Lunara Bay
Lunara Bay
Building a Brand from Scratch in Key West
Building a Brand from Scratch in Key West
Spoiler: It Turned Out Great.
Spoiler: It Turned Out Great.
Spoiler: It Turned Out Great.
Overview
Overview
Overview
"Narrowing these down was like hell on earth. It was like, oh my God, I want them all."
Elizabeth Baldwin
,
Art Director, Brightwild
"Narrowing these down was like hell on earth. It was like, oh my God, I want them all."
Elizabeth Baldwin
,
Art Director, Brightwild
"Narrowing these down was like hell on earth. It was like, oh my God, I want them all."
Elizabeth Baldwin
,
Art Director, Brightwild
When the Creative Margin Creates the Best Work
When the Creative Margin Creates the Best Work
When the Creative Margin Creates the Best Work
Brightwild manages luxury vacation homes in Key West. Their newest property, Lunara Bay, had 26 homes nearing completion and no photography to match. They needed a full visual library before their September website relaunch. Chalant produced a week-long lifestyle photo shoot on location in the Keys, and what started as 40 photos turned into 112 finished images that became the visual foundation for the entire brand.
Brightwild manages luxury vacation homes in Key West. Their newest property, Lunara Bay, had 26 homes nearing completion and no photography to match. They needed a full visual library before their September website relaunch. Chalant produced a week-long lifestyle photo shoot on location in the Keys, and what started as 40 photos turned into 112 finished images that became the visual foundation for the entire brand.
Client:
Client:
Brightwild / Lunara Bay
Brightwild / Lunara Bay
Industry:
Industry:
Luxury Hospitality
Luxury Hospitality
Agency
Agency
Chalant
Chalant
Production Company
Production Company
Chalant
Chalant
Project Type
Project Type
Lifestyle Photo Campaign
Lifestyle Photo Campaign
Timeline:
Timeline:
Pre-production May – Delivery Sep 2025
Pre-production May – Delivery Sep 2025
Location
Location
📍 Key West, Florida
📍 Key West, Florida
Deliverables
Deliverables
112 edited lifestyle photos
112 edited lifestyle photos
Before We Got Involved
Before We Got Involved
Before We Got Involved
Lunara Bay's previous imagery was functional, corporate. You could see the spaces, but you couldn't feel them. The team at Brightwild, led by Dave Imber and Elizabeth Baldwin, knew the difference between documentation and storytelling. They wanted images that made people imagine their family in those homes.
The scope was ambitious: 26 luxury properties, six models from Miami plus local talent, boats, catering, a full production week across three shooting days. But Brightwild understood something important. They didn't dictate every shot. They trusted the creative process.
Lunara Bay's previous imagery was functional, corporate. You could see the spaces, but you couldn't feel them. The team at Brightwild, led by Dave Imber and Elizabeth Baldwin, knew the difference between documentation and storytelling. They wanted images that made people imagine their family in those homes.
The scope was ambitious: 26 luxury properties, six models from Miami plus local talent, boats, catering, a full production week across three shooting days. But Brightwild understood something important. They didn't dictate every shot. They trusted the creative process.
Lunara Bay's previous imagery was functional, corporate. You could see the spaces, but you couldn't feel them. The team at Brightwild, led by Dave Imber and Elizabeth Baldwin, knew the difference between documentation and storytelling. They wanted images that made people imagine their family in those homes.
The scope was ambitious: 26 luxury properties, six models from Miami plus local talent, boats, catering, a full production week across three shooting days. But Brightwild understood something important. They didn't dictate every shot. They trusted the creative process.
What We Did Differently
What We Did Differently
What We Did Differently
Shot List vs. Creative Direction
We could've worked shot-by-shot from a list. Instead, we built a framework. We knew the properties, the archetypes, the lifestyle moments that mattered. Then we gave our photographer Patrick and our stylist Josh room to find what worked on the day.
This isn't luck. It's margin. When you build time into the schedule instead of squeezing every second, the best work appears. Unplanned angles. Natural light you didn't anticipate. A moment between moments.
The In-Between
The spaces looked beautiful, but the real magic happened when people weren't posing. A kid reaching for a snack. Someone laughing at the dock. The way a model's silhouette hit against the ocean at golden hour.
Dave said it best: "It's the photos taken in the in-between moments that are the most beautiful." That philosophy changed everything. We weren't just filling a shot list. We were hunting for authentic moments inside authentic spaces.
Why It Became 112
We arrived Monday, scouted Tuesday, shot Wednesday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday as weather flex. By Friday, Elizabeth and Dave realized the images were exceeding expectations. The quality was there. The variety was there. Why stop at 40?
Patrick went back weeks later for additional shots, on his own initiative. That's the sign. When a photographer volunteers to return because he knows there's more magic to capture, the client knows they're holding something special.
Shot List vs. Creative Direction
We could've worked shot-by-shot from a list. Instead, we built a framework. We knew the properties, the archetypes, the lifestyle moments that mattered. Then we gave our photographer Patrick and our stylist Josh room to find what worked on the day.
This isn't luck. It's margin. When you build time into the schedule instead of squeezing every second, the best work appears. Unplanned angles. Natural light you didn't anticipate. A moment between moments.
The In-Between
The spaces looked beautiful, but the real magic happened when people weren't posing. A kid reaching for a snack. Someone laughing at the dock. The way a model's silhouette hit against the ocean at golden hour.
