I Photographed Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel in Nashville
You can see the care taken to represent Dolly’s brand in this room.
In 2025, I was contacted to photograph a new hotel that would be a significant project in Nashville, but it was under an NDA, so I had to bid on it with limited information. Shortly after winning the project, I found out that it was Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, TN.
What stood out to me about this one was how much planning went into it before I ever set foot on the property. We spent close to a year preparing to photograph this building, and not casually planning either, detailed, intricate planning about how we were going to capture the essence of Dolly’s flagship hotel.
Several months prior to the shoot, while the hotel was still very much under construction, we made a scouting trip to Nashville, where we walked the property, identified the spaces we would photograph, assessed the existing light, determined where the lighting would need to go, and started mapping out the production.
Not only was this planning necessary, but it also paid off in production: by the time the actual shoot began, we had planned every room down to the minute.
We estimated how long it would take to set up lighting, how long photography would take, when video needed to be in and out of each space, and how the crew would move through the hotel. Everything was in motion, and the need for coordination was apparent because the photo and video were happening simultaneously.
Originally, we had two full days booked for the shoot, but because of the amount of preparation that had gone into it, we were immediately ahead of schedule. We worked quickly and efficiently, ultimately completing the shoot in a single day rather than two. A two-day shoot being truncated to one isn’t the norm, but it’s a great testament to how preparation can pay off.
One of the many stylistic embellishments you’ll find across the hotel featuring portraits of Porter Wagoner, Johnny Cash, and Kenny Rodgers.
But how did we get it done so fast? Despite having a large crew, everyone was on the same page, expectations were clear, and everyone knew what they were supposed to do. Efficiency comes from planning, as simple as that. Had we not considered the variables beforehand, we could have ended up going back and forth, trying to make everything perfect instead of just sticking to the plan we made.
Before this project, I didn’t really know that much about Dolly Parton beyond what most people know. She was an incredibly famous country singer and a major cultural figure, but I had never considered how much detail went into her brand.
Every inch felt intentional and, much like our photoshoot, was meticulously planned.
There were custom inscriptions on mirrors, artwork throughout the property, and references to Dolly everywhere. Each floor featured tributes to different aspects of her life and career, like displays of dresses she had worn at various points over the years.
It was all Dolly, all the time.
A very ‘on brand’ bathroom in the SongTeller
As a photographer, I’m inspired by space. Usually, this comes from the design itself, but in this case, there was something more. It was clear throughout the entire shoot how much her team loved Dolly. Dolly was playing throughout the day while we worked. Her image was everywhere. Her story was built into the rooms and into the details of the hotel. Everything that made Dolly, Dolly, was there, except her.
What none of us knew at the time was that while we were in the hotel, Dolly had been admitted to the hospital. Just a few days later, she passed away.
I obviously didn’t know Dolly, but it makes you reflect when you spend a full day documenting some of the most instrumental times of someone’s life, only to have them pass shortly thereafter.
From a photography standpoint, I felt a responsibility to get details right. I wanted the photography to reflect that same level of care that the team put into designing it.
We used a color checker in every space to ensure we captured the colors as accurately as possible.
With the lighting, I took a relatively simple approach: I didn’t aim to fully light the rooms or create an overly polished look. My goal was to use light selectively on objects and specific areas to accurately highlight their texture, material, and color.
The goal was for the rooms to still feel like the rooms, not like a rendering.
One of the things I enjoy about hotel photography is how many layers there are to communicate within a single property. Of course, there’s the design itself, but there’s also the brand, the guest experience, and the story of the hotel itself.
You couldn’t find a better example than the SongTeller Hotel.
A sophisticated room, one of many, that still feels all Dolly.
Looking back, I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished.
We spent close to a year preparing, made a dedicated scouting trip, planned the production down to the minute, coordinated photography and video simultaneously, and finished a two-day schedule in one full day without sacrificing the attention to detail the project required.
Details like the engravings on the mirror can be seen everywhere throughout the SongTeller.
And then, only a few days later, Dolly passed away, which changed how the project felt entirely.
I’ll always be grateful for the trust placed in me to capture a little bit of what Dolly had created.
A great tribute to one of the best lyricists of all time. These beds feature lyrics above the headboards from different Dolly Parton hits.