Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I guess I like to shoot SUV's...



Was doing an engagement session for this couple and as we were waiting for the makeup and hair to get done (it takes time sometimes) the groom to be and I shot the shit and took a few pics of their Land Rover. It was a great way to use up some time, start a conversation, and get a few cool images for them if they ever sell the car. Not to mention it was a pretty hot day (weird for Nov) and the weather was perfect.

The trick to shooting cars, in fact to shooting anything, is to make the most of what you have and work with the limits rather than try to force things or make equipment do what it's not meant for. By knowing how to place lights a person can get by using hand held flashes or in my case a beauty dish, pretty effectively, rather than calling in a lighting truck with a softbox the size of a garage.


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Indoor photos with a fashion edge!




So today I was lucky enough to do a test shoot for a friend at a pretty cool house out in the burbs. We wanted to try a few lighting tricks and see if some of the things I've been doing in the clubs and for bands can be applied to indoors.

It can, and the results are pretty cool. It's not your normal run of the mill room photography. Next year I'm going to try and build on this and hopefully pick up a few clients for high end interior work - when they want something a bit different and trendy.





Saturday, October 23, 2010

Whisky Park - Work was finally put up!

Finally made it to Whisky Park http://www.whiskyparkmpls.com/ and saw the final images from our pin-up cowboy shoot a few months before. These things are large and take up the whole entry way! Seriously, large!

As always it was awesome to work with Mackenzie Labine who is a great stylist and makeup artist (she works at Hair Police as a day gig) and just a great team all in all. Also a thanks goes to http://www.shealink.com/ for working with us and helping realize the vision.

Pics below, and yes, I carry a Droid around with me rather than a huge camera.





Saturday, September 25, 2010

Belle Bottom Band! =D



If you want to listen to some great 70's and 80's rock covers you really should check these guys out. Just a lot of fun, and where else are you going to hear someone doing a Supertramp cover?

www.bellebottomband.com

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Motion!




The same thing we did for Laura Fulk, other than with different lights this time. It's always a challenge to see how talent moves, how to capture them, and how to get all that in a pleasing image.

I think we got it though!

Blue!




Tried out some new lighting with a friend the other day, got some great results and will build on that throughout the next few months. Let's just say that shuttercuts are totally fun to play with, and with a larger light in that fixture it's going to be a lot of fun going forward!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Sexy fun in the studio with basic lighting and outfits!

Did some fun fashion work in the studio today - simple outfits, shot it on white seamless and against a white wall, and very simple light! Goes to show what can be done if things are kept basic with the focus on quality over any one theme or style.





Sunday, August 15, 2010

The NEW soup can!



Years ago someone who shall not be named used a simple soup can to solidify themselves as a leader in the art scene. I'm not going to get into what their use meant, you can read all about that in other places – this is my way to pay homage to them, and to let the image evolve into the new millennium.

Color film + bands = FUN!





Went to the triple rock today and had some film on me, saw a few great bands, got some great pictures, and it's always a good time there!

www.myspace.com/nomiaband

Friday, August 13, 2010

Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Show - Rejected!



So Today I went and picked up my image from the art show, for some reason or another it didn't get accepted by the judge, which happens. This is why shows have judges, galleries have curators, and why we like some places over others - not because of quality issues, but because we all have different eyes and look for and at different things.

I didn't decide to do the Hopkins show this year, which is a place for the State Fair rejections, since I don't agree with the whole "anything goes that didn't get accepted here" idea, or at least I don't think my work would fit well into that setting. I'm also younger and a bit idealistic, so this view may change in a few years.

Monday, August 9, 2010

E-Tones!



Was lucky enough to see Tony get out and spin a set at the Great Sun Buffet with my good friend Jake. Room was packed, sound was awesome, and house music is always a great way to spend a Sat night!

Shoot today with Megan from Vision Models



So today I worked with my good friend and makeup artist Krista Dostal, and a good model friend Megan. We had grand plans for the shoot, however with 90 some degree heat and all of us sweating those plans really didn't get off the ground all that much. So we decided to keep things to a few headshots and simple makeup changes.

The first image on this post was actually the last taken. Where we had fun outside with a sprinkler and got her wet. The light was nothing special - only with a plastic bag of it just in case - and I used a regular reflector with no other modifier.

