How a college student is turning photography into a full time job

Alex Evans is a Sophomore at The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) studying photography, he spends his nights and weekends photographing some of the city’s hottest nightlife.

Just two years ago as a senior in high school he was taking his first art class. He had slowly started to discover his passion and began using his extra time to studying hours of Youtube tutorials on photography.

“I started as a concert photographer when I was 16 or 17. Which is the weirdest thing to get into because concert photography is the hardest photography.” Evan’s described. “The lighting of concert photography is ever changing and bouncing from light to light to coincide with the artists music.” He found the challenge though to be worth it. He felt a passion for photographing musicians he cared about. It drove him to go in depth and learn about the art of it all.

The first concert he was able to photograph was Robert Delong and Jungle at The Rave in Milwaukee. “I realized how fun and thrilling it is. But what really hit me was how crazy the background of a music artist was. The green room (where the musicians wait before their performance) life is so different than I expected. It is a small group of people who live with one another 24/7, going to different states and creating an insanely close bond that doesn’t happen any other time or anywhere else.” Evans has had the privilege to shoot for some bigger name concerts too like Chance The Rapper.

In addition to his time spent doing concert photography, Evans has been able to create a name for himself in club photography. He photographs Lucid Lounge every Thursday and Saturday night. When asked what he liked about club photography he said “I like that you get the chance to be social. When I am working I am not just standing there taking photos, and I am encouraged to talk to people and hang out with them. That is something you don’t get with concert photography.”

The club photography scene is “like a big party you get to be a part of.” This is where concerts and club photography really differ Evans said, “Concerts feel like more of a job because you are doing it for the artist and don’t want to disappoint them where at clubs I am the artist and have more flexibility with my work and can try new things and grow.”

Overall, Evans prefers shooting club photography, because it allows him to make more creative decisions as opposed to trying to impress an artist and their fan base. He believes though if he had the chance to tour with the artists themselves he would prefer concert photography more.

When asked how he sees his career developing in the future Evan’s said he intendes on continuing with Lucid until he graduates, so for about three more years. It is great to have a continuous job and connection. “After graduation though I will have almost 8 years of nightlife experience which is crazy to go into right after school. I think it is opening a lot of doors for me and that experience will lead me to do anything I want to. It has created a great platform for the future.” Evans said.

You can catch Alex Evans at Lucid Lounge every Saturday night.

All photos courtesy of Alex Evans Photography: http://www.alexevans.photo/