← Selected work

DREY HOTEL · INDEPENDENT VISUAL STUDY

A sense of place.
Before you arrive.

I photographed and edited a series at Drey Hotel, then shaped the imagery into a concept deck exploring the atmosphere of the space.

MY ROLEPhotography · Photo editing · Art direction · Presentation design

Self-initiated presentation exercise, using Drey Hotel in Dallas as the subject.

Warm wood, woven pendant lights and blue lounge chairs surrounding a fireplace at Drey Hotel
The lounge sets the tone: warm materials, soft light and spaces arranged for conversation.

Turn a place
into a point of view.

I put this deck together as a quick presentation exercise. The starting question was simple: how could a sequence of images make the hotel’s atmosphere felt before someone arrives?

I shot, edited and selected the photographs around recurring qualities in the space: warm wood, woven textures, strong architectural lines and intimate seating areas. Those details became the basis for the deck’s visual direction.

Repeated woven pendant lights leading through the hotel lounge
Repetition — pendant lights and ceiling lines draw the eye through the room.
Sculpted plaster wall beside a passage to a softly lit lounge
Texture — a closer architectural view gives the sequence a quieter moment.
Facing sofas framing a coffee table against a wall of wine bottles
Balance — the centered composition makes the seating area feel composed and intimate.

Give the images
a rhythm.

The sequence moves between wider room views and more focused architectural details. That change in scale gives each image a purpose: establish the setting, notice a material, then return to the larger space.

The bar adds another kind of energy. Its long counter and repeated shelving shift the emphasis from quiet seating to a place for gathering.

Long wood bar counter and illuminated shelves at Drey Hotel
The bar introduces a more social setting within the same warm visual palette.

Carry the mood
onto the page.

I paired serif headlines with restrained supporting type, warm accents and dark backgrounds. The layouts alternate between photographs that fill the frame and compositions with more space around the text.

Short phrases give the presentation a voice without making the images compete with long explanations. These original deck excerpts show how the photographic selection became a cohesive presentation.

Drey Hotel opening deck layout with lounge portrait
01 — Opening layout.
Drey lounge layout with Open, Inviting, Intentional text
03 — Open. Inviting. Intentional.
Pendant lighting layout with Repetition, Rhythm, Warm Geometry text
04 — Repetition. Rhythm. Warm geometry.
Two lounge photographs in a deck layout about conversation
06 — Designed for conversation.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Behind the image.

I handled the photography and photo editing as well as the deck’s visual direction. This behind-the-scenes time-lapse shows me working with the subject in the lounge—the setting for the portrait used on the opening slide.

It connects the finished presentation to the shoot that made it possible.

On location at Drey Hotel · 25-second time-lapse · No audio.

The result is a compact concept presentation built around a consistent mood. It demonstrates how image selection and page design can turn a collection of photographs into a clear visual story.

Photography, photo editing, art direction and presentation design: Aaron Munoz. Independent concept study. Hotel architecture and interior design are the subject of the work.

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