Movenpick Waverly Phu Quoc

As a sort of continuation from a previous post, I found myself back at the marvelous Movenpick Resort in Phu Quoc, camera in hand and ready to work. But the story of how it all came to fruition needs to be told.

It was summer 2021, and Ho Chi Minh City, where we call home, was in the grips of a bad outbreak of the virus and enacting pretty strict measures trying to control it. This meant that if even one suspected case was in an alley or apartment block, they would quarantine everyone in the whole building for a week or more. Speaking from experience, this was the polar opposite of what I would call fun. So, it was early July, and having been trapped inside a few weeks prior, I could feel it was likely to happen again (and it did). I, with valiant effort, finally convinced my wife that we should get a way from the city for a little while and instead enjoy the sun and sands of Phu Quoc Island. Little did we know that just a few days after our arrival, all flights in the country would be shut down for the next three months or so, and we would call the island home for over 100 days.

Cut to near the end of our time on the island, when things were getting back to normal there and elsewhere in the country, Movenpick Resort asked us to come for a stay and a shoot before we headed back to the city. So, with my two favorite models in front of my lens again, we spent a few days capturing some lifestyle scenes, which was work to be sure, but much more enjoyable when it’s family you’re directing and clicking.

It’s been amazing to see Kela grow up in two sets of photos for the resort, shot about 18 months apart, and she’s become their brand ambassador of sorts, with these images on display around the hotel and online. I can’t wait until we’re able to get back again to create some new images!