Joel Found X Capella Singapore, Luxury Travels
“Joel Found is a luxury travel platform and advisory service that seeks to elevate the comprehensive experience of travel for enlightened travellers. We conceive and develop highly curated, immersive small group itineraries, exclusive offers and finally tuned bespoke private journeys. We aim to inspire your next trip with dynamic and immersive programs, and we aggregate travel ideas in atypical ways; fields-of-interest, passion points, brands and ultimate travel calendars.” https://www.joelfound.com/about-us/
I was honoured to be part of Joel Found’s close-knit event held at the luxurious Capella Singapore, where I got to witness both the beauty of the hotel and the community that came together for the occasion. My role was to provide Joel with marketing assets for his social media and website: photos, alongside a short highlight video.
We started with a networking session at one of the hotel’s bars, where guests gathered to share stories, laughter, and friendships. Portraying this part of the event was important because it reflected how warm and inviting Joel’s networking events truly are. I often find myself quietly observing from a corner, waiting for conversations and moments to unfold naturally. As simple as it sounds, in situations like these, people usually take time to warm up, maybe after a couple of drinks or once they discover common ground… and that is when the fun begins.
A major part of my job is patiently waiting with my camera in hand, anticipating who might laugh, react, or create an interesting moment worth capturing. Sometimes I can predict a scene before it happens, and other times, things unfold completely differently from what I imagined. Another challenge is switching between taking photos and videos. There is always a small window to capture meaningful moments, and more often than not, I find myself missing them because of the transition between the two. But that is part of the job. When a client wants both photo and video coverage, it can absolutely be done, though it comes with its own set of challenges. All in all, equipped with an external flash, a patient mindset, and my trusty 85mm f/1.8 lens, everything went smoothly.
Next, we moved into the dining area, where the magic truly happened. Before the event began, I captured photos and videos of the space, carefully focusing on the table arrangements, elegant tableware, name cards, and invitation cards. I approached the scene from the perspective of a product and real estate photographer/videographer, searching for angles that highlighted both the beauty of the setup and the effort the hotel staff put into creating a luxurious dining experience for their guests.
To complete the story, I also included shots of the hotel’s modern architecture and lush greenery, the expressions on guests’ faces as they entered the room, and the chefs carefully plating their masterpieces. During events like these, the main focus is naturally the event itself, but at the same time, it is often the little moments in between that bring everything together.
