L’Auberge Del Mar sits in the heart of the Del Mar village, a short walk from the sand, and it’s the kind of place people come back to. As it turns out, so did I. Noble House and the hotel’s marketing team brought me in for three campaigns, on the recommendation of Missing Piece Marketing, and I’ve worked closely with the team ever since.

The brief always came back to the same thing: show people what it actually feels like to stay here. That meant the long brunch at Adelaide, a spritz by the ocean-view pool, and coffee in a robe after the spa, in imagery that works as hard in a paid ad as it does on a booking site.

Two guests at brunch at Adelaide, L’Auberge Del Mar’s restaurant, with pancakes, fresh berries, and green juice, hotel food and beverage photography
Branded L’Auberge Del Mar beach chairs with a straw sun hat and an Aperol spritz on the sand in Del Mar, California, photographed by Chelsea Loren
Guest in sunglasses sipping white wine at the edge of the ocean-view pool at L’Auberge Del Mar, luxury resort lifestyle photography

Luxury resort and hotel restaurant photography for L’Auberge Del Mar, shot across
three campaigns on a fully open beachfront property.

L’Auberge Del Mar — Luxury Resort & Hospitality Campaign Photography

Production Scope:

Creative direction · Model and talent casting · Wardrobe styling · Production and shoot management · Food and beverage photography · Lifestyle and property photography · Post-production and delivery

I worked as photographer, creative director, producer, stylist, and casting director on every campaign.

Nothing was shut down for us. Guests were at the pool, Adelaide was serving, and the beach belonged to whoever got there first. Each campaign ran one to two days with around five talent and multiple wardrobe looks, scheduled around the resort’s rhythm rather than against it.

Every shoot started with a creative directive: storylines built around why people actually book. A staycation. A babymoon. A work trip that turns into a long weekend. Each storyline had its own shot list, props, wardrobe, and timeline, which let us balance evergreen imagery with seasonal content timed to the hotel’s marketing calendar.

Food and beverage carried much of the story. Adelaide’s brunch and seafood, cocktails at the Living Room Bar, and frozen drinks at the Pool Bar all became scenes of their own, styled to make you hungry and a little jealous of whoever’s sitting there.

Some shots are harder than they look. Two beach chairs and a cocktail on the sand sounds simple, until the wind picks up, someone’s volleyball game drifts into frame, and the ice starts melting.

Guest holding a latte by the window beside tortoiseshell sunglasses and a branded L’Auberge Del Mar guide, coastal hotel lifestyle photographyGuest in an L’Auberge Del Mar robe reading the newspaper in bed during a slow morning in a guest room, luxury hotel room photographyFrench toast with powdered sugar, fresh berries, and edible flowers served with champagne at Adelaide, hotel brunch and food photographyRoom key card handed to a guest at check-in at L’Auberge Del Mar, a Noble House resort, guest arrival photographyStone L’Auberge Del Mar entrance sign under a clear blue sky in Del Mar, California, luxury resort property photographyPalm trees and pink ice plant blooms above Del Mar village with the Pacific Ocean beyond, coastal grounds at L’Auberge Del MarCouple laughing in L’Auberge Del Mar robes in bed with coffee and a magazine, a relaxed morning captured for a luxury resort campaignCup of coffee resting on the morning newspaper across crisp white bedding in a guest room at L’Auberge Del Mar, hotel room detail photographyGuest relaxing during a facial with gold under-eye masks at Spa L’Auberge in Del Mar, luxury hotel spa photography

