Calvin's Thoughts On Lisa Wu Cover Shoot For Snytch Magazine
Working with Lisa Wu & Snytch Magazine was pure awesome. The day started off rough but like most shoots I've learned not to worry and put my trust in God that everything will go just fine. Most people only see the finished product of our photo shoots online after everything is done.
However I can promise you that the photo shoots we produce are no over night process. This shoot in particular took months of planning and hundreds of emails back & forth to assure that everything was in order before the shoot date. I guess one might ask whats that mean?
"LOL huh" It means late nights and early mornings, securing locations, making sure all aspect of the production are in place. And that equals... "A lot of work" As hard as these photo shoot productions can be to put together I would not trade it in for the world. I can honestly say I love my job because it's my calling and it is also what I feel God has given me to do here on earth. Truth be told, I don't know what I would do if I did not have a camera in my hand shooting photography for some one or something.
To be honest with you guys I learn something new with every production. And when I say "learn something new" that can be anything from the technical aspect of photography or from the social & political side of the photography business as well. Learning how to deal with different personalities and how to adjust in different environments & settings is key.
As a photographer I have to be able to adapt to any given situation and produce beauty from it not matter where I am. Well I do have to admit that it wasn't that hard to accomplish at www.hufffurniture.com considering all the beautiful home decor surrounding us. The photography, lighting, and creative aspect is the easy part. Dealing with people to get them all on the same page! Well that is another story that I will speak about later in life LOL.
One of the main things I learned from this particular shoot is patients not matter what. I also learned that consistency produces quality. Mr. Huff the owner of Huff Furniture has been in business in the heart of Buckhead since 1957 and that my friends is something to truly look up too and respect. As an artist 1st I respect a man that not only designs and creates amazing pieces of art, but also manages and maintain a profitable business as well.
"For all you business owners out there you know that's not an easy task especially in the creative fields".
I knew that the project was successful once Mr. Huff popped out the bottle of Moet and said good job fellas With "Lil Wayne, Baby & Cash Money MILLIONAIRES's playing in the background LOL. The feeling was great, to be honest I felt like we had just won the super bowl. I had to pinch myself to realize that Mr. Huff of all people actually thought the project was great.
Mr. Huff, his wife, and son are such great people. We were able to stay with in budget and still produce a quality project. And if you work in the production field you know that is always a reason to celebrate. Especially considering that 1 chair alone in the store cost around $7,500 so you know the insurance on that is no a walk in the park. I was holding my breath during the entire shoot praying to God that nothing was damaged LOL. Despite the feeling of walking on a tight rope all day in the end the photo shoot turned out great.
This by far was one of my favorite shoots. Lisa Wu was awesome she has such a great personality and she is so much fun to be around, The Snytch Magazine team are true professionals and they always make sure things get done and they are very organized. I love that the most about working with them. Cheers to everyone who worked on this production great job every one did an amazing job. And I have to give a special thanks to Sean Anthony our DP he put in a lot of hours on this project to make sure it turned out amazing and it did. This is only the start of many more great moments to come. Cheers to another successful project.
Calvin Evans
The Break Out Shoot Dec 3, 2010
OMG I don't even want to talk about how much work it was to put this shoot together. Thinking about it just makes my head hurt. How did this shoot come together? If you asked me that question I would say by the Grace of God.
So early one morning I was speaking with one of my photography mentors Famed Fashion Photographer Drexina Nelson and I told her that I wanted to do a fashion shoot with like 30 models. Almost immediately she said "WHAT" 30 models "Calvin are you serious?" "then looks at me with the crazy face and says "Calvin you know Rome was not built over night right" LOL I laugh and said yeah I know "reluctantly". At that very moment my ambition was kind of deflated I can't even lie.
Being the fighter I am by nature I still pushed to get the shoot planned and done. It wasn't till after the shoot that I realized what Drexina was saying about shooting so many models at once. "Inside my mind I was like I will never again shoot" 6 to 8 Models with two looks to three looks each!!! LOL. If you are in the business then you are might be saying Wow that was a lot of work for one day!!! Not just a lot of work for me but for every one involved. As a lead photographer I had to learn how to be mindful of my glam team and to be sure that they are not burdened with too much work to do at one time. At the end of the day we do not want to sacrifice the quality of the shoot.
The most important thing I learned from this production is that it's not about quantity it's about quality. If we listen God will speak to us through so many things in life. These same principles apply to everyday life as well. Often times we want so much so soon and so quickly but in order to keep what we have obtained we must be prepared to have what we have received.
The best aspect of this production was seeing every one working together with out ego's getting in the way. If you are in the industry you know that egos can play a major roll in hindering productions the best of productions. As a director & producer If you don't check those type of personalities & attitudes at the door the feeling or working with your team can be compared to riding a wild horse with no harness. If it's one thing I can't stand is people on the same set talking about each other be it models or glam team. I just think it's messy and not very professional.
Sure we all have our creative differences and some are stronger at their craft than others but at the end of the day as artist we are not here to tear each other down. We are here to inspire one another and build each other up as well as contribute to our own personal, creative and unique style. In a perfect world that would be ideal, however the industry can be a doggy dog business and you have to have tough skin. If you don't have tough skin you may as well stop pursing a career in it now because the higher you get the more things you will be responsible for. That is the side of the industry that most people don't see.
