by Peter Clark
August is a great month for swimming, be it in eye-stinging chlorine pools, freshwater lakes, or salty ocean currents. So it only made sense for us to use an image by Miami-based photographer Pete Barrett, of a big ol’ walrus enjoying her aquatic surroundings. Printed by our trusted friends at Modern Postcard and mailed to 2,000 clients across North America, this month’s promo speaks to the animal (and H2O) lover inside us all.
I got Pete to fill me in on the story behind the image:
I originally shot this image while on assignment for Six Flags in California. The walruses name is Uquq, but I refer to her lovingly as Chumley. We were shooting a series of ads for them, this one was of a couple little kids looking through the glass at a few walruses. The shoot was going along well and I decided to give everyone (the kids and the walruses) a break. The kids went off set and the trainers released the walruses. Three of them swam away, but this one just decided that she was content with hanging around. Maybe she was interested in the lights or perhaps she just liked it there, but she remained motionless with this ambivalent look on her face for long enough for me to make a few great shots. The client never ran it as they were more interested in the lifestyle shot we were hired for, but it’s always a crowd pleaser when we show it in reviews and at the awards shows. The image was also featured in the Communication Arts Photography Annual and was recently shown in the March 2011 issue of National Geographic.
If you’re ready to take your marketing to the next level with print or email promos, reach out!