The Image Doctor Inc. Photograph Restoration

This post is just a reminder that I do still enjoy photograph restoration. I started my company The Image Doctor Inc. over 25 years ago. As the Image Doctor , I and my small but smart assy team restore photographs for museums, historical societies and individuals and have been doing so for a very long time. 2 years ago, I decided to take a well deserved break and stooped advertising The Image Doctor and closed our retail store. Erin wanted a break. Melanie wanted and demanded a break, and I wanted to do some different stuff. So, we all took a break. Melanie tended to some family needs. Erin restored a hotel. and I created instructional DVDs, gave seminars, shot some great weddings, fished and flew all over the country to see concerts that I wanted to see.
Well Play time is over. We are all getting things together for the reopening of the retail shop and school. Joining us will be Melissa Custer. And keeping with the Image Doctor tradition, man is she good lookin'. Also, an addition to the staff that really gets my tears flowing is that my daughter Marah (also very good looking) will be working with us for the first time this Summer.

What a Day

Schools out here in Ga this week for Spring break. Kids are going here and there doing this and that.
Today at the batting cages I had to explain the "shot gun, a shovel and 40 acres" concept to this local dope dealing 19 year old punk that was messing with my daughter. He called the police and said I threatened him. The policeman was very nice and said this kid was always calling the police when people run him off trying to get whomever ran him off in trouble. I am in no trouble, and I am sure this punk doesn't want to see me again. Don't mess with my kids.

I have a wedding tomorrow and then corporate head shots to do all next week. I will have photos in the next post.
Also, I have a new way for you guys to send files to me for "File Pimping or Printing" Just use this link http://dropbox.yousendit.com/ScottEvans7759107 You can send multiple files or send a folder and it is VERY EASY. Also, it will not get caught up in spam filters like an e mail attachment will.

Nothing

Today was the first Saturday in a while that I have not had a wedding or some kind of event. All my wedding albums that I needed to design were finished this week so today I just did NOTHING.
Well, I did mosey on in to town and stoped by the antique store that will be my new shop in about a month. I bought this cool change maker. Lets say you were a shop owner in the 30s or 40s and and you had to give a customer change for a purchase. If the change due was say 47 cents, well then you just push the number 47 and out comes a quarter, two dimes and 2 pennies. The money falls into a little cup and when you push the cup in the change falls into your palm. I thought this would be a great way for the kids to get their lunch money in the mornings and they could get the exact $1.75 that they need instead of snagging a 5 out of my wallet. EACH.

I also have put it by the front door so that they will now remember to go out of the front door when they leave for school instead of going out the garage door and leaving it up so that the squirrels can get under the hood of my truck and eat the wiring up again. Everything I do has a purpose. Tomorrow, I Fish.
Oh, and the Braves beat the Mets. What a great day !

Big News

OK, so the big news that I have been working on was finalized today. I just acquired a commercial building on the town sq of McDonough. It is in the perfect place. Right between the court house and the only 2 restaurants open for lunch in town. For those of you who have seen my "50 Things" seminar, it is right next door to the restaurant that I hung my Faces of Town photo exhibit in. Why is this a good location ? Because every Monday I get approx 150 new people from all over the county who are forced to be on the town sq because they have jury duty. They have nowhere to go for lunch except the two restaurants that are to my left. The court house is on my right. Every one of them has to pass me twice. I will have retail merchandise in the shop for folks to spend their money on and a portrait studio. My Image Doctor Inc. Photograph Restoration business will be there as well as the BIG NEWS item.

The Big News is that I will be doing 2 and 3 day workshops at this location. Also, my seminar shows as one evening classes. There is a new bed and breakfast hotel opening 100 yards away from my front door so there will be plenty of room for everyone. Workshops will start in June after I finish my seminar tour. Dates to be finalized this week I hope.
I know it has been weeks since my last post but I have had 4 weddings, a big Father Daughter dance at the school that I just picked up the photo contract on for next school year, 3 full days doing corporate head shots for Equifax, and a private seminar. All in the last two weeks.
And last night a great photographer named Ernie Russell threw a dinner party for a lot of the big names in the wedding photography industry in Atlanta at his home in Ackworth. (About 80 miles from my house) it started at 6pm and myself and Rachel LaCour walked out at 12:15am. I got in bed at 2 am and then had the closing today and a photo shoot. The one photo is from today's engagement photo session.

Greenville, SC as a 2nd Shooter

This weekend I helped another photographer, Scott Holloway http://www.scottholloway.com/ photograph a large wedding. This was a very big deal of a wedding for him that should break him into the Greek community and get him a lot of large Greek weddings.