Below is one of the first shots we took. Again nothing too special with the light, other than it was one of our converted stage lights. It worked, and would have been a bit better if we weren't fighting with high temps and the sun going in and out of the clouds.





After the grass shot we moved the light around and put her in front of a tree. It worked pretty well, and I wished we would have had more time to do a few more shots, however again with the heat we had to work fast before all the makeup melted off.




Finally we took a few pictures of her in front of some flowers. I wanted to get something with the makeup and the purple, which we did do, and will do again once the temps outside are bearable!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Boating anyone?



Was hanging out at Big Island today and got a picture of this huge ass (pretty big) boat/yacht. Mostly at the peril of my camera since (without a neck strap) I was up to my shoulders in the water. Totally worth it, and hopefully I can find a few projects like this next year!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Citypages! Got one of the main pictures the other week!




For the promotion of the Teknodoll fashion show an image with Megan was published in Citypages the week of July 11th (or so). It was a lot of fun to shoot, the picture looks great in print, and it was a lot of fun to see the image out in public!

Hopefully more opportunities like that come up in the future!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Runway Africa



There are a ton of reviews out there, but the show was a lot of fun eventhough the weather didn't really want to work with us all that well. The clothing was awesome, models were pretty good, and it was my first chance to see Epic Nightclub - used to go to the Quest a lot, long story.

Great night, good people, and hopefully a great start for the designers!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

OutSpoken, shoot before the show!



Had a chance to take pictures for Kristy Janigo of http://jnrrfashion.com/ and Erika Langefels. This could have been the start of my run of luck with last minute situations and/or bad weather. We were able to get the shoot done in Loring Park just barely before a storm came in.



This brings up a good point, so we have expensive lights, and cheap lights... I wouldn't trust a plastic bag for rain protection over a light system worth thousands, but I would on the good old Alien Bee's.

=)

And my assistant/makeup artist trusted me enough to hold a light stand as a storm came in...

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

My latest trip to NYC!




Seriously, this has to be one of if not the best city in the world. The people are great, the energy is awesome, and I can't wait to get there one of these years. I had the opportunity to shoot with a new model there - in between visiting friends and Irish Pubs.



Two ways to make a great image of a guy... 1) get a fan and blow his shirt off, adn 2) get a Yashica T4 and some Privia 400 slide film! Great times, and I can't wait to get back there.

Thanks to model Jahbar.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Teknodoll lookbook!





http://clients.andrewthomasevans.com/teknodoll.pdf

There you have it, one of the most important things a designer can do for themselves! I'm not just tooting my own horn either, but seriously, it's all about marketing, and to market a designer/company needs to have something to send out.

What we did for Jolene and Teknodoll, or what I did, was to try and keep the photography simple, clean, and to show off both how the suits could be worn but also the urban lifestyle that she wanted to portray.

Due to her experience with lingerie and bra design, and maybe a bit due to the lookbook Jolene is starting a new job in LA starting very soon!

Thanks to Elle, Megan, and Liza for being models, and my friend Pam for makeup!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Style, how to define yourself!

So, before my aunt passed away last year she said something about what to and what not to tell artists... What to tell then was that they had your support no matter what they produce, and that you're behind their creative choices. What not to tell them is what you think would sell - since then they would create art with sellability in mind and that would take away from their ideas and from the art its self.

That applies to photos because we all have to make the choice between selling and making money, or going forward with our artwork and live with the results. Granted, some of us will find that are work will be received well, some will find a cool reception, and so on.

This, our style, is the hardest thing to learn of everything we're going to do with photos. It is the next step past the technical skills we need, it's a step past from dabbling into fashion or kids, or whatever, it's what defines us from another person. Personally, and I'm a mid paced learner, it's taken me 4 years to define who I am, and I'm not even close yet. This doesn't happen overnight.

Once we find our style things become fun, we pay less attention to who is doing what, since we're all on the same level - our work separates ourselves. So it's a stress reliever to see that I'm different from someone else, or that my direction is just different enough from another person to give a client a choice.

=)

So it's something to work towards, and keep working at.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Why designers have fashion shows...

So granted I'm stuck in MN, but I think I have a idea of what happens as far as marketing and promotion, or at least ideally how it should work in a classroom setting, so here goes.

