Q & A / Robert Evans

January 17, 2014

 

Robert Evans is one of the most highly acclaimed photographers in the world. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, Shania Twain, Christina Aguilera and Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer are just some of the couples that have sought out his services to photograph their private events. Robert has documented over a thousand weddings worldwide and created iconic imagery that has graced the covers of countless national and international publications.

Selected by Sony as the wedding Artisan of Imagery, one of only eight photographers chosen worldwide, Robert is recognized as one of the most easy-going and pleasant professionals to work with. It is a reputation that at times, exceeds his photography. His personal humility, positivity and dedication to his craft set him apart as a once-in-a-generation photographer. Robert has also had the honor of being selected to give a TED Talk which can be found at TED.com

“My interest in photography started around age fourteen. At nineteen, I knew it was the career I wanted to pursue. By twenty-six it had become my passion and I realized it was my calling – what I was placed on this earth to do.”

Robert’s beliefs aren’t so much of “having a style” as they are “capturing a moment”. It is this philosophy that influences his work. His patient, disciplined approach results in photos of moments that touch people’s hearts.

“If I can do that…if I can really touch someone through my photographs, then I’ve done my job."

Robert’s photography has earned him numerous awards, recognition and titles. Robert’s work has been showcased on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra, MTV, CNN and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, amongst others. His photos have graced the covers and been featured in the content of publications including: USA Today, People magazine, Playboy magazine, Us Weekly magazine, HELLO! magazine, OK! magazine, Life&Style Weekly, In Touch magazine, Martha Stewart Living magazine and Grace Ormonde Wedding Style magazine.

How did you get into photography?

My interest in photography started at an early age. My father was into photography and I had an old camera bag filled with his old Minolta 35mm film cameras that were left to me after he prematurely passed away when I was a young boy.

I took a photography class in ninth grade where we learned the basics of photography. We made pinhole cameras and started to learn how to print in the darkroom. I loved photography class so much, I made sure I signed up for photography once I got up to the high school.

I worked in a small photography lab in Hollywood, next I took a job at a photography studio, in 1988. I photographed my first wedding in January 1989 from there I worked for two other photography studios, before starting Robert Evans Studios in January 1994 I haven’t looked back since.

How did you get involved with Sony?

My interest with Sony started a little over a year ago in August of 2012. I was hearing great things about Sony cameras and I wondered if there was something better out there than what I was currently shooting. Also, I heard that Zeiss made a lot of the lenses for Sony cameras. Since I learned on a Hasselblad early in my professional career and Zeiss made all the glass for Hasselblad, it was a little nostalgic for me.

I reached out to Sony and asked if I could test out some of their cameras and lenses and a week later I received an a77 body and a few lenses. The first images I shot with the camera really caught my attention. The dynamic range in the sensor was amazing, unlike anything I had seen in any other digital camera. It was like shooting film – the sharpness of the lenses, the brilliant color, I was sold.

I sent Sony images and then they asked if I would like to speak for them at PhotoPlus in New York. I was super excited. I never picked up my old cameras again and in September of 2013 I was invited to become the seventh Sony Artisan of Imagery, an honor I accepted proudly.

What is the one piece of camera equipment you always take with you?

I have been to many great locations in my twenty-five years, but my best memory was Castle Ashby in North Hampton, England. I photographed a wedding in this amazing castle and we all got to stay there for three nights. The Chapel they married in was on the grounds as well as an old graveyard just behind the Chapel. The driveway to the castle was so long you could not see the castle from the road, more than a mile long. It was beautiful and spooky all at the same time. The locations were endless.

What is it like shooting such big stars’ special day? Is it any different than shooting a “normal” wedding?

Celebrities are just normal people who happen to be famous. They want the same things as everyone else: great images to remember their special day. The only difference is that I may not have the same freedoms to shoot in locations I might like to in order to prevent the paparazzi from stealing photographs of the couple. You also stay up a little later after the wedding is over, editing and getting images to release to the world. It is a very long day.

What was your favorite image you took in the last year?

It would have to be the image I shot (below) in an ice castle in Minnesota. It was a styled shoot for Minnesota Bride magazine with a winter wedding theme, giving brides ideas for winter weddings.

What Tamrac gear do you use?

I have a Tamrac Roller Bag (Big Wheels SpeedRoller 2x) that I take to my weddings and especially when I travel and a Tamrac shoulder bag when I am taking limited gear or maybe to a location where wheels won’t work as well. It is a large shoulder bag that can hold everything I need on the wedding day, but whenever possible I like the wheels, in order to work smarter not harder.

What do you love about your Tamrac bags?

I know my equipment is safe and well-protected in my Tamrac bags. They are made very well and last forever. My shoulder bag I have had for at least 15 years. It’s dirty and grungy (and full of memories), but it still does the job well.

For more information on Robert and his work, please visit his website: www.robertevans.com/

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