Adam Murphy was happy to jump in and help support shopping locally to promote small businesses in his home, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa is a fairly spread-out city but has a lot of charm. The residents have pockets of unique small businesses that are perfect to feature.
David Gramblin, Catapult’s Creative Director, contacted Adam to see if he would photograph Rope Boutique for Tulsa People. Adam was fortunate that many shop owners were already his friends, which encouraged him to become involved in the project.
Entrepreneurs in this town have chosen to stay here, even though their business could thrive in a larger community.
Tulsa People’s campaign goal was to capture part of the Brookside shopping district by photographing shoppers wearing Rope Boutique clothing. They needed Adam to show some of the everyday “customers” you would expect to see in this district and highlight the unique location. Brookside is a few blocks away from the Arkansas River, which is a magnet for outdoor activity. In addition, Adam wanted to highlight this advantage to show the area’s accessibility and congruence by tying the two together.
Since this wasn’t a huge production shoot, pre-production labor was light. Adam mostly worked on booking talent, and crew and informing the local businesses he would be photographing in the area.
Luckily, Adam’s only obstacle was that his makeup artist got sick right before the shoot. After scrambling to find a replacement last minute, Adam called on his network of dependable industry professionals and was able to save the day.
During the project, Adam enjoyed the rare freedom of full creative control and was able to showcase his favorite aspects of the locations he was shooting. The project was also a nice change of pace that Adam appreciated.
Having a client that trusts you 100% is like finding a $100 bill in a pair of pants you haven’t worn in a year…it happens, but chances are it’s a parking ticket you forgot to pay.
Rope Boutique and Tulsa People loved the images and have used them for their online web presence. Other marketing materials have also utilized the images, and the community has responded positively to them.
Currently, Tulsa has a fantastic new park under construction that will cover 100 acres of waterfront. This gathering place, estimated to attract a million visitors annually, will be right down the street from the shopping district. Scheduled to finish this year, Adam plans to photograph a follow-up incorporating the two locations.
See more of Adam’s work on his website.
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