You know that old line “don’t work with kids or dogs”? Well, we did both recently—but with very happy results. It all happened in April, when Dana headed to DC on a photo shoot for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Our itinerary: three days, three Kimpton Hotels and 24 signature shots. Our goal: to create a collection of images that would capture the fun, style, warmth and sophistication of the Kimpton brand.

Did we mention the pace was frantic?

Lucky for us, the Kimpton teams were kind and welcoming as we commandeered spaces at the Hotel Monaco DC, the Hotel Palomar DC and the Hotel Palomar Arlington. The hotels were very photogenic (each in its own distinctive way), and the food was fresh and delicious. We were also fortunate to work with a talented photographer (Kingmond Young), great stylists, a group of high-energy models and, of course, our adorable canine star, Keli. (Please, can we adopt her?)

In keeping with Kimpton’s tagline, Stay true to you™, our shot list included lifestyle scenes of guests being themselves, having fun, feeling at home and enjoying the moment. We carefully selected our models to show the spirit of individuality that is so strong at Kimpton and made sure to include signature brand elements, like the hosted wine hour, pet-friendly policy, chef-run restaurants and goldfish bowl.