New Port , Rhode Island

OK OK OK .

I know it has been a while since I last posted. I get you e mails every day. Since my last written post, I have done the following: Bought new lake home. Started Fall Baseball with my son. Still involved with school Football with my son. The new home is under some minor renovation. New floors , paint, serious yard work. I have photographed 3 off the most spectacular weddings that I have done in a while, and this weekend I will shoot another one.
This weekends wedding is at the Castle hill Inn in New Port, Rhode Island www.castlehillinn.com check this place out.
The photo is of my view of the yacht club at my hotel. I will update all weekend.
The next photo is of the gift basket that that was left for me at the hotel. What a nice touch.

Wedding Show and Other Stuff

For those that were at the wedding show and are looking for the link to see the latest wedding albums that I have produced, click on this link. http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=79060

Today I had one of the best wedding shows I have had in a long time. I started talking to brides the moment they opened the doors at noon and did not stop at all until the thing closed down at 5:30. I am very tired. I was at a wedding until midnight at the Fox Theater in Atlanta last night and then up early for the show today. I will post stuff from last weeks and this weeks wedding in the next few days. I know that it has been a while since my last post, and have been getting e mail asking if everything is OK. Everything is fine, it is just that EVERY DAY IS FULL OF STUFF TO DO.
If it is not favors for other photographers, it is take kids to school, pick kids up from school, drum lessons, football games, baseball games, football practice, baseball practice all for my son. Then my daughter, the lovely Marah Evans has dentist appointments, a list of boys on the social calendar and a phone stuck in her ear. I have not moved to the new house yet, but the kids now go to school just 3 miles from the new place, 22 miles from where I live now. Every school day I drive at least 88 miles just in the back and forth commute to school. To top all of this off, a very dear close person to me had major surgery last week. She lives alone and has no one to take care of her. So, she is recuperating at my house. She can not drive or lift anything more than a Coke bottle for the next 3 weeks.
I am up to my neck in STUFF TO DO. So, as I have said before. If you are looking for a favor for free, GET TO THE VERY BACK OF THE LINE, because it just ain't happing this month.

Today's Wedding

I had a really good time today. It was not as hot as last weekend, but I still was a sweaty mess when I left the church. This church was one of those classic old time churches right on Main Street in the town of Conyers , Ga. I really like shooting in old churches. I guess it just reminds me of my childhood when I would spend half the summer with my cousin Mike in Virginia. His dad, (my uncle) was a minister and his church was an old one in Richmond . I even like the way an old church smells. Kind of dusty, but clean, but not as clean as your grandmothers house.
Anyway, enough about the good old days in the 60's Here are a few photos from today's wedding. All of these photos were shot in that dusty old church. I have a new DVD that I am working on called "Making Something from Nothing" I may use the before and after versions of these images in that DVD. Oh, and that crazy ass music that you hear is from the post about 4 or 5 down the list from the Durham wedding. The music starts playing automatically and I can not figure out how to stop it.

My New Home

I have not been posting much as I have been working on the extra DVDs for the DVD set and buying a new home. I close on the new place in 3 weeks and will start modifications right away. It is on a lake south of Atlanta and I have the whole point with a great view.
I will put in a work room, editing room and a small showroom. I don't know how I will get any work done after it is all ready as the 180 degree view of the water from the editing room you just will not be able to stop looking at. After the first of the year, I may add a studio.

Frogtown

Today I did a bridal portrait session at a winery in the North Ga Mountains called Frogtown. It was a very long ride but I think well worth it. I like the 2 photos from the shoot below. Her wedding is going to be there in Sept and it looks like a cool place to have one. See the web site at www.frogtownwine.com

Still to much happening to sit down and write.