Designers need to be on the cutting edge of fashion, and they need to set trends. This could be either regular clothes for normal people - which would include new styles, patterns, colors - or dresses, and high end clothing which would showcase more of a daring style etc... But they need to keep up with the seasons (time doesn't stop for anyone), and they need a way to showcase each of their lines.

Thus they have fashion shows, and thus fashion weeks, where they can invite the press and/or more importantly all the buyers they are trying to market to. This is why the major shows mostly happen in nyc, la, paris, etc - that's where the buyers are and that's where the market is.

From my understanding of real shows, they are invite only. This is not because the fashion scene is elitist or snobby, (well it is), but more so they understand that the general public, ie Jane Public, isn't their market. They also are writing off the expense as advertising and will make up for it later in sales.

Also, and this escapes most local shows, the real fashion shows are lit very well, since they really do need good images to promote their line. Not something in a warehouse space with house lights...

So we move on to smaller markets, like Minneapolis, and the market is totally different. instead of having shows for buyers they have them for God knows what and charge a cover to make up for the cost. I have no idea why they even do designs since at most shows there isn't a brochure about where to get the clothes, any websites, or any information past maybe "check it out at the local boutique". It's like the whole thing is just an excuse to have a party (at the designers expense, because it's a lot of work), and more of a club event than anything else.

Which is strange, since the same impact can be had if a few designers got together monthly, had a small private show for local boutiques (we have a bunch) and treated it like a mini fashion week where they target the stores rather than the general public.

Also designers need to realize that the show isn't the end of anything, it's just the start. It's like they feel good about putting in a ton of work only to stop when the marketing really begins. Most, from what I understand, don't have a real marketing plan, don't have a mailing list, flyers, post cards, or a system setup to sell their line or if they are in local stores, to expand beyond this city.

So here is what I'd do if I had the time (I don't) or the ambition for this (I'm busy with my own thing).

- Start a series of monthly or bi monthly shows targeting the local botique market, hire a professional photographer to do the runway photos as well as some basic on white or grey shots for general marketing. So that not only can their clothes get in front of people that matter, but they have the material to use later for those people. I'd host it in some basic location, maybe a club before it turns into a club (just need a room that's cheap).

But I'd also have those same designers get together, maybe with the help of local business, and get a mailing list out of more national outlets for sales. So that you have a show, promote your line, and then get it out in front of people.

I understand we do have locals trying to do somethings like this, however they either think the show is the final word and don't followup, or try to make it more of a club event or art a whirl type week than anything else. Sure that looks good in the press, that get's people my age (who don't really have money) out and about, sure you can charge a $20 fee, but as far as getting clothing in stores it does nothing.


But anyway, I'm not going down the fashion road here in town, I'm more interested in shooting shows in NYC, and I really don't have the time or ambition for this cause to jump into it.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Hot swimsuits in Minneapolis!


Got a chance to work with another Elle, and the Etiel building in Loring park. The swimsuits were done by Teknodoll, and makeup by Pam Brown. I wished I could share more however we're waiting for the rollout of her site and a few fashion shows before getting a lot of the images out.

She is going to have some awesome suits for sale both locally and in a few stores nationally (botiques), so keep your eyes open and watch out for her shows in a month or so!

Kuoth and I do a fashion test!



Today was the first time my friend Kuoth and I got to work together. It was a lot of fun and we did some amazing stuff. More images can be found on my site, www.andrewthomasevans.com

I'd give away some of the lighting, however let me just say it's pretty easy to do, mostly just blowing out the seamless and getting a reflector or something to fill in. Or, just one light (bare) against a wall - easy to do and you get some pretty cool results.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I usually don't shoot guys hotter than me... but...


Yeah this was a pretty fun shoot, and got some great images. Granted the headshot above isn't a great one for a model, but it was pretty hot to do, and pretty easy to do. Makes him look like a rockstar or actor.





Then above are a few more shots, the top one done on seamless while the bottom one was just lit with a bare bulb in front of a wall. keeping things simple is a great way to get some basic solid shots, and usually it's not great to try to do too much in a single shot.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Laura Fulk runway! It's here!

So Today was finally the day of her fashion show, which comes at the peek of a ton of work by her (Laura Fulk), and my friend Ray Shan, among others. It was an awesome venue over at the alumni center at the U of M, and the clothes were great! Below are just a few pics, and check her clothing out at http://www.laurafulk.com/