clock.

Luxe Hotel, Los Angeles, CA

The red and gray Asian theme of the Vista Suite at the Luxe Hotel immediately drew my attention. I’ve booked my rooms with modern theme or a vintage theme, but nothing like this. In fact, there are 5 different seating types just in that suite alone. The bed has an adjustable canopy which is huge on sexy points, as well as an outdoor balcony, and a jacuzzi bath tub. The bath tub however would seem difficult for anyone shorter than 5 feet 6 inches to climb in. The suites are separated from the regular rooms higher up on the cliff, where you have to drive uphill, and adds to the secluded ambiance and a better overall view. I enjoy details in the room such as the fabric texture lining the entire wall of the suite. Needless to say, the suite is absolutely huge and I wish I could have thrown a model party in there.

Mondrian Hotel, West Hollywood, CA

I could never get sick of white, especially when combined with an entire wall of windows. I chose this hotel because of the modern-Victorian style of the headboard and oversized sofa. My theory is, if I can get the perfect shot with that as a background, then the room will be worth it. The wall is also textured which reminds me of a wedding cake. A gimmicky feature of this hotel is the seamless TV hidden behind a swivel mirror. The LCD TV screen seamlessly merges with the mirror and is a neat trick, but can be annoying if you’re also staring at the reflection of the room and yourself while watching a show. The shower stall has a great adjustable/detachable shower head. It can be set to any height and angle. You can also switch to the ceiling shower, though not nearly as powerful as the main shower head. The ceramic like tiles give the shower stall a roomy reverb sound, which I can only imagine would be amazing for singing.

While the mirror wall makes the room look larger, mirrors are always annoying in photography, especially when using flash. Mirrors reflect lights all over the place and also reflect your equipment if you’re not careful. The sheer curtains help with softening up the natural light, which will always provide the most flattering lighting conditions.

I have often been asked who my favorite model is, a valid question but a hard one to answer. As time goes by, people come and go, I have to constantly find new faces to keep my work alive. So even though I may have an immediate favorite individual that sparks my interest, I know her own interest in modeling will only last a few sessions before she moves on. So what’s the point of having a favorite if you can’t keep it?

Perhaps I can better answer the question by revealing who have been my favorite models to date, and who I believe have made the greatest impact, impression, and pleasure to my work. I could easily describe my sessions shared with each of the following individuals as nothing but bliss, or a taste of heaven. Each girl offered a different look, a different experience, and a different personality, all contributing to the many factors in why each are my favorites. In actuality, my viewer responses also contributed in how successful I think a set turned out, and all three of these girls received nothing but the best. When there are females admitting they would turn gay for one of my female models, that’s another sign I picked a jewel.

If I could give my left pinkie toe to share the experience with these three lovely ladies again, I would. In fact, I have a session scheduled with one of them in a few days, so stay tuned! I am giddy.

Feel free to leave comments on who your favorite models have been!

Seira (San Diego), Nicole (Los Angeles), Liz (New York City)