Based out of Los Angeles, CA Robert Evans has quickly risen to become one of the most sought after wedding photographers amongst Hollywood’s elite set. Robert has photographed weddings for the likes of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Brad Pit and Jennifer Aniston, and has made portraits of celebs like George Lopez, MC Hammer, and many more.

In this video, celebrity wedding photographer Robert Evans talks about his latest venture — PhotographyMentor.com, an online photography community and training site designed to help aspiring and pro photographers quickly learn techniques and best practices by watching other pros in action.

It’s like taking a workshop in your underwear!

I wrote a blog post about Robert about a year ago when I had the opportunity to shoot a wedding with him. It was a fascinating experience. I had my suspicions, but as it turns out, celebs are really just ordinary people. Nervous brides, jittery grooms, weeping friends/family… the works.

One of the most impressive things I recall from the experience of shooting with Robert was his mastery of his camera gear, a Canon Mark II at the time. He didn’t rely on the camera’s meter, and in fact for most (if not all) of the event, he was shooting on full manual… eye-balling exposure settings and dialing in f/stop & shutter speed settings on the fly. In my opinion, that level of mastery is one of the things that separates amateur photographers from the pros.

Most anyone can pick up an SLR, throw it into Auto mode, and call themselves a photographer. But it takes a true artisan to understand the delicate interplay of light and shadow, and how those variables react in different situations, and how to manipulate that interplay using the various exposure controls on the camera (f/stop, shutter speed, ISO) — to gain predictable (and repeatable) results.

The good news is, pros like Robert are willing to share their tips and techniques with us all. The PhotographyMentor site he co-founded is a great first step.

Here’s how you can follow Robert online:

Twitter
Flickr
RobertEvans.com
YouTube promo video