This was the first time in my life that I was a "2nd Shooter" and it felt very weird not to be in charge of everything. It also felt great not having to try and out do whatever I did at the last wedding and have to worry about every detail. All I had to do was show up and shoot what I saw. It was very relaxing. Scott Holloway was my assistant in Atlanta for a while when he was just starting out as a wedding photographer. These are some photos that I took. There will be big news in my next post.

Watching the Eclipse

This image was taken while my son was sitting down by the lake at the fire pit waiting for the eclipse to start tonight.

Exposure was 25 seconds at f 8 ASA/ISO 400

I liked it so I thought I would share it.

Valentines Day Wedding

This post is a short one. I had a wedding yesterday at the Ritz Carlton. I won't say where but it was one of them within 10 driving hours of my home. It was a small very personal and private affair with selected guest. I have photographed this couple before in New York and Rhode Island. I was not even going to post anything about this wedding as it was very private, but everyone just kept on and on about her ring. A several carat deep pink dimond plus extras. Now I don't normaly do the "Black and White Photo with selective color added thing" unless someone asks me to. I used to hand color my photos with oil paint but now everyone is doing it with their computer (and quite badly I might add) So I just don't do it that much anymore.

But I felt that just for this blog post I would do it to show her ring. It is BEAUTIFUL. I hope you can see it. I could see it all night last night from across the room. I like this shot. She was laying across a bed full of rose petals.

Faces of Town Display and Summer Tour

This post is for the folks that sat in on my show "50 Things Every Photographer Should Know" in Indianapolis, Indiana and Savannah, Ga this last week. During the show I showed images of the outside of the restaurant but not the inside where the display was hanging. Stupid Me ! Several people wanted to see what the display looked like.
So, these photos are of the inside. I took the interior shots of the restaurant with a little point and shoot camera that I always keep in my pocket so don't send me e mail about the bad quality of the photos, I know they are not so great.

All of the portraits hanging on the walls are of local people that work on or just hang around the town sq of McDonough, Ga. The print sizes are 30x40, 40x40 and 27x40 gallery wrapped canvas. All printed and stretched by me on an Epson 9800 using Premier Art Water Resistant Canvas and stretched on hand made stretcher frames built by my father. Next month in March I will be bringing the "50 Things" show back to Savannah and then on to several cities in FL. Details are being worked out now. You will be able to register on line. Advance ticket price is $49.00

$79.00 at the door seating is limited. If you Purchase a Gold ticket in the amount of $ 99.00 you get to select one of My DVD titles to take home with you PLUS a one on one portfolio review and consultation after the show. Space is very limited for Gold tickets.

If you want to be on the E mail list for the announcement of show dates please e mail me directly at scott@scottevans.com In the Spring I will be taking it to Alabama, Mississippi and North and South Carolina. Early Summer will be Nashville, Louisville, Chicago St Louis, Somewhere in Kansas, Memphis, Dallas and the Live Music Capitol of the World, Austin, Texas.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Hi Folks,
Yes, it has been a month since I posted anything. I have been covered up with work. This weekend on Saturday night I did my first public showing of my "50 Things Every Photographer Should Know" show or seminar or class or whatever you want to call it in Indianapolis, Indiana. I had a good time and the people in the class were really great and were good sports about getting up and telling the stupidest thing that they ever did in their business. There were some good ones.

Why All the way up in Indiana ? Because I was speaking at the Professional Photographers of Indiana Annual Convention. There were a whole bunch of very cool people there and they were so full of hospitality that I could have sworn that I was in Macon , Georgia. But given the fact that it was 3 degrees outside with the wind blowing like crazy I very quickly realized that I was not in Georgia.

Another cool thing was I got to see the old actor Micky Rooney in the hotel lobby this morning. His latest film was "A Night at the Museum" He was the short little old security guard that was full of piss and vinegar. He was pretty much acting the same way this morning.

One more cool thing, My latest DVD is ready and it is a good one. It is called "Photoshop Tips for the Working Photographer" it has over 30 lessons for Photoshop that all photographers should know. If you would like to have one, just e mail me. Each of my DVD titles are $ 99.00 each with a deal at the moment on a 3 in 1 package of my titles "Photoshop Basics for Digital Photographers" , "Album Design from Scratch and the NEW one "Photoshop Tips for the Working Photographer" All 3 FOR $199.00

All 4 of my web sites are being redesigned at the moment so these prices are not on the web site. Just e mail or call me 770-355-9644

See Some of my Wedding Albums

The link on my web site that shows many of my wedding albums has just disappeared. So here is the link for anyone interested. Also, my 30 minuet portfolio is there. It is the first video on the top row. I would love some comments. Click here to see them.