TESTIMONIAL

Rolled spa towel with a gardenia, a dry body brush, and pink Himalayan salt stones set for a treatment at Spa L’Auberge, hotel spa detail photographyBadminton rackets, a shuttlecock, and a branded L’Auberge Del Mar water bottle casting shadows on a green court, resort amenity photographySurfer carrying a board along Del Mar beach at golden hour, framed by blooming sea lavender near L’Auberge Del Mar, coastal resort photographyLaughing guest in a Spa L’Auberge robe raising a glass of champagne after her treatment at L’Auberge Del MarGuest in a plush spa robe resting on a lounger with a cup of green tea between treatments at Spa L’AubergeEsthetician massaging a guest’s temples during a gold eye-mask facial at Spa L’Auberge, luxury resort spa campaign photographyGuest in a towel turban and L’Auberge Del Mar robe sipping coffee from a cup and saucer in bed, slow-morning hotel lifestyle photographyCouple cuddled up in L’Auberge Del Mar robes in a bright guest room, a romantic getaway moment for a luxury hotel campaignChilaquiles with fried eggs, avocado, radish, and pickled onion beside green juice and an orange dahlia at Adelaide, hotel restaurant photographyChelseaLoren-L'AubergeDelMar-178Guest in a straw boater hat and brown swimsuit lounging poolside with a glass of rosé at L’Auberge Del Mar, luxury resort pool photographyWhite beach cruiser bikes with baskets and a California L’Auberge license plate, ready for guests to ride into Del Mar villageCouple toasting champagne on a guest room balcony overlooking the rooftops and pool umbrellas of L’Auberge Del Mar, luxury hotel lifestyle photographyCouple walking hand in hand out of the lobby entrance at L’Auberge Del Mar in linen and an embroidered sundress, guest arrival photographyHand reaching for grilled prawns with charred lime and herb sauce at Adelaide, surrounded by roasted vegetables, hotel restaurant food photography

“Chelsea is nothing short of amazing. Throughout the whole process, we have always felt confident with our choice of working with her on projects… She is professional, timely, very helpful, and so thoughtfully creative. The creative directive was magical and the best thing I have ever experienced while working with photographers.”
— Maddy, Missing Piece Marketing

Guest in a spa robe sipping tea in the doorway of a sunlit courtyard with a fire pit and lounger after a treatment at Spa L’Auberge

USAGE:
Paid media, website, booking platforms, social, and editorial and press features. Licensed in perpetuity, and still in rotation across every channel today.

Chef in a denim apron presenting a dish to a smiling couple at their table in Adelaide restaurant at L’Auberge Del MarGrilled oysters with charred lime served in a pan beside the Living Room Bar menu at L’Auberge Del Mar, hotel bar food photographyOld fashioned with a cherry garnish in a cut-crystal glass casting a golden shadow across a wooden table, cocktail photography for a luxury hotelCouple toasting coupe cocktails at sunset with the glowing pool and Pacific horizon behind them at L’Auberge Del Mar, evening resort photographyOverhead of a shared table at Adelaide with steak, prawns, crudo, fries, red wine, and cocktails, luxury hotel restaurant photographyBartender torching a spiced coffee cocktail in a burst of sparks at the bar at L’Auberge Del Mar, hotel bar and cocktail photographyFrothy citrus sour garnished with an edible flower on a marble bar beside fresh lemons, oranges, and an Adelaide menu, hotel cocktail photographyFriends raising cocktails and red wine over shared plates on the sunny patio at Adelaide, hospitality food and beverage photographyGuest squeezing lime over small plates at Adelaide, with a bowl of prawns and an espresso martini on the table, resort dining photography

Marketing a luxury hotel or resort, in-house or at an agency? Let’s plan your next campaign.

send an inquiry here

Surfer walking the shoreline at sunrise past blooming ice plant on the bluff below L’Auberge Del Mar, Southern California beach resort photography

Client: L’Auberge Del Mar / Noble House Hotels & Resorts
Agency: Missing Piece Marketing
Photography, Creative Direction & Production: Chelsea Loren
Casting & Wardrobe Styling: Chelsea Loren
Location: Del Mar, California

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Hands reaching for cookies and pastries on a white plate, overhead food photography by Chelsea LorenLifestyle brand photography of a woman at a café styled for a commercial campaign, photographed by California commercial lifestyle photographer Chelsea LorenSan Diego commercial lifestyle photographer Chelsea Loren on set with a film cameraLifestyle product photography of a home fragrance reed diffuser styled for a brand campaign, photographed by San Diego commercial photographer Chelsea LorenCommercial lifestyle fashion photography of a model in a white tee against a pink wall for a brand campaign, photographed by California commercial photographer Chelsea Loren

Chelsea Loren Photography

Chelsea Loren is a commercial photographer, creative director, and producer based in San Diego, working with premium hospitality, fashion, food, wellness, and family brands worldwide.

© Chelsea loren photography