Words & Photography by Julian Eales
At 3:30am on a midsummer morning, deep in the Cambridgeshire Fens, I was setting up my tripod, cameras, and a single light. At the same time, a man was hauling a battered hotel reception desk into the middle of a country road.
That man was Luke James Williams—musician, storyteller, and, for this shoot, the surreal hotel manager of his new folk album, The Lime’s Hotel.
We’d talked about the concept for weeks: a fictional hotel, part dreamscape, part ghost story. Luke imagined himself behind a reception desk in a crumbling old building—nothing left but a working phone and computer, still awaiting guests.
We found a building that seemed perfect. But on arrival, it was too overgrown to access. We tried mocking the concept up with AI, but the results lacked soul. We turned to fellow Indie and photographer Richard Heeps and his partner Eleanor, both experts in the atmosphere of the Fens. They suggested an abandoned farm Richard had previously shot—but again, it was lost in a jungle of nettles and best left for winter.
So we moved to Plan B: a desk in the middle of nowhere, bathed in the soft dawn light. A man waiting for guests who will never arrive, in a place that doesn’t exist.
My job was to turn that into images that told the story and could be used as the album cover.
The sun was barely up. It was utterly still—just birdsong and the hum of expectation. There was no crew, just me, my gear, and a fleeting window of light. Luke took his place behind the desk. I framed the shots to feel half-remembered: eerie, cinematic, and gently surreal.
And then the magic happened. A few perfect minutes. No cars, no distractions. Just a strange figure on a road to nowhere.
Luke has a dozen images with potential to be the cover of The Lime’s Hotel, and I couldn’t be prouder.
This is what I love about photography: collaborating with another creative mind to shape an idea, explore possibilities, tackle the inevitable obstacles—and in the end, craft something compelling. Even the 3am wake-up felt worth it. If you’ve got a project that needs creative, bespoke photography, get in touch—I’m always up for seeing what we can create together.
The reception is open. Luke’s album is out soon. Step inside—just don’t expect to leave quite the same.
You can see some behind the scenes video here:
Explore Luke’s work here: