Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Bell.
Evan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I got started with Photography as early as 2013 when I was shooting on my iPhone 5 and just started taking advantage of some of the cool scenery and people that were in the south loop area. I originally intended it to be something I used as a way to capture and catalog my experiences being a young adult in the city and it developed into something so much more.
I started taking it seriously around 2014 and fell in love with shooting portraits. I started off shooting portraits of my friends, strangers, and the girl I dated at the time mostly trying to get a feel and improve my skills. While enrolled at Columbia, I decided to minor in photography and hone my skills there. Since then I’ve worked in photo journalism and as a freelancer. I’ve shot concerts, weddings, rallies, marches, parades, influencers all portraiture with the idea that each photo has a story to tell. I’ve always focused on the artistry and craft and trying to get better at my own pace. I like to experiment and be as versatile as possible within my work.
I’ve appreciated all the models, makeup artists, and creative directors I’ve worked with because they all have helped make my work stronger. My job is to capture the moment, but all those other people do all the hard work that make that photo special.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve learned that with anything you do in life nothing will be smooth. I’ve struggled plenty of times since I’ve started shooting. Being a creative you go through periods where everything is on point; your work, your clients, you’re editing, your drive, etc. There are also plenty of times where you’re down on yourself and I’ve had plenty of struggles in that regard. I always struggle with wanting everyone I shoot with to like what I created with them. I always want my clients to be satisfied with the product that is delivered but it doesn’t work like that. Everything I’ve done up to this point is a learning process. I’ve been in situations where people repost my work as their own or try to remove a watermark from a photo. I’ve dealt with clients whose expectations were sky-high and the shoot didn’t come out the greatest. I’ve dealt with having to balance going on tour with a big artist and being their tour photographer versus sticking with something else I worked a long time to get too. I believe I’ve gone through a lot that other creatives go through and it is only made me a smarter about how I do things while acknowledging my strengths and areas that I still need to grow in.
Evan Shoots – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My personal brand is Evanshoots in which I mainly specialize in portraits and art curating. I also started a group of creatives back in 2015 called the People’s Collective in which we host big art gallery events throughout the city and feature between 6-10 artists every show that also has performances and other cool things like a fashion we did for our last event back in 2017.
For my personal brand I believe what sets myself apart from others is not just because I’m a photographer but because I do a lot of other things like curating, creative consulting, web design, Djing, and a lot more.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think my proudest moment was when I did my first art show back in 2015. Well over 100 people attended and it was also my 21st birthday so I was excited on top of that. I was really happy to see such positive reception over my work and the other artists who participated in that event. Everyone who was involved with that including some of the people there have gone on to make some really cool work so I couldn’t be any happier whenever I reflect on that moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://evanshoots.co
- Email: ejbshoots@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evanshoots/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evanshoots/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/evanshoots
Image Credit:
Models: Alexis Allotta, Dela Agbefe, Jaime Lee, Taylor Amilas, Kielle Relles, Taeya Kennedy, Allie Fish
Stylists: Lindsay Yates, Kielle Relles, Evan Bell
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
