Hospitality & Travel Photographer Middle East |Antonio Cuellar

Antonio Cuellar is a hospitality and travel photographer trusted by airlines, tourism boards, advertising agencies and luxury hotel brands across the Middle East. Over a 26-year career, Antonio Cuellar has photographed several consecutive campaigns for Qatar Airways, tourism campaigns for Visit Qatar, and the passenger experience at Hamad International Airport. He brings that experience to hospitality, travel and tourism clients throughout the Gulf, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Qatar Airways campaign photography

Antonio Cuellar’s background in architecture and interiors led Qatar Airways to commission him for several consecutive marketing campaigns, including campaign work around the FIFA World Cup in Doha. His Qatar Airways photography covers the full passenger journey:

Cabins: business and first class interiors
Lounges: the Al Safwa First Class and Al Mourjan Business Class lounges at Hamad International Airport
Ground experience: check-in, valet service and the wider airport journey
Retail and partners: the lounge shopping experience for Qatar Duty Free and, most recently, the Louis Vuitton lounge in the Orchard at Hamad International Airport

See more on his Qatar Airways photographer page.

Visit Qatar and tourism campaign photography

Antonio Cuellar has photographed Visit Qatar campaigns for Qatar Tourism with international advertising agencies including BBDO and McCann, more than once and each time by special request. The work spans destinations, heritage sites such as Souq Waqif, beaches, dining and the hotels that host international visitors. Travellers can see how the airport fits into a Qatar stopover in Visit Qatar’s guide to Hamad International Airport. See more on his Visit Qatar photographer page and in his advertising campaigns.

Airline photography for carriers across the Gulf

Airline photography is technically demanding: tight cabins, mixed light and brand standards that must hold across every touchpoint. After multiple campaigns for Qatar Airways and work with American Airlines, Antonio Cuellar brings a proven production approach to carriers across the region, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Saudia, Riyadh Air, flynas, Gulf Air, Oman Air and Kuwait Airways. His airline work focuses on the passenger experience: cabins, lounges, ground services, dining and partner retail.

Hospitality and travel photography by country

Tourism boards, chambers of commerce and the businesses they represent all need imagery that sells their country to visitors and investors. Antonio Cuellar produces hospitality, travel and commercial photography across the Gulf.

Qatar Antonio Cuellar’s most extensive work in the region is in Qatar, for Qatar Airways, Qatar Tourism, Hamad International Airport and Qatar Duty Free, along with Raffles Doha, the Fairmont, Galeries Lafayette and the Fendi Café. He is well placed to support members of the Qatar Chamber with commercial imagery for hospitality, retail and tourism businesses.

United Arab Emirates In the UAE, Antonio Cuellar has photographed the Armani Hotel and the Shangri-La in Dubai, and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. He is available for tourism, airline and commercial campaigns in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, for organizations such as Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, and members of Dubai Chambers and the Abu Dhabi Chamber. For Dubai-specific work, see his page for a photographer in Dubai.

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in tourism, aviation and hospitality, from Riyadh and Jeddah to AlUla and the Red Sea coast. Antonio Cuellar is available for tourism and commercial campaigns for organizations such as the Saudi Tourism Authority, airlines including Saudia and Riyadh Air, and member businesses of the Federation of Saudi Chambers.

Bahrain In Bahrain, Antonio Cuellar is available for tourism, airline and commercial projects, for organizations such as the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, Gulf Air and members of the Bahrain Chamber.

Oman and Kuwait Antonio Cuellar also accepts commissions in Oman and Kuwait, including campaigns for Oman Air and Kuwait Airways, and for member businesses of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Luxury hospitality in the Middle East

Hotels remain a core part of the travel story. Antonio Cuellar is a brand-approved photographer for Accor (Fairmont, Emblems Collection and Raffles), Marriott brands, Mandarin Oriental, Hilton, InterContinental, Hyatt and Wyndham. He is one of only seven photographers worldwide approved to shoot Fairmont and the Emblems Collection, and one of only three approved for Mandarin Oriental. Read more about Antonio Cuellar.