It just sucks that I have no time at the moment to put together something meaningful or informative. But in the last week I have placed an offer on a new home, Started a new DVD title called Something From Nothing. The kids started school. Football try outs. Designed 4 wedding albums, one from a wedding I did not even shoot and was struck by lightning. NOT KIDDING ! Just call me "Johnny Volt" that is my new nickname. I am fine by the way.
So , you get to see video of my son Garen hitting, again. I promise that this is the last baseball video that I will post until Fall Baseball gets going.
Next week I will post something useful.
On another note. I have a very good cool friend that will be in need of a good job at the end of September. She is the executive assistant to the president of a fortune 300 company. A loyal employee for almost 20 years, and will be job hunting as her company National Linen is to be sold at the end of the month. You will not find anyone better for your top level position than her. Be prepared to dish out some cash, she is not cheap. I thought about asking her to do marketing for me, but if she did she would generate to much and I would have to work more than I want to. Plus, she will not put up with my Loony Tunes way of doing things, and we have history. A disaster in the makings.

Just more good hitting

Everyone thought this one bounced over the fence holding him to just two bases. But he knew what was going on and just kept on running. This was a BIG field. 400 ft to center field. Just remember, he is only 13.

Durham Wedding Album

Wedding Album that I photographed and designed from a wedding last month in Durham NC

Son's Homerun

I am lucky that I get to see this type of hitting very often

To Much Going on to Post

So much has been going on that there is no time to get photos together or even decide what to write about. Next week I will have a lot to say. In the past 14 days I have had two different friends fathers pass away, photographed 3 weddings (2 out of town) , taught the July class in Alabama, dropped my son off at aviation camp, sent my daughter to FL and built my brothers web site. Tomorrow I will design a DVD for Mr Romance and put together two wedding albums. Then at 7pm I will hit the road to Huntsville for my sons graduation at Aviation Challenge on Friday at 10am. Then home with a wedding on Saturday.
So, if you are a tele-marketer, or want something from me for free or need a favor, GET TO THE BACK OF THE LINE . Because as my good friend Scott Holloway says " This ain't no $^%$*& hobby."
In the absence of photos, click on this link ('http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=79060');and it will take you to my video sharing site. Today you can see 3 different albums that I have put together in the last few weeks. After you click on a show to view, give it about 10 seconds to start up and then click on start or loop all. I can't remember. April and Kurt is a wedding in St Simons Island. Birthday party is the job I shot in New York. Burt and Jeannie is from my friend Burt's wedding. It was a small affair but a great story. This couple was married in 1973. Divorced in 1974 and lost touch with each other. Burt's wife of 30 years Lynn, died 2 years ago. While on the Classmates.com web site Burt started looking for old friends. The rest is new history.

Mr Romance

I have to make this quick as I am out the door to a destination wedding for this weekend. I can't say where or who and will not be posting any photos from it per request from the bride and groom.
The photos that are posted are from a shoot yesterday at a winery. Girls grab some tissues, guys read on, it will work in your favor later.
This guy sent his girlfriend on an all day long scavenger hunt all over town. Everything from eating breakfast at their favorite place to digging in her backyard and dress shopping. About 10 places in all. At each place the manager or an employee would give her a clue written on a parchment paper thing that sort of looked like a treasure map. The thing she dug up in the backyard was a wooden box that was locked. She was to carry it around all day. Her goal was to find the key to the box so she could open it and see the treasure. After 10 hours of driving all over, she gets a phone call as her last clue. The caller is her Father. It says to drive to the winery and see the manager. She did and the manager gave her instructions to follow the pink ribbons along a trail threw the vineyards. My big behind was hiding in a tree in the middle of the vineyard. When she passed me, I snuck in behind her and photographed her long walk down one of the rows of grape vines. She never knew I was there. At the end of the row, up walks Mr Romance in a suit and tie. When she sees him she starts to run, so do I . When she gets to him, I started shooting as he gives her the key to the treasure. She opens the box to find a note and a hand mirror. The note says to "Look in the mirror to see the treasure" She is the "Treasure" She cries, and then he gets down on one knee and proposes and slides a rock on her finger that makes her walk like a gorilla.
Girls, blow your nose, Guys, start drawing a map. I'm gone to the Islands, be back Tuesday.

