Orlando photographer Bob Croslin was recently hired by Westshore Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to fostering the development of Tampa’s Westshore Business District. The company initially hired him to shoot a few marketing images for its website, but the assignment quickly evolved into something much bigger. They tasked Bob with creating a photo campaign that would entice large corporations to relocate to the Tampa Bay area. To do this, Bob would photograph what the city had to offer, not just in a corporate setting but outside the office.
The client wanted dynamic lifestyle images that would appeal to millennials and corporations looking to relocate and attract a diverse and active work force.
Although the project was designed as a lifestyle shoot, Bob opted to hire athletic models to accomplish this look. He’s familiar with photographing athletes and he enjoys the energy and grace they can bring to a lifestyle shoot. He was especially happy to work with talented fitness model, Erin Stern, whom he’s worked with many times before.
I worked closely with the director of marketing to storyboard several ideas and come up with various looks for the images.
This was a hands-on project for Bob each step of the way. After casting talent, putting together the storyboard, and coordinating with marketing departments at each of the shoot locations, he dove into production. Literally. On the first day of production, he found himself balancing on a paddleboard 400 feet from shore. To make matters worse, his underwater camera housing wasn’t cooperating, so he decided to throw it aside and trust his balancing skills. Bold move, Bob. Bold move.
Paddle boarding on a windy day in November and not dunking my D810 was fun.
Back on solid ground, Bob and his crew headed to the Cigar City brewing company located in southern Tampa for some indoor photos. After getting the photos, as well as some free morning beer, they headed to their final two locations, the office of PrincewaterhouseCoopers and the Tampa Bay airport. The goal with these last photos was to highlight the presence of major corporations like PwC and the district’s close proximity to the airport.
Bob hired Ryan Jacobson, a talented retoucher, to join him for post-production. Together, they achieved exactly the look Bob and Westshore Alliance had hoped for. The members of the Westshore Alliance were thrilled with Bob’s work and have since featured them on their website and at trade shows.
To view more of Bob’s work, check out bobcroslin.com