Travel and commercial work across Asia

Antonio Cuellar’s travel portfolio extends east from the Gulf to Türkiye, including Istanbul and Cappadocia, and to China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Sanya.

Production: his team or yours

Antonio Cuellar often produces campaigns with his own team and is equally comfortable working within an agency’s or production company’s crew of stylists, makeup artists and digital techs. His architecture and interiors photography is paired with lifestyle photography and food and beverage photography, so one production can cover spaces, people and dining. He adapts his style to the brand’s guidelines rather than imposing his own, and shares more on planning and lighting on his professional photographer blog.

Aerial photography

Antonio Cuellar is a fully insured, licensed drone operator and can add aerial perspectives of resorts, coastlines and skylines where local regulations permit.

Recognition

Luxury Hoteliers Magazine recognised Antonio Cuellar as a top hospitality photographer, and he serves as a judge for the Luxury Travel Guide awards. His architectural work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Dezeen and Interior Design Magazine. Antonio Cuellar also teaches an architectural photography workshop as faculty at Maine Media Workshops.

Beyond the Middle East

Antonio Cuellar also photographs travel and hospitality clients in the USA, Europe and Mexico & the Caribbean. To discuss a campaign in the Gulf, get in touch.

FAQ

1. What does a hospitality and travel photographer in the Middle East do?

A hospitality and travel photographer creates the images airlines, tourism boards, airports, hotels and restaurants use in advertising, websites, social media and press. Antonio Cuellar plans each campaign around the client’s brief and brand guidelines, covering spaces, people, dining and destinations.

2. Which airlines and travel brands has Antonio Cuellar worked with?

Antonio Cuellar has photographed several consecutive campaigns for Qatar Airways, tourism campaigns for Visit Qatar, the lounges and passenger experience at Hamad International Airport, and partners including Qatar Duty Free and the Louis Vuitton lounge. He has also worked with American Airlines.

3. Does Antonio Cuellar work with advertising agencies?

Yes. He has photographed Visit Qatar campaigns for Qatar Tourism with international agencies including BBDO and McCann, more than once and each time by special request.

4. Which countries in the Middle East does Antonio Cuellar cover?

Antonio Cuellar has worked extensively in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and accepts commissions across the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. His wider travel portfolio includes Türkiye and China.

5. Can Antonio Cuellar photograph for airlines other than Qatar Airways?

Yes. His airline experience applies to any carrier’s passenger experience: cabin interiors, lounges, check-in and ground services, onboard dining and partner retail. Airlines across the region, including Emirates, Etihad, Saudia, Riyadh Air and Gulf Air, can contact him to discuss a brief.

6. What can Antonio Cuellar produce for tourism boards and chambers of commerce?

Destination and lifestyle imagery for tourism campaigns, plus commercial photography of the hotels, restaurants, retail spaces and attractions that member businesses use to market themselves to visitors and investors.

7. How much does a hospitality or travel photography campaign cost?

Cost depends on the number of shoot days and locations, the mix of architectural, lifestyle and food photography, whether models and stylists are needed, travel and image usage. Antonio Cuellar provides a custom quote after reviewing the brief. Contact him with your dates and scope.

8. Does Antonio Cuellar bring his own team, or work with the agency’s crew?

Both. Antonio Cuellar often produces campaigns with his own team, and is equally comfortable working with an agency’s or production company’s stylists, makeup artists, digital techs and models.

9. Does Antonio Cuellar still photograph hotels and resorts?

Yes. He is a brand-approved photographer for Accor (Fairmont, Emblems Collection and Raffles), Marriott brands, Mandarin Oriental, Hilton, InterContinental, Hyatt and Wyndham, and has photographed Raffles Doha, the Armani Hotel Dubai and the Shangri-La Dubai.

10. Does Antonio Cuellar offer drone and aerial photography in the Gulf?

Yes. Antonio Cuellar is a fully insured, licensed drone operator, so aerial views can be captured during the same production as the interiors and lifestyle work, where local regulations permit.