Hit Bull, Win Steak

Tonight I am in Durham , North Carolina. I have a wedding here tomorrow and the Bride and Groom threw a private party bash at the Durham Bulls game. The Richmond Braves were whipping the snot out of the Bulls when I had to leave in the 7th inning.
I went to buy a hot dog to use in a photo and my wallet was not in my pocket. I thought I had lost my wallet, so I left to start making the phone calls to the credit card company, but, it was in the rental car. So not being able to get back into the game, I came back to the hotel. The Richmond Braves were great, but not as good as my son's team the Fairview Vipers. He was playing in a State tournament in Fayetteville, Ga He hit a single, double and a triple and scored twice. They won 14-6 and made it into the third round of the playoffs. I would have loved to have been there instead of getting updates over the cell phone.

If you ever saw the movie "Bull Durham" with Kevin Costner, well this is the team he was on. In the movie there was this sign in the outfield that said " Hit Bull Win Steak, Hit Grass Win Salad" The photo at top is of me standing under the sign. The sign was moved from the old stadium that was in the movie to the beautiful new one that they play in now. If you are a hockey fan, (I know NOTHING about the game) I will bet you have never seen INSIDE the Stanley Cup. The Durham hockey team won the Stanley Cup this year and the hero of the team , the goalie, drove the cup around the warning track and threw out the first pitch. See a photo that I took of the cup from above.

This Mornings RUSH Job

At Midnight last night, Scott Holloway who is a photographer in Greenville SC calls me up and says. "Hey Scott, I shot this photo of a hotel and then I shot some photos of the fireworks on the 4th of July and I need to put them all together and I need it at 10 am." It took until 1:30 am to download the photos because of a computer problem on his end so after downloading I went to bed. I knew I could do this in about 20 minutes. At 8am I was on it and after trying to upload this monster sized file back to him for an hour it finally went threw and made the deadline for a local Greenville, SC magazine. The photo at top is the finished job. The photos below are what he sent me. Total time 3 hours with 2 and 1/2 of that being internet problems.

Baseball game tonight. Tomorrow is on to Durham, NC for a 3 day wedding. I will post stuff from Durham.

What Not to Say

The only thing hotter than Georgia asphalt in July is Hell. Now, when you walk into a church hauling all of your equipment in 98 degree heat 2 hours before a wedding is to start, sweating like a pig in shorts and tennis shoes, and the Minister walks up to you and the first thing he says is "I do suppose you have a coat and tie ?" The proper answer is not " Yes, I have one in the truck, It's not as loud as yours though "
Anyway on to photos from today's wedding. Tonight I am putting up the Before and After versions of just 2 photos. It is 3am and so I will keep this short.
The "BEFORE" version is the shot straight out of the camera. The "AFTER" version is really what I was thinking when I took the photo, and has had about 3 min of work done to it in Photoshop. I took the photos already knowing what I was going to do with them later with the computer.
If you would like to learn how to do what I have done with these images, keep looking at this BLOG and send me an e mail. You will be notified as to when my next "Scott Evans WOW Factor" seminar or class will be and also when the new Scott Evans WOW Factor DVD set is ready to ship. The DVDs are so close to being ready that I can almost smell the shrink wrap.

Wedding Show

If you saw this booth at the Elite Events Wedding Show on Sunday, then you talked to me. I want to thank everyone for showing up. These shows are the best way to find all of the vendors you need for your wedding. You get to meet the people and see for your self if they are someone that you can spend your whole wedding day with. ( Because some people are just jerks and you know you will wind up slapping them if the two of you don't jive.)
It was also very nice to meet several new photographers to the show. Shannon Belletti was a fresh breath of air, her work was very good. Kike Morales was very enthusiastic and I hope to have him in my Wedding Photography workshop this fall. ( July is FULL WOW !) and sold out in two days ! Another new photographer was Liana, I only got to speak with her for a moment as she had display problems at the beginning of the show. But her photos looked good. David Christensen was a very nice guy and his work is solid. Mike Morrell had a booth for Video and Still Photography, it was his first show also. Bill Hampton, I would love to have you in class as well as the over the road driver that I met. If you can't come to class , buy the DVD .
It was also very good to see Jerome Spivey( And his BEAUTIFUL Daughter) and Matt Bowman. Lets do lunch !