Be sure to check out the second page full of thumbnails as some of my favorites are on that page.

You may have to download the viewer, it only takes 10 seconds or so and my be blocked by an "Active X" control but it is totally safe to download.

If the link does not work, copy and paste the following into your browser http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=79060

Some People !

The other night while I was watching the Sugar Bowl, I had my laptop in my lap. I decided to write an e mail to the over 2500 photographers that are on my newsletter list. Now my laptop is 3 years old and has been all over the country with me. The key board is on its last leg and many times when I press a key the letter will not be registered on the screen. I am not a stenographer, secretary, keyboarding guru or English professor. I am a photographer. I look at the keyboard when I type.

However, some people must have a LOT of time on their hands and feel that they must take it upon themselves to find and then point out the mistakes of others. So just for those 9 people that just had to point it out, read below.

I know the difference between the words career and carrier. A Career is what you do when you go to work for 30 years and send 1/3 of your money to the government to cover the expense of national defense and national infrastructure and to cover the cost of the 1/3 of the population that just want to sit on their ass and have me pay for their expenses. That is a career. A Carrier is what you use to haul your baby around. Also I know I used the phrase "Fess Up "instead of the proper "Please Confess"

Now, on the other side I received over 50 quick notes from photographers that were very complementary. Also 7 photographers sent letters up to 3 pages long voicing their opinions and situations. I loved it.
Thanks to the following photographers : Enchanted Acres Photography, Ezekiel Holliday, Santa Barbara Photography, Affordable Photography, Insight Pictures, Paul Wingler Photography,Shane Durrance Photography and several others . If I left out your name it is just because I am running out of time. I am off to Tampa in a few moments.

Merry Christmas

Last night we did the big extended family and friends Christmas dinner. I love getting together with my family and just hanging out. I hope all of you who read this enjoy your family as much as I do. As we were driving home, instead of singing Christmas songs, the kids and I sang the different harmonies of a lot of Beach Boys songs. I recommend the "Endless Summer" Greatest Hits CD.

Also today a question. For those of you who are going to Imaging USA in Tampa, would you like to get together one evening for dinner and discussion. I know some folks from Kansas and Indiana are going and want to get together, everyone is welcome. Lets e mail back and forth and set something up.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Horn Tootin

I just got this e mail from one of my brides. Thought I would pass it along.

Hi Scott. I wanted to let you know that we received our albums. They are beautiful. We couldn't be happier with the end product. You exceeded our high expectations. We enjoyed working with you and will happily pass your name along to anyone we know who is in need of a photographer. In fact, one of my co-workers wants your number as soon as she finds a suitable man to marry.

Thanks again.

Happy Holidays.

Amy Freed

I love hearing back from my customers.

Augusta, Ga

This week I am at the Marriott Riverfront in Augusta, Ga. I am photographing a job being preformed by a woodwork retouching company. Basically they make all of the wood trim and panels in the hotel look new again. Over the years the wood work such as base boards , chair rails and furniture gets all dinged up. It is much less expensive to retouch it than to replace it. As I was watching them work and making photographs I made the stupid mistake of telling these guys that what they were doing was a lot easier than retouching a photograph. Back in the old days before Photoshop and computers, I retouched photos for a custom color photo lab. Back then I used paint brushes , air brushes and other art mediums to fix the mistakes of many of Atlanta's best (and sometimes WORST) photographers.
I said too much and next thing you know some one handed me a paint brush and a jar of stain and said "Put up or shut up". So.......in between photographing I am retouching wood work. They charge$50.00 per hour to do this. I wonder if I will get a check.

This Weekends Wedding

It is 3am in Auburn Alabama. I am in my hotel room editing the stuff from today's wedding. It is really 4 am in my time as I live in the Eastern time zone and Alabama is in the Central time zone. (Or as we say in Georgia, Central time 1972) Sorry ! Had to say that. I must say that Auburn is the nicest , most clean college town I have ever been in. The streets are filled with beautiful girls and it makes me want to go to college. Anyway, I have just started editing and have in now way even looked at all of the photos, but these two jumped out at me. The groom holding her shoes while we walked threw town just kind of says it all. I wish that kind of love on everyone reading my silly little blog.
One more thing. If you are having a wedding or corporate party any where in the Southeast, 1) Hire me to photograph it and 2) hire the band Bobby More and the Rhythm Aces at (615) 254-7553. These guys are GREAT. I promise you will have a "Funky Good Time" My other favorite party band is The Neons at http://www.theneons.com neons.com

The Holidays

I hope everyone had a safe week. I went to my brothers for Thanksgiving dinner and then on to some friends for another dinner. At my brothers, everything was just like it is supposed to be at Thanksgiving. Most of my family was there and it was comfortable and warm and it just felt like home. At the other dinner I went to , it was like just about any scene from the movie Steel Magnolias. Lots of mature Southern ladies sticking their noses into everyone business and big hair.
I hope we all keep this year's holidays about Faith and Family.

