“On the Tee” Interview With Evan Schiller

No one captures the beauty of a spectacular golf hole better than Evan Schiller. For over 25 years, Evan has travelled the world photographing over 600 championship golf courses. His talent and distinctive style set him apart.

It was my pleasure to recently speak with Evan about his introduction to golf and his career as a golf photographer. I hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about Evan Schiller.

How were you introduced to the game?

My father was a pretty avid golfer. At one point I guess he got down to about a 9 or 10 handicap, so he was a good player. He’s the one who took me to the driving range and gave me my first lesson.

Tell us a little about your playing and teaching career before you got into photography?

My first memories are of playing with other kids at a local club. Before I could drive, my mom would take me to tournaments sometimes several hours away. I really liked it and started playing more and more. I played on my high school team and I knew I was good enough to play college golf, but didn’t really think I was good enough for Division I, even though I ended up playing Division I golf.

So I went to Tulane in New Orleans and played for a couple of years before transferring to Miami. I had met some of the guys on the team and eventually transferred there. Woody Austin and Nathaniel Crosby were both on my team. When I graduated college, I didn’t think I was good enough to play professional golf. But my father encouraged me to give it a shot and I went out and played the mini-tours and some state opens and tried tour school. I did make a number of tour events through Monday Qualifiers.

But after a while, I got a little tired of the life, so I went to work at a couple of clubs as an assistant – Quaker Ridge and Westchester.

How did you get started in golf course photography?

I remember I played in the California Open at Mission Hills and La Quinta Resort & Club Mountain Course and somebody mentioned that a new course had opened up down the street and that we should check it out. Well, it turned out to be the Stadium Course at PGA West, designed by Pete Dye.

So, my buddy Tom Patri and I went over early one morning and played. I recall coming down the ninth hole and looking at this amazing scene and wishing that I had a camera. So I went home and got a camera and started taking it with me on trips.

I’d take them for fun and hang them on my wall or give them to my friends. Several years later, when I was working at Westchester, I hung some on the wall in the pro shop during the Buick Classic. To my surprise, somebody bought them.

What are some of the elements that make a great golf photograph?

Probably a combination of things. A unique perspective. The composition. I really didn’t have any photography lessons, but I befriended this guy who was a photographer. He told me “When you look through that viewfinder, you’re responsible for the whole frame. Make it interesting”.

So I try to pay attention to the whole frame. My intent is to take a photo where the perspective and composition work and flow nicely. That could be the way you position a bunker or a tree or the fairway. It could be the height or the angle.

Before I shoot a course, I go out and scout it so I get a sense of the holes and the angles I want to shoot from, but also to determine when the sun will be hitting certain holes. It is important to catch some holes right at sunrise or sunset. On others you may want to wait a little bit.

And, of course, the weather is out of your control, but it may contribute to a really good photograph. You may get some dramatic sky or some cool clouds right after a storm and the sun comes out and the light is just right.

So, there’s a lot that goes into it. Having a great subject sure helps.

What is your process like for a typical shoot?

Normally, I’m contacted by a golf course about photographing their course. Once the details are worked out and the dates are picked, really the most important person for me to coordinate with is the course superintendent. So, we usually have a preliminary conversation to get a sense of their work schedule and to coordinate the shoot.

I’ll scout the course to determine which holes I want to shoot. A shoot could last a day or could last three days depending on what the course wants. Some will want a selection of nice photos and some will want all 18 holes.

After the shoot is finished, I come back home for editing – color correcting, fixing divots, cart tracks, bunkers, things like that. Once that is done I send the high resolution photos to the client.

Do you remember a shoot that was difficult or challenging, but ultimately worth it.

I remember Sand Valley a couple of years ago. I was scheduled to be there for three or four days and it was overcast and rainy the whole time. I talked to the client about what could be done and it just so happened that I was available to stay longer. So I ended up staying for another three or four days. After all that rain, the sun finally came out and it was absolutely beautiful. I was able to get some interesting shots with some wild clouds just as the storm was passing. It ended up being well worth it.

What are some of your favorite photographs?

The shot I took of the fifth hole at Bandon Dunes a couple of years ago is one. It was an overcast, misty morning, which is not unusual at Bandon in May. I went out and was just sitting by the fifth tee and the misty fog is blowing in and rising over the cliffs and coming out onto the course. I thought that if the sun would come out this would be a really cool scene. I was looking towards the east and the sun was just about to come up over this hill and there was a small break in the clouds. So I launched my drone and just hovered it in position. Sure enough, the sun came out for maybe a minute and it is one of my favorite shots that I ever got.

Do you think there is any correlation between being a good golfer and a good photographer?

I don’t know if being a good golfer helps you to be a good golf photographer, but it doesn’t hurt. I think it is important to know golf and having a high golf IQ certainly helps. Somebody who is not familiar with golf might have a hard time photographing golf courses in a way that golfers would appreciate. It think it is important to know golf and understand what the architect had in mind and photographing it in a way that shows off the architecture properly. It’s also helpful to have a good relationship and understanding of a superintendents work.

Do you have a favorite course to play?

I really like Royal County Down in Ireland. There is a golf course in the Dominican Republic called Punta Espada that I really like. I’ve done a lot of work for them and it’s a place my wife and I like to go on vacation. I love playing that golf course.

I love going to Bandon Dunes. It might be the best golf destination on the planet.

What about a favorite course to photograph?

I love going to Ireland. Old Head is a special place. I love Bandon Dunes. It’s one of my favorite places to go and to photograph.

What are some of the courses that you’ll be photographing in the near future?

I’ll be shooting Fenway Golf Club in Westchester, which is a wonderful old Tillinghast course that Gil Hanse recently restored. Then up to Michigan to shoot some of the golf courses for Boyne. Then going to Forest Dunes. Then I’m coming back here to for a couple of courses in Westchester – Apawamis, which was recently renovated – and Pelham Country Club . Then I go to Minnesota to shoot Giants Ridge. Later in the year I’ll be shooting Wilmington Country Club and going down to Mississippi to shoot Mossy Oak. Then I head to Massachusetts to shoot Dedham Country and Polo Club. Later in July I’m back in the Met Section to shoot a few courses on Long Island and then to New Jersey to Mountain Ridge. My schedule is booked with shoots until end of September.

What are a few of the courses that you’d like to photograph?

I would love to go to Australia and New Zealand. There are some courses there that are on top of my wish list to shoot. Tara Iti, Cape Kidnappers, Kauri Cliffs, Cape Wickham, some of the really cool golf courses on the sand belt.

How do you like to spend your down time?

Well, I haven’t had much downtime lately.

I played tennis as a kid and my wife and I have started playing tennis together. Of course, I enjoy playing golf. We have six cats and a bird at home, so we enjoy spending time at home.

Less downtime for Evan means there will be more of his great work for us to enjoy! 

To view Evan Schiller’s amazing golf photography visit evanschillerphotography.com. Prints of his photos are available in various sizes and on photographic paper, metal, and canvas. Evan features 12 of his beautiful photographs in a calendar each year, called Golfshots, which is available for $17.95.