The truth is If we were all the same the creative world would be no where near as interesting as it is today. From my personal perspective I don't have any desire to shoot photographs exactly like anyone else. I can admire the work of other photographers but at the end of the day I want to produce the best work that Calvin Evans can produce.
Long story short this production taught me a lot special thanks to every one who believe in this project enough to help me put it together. It was a tough one but at the end of the day it was successful. Special thanks to Drexina Nelson www.drexinanelson.com who rented the studio to me for the shoot she is a true pioneer and leader in the field of fashion photography.
Calvin Evans
Nothing But Respect "My Thoughts on Romeo Miller Shoot" & Conversations With The Rap Mogul Himself. Master P and the future & legacy of No Limit Forever Romeo Miller
So for those of you who truly know me, you know that this is one of the most major shoots I've done considering the fact that I thought I was Master P back in High School when I lived in Columbia S.C. Summer 1997 my fellas and I did nothing more than the things that teenager do...
"Got In Hella Trouble"
I can recall riding up and down Decker Blvd & Two Notch trying to find a way into Pure Passion Strip Club & Red Diamonds with fake I.D.'s to watch the strippers dance to Master P's
controversial hit song "Bounce That A**"
It was Me, Willie Davis, Big Chris, LaRon Johnson, Max S. Bingham Jr. Amp, and Corey Carter. "Sorry For Telling On You Fellas" But y'all were there too LOL. I even remember being so drunk I threw up on the 6'8 380 pound security guards shoes at the door. All I remember after that was waking up with a lot of gravel on my face LOL. "Man the things teenagers get into."
Boy did we think we were something, I remember one weekend I got so bold as to leave out Friday night and did not return until like the following Friday night. Mind you I was only 17 or 18 then had the nerve to come back home as if I was grown and it were my house. "Like Everything Was Ok" I soon realized I wasn't grown, it was not my house, and it wasn't ok when my mother's right hand landed across my face twice before I could blink once. "LOL Oh the times"
The fit my mother would have had if she knew some of the places and things I was getting into at such a young age. "By the way I pray she never reads this" The truth is she had to be a praying mother because it was the Grace of God that kept me from going to jail, becoming another statistic, or dead before my time.
I recall the day she placed my gun, drugs, black & milds, and condoms on my bed all on top of the Bible. She said "SON" it's time for you to let the smoke clear and make a choice with your life because you are not headed in the right direction. Oh and don't we know what a party poopper that is when you just finished putting one in the air. It all makes you come right back down to reality. However I can say that this was one day that changed my life forever after pondering on all the things my mother was telling me as a youngster.
I said all of this to say "Where you Start is not where you will finish" We have a choice to be the same, get worst, or become better. I thank God for the Love in my Mothers heart because she has always loved my brother and I enough to encourage us to reach for better in life and to never settle. "Not just do better but become better". Because of her I'm the man I am today. Her love for us is a love that is unmatched and I personally will forever be thankful to her for seeing better in me than I could see in myself at the time. I love you mom
Calvin Evans
On Set With Romeo & Master P
So this big tall dude steps out of the car and walks into the studio with like 4 other gangsters on his side and his own actual police escort. That has to be Percy Miller with a larger than life personality saying "Say Brah in a New Orleans tone "which of y'all know what y'all doing in here?" "I heard you was the man to come to with these photo shoots? Then of course being the business man Master P is the first question he asked is so what's up with the name Snytch Magazine?
OMG I personality felt like the studio turned from a studio to an interrogation room. "Beads of Sweat rolling down forehead" as Editor In Chief of Snytch Magazine Tavarus Johnson quickly explained to him that it's not the type of Snytch you may be thinking of but more so SNYTCH MAG [n]. as in A credible outlet for entertainers, & artists; designed to school their fans on their careers & voice their views. www.snytchmagazine.com Whooo can we say breath deep as soon as Master P said cool lets get the shoot done then.
Shortly after I was able to see a side of Master P that I have never seen. "The Father Side of the once Gangster Rapper" He pulled me to the side and explained to me that he did not want any gangster images of his son and that is something that I could truly respect. I can truly tell that he does not want Romeo to be just like him or live up to his name he wants his son to do better than him just like any good father would want.
I am blessed to be able to see these sides of celebrities because it sheds new light on the people that we think we know only because we have seen or heard them on T.V. which happens to be only 1 aspect of their lives. Which brings me to the point of never judging a book by it's cover. I have to be honest before meeting Romeo I could have sworn that he was going to be some arrogant know it all kid, spoiled by dads riches.
But to my surprise that was not the case and I was very wrong. For those that don't know Romeo personally he is a very mild mannered laid back dude. Just like any other young man he is pursuing his goals in life and working to get it done. I have respect for Romeo because he is nonchalant to all the hype that surrounds him. You can tell his dad instilled some solid values into his life because he is very grounded and focused to be so young.
Once again this was another great production and we had a lot of fun while getting a lot of great things accomplished so to that I can say nothing other than cheers to every one involved in the project. And hands down shout out to the Snytch Magazine staff I would not even know where to start to tell you how much work they but into getting this shoot done. I must say I truly respect this team because no matter what happens they work to execute and get things done. Special thanks to Ebony Griffin who made it happen and pulled every one together on the project. She was not even in the same state and was still present to make sure everything was together for the shoot. I respect that highly. Once again cheers everyone see you on the next shoot.
Calvin Evans
