Contemporary hotel photographed at night, windows lit — architecture photographer Arnaud Chapelle

Architecture · interiors · Normandy

Architecture
& interior photographer.

Completed buildings, hotels, luxury interiors, gîtes: I photograph places for the people who designed them, run them or rent them out.

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How I work

By day, and by night.

For a building, I often shoot two series: one by day, one by night.

I like hard light. Playing with the sun, and even with the rain. It is the shadows that build the volume. Light coming through the glass brings out the colours and makes the façades come alive.

Who it is for

Four ways to show a place.

Architects Your completed buildings, for your website, brochures and submissions. See the photos ↓ Hotels Façade, rooms, lounges, bar. Images that make people want to book. See the photos ↓ Luxury real estate Interiors shown at their best, to sell or to let. See the photos ↓ Gîtes and B&Bs Photos for your listings on booking platforms and for your own website. See the photos ↓
On site

How a shoot works.

A shoot takes between one and two hours on site.

The place needs to be clean and tidy. If something gets in the way of the image, I take the liberty of rearranging the room. I finish that clean-up in retouching, with a few small corrections.

I straighten the verticals on some photos. Others deserve to keep their leaning lines: that is what gives them their energy.

I deliver a gallery of around 50 photos, within 15 days. The client receives full usage rights, and the quote is set accordingly.

Gallery

Some of the places I have photographed.

Buildings For architects

Glass-walled office lobby, armchairs in the light
Timber and metal-clad extension beside stone houses
Shadows of sun louvres across a school corridor
Contemporary school building, timber cladding and white façade
Columns seen from below under a porch, low sun
Perforated metal façade, detail
Pointed roof edge against a blue sky
Steel canopy structure seen from below
Glazed corner of a retail building in full sun
Timber columns of a restaurant at dusk
Radiating timber roof structure and pendant lights
Circular restaurant lit up at night
Red façade and black cladding of a commercial building
Timber ceiling and coloured acoustic panels
Textured showroom floor under a top light

Hotels For hoteliers

Contemporary timber and metal hotel, seen from the garden
The same hotel at night, windows lit
Hotel room, marquetry wood headboard
Patterned balustrades on a hotel terrace
Attic lounge in a luxury hotel
Hotel room with duck-egg panelling
Hotel lounge, lamps and yellow sofas
Circular hotel bar beneath its chandeliers
Lit shelving in a hotel
Colourful breakfast area of a hotel
Detail of cushions embroidered with anchors
Hotel room with wood-clad walls
Wooden high table and pendant lights in a hotel
Hotel bar, orange lampshades and lit shelves

Luxury interiors For luxury real estate

Dark bedroom, palm-print wallpaper and wooden headboard
Bright living room, long white unit and paintings
Bespoke library with ladder and piano
Apartment hallway, dark joinery and indirect lighting

Gîtes and B&Bs For owners

Stone gîte house on its lawn
Bedroom under exposed beams, floral wallpaper
Blue kitchen in a gîte
Quoted case by case

Every place is different.

Tell me what you want to show, where the building is, and whether you would also like night views. I send you a detailed quote within 48 hours.

Travel is a flat fee based on distance, set out in the quote. Photos are delivered within 15 days.

For team headshots and business reportage, see the corporate photographer page, which also lists the companies that have trusted me.

Architecture

Frequently asked questions.

How much does an architectural photo shoot cost?
It is quoted case by case, because every place is different: a gîte, a hotel and a public building do not take the same time. Tell me what you want to show, where the building is and whether you would also like night views. I send you a detailed quote within 48 hours. Travel is a flat fee based on distance, set out in the quote.
How quickly are architectural photos delivered?
Within fifteen days, in a gallery of around 50 photos, retouched and in high resolution.
What can I do with the architectural photos?
The client receives full usage rights: website, brochures, listings, press, publications. The quote is set accordingly.
Does the place need to be prepared before the shoot?
The place needs to be clean and tidy. If something gets in the way of the image, I take the liberty of rearranging the room, and I finish that clean-up in retouching with a few small corrections. On site, the shoot takes between one and two hours.
Do you photograph buildings at night?
Yes. For a building, and especially for an exterior, I often shoot two series: one by day, one by night, when the windows light up. The two do not tell the same story.
Where do you work as an architectural photographer?
I am based in Saint-Lô, Normandy. I work across Normandy and Brittany, and anywhere in France on request. Travel is always set out in the quote.

Let’s talk about your place.

A detailed quote within 48 hours.

• Request a quote