Interior Design Archives - David Marquardt Architectural Photography

Caesars Forum

August 25, 2020/in Architecture, Convention, Hospitality, Interior Design/by David Marquardt

After having been commissioned to come in and snap some construction photos of Caesars’ new convention space, Caesars Forum, we had the privilege of shooting the completed space for design firm KGA. Stunning with its bright, sweeping wide spaces yet littered with wonderful interior details, Caesars Forum adds spacious and beautiful options to future Vegas events. While the timing of COVID19 is unfortunate for the opening of such a wonderfully designed space, there’s no doubt that events will eventually (sic) find their perfect spot at the Forum.

Below are a few of our construction photos–just for fun.

Woodside Homes Model Home Photography

June 5, 2019/in Interior Design, Real Estate, What's New/by David Marquardt

We always love to shoot beautiful spaces. Woodside Homes recently gave us a call to photograph the models homes of two newly opened communities in Henderson. The photography for San Remo Townhomes and Alta Fiore at Lake Las Vegas allowed us to create images of some beautifully designed interiors and create real estate images which are more work-intensive, and in the end, a little more crafted than our more affordable real estate photography offerings.

While it seems counterintuitive, shooting during the day is typically much more work than shooting in the evening. There’s no brighter light to compete with than the sun and when sunlight comes pouring through windows with no window coverings (as is typical with model homes) you need to match that brightness with flash lighting inside to keep the windows balanced. What’s more, builders want to showcase their interior lighting–light which doesn’t match daylight. That means we need to find ways with lighting and post-processing to keep colors consistent and avoid blue and orange color casts which are the result of differing sources of light. To illustrate this point, we threw in an out-of-camera shot of one of these spaces which was shot in RAW and balanced as well as we could without supplemental lighting and compositing in post-production. It’s not bad, but it’s not the same.

Without getting too technical, the bottom line is that shooting during the day can pose some real obstacles to getting quality images. Here is a series of living room and kitchen combos, which tend to be the signature shot of these space. We hope you like what you see!

One Stunning Office Building in Summerlin

December 1, 2018/in Architecture, Commercial, Exteriors and Landscape, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

4:30AM must qualify as one of the most horrible and unpopular hours of the day. Great things don’t happen at 4:30. Even for a town like Las Vegas, by 4:30 most of the fun has already happened, and for anyone else awake at that hour, it either means you have a new baby or you have a cruel employer. But on occasion, a very early hour lends itself to some great photos.

VCC, the contractor tasked with building the Two Summerlin office building in Downtown Summerlin, just across from Red Rock Casino, needed some great portfolio images of the brand-new beautiful building just completed. Since we wanted to shoot the space at a dramatic twilight hour but dusk put the setting sun directly behind the building creating less-than-flattering light. Consequently, we opted to shoot at dawn, putting us at the site at the aforementioned unsavory hour.

What’s more, shooting the building from the ground simply didn’t do justice to the stunning new edifice. From the adjacent parking garage, one is too close to shoot the full building–even with a wide-angle lens. So we enlisted the help of a scissor lift atop the parking structure to allow us to both move back and move up to capture a beautiful perspective of the new tower.

Start on the third floor of a parking structure and go up another 20 feet in a scissor lift and some great perspectives result.

We also shot the small, but beautiful elevator lobby, the restrooms and the elevator as well, and we thought the photos are certainly worthy of posting.

This final shot is a personal favorite; though the building isn’t centered, nor is the whole structure within the frame, it splits the building and distant Vegas lights nicely and distinctly places the tower in its neon-desert environment.

US Bureau of Reclamation

October 5, 2018/in Architecture, Commercial, Exteriors and Landscape, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

Workers hoping to get a job on the massive Boulder Dam (now called Hoover Dam) began setting up squatters camps near the chosen work site in 1930. These camps of prospective dam workers might be called the first citizens of Boulder City–a town assembled specifically to house the administration and workforce of the largest public works project in American history. Boulder City was built in a triangular shape and at the peak was the Bureau of Reclamation Administration Building, overlooking the town on one side and the subsequent lake which would be formed by the Dam’s construction. The Administration Building oversaw the successful completion of the Dam and continued to house those overseeing both the operation of the dam and the management of the resources it provided. For nearly ninety years the Administration Building operated without a major renovation–until in 2018 when the Bureau of Reclamation finally completed a full and long overdue restoration of the historic Administration building at 1200 Park in Boulder City.

Upon completion of the restoration, the US Bureau of Reclamation gave us the fantastic opportunity this summer to photograph the building in its fully-restored grandeur. From its iconic exterior to the bathrooms inside, nearly everything was redone, and nearly everything was photographed. Over two days we shot the carefully reconditioned structure both inside and out and delivered over 100 images of the beautiful new environment in which the employees of the Bureau of Reclamation now work. Below are a few samplings of the images we captured in this great project.

While in the previous exterior photo we enhanced the building with some supplemental lighting, we also included some much more natural images in the end bundle. The dramatic skies at dusk here are no sky replacement and all the light is ambient, giving a fairly perfect idea of what the building looks like on a long August night.

