Revelers attending the Presidents' Alumni Ball in the Gordon Field House on campus last fall had the chance to be frozen in time by Robert Latorre's “Big Freeze” camera array system, just like Hollywood stars making their red carpet entrance to an awards extravaganza. 
 
Robert Latorre grew up in a creative family headed by his sculptor grandfather and jazz musician father. His own creativity flourished in photography. After earning his BS in Commercial Photography from RIT, he began his photography career with the National News and Wire services in New York City as a photojournalist with a global beat. He eventually settled in Texas where he opened Robert Latorre Productions, which grew into Big Fish Films, a successful TV commercial film company in Dallas. Not only is Robert an award-winning commercial photographer, he is also an accomplished director known for his dramatic lighting and innovative directorial approach. ADWEEK chose Latorre Commercial Film Director of the Year and Creative All-Star Photographer twice. 
 
In 1995, he became fascinated with the frozen moment, and he engineered ways to use this unique look in his commercials. He designed and built his first Big Freeze system which produced a cutting-edge frozen effect, earning him an Emmy nomination and a Clio award for Special Effects. 
 
The Big Freeze Worldwide is the largest and most advanced camera array system in the world. Now in its 5th generation, the system is completely digital and driven by software. It is unique in its ability to capture, download and playback the frozen effects in stunning HD or 3D, delivering a 360-degree virtual or frozen moment image in seconds to live broadcast or any social media site. It has evolved into PODCAM360, the ultimate photo and movie booth. Entirely visitor activated, the camera system is enclosed in freestanding exhibit walls, lit with fine pixel LEDs depicting any scene imaginable. Within seconds, users can capture a unique, frozen 360° movie of themselves immersed in a scene of their choosing which they can then share instantaneously with the rest of the world. 
 
Latorre and his Big Freeze system were honored at CES 2015 for their collaboration with Nikon. The 360 booth received high praise from participants and the media alike, earning multiple spotlight features from the news media and blogging communities, including TechCrunch, Popular Science and Fox News. 
 
Latorre has one simple philosophy, "Photography and filmmaking is very much about the inner eye. If you can capture on film what you can see, you can tell a story to everyone who sees it. It's a marrying of science with creativity that allows an artist to really reach that higher level of perception."