Why I Love Being a Photographer in the South

Because every where you turn, there are places like this to shoot.

Please enjoy a few photos from tonight's wedding in LaGrange, Ga. It is 12:45 AM and I just got to my hotel. I have a Wedding Show to set up in 9 hours but I just had to take a look at what I shot today.

Thank you Girl Scouts, this hotel has no late room service so the Shortbread Cookies are a life saver.

New York City

It is Sunday and I just got in from my job in New York. Last night was a fantastic cruise around Manhattan on a beautiful yacht. I was shooting a surprise dinner party for a man's 50th birthday. I will be making a custom 8"x17" album with a brass cover, when opened the album will be 34" long, with panoramic views of New York City as background photos with party photos laid in on top. I have posted just a few photos of some of the scenery. When we cruised past the Statue of Liberty it was kind of emotional. It was a time and place where you needed to be with Someone Special.

Do you Do "City " Weddings ?

I advertise all over the US on a web site called WedAlert. I guess it is a cheesy play on words for "Red Alert" Most of my brides were not even born the last time the term "Red Alert" was ever used. It means that The Communist Russians were attacking.
Anyway, I get e mails every day from brides all over the country because I advertise in every state and county in the United States. It cost a FORTUNE and is really not worth the time and effort it takes to respond to so many e mails from folks that just might not have the photography budget to cover my services. But, I respond anyway. A few weeks ago, I got this e mail from a young lady in New York. I guess after viewing my profile and seeing some of my photos on Wed Alert she decided that she liked my style and had to inquire about my services. I will say that I was just dumbfounded for a few moments when I read her e mail. It Said "I see that you are in Georgia, do you do "City" weddings.
Well after laughing I got to thinking, the only news coverage us Southerners ever get is when a Tornado goes threw a trailer park, and other such stuff. Later that day while in the grocery store I was in the check out line and this photo caught my eye.

The real reason that I took a second look is that I thought that I knew the guy in the foreground.

Now for the truth about me. All of my family lives in the Appalachian mountains. Except me.

My parents spent there honeymoon in 1950 on Lake Burton in the North GA mountains. They bought property there in the 1960s. I spent a lot of time there. Maybe to much time.

I know how to make a Moonshine Still. (Got suspended from school and won the Clayton County science Fair in 1979 all at the same time !)

When my parents retired and moved to the lake in 1980 we had to start telling my mom to put her shoes on when she came to visit. See the photos below, the kids and I still have to remind her. Please do not misunderstand me, the people that live in the North GA hills are not all banjo totting inbred albinos. (Well MOST of them aren't)) The homes on the lake can not be bought for anywhere less than one million dollars, and 3 million is not uncommon. My parents live there as do my brother and his wife Marie. I will be there as soon as the kids leave for collage in a few years. Photo is of my much older brother Allen, he is 13 years older than I. I was a "miracle" or "Accident" child, depends on who you ask. Photo shows my parents and my brother standing in front of my Dad's wood work shop where he builds the coolest tables, beds and benches.

And of course I do City Weddings. I will post photos from the job I am shooting this weekend in Manhattan. The event is on a yacht and we will be cruising the Hudson river and New York Harbor with the New York skyline in the background.

Portraits

As I get a little older, sometimes I think about opening a Portrait Studio. Everyone who knows me knows just how much I HATE having to go to a specific place every day to go to work. That is why I quit my job at the custom pro lab 18 years ago in 1987. And that was just a Part-Time job.
The showroom space that I am considering has FANTASTIC LOFT STUDIO SPACE !!! It is actually larger than my old space in the loft in McDonough. Almost 4000 sq ft. See some photos below. Also see a few of the portraits that I shot of my assistant Erin yesterday. Tell me what you think.

Below are inside photos of Showroom and Studio space.

The Horses are Fine

Many of you have seen the story of my bride and groom from last weekend that were hit by a van while on a carriage ride. I got 38 e mails asking, how they were, was I there, did I see it, ect.... Twenty of those e mails asked about the horses. The horses are fine. The driver and his assistant are now out of the hospital and are very rough looking. Scroll down to see my posts from last week to see photos from the wedding.