The one photo is part of my "Faces of Town" project that I will be hanging this week at a restaurant in town. I took it yesterday. It is of one of the people that work at the restaurant. She does not want me to use it in the show because she does not like her chin and nose. I like it, what do you think ?

Todays Shoot in South Alabama

It is late so I will not write much. These photos are just a few of many that were taken today. I wanted to do some artsy kind of things to use in her wedding album to set the mood of the book so I mixed it up with some formal portraits and shots from around her home town. Out of these four my favorite it the one with the big white building. Or maybe the one in the middle of the street. I took about 150 shots and have not even looked at all of them yet. These just seemed to jump at me so I put them up here on the blog. The next post will be from my Super Monday class being held,...well, this Monday. Oh, and happy birthday Wanda.

Todays Portraits

These are some photos from the two portrait sessions I did today. The first one just has me saying that I can not remember any Grandmother looking that good. But she is one and does.

The composite sheet started out as a shoot for my Faces of Town project and I went a little overboard. The photo I choose for the exhibit is on the bottom left. No one likes it but me. But, it is MY exhibit, so in it goes. Any comments ? Should I go on as a portrait photographer ? Someone pick them apart. tell me what you don't like.

Halloween

So tonight was Halloween. The photos are of Christina and Jonathan who have been staying with me for a few months. Jonathan will be two at Christmas and tonight he was a pirate. The next photo is of my son Garen and his girlfriend. Garen dressed up as her and she was a thug gangster with a aluminium foil "Grill" Seeing my sporto son dressed as a girl sent a cold chill down my spine. He looks like my brothers daughters and a little like my mother. Oh well, David Bowie made a lot of money dressing that way.
The last photo is of what I did for the evening. I just went for a canoe ride to photograph the geese. I got started to late and only got this one shot of 4 of them taking off in front of me.

Red Sox Win

OK, so the Red Sox won the World Series. They played better than the Rockies. They deserved to win. But I was still pulling for the Rockies because I am a National League kind of guy. Go Braves in 2008 !

The Faces of Town

Here are a few photos from my personal project called "Faces of Town" It is a collection of photographs of the people that you see almost daily around the downtown area of McDonough , Ga. This is a great town. The fruit stand lady leaves all of her produce outside at night on her little stand and no one ever steals it. There is the guy that gives out the parking tickets. The firemen who are always outside. My real estate agent, half naked in black and white. The pretty blond owns my favorite restaurant. I shot those this morning. I have many more on the way and they will all hang at the main restaurant on the town sq threw Christmas. All of the prints will be 30 to 40 inch gallery wrap canvas.

Y'all Get to Church

Just a photo from today's wedding in Fayetteville, Ga. I think I will call it "Y'all Get to Church"

The Post Below This One

In the post below this one I said that "I almost Promise" to update the blog every day. Look for stuff from the two weddings I have this weekend in the next post.
Also, as of yesterday I will be the speaker on Sunday night for the Alabama- Mississippi PPA convention in July in Moblie , Al. I will be doing my new "50 Things Every Photographer Should Know" show.

South Dakota and Dominican Republic What Do They Have in Common ?

Both places have someone new looking at my blog ! And London, England checked in too. Welcome to you all.

And hey Ringold, Ga. I need a comment. Also one from Memphis would be good. And lets see......... I need a post from J in Kansas and one from just north of Ocala, Fl and I haven't heard anything from the good folks in Kentucky in a while. Greenville, SC needs to call me with a credit card number and the jackass from North Carolina that keeps e mailing me, please stop.
To the TVA photography group, I would love to do a Photo Restoration seminar over there next year. To the Aniston , Al Cheehah group, please send in my speaker merit form. And I would love to do another show over there also and then go drink beer with y'all again. GLPPA in Louisville, KY I still need y'all to send in my speaker merit form to PPA. Also, Brownsville, TX please e mail me and let me know how you liked the DVD set.

That about covers all of the things I needed to get off my chest. I almost promise to update the blog every day.