The conference room acts as both a normal meeting space, but can also double as a command center in times of crisis. We wanted to capture this particular space both in daytime, with all its natural light and at night to showcase its abundant and modern lighting.

In multiple parts of the building the preexisting materials were kept to echo the building’s historic roots. Here we see some exposed brick kept in a Bureau restroom.

On the tastefully restored patio the unique placement of the Administration can be appreciated as one can peer down upon Lake Mead, the child of the Boulder Dam Project, which delivers water and electricity to Las Vegas and numerous western states.

Interior Design Photography, Early 2018

May 15, 2018/in Interior Design/by David Marquardt

Interior design is one of our favorite subjects to shoot. So much care and detail goes into an interior space that crafting the right image often requires some time to stop and stare at what makes a space feel the way it does. Translating the life and feel of a space to photos can be tricky business when dealing with confined spaces, multi-colored interior lights, and huge contrasts between the bright and dark elements in a frame. Being able to resolve visual challenges while still staying focused on the mood and feel of a finished image is what makes shooting interior photography adventurous and gratifying.

The beginning of the year offered us some great opportunities to shoot stunning Vegas interiors. From a hip game room, to modern baths, to eclectic and richly decorated living spaces, we’ve seen a variety of fantastic designs in only the first few months of 2018. Interiors designers local to the city like Mark Tracy and Briana Tiberti seem to never stop when it comes to giving us a wealth of modern spaces to shoot.

T-Mobile Store on Las Vegas Boulevard

March 15, 2018/in Architecture, Commercial, Interior Design/by David Marquardt

Working with Seattle-based video production company Element7,we had the opportunity to photograph the brand-new T-mobile store on Las Vegas Boulevard next to MGM Grand. This massive two-story retail store boasts giant LED video screens, interactive VR station, snack bar, and even interactive restroom mirrors.

Producing great photos didn’t come without some real challenges:

The space immediately beside T-mobile was torn apart
We were not legally allowed to set up on the island on Las Vegas Boulevard right in front of the store which required us to shoot from across the street
Power lines were running past the store in layers
A horrid street lamp was right in the way of our only opening between the palm trees
The brightness of the video marquis above the store was out-of-this-world (and way out of any histogram)
We needed to contend with busy street traffic and sidewalk foot traffic

We spent 2 nights and an afternoon working to get comprehensive photography of the space and, in the end, delivered more than 100 finished photos to the client. Here is just a small sampling including a before shot of the exterior straight out of the camera.

(Straight out of camera: Notice the street lamp, power lines, cracked asphalt, damaged building to the right and the blazing video screen up top.)

Joan Rivers Frank Marino Residence

October 18, 2017/in Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

So much of the fun of being a photographer in Las Vegas is being able to go in and out of so many different, incredible spaces and to have the chance to tromp around the homes of Vegas icons like Frank Marino. The DIVA’s star who is famous for his renditions of Britney Spears, Cher, Madonna, and, of course, Joan Rivers, has been a Vegas headliner since 1985 and his home is a testament to his eccentricity.

Shooting for designer Mark Tracy, we only had two short hours to capture everything we needed (which was, in this case, “get everything you can, Dave”. From the wildly appointed living room, to the chandelier room, er dining room, to the disco-ball dog oracle in the master bedroom, everything was Rococo Nouveau. Check out the mirrored walls, the ornate wallpapers, and the shiny, shiny floors. Although this was a rush-rush type job, we were able to come away with over 50 images–moving very quickly.

SkinnyFats’ Third Location

March 1, 2017/in Architecture, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

SkinnyFats is taking Las Vegas by storm, offering healthy food options alongside some down and greasy guilty pleasures. With an innovative menu and fun interiors, the restaurant is making food look like an easy business. We were thrilled to be able to shoot some fast-food retail restaurant photography of their newest location in Centennial Hills. Opening locations as quick as possible you need to get some quality photos as quickly as possible and we’re happy to be a partner in getting the word out. With the exterior still under construction, we offer you a look at the very cool interior of the Centennial Hills location of this up-and-coming titan of a food chain.

Oddello Retail Space at World Market Las Vegas

February 5, 2017/in Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

In all our time living and shooting in Las Vegas we had never set foot in the massive World Market buildings just off the I-15 in downtown Las Vegas–until January. With the call to photography a brand new retail space inside World Market we finally had the opportunity to go inside on of these three massive edifices to do what we do best–capture a stunning space in a photograph. The Oddello store inside the “mall” is modern and beautiful with under-illuminated pedestals, bold graphics, and a generous amount of lighting. The blue and white retail space has a clean, modern feel and draws attention to the products being featured. We hope you like what we snapped!

2016 Photography for Mark Tracy

September 7, 2016/in Architecture, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

We’ve been shooting for Mark Tracy of Chemical Space for over a decade. Consequently, we’ve seen just about everything he’s designed. That said, we can say with a bit of authority that his recent design of a home in The Ridges shows his skill at designing clean, modern living spaces as well as any project he’s done. With stunning materials and open layouts, Mark is the quintessential executor of a Vegas space, making a comfortable, livable home which can quickly convert to a upscale party venue.