Dave said it best: "It's the photos taken in the in-between moments that are the most beautiful." That philosophy changed everything. We weren't just filling a shot list. We were hunting for authentic moments inside authentic spaces.
Why It Became 112
We arrived Monday, scouted Tuesday, shot Wednesday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday as weather flex. By Friday, Elizabeth and Dave realized the images were exceeding expectations. The quality was there. The variety was there. Why stop at 40?
Patrick went back weeks later for additional shots, on his own initiative. That's the sign. When a photographer volunteers to return because he knows there's more magic to capture, the client knows they're holding something special.
Shot List vs. Creative Direction
We could've worked shot-by-shot from a list. Instead, we built a framework. We knew the properties, the archetypes, the lifestyle moments that mattered. Then we gave our photographer Patrick and our stylist Josh room to find what worked on the day.
This isn't luck. It's margin. When you build time into the schedule instead of squeezing every second, the best work appears. Unplanned angles. Natural light you didn't anticipate. A moment between moments.
The In-Between
The spaces looked beautiful, but the real magic happened when people weren't posing. A kid reaching for a snack. Someone laughing at the dock. The way a model's silhouette hit against the ocean at golden hour.
Dave said it best: "It's the photos taken in the in-between moments that are the most beautiful." That philosophy changed everything. We weren't just filling a shot list. We were hunting for authentic moments inside authentic spaces.
Why It Became 112
We arrived Monday, scouted Tuesday, shot Wednesday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday as weather flex. By Friday, Elizabeth and Dave realized the images were exceeding expectations. The quality was there. The variety was there. Why stop at 40?
Patrick went back weeks later for additional shots, on his own initiative. That's the sign. When a photographer volunteers to return because he knows there's more magic to capture, the client knows they're holding something special.
Results
Results
Results
112 final edited assets delivered (nearly 3x original scope)
Website 2.0 launched September 1 with complete photo integration
Immediate repeat engagement within weeks
Created a reference collection for future luxury hospitality work
Proved that creative margin drives better final product
112 final edited assets delivered (nearly 3x original scope)
Website 2.0 launched September 1 with complete photo integration
Immediate repeat engagement within weeks
Created a reference collection for future luxury hospitality work
Proved that creative margin drives better final product
112 final edited assets delivered (nearly 3x original scope)
Website 2.0 launched September 1 with complete photo integration
Immediate repeat engagement within weeks
Created a reference collection for future luxury hospitality work
Proved that creative margin drives better final product
What We Learned
What We Learned
What We Learned
Luxury hospitality buyers don't want perfection. They want possibility. They want to see themselves in the space, doing the things that matter to them. When you shoot with enough margin to find those moments, and when you trust your crew to make creative calls in real time, the work becomes something the client doesn't want to stop. Brightwild didn't just get their photo library. They got proof that you can over-deliver by refusing to cut corners when the work is this strong.
Luxury hospitality buyers don't want perfection. They want possibility. They want to see themselves in the space, doing the things that matter to them. When you shoot with enough margin to find those moments, and when you trust your crew to make creative calls in real time, the work becomes something the client doesn't want to stop. Brightwild didn't just get their photo library. They got proof that you can over-deliver by refusing to cut corners when the work is this strong.
Luxury hospitality buyers don't want perfection. They want possibility. They want to see themselves in the space, doing the things that matter to them. When you shoot with enough margin to find those moments, and when you trust your crew to make creative calls in real time, the work becomes something the client doesn't want to stop. Brightwild didn't just get their photo library. They got proof that you can over-deliver by refusing to cut corners when the work is this strong.
Client feedback
Client feedback
"It's the photos taken in the in-between moments that are the most beautiful."
Dave Imber
,
Director of Brand & Marketing, Brightwild
"It's the photos taken in the in-between moments that are the most beautiful."
Dave Imber
,
Director of Brand & Marketing, Brightwild
"It's the photos taken in the in-between moments that are the most beautiful."
Dave Imber
,
Director of Brand & Marketing, Brightwild
"McClain is an awesome dude and is an incredible producer that I looped into things on my end to help bring this to life."
Patrick Michael Chin
,
Photographer
"McClain is an awesome dude and is an incredible producer that I looped into things on my end to help bring this to life."
Patrick Michael Chin
,
Photographer
"McClain is an awesome dude and is an incredible producer that I looped into things on my end to help bring this to life."
Patrick Michael Chin
,
Photographer
If your property needs photography that makes people book instead of browse, we should talk.
If your property needs photography that makes people book instead of browse, we should talk.
If your property needs photography that makes people book instead of browse, we should talk.
More Projects:
More Projects:
More Projects:
Start the conversation today
Let’s make something that feels good to create
— and good to share.
Do you prefer email?
hello@chalant.us
Copied
How do we connect?
We reply within 24 hours
Direct access to our team — no bots.
We ask smart questions fast.
Team leader
Start the conversation today
Let’s make something that feels good to create
— and good to share.
Do you prefer email?
hello@chalant.us
Copied
How do we connect?
We reply within 24 hours
Direct access to our team — no bots.
We ask smart questions fast.
Team leader
Start the conversation today
Let’s make something that feels good to create
— and good to share.
Do you prefer email?
hello@chalant.us
Copied
How do we connect?
We reply within 24 hours
Direct access to our team — no bots.
We ask smart questions fast.
Team leader