Portrait Session

This morning I did a quick portrait session at my house. We viewed the photos projected in my media room and an order for 12 8x10s , 3-16x20s and a 30x40 inch Gallery Wrapped Canvas was placed at that time. I never really enjoyed doing formal portraits before but I am starting to like it. I think I am going to do a week of portraits each month. The photo with 3 people in it is going to be the 30x40 with 16x20s of the other two. Any comments ? Should I just stick to weddings?

This Weekends Wedding

I had a good time this weekend. My wedding was for a family and group of friends that I have photographed several events for. I love photographing this family. They have such beautiful daughters. I asked the brides father how he manged all the guys buzzing around as they were all growing up and he gave me this look like I really don't what to know. He and his wife must have done a great job because all of the sisters are so articulate, witty, and graceful. What we call "Good Southern Girls"

Here are just a few photos from the wedding.

Just Saying Hi

I know it has been 3 weeks since my last post. I have been super busy and the blog got pushed to the back burner. Nothing really newsworthy other than I took 1st place in the Wedding Category at the Georgia Professional Photographers print competition in Augusta, Ga. It was at the annual convention and I got to watch the judging of the photographs. It took about 7 hours to judge them all. It was very enlightening.
The only other thing of any interest was that I was almost killed at last weekends wedding. I tripped and almost went over the balcony railing at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Atlanta. The photo is taken from where I landed. Those steps are steep and slick.

That night when I got home and started to unload my bags and download all the images, my little dog Sonny was the only one waiting up on me. He crashed on my light kit bag the instant I sat it down. He has never done that before and now I can't keep him off of it. It is comfy. I slept on it one time in an airport.

Lastly but the most enjoyable thing is that I took my daughter Marah out for her 17th birthday this evening. The photo of my kids was taken at the ball field a few weeks ago with my little Nikon S9.

A Whole Lot Going On

First of all, I want to apologise for not posting very much over the last month. I have been very busy . Lots of weddings and DVD production and a very big personal project called "The Faces of Town" I may do a separate blog just for that project.
Right now I am watching something on CNBC called "The Age of Wal-Mart" Love them or hate them, Wal-Mart knows how to make money and how to cut costs. Overhead costs are the number one killer of the small business.
Wal-Mart keeps track of everything. What was sold. What did not sell. What sells best when a hurricane is due to hit your location, then they react by ordering more or less in real time.
EVERYTHING is about cutting costs and delivering products to the common person that they can afford. Now the flip side. Does Wal-Mart put such a squeeze on their suppliers that the suppliers can not make a profit ? I hope to find out with a DVD project that I am working on. It does not even involve photography. I will not say what it is other than to say that there is wealth in knowledge. Sell what you know. Because there is always someone that wants to know what you know. Thank you to all the new people that check out this blog. England, Germany and New Zealand are countries that have folks that have checked me out. Welcome to you all. Or as we say here in Georgia, welcome to all y'all. Photos from the Faces of Town project will be in the next post.

This Saturdays Wedding

Here are a few photos from this Saturdays wedding. I have not even downloaded today's wedding yet, but will do so tomorrow.

Old Stuff Can Be New Stuff

Yesterday it was raining here for a while in the afternoon. So instead of working on the continuing clean up in my yard from the storm damage, I started poking around in some of my old files looking for some photos that were my favorites a few years back. When I came upon this one I remembered how I had wanted to take this photo for about 5 years but never had a wedding couple and a Pickett fence that were both willing at the same time. I remember that it was about to rain when this was taken. I added the painting effect with Corel Painter and Photoshop.

I Have a Date with a Chainsaw

Yesterday afternoon, after I shot a small local morning wedding. I went to have a late lunch at the restaurant across the lake. It is only a mile if I walk from the house so sometimes I do that. The temp was only around 90 and the wind was blowing so it was no big deal to walk.

While I was eating and having a few cold ones on the deck outside, my cell phone rang and it was one of my brides calling with some changes she wanted to make to her album that I had posted on line for her to see. I told her that I would go home and do them and send her a proof in a few hours. So I left lunch early and walked on home to start on the 3 changes that she wanted. Now if she had not called, I would have had desert and another beer and then walked home 15 min later. It takes about 20 min to walk home and as I walked up my driveway, the wind started to pick up and I felt a very cold rush of air. Within the next 2 minuets I lost 8 trees in my backyard . My garage was filled with limbs and parts of lawn furniture and several windows were smashed. If my bride had not called, I would have been walking home in all of that. And from seeing all of the damage along the trail I used to get home. I might not have made it. Thanks for the call Mary Ann.