Quil Ceda Creek Casino photography in Tulalip, Washington

This photo set came out of a project at Quil Ceda Creek Casino in Tulalip, Washington: a new 126,000 sq ft facility opened in February 2021. What pulled me into photographing it was visually striking lines and colors. Rippe Associates described the goal as building on the brand familiarity while keeping all of these components flowing within a single, very large footprint.  My approach was to make that flow visually legible – photographs that communicate scale and keep the viewer oriented as the space transitions between different energy levels. You can see it in the way the public zones open up, compress, and open again, and in the deliberate glimpses into other areas that encourage exploration. 

The venues were designed to feel varied to guests, but planned for efficiency and streamlined service. Rippe told me that the combined menu strategy between the cafes reduced labor with shared access to multiple kitchen stations and the elimination of a dedicated à la carte cooking area.  When I was photographing front-of-house that operational clarity showed up as calm, intentional space – clean lines and clear paths. I tried to make the photos reflect that, too.

As a marketing director, you already know that imagery gets used in proposals, case studies, awards, press, social media. This is the kind of project where photography has to work in all those places without needing a paragraph of explanation. The set was built to give options: wide context that establishes the overall concept, mid-range frames that show how the destinations connect, and tighter details that support materials, lighting, and brand moments, so the work could be presented as a unified design story.