TL;DR: I photographed Orlando for WestJet Magazine's March 2016 issue. Eighteen of my images ran across pages 50-58 of "Hip Factor," a feature on Orlando beyond the theme parks, in print and online.
WestJet Magazine is the airline's magazine, and the assignment was travel images showing off all Orlando has to offer: the things to see, the places to eat and the spots to drink. Below is the published spread, plus some of my favorites from the shoot. There's more in my travel and destination photography portfolio.
What did the WestJet Magazine Orlando feature cover?
WestJet Magazine's "Hip Factor" feature covered Orlando past the theme parks in 3 sections: Districts to Wander, Cuisine to Savour and Cocktails to Sip. Kristen Manieri wrote it, and it ran in English and French.
My images in this post include the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at dusk, the street murals in Ivanhoe Village and Mills 50, lunch at The Strand and the patio at Imperial Wine Bar.
Most of the restaurants and shops from the shoot have since closed (ten years is a long time in restaurant years). The Strand and Imperial Wine Bar are still open.
How many days does a magazine travel shoot take?
The WestJet Magazine shoot took 4 shoot days. It was just me, with no assistant, covering restaurants, bars, shops, a performing arts center and the neighborhoods in between.
What happens when a storm hits a Florida travel shoot?
A storm can wipe out most of a shoot day. On the WestJet shoot, a huge storm rolled in while I was out shooting, and I couldn't take any photos until the very end.
Then I stopped at Lake Ivanhoe, right next to I-4. The storm left behind a beautiful sunset, one of the best I've ever seen, and I got a panoramic of it with a kayaker in the water. That sunset is the one that ran in the magazine's Districts to Wander spread.
Why hire a travel photographer who lives in the city?
A photographer who lives in the city knows places that never make an editor's list. WestJet's list of places was pretty great, and being from Orlando, I was able to add a few locations that weren't on their radar.
Where can a tourism brand see more destination work?
The WestJet story is one piece of my travel and tourism work. If you're a tourism or hospitality marketer looking at this kind of work, two related posts on this site are Orlando Staycation with Experience Kissimmee and Lifestyle Tourism Campaign For Palm Coast & Flagler Beaches in Florida.
For brand campaigns, I also shoot commercial lifestyle and advertising photography across Florida through Brian Carlson Stills & Motion.
Final Thought
A destination story needs someone who knows the city. I do, and I was really pleased with how the WestJet images turned out.
Need travel or tourism images for a magazine, destination or brand? Start a Central Florida travel shoot and let's get shootin!
