JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve
Safari Camp
A JW Marriott safari camp set inside the Solio Game Reserve in central Kenya.
For JW Marriott, I wanted the photographs to follow the rhythm of staying there: from the suite into the shared spaces, from breakfast to the reserve, and from daylight into the camp at night. The property and the landscape sit unusually close together, and that relationship became the thread running through the work.
The tent feels more like a private home than a hotel room. There is space to sleep, sit, work and read. On cold nights, the heated bed is a small luxury you quickly appreciate. There are two showers, one inside and one outside, a freestanding bath, a generous private plunge pool that can be heated, and an outdoor sitting area.
A small welcome waiting on the table, before anything else has happened.
Everything here feels open to the reserve. Canvas, wood and stone give the interiors warmth, while glass and wide openings keep the landscape present from almost every space. The camp feels polished, but never separated from where you are.
Artwork and small handmade pieces appear throughout the shared spaces.
and shop
The library and games area has books, board games and a pool table. Next door, the shop brings together clothing and jewellery.
The spa is set slightly apart from the busier rhythm of the camp. A large pool opens towards the landscape, with loungers around it, while inside there are treatment rooms, a sauna and steam room. It is quiet, spacious and easy to linger in long after the treatment is over.
I wanted to photograph more than finished plates. In the kitchen, heat, fire and hands moving quickly give way to the precision of the pass. Outside, breakfast, afternoon drinks and dinner each carry a different atmosphere.
The warmth never felt rehearsed. Someone always seemed to notice before you had to ask. They remembered your name, what you liked, and somehow saw a wish in your face before you had said it. That kind of service is difficult to photograph because so much of it lives in small gestures. Those were exactly the moments I kept looking for.
Nearby, guests can visit Poppy and Gloria, the Rothschild's giraffes. I loved photographing the change in scale, from seeing a giraffe across the landscape to standing close enough to notice the lashes, the patterns and the way they look back at you.
Guests can also visit the orphanage, a quieter part of the experience and one I wanted to photograph differently. The focus shifts from the wider landscape to individual animals, the people caring for them and the closeness of that work. For me, that work belongs to Solio just as much as the wildlife out on the reserve.
What makes the camp unusual is how close the wildlife feels. Giraffes and waterbuck move through the grounds, rhinos can appear surprisingly near, and from the restaurant or lounge you can simply watch the reserve beyond. Game drives open onto the plains around the camp, where the wildlife and weather set the pace.
After dark, the camp becomes another place. The reserve disappears beyond the windows, fires are lit, the bar glows and dinner slows down. Candlelight catches glass, wood and faces, while outside the night feels very close. You may not see what is moving beyond the camp anymore, but you can hear it. Those hours were some of my favourite to photograph.
JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp
Solio, Kenya.