James Evangelista Portfolios
Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen Celebrates 80 Years of Mastery with Fine Art Photographer
James Evangelista
We continue our Celebration of 80 Years of Fine Craftsmanship's Master Artisan series with Senior Master Artisan James Evangelista. James has had a long career in professional photography, shooting subjects that ranged from backstage images of Tina Turner to spiritually significant landscapes of the American Southwest. We are sure you will enjoy getting to know James a little better.
We continue our Celebration of 80 Years of Fine Craftsmanship's Master Artisan series with Senior Master Artisan James Evangelista. James has had a long career in professional photography, shooting subjects that ranged from backstage images of Tina Turner to spiritually significant landscapes of the American Southwest. We are sure you will enjoy getting to know James a little better.
PGC: When did you know you wanted to be an artist/artisan?
James: Throughout my life I always had a camera in my hand and taking pictures was my favorite way to communicate. All through the military and all through collage, the one constant in my life was photography. But it wasn’t until my career as a commercial photographer was starting to become too routine that I knew I wanted to produce fine art photography.
PGC: Why did you choose your medium – or how did it choose you?
James: There’s some magic that happens when you find the right form to tell your story in just the right way and for me, that was photography. As far as I am concerned, I photograph because I really have no other choice. This is what I do. This is what I am.
PGC: What kind of music do you like? Do you listen to it in your studio or do you like to work in quiet?
James: I have a wide repertoire of music that I listen to, pretty much everything from Pavarotti to Jimi Hendrix. Usually if I’m in the studio or working in post production I’ll dial in some music but when I’m on location I never do.
PGC: If you were to choose a different way to express your creativity, how might you do it - poetry, cooking, tap dancing, other medium?
James: I studied clarinet, tenor saxophone and flute and I was blessed to have the best music teachers at that time. My wife is classically trained on piano and vocals and continues to play today and if I had the time I would like to begin again and perhaps we would collaborate.
PGC: What part of your process gives you the most trouble?
James: The technicalities of the digital process. When I was shooting film, my enlarger never crashed but my computer does, as does my printer.
PGC: What part brings you the most joy?
James: It doesn't get any better than waking up early for sunrise and being rewarded with beautiful light.
PGC: Who inspires you, gives you energy - someone you know, a mentor, an idol?
James: Current influences include most all of my colleagues, friends, and fellow photographers who, collectively, provide ongoing support, encouragement, and inspiration along with Irving Penn, Ernst Haas and, of course, Ansel Adams.
James: Throughout my life I always had a camera in my hand and taking pictures was my favorite way to communicate. All through the military and all through collage, the one constant in my life was photography. But it wasn’t until my career as a commercial photographer was starting to become too routine that I knew I wanted to produce fine art photography.
PGC: Why did you choose your medium – or how did it choose you?
James: There’s some magic that happens when you find the right form to tell your story in just the right way and for me, that was photography. As far as I am concerned, I photograph because I really have no other choice. This is what I do. This is what I am.
PGC: What kind of music do you like? Do you listen to it in your studio or do you like to work in quiet?
James: I have a wide repertoire of music that I listen to, pretty much everything from Pavarotti to Jimi Hendrix. Usually if I’m in the studio or working in post production I’ll dial in some music but when I’m on location I never do.
PGC: If you were to choose a different way to express your creativity, how might you do it - poetry, cooking, tap dancing, other medium?
James: I studied clarinet, tenor saxophone and flute and I was blessed to have the best music teachers at that time. My wife is classically trained on piano and vocals and continues to play today and if I had the time I would like to begin again and perhaps we would collaborate.
PGC: What part of your process gives you the most trouble?
James: The technicalities of the digital process. When I was shooting film, my enlarger never crashed but my computer does, as does my printer.
PGC: What part brings you the most joy?
James: It doesn't get any better than waking up early for sunrise and being rewarded with beautiful light.
PGC: Who inspires you, gives you energy - someone you know, a mentor, an idol?
James: Current influences include most all of my colleagues, friends, and fellow photographers who, collectively, provide ongoing support, encouragement, and inspiration along with Irving Penn, Ernst Haas and, of course, Ansel Adams.
