Twenty-five years ago Evan Schiller had no plans of becoming a professional photographer, let alone establishing himself as one of the premier golf course photographers in the world, but in fact, that is exactly what happened. Evan started out with a love for the game of golf, a game he excelled at from a very young age. He went on to pursue a career as a PGA golf professional competing in numerous professional tournaments around the world, including the U.S. Open.
While playing the California Open at PGA West in 1986 Evan was so inspired by the desert landscape that he purchased a camera to bring along when he traveled. It was during his time as an Assistant Professional at Westchester Country Club in New York that his good friend Tom Patri suggested he sell his photography in the Pro Shop.
And in the midst of building a successful teaching and playing career Evan discovered two things about himself that ultimately shaped the future direction of his life. First, he possessed an artist’s eye for capturing nature’s beauty through a camera lens – specifically the beauty of the golf courses he was so fortunate to be playing. And second, he could combine his natural abilities and insights into golf and photography to actually make a living at it. So with a simple Minolta camera, no formal training and a whole lot of courage, Evan followed his ultimate passion to begin what has become a highly rewarding and successful career in golf course photography.
Evan has since traded in that early Minolta for a Hasselblad H6D-50 and a DJI Inspire 2 drone. He shoots from the ground, lifts, helicopters and all those in-between heights and angles that a drone has proven to be so effective and creative at capturing. Evan was early in recognizing the value of adding drone photography to his repertoire. With FAA license in hand, he has honed his flying skills to take advantage of the Inspire 2’s versatility in taking stills and video – all of which has proven highly effective in showcasing the beauty of the golf courses he shoots - many times capturing shots that were once logistically unattainable. Evan thoughtfully scouts each golf hole with the intention of being in the right place, at the right to time, with the right light, to create photographs that inspire. Using light as his artist’s paintbrush, Evan’s golf shots are beyond the imagination of most, and shows the architecture of a golf course at its best. And sometimes he just gets lucky...
Evan has photographed over 600 championship courses and has left his own distinctive mark on some of the most recognized tracks around the world including Pebble Beach Golf Links,Augusta National Golf Club,The Old Course at St. Andrews,Royal County Down,Ballybunion Golf Club,Waterville Golf Links,Bandon Dunes Golf Resort,Sand Valley Golf Resort, and Cabot Links. His shoots have taken him all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Ireland, Scotland as well as South Africa and Japan. Evan’s work has been published in countless national magazines, books and calendars including The Masters Journal,The US Open Magazine,The Ryder Cup Journal,LINKS Magazine,Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. His photography is also exclusively featured in the acclaimed book, Golf Courses of Hawaii and he continues to publish his own award-winning golf calendar, Golfshots. The dramatic shot Evan captured in 2009 of the 7th hole at Pebble Beach appeared on the cover of the 2010 US Open program.
Evan’s unusual combination of life experiences and innate talent provides a unique prospective sought after by golf course architects, private clubs, top-ranked golf resorts, public courses, PR firms, advertising agencies and exclusive golf-related retailers. His photography is most often used to build website content, social media presence and for general marketing materials. Esteemed golf course architect, Bill Coore of Coore & Crenshaw shares this about Evan’s work: “Evan Schiller’s photographs are more than just beautiful images of golfing landscapes. His photography brings to life the details of a golf course and draws the viewer into the image as though he were on the course itself. His ability to capture spectacular images from a golfer’s perspective is particularly impressive. Evan is a golfer’s photographer. I am a great admirer of Evan’s special talent.”
Evan Schiller is an officially licensed photographer for The Pebble Beach Company and the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
Testimonials
Read what people say about Evan's work:
“I can honestly say the money we spent on Evan wasn’t an expense - it was an investment and it might be some of the best money our club has ever allocated! The world-class quality of the photographs speak for themselves, and are only exceeded by the professionalism and accommodation displayed by Evan. His photographs helped re-introduce our restored Wissahickon course to the world (a Tillinghast design and his home course), while his photos of our Militia Hill and St. Martins courses presented them in a light not seen by even 50-year members! Simply put, he’s the best golf course photographer in the world and is now a lifetime friend of The Philadelphia Cricket Club!”
Jim Smith Jr.
PGA Director of Golf
The Philadelphia Cricket Club
“Evan Schiller's photographs are more than just beautiful images of golfing landscapes. His photography brings to life the details of a golf course and draws the viewer into the image as though he were on the course itself. His ability to capture spectacular images from a golfer's perspective is particularly impressive. Evan is a golfer's photographer. I am a great admirer of Evan's special talent"
Bill Coore
Coore & Crenshaw
"The Olympic Club worked with Evan in 2021. He provided shots of each hole on our two championship courses, as well as scenic shots from around the property and our executive course. Evan was consistently recommended to us as the best in the business, and so it was a natural choice for us to secure his services. Evan was a pleasure to work with throughout the process. He was very flexible in scheduling - we had to re-schedule his initial appointment due to wildfires in California, and had a very tight window to shoot prior to our hosting the 2021 U.S. Women's Open. Despite all of this, Evan made time for our course, and returned to the property for an extra day to ensure we got all the images we were looking for. He's a world-class person, in addition to his golf course photography skills."
Frank Stranzl - Head of Membership & Marketing
The Olympic Club
"It was an absolute pleasure to work with Evan on his recent visit to photograph our golf course. Evan didn’t just show up and take photos. He worked with us well in advance of his arrival on site to set us up for the most successful photo shoot possible. Evan’s attention to detail was second to none, and his extensive experience was evident throughout the process. As a result, Evan captured stunning photos of the golf course that will serve us well for many years to come."
Danny Rainbow – Director of Golf
SentryWorld
"Golf is as much about the landscape one plays through as it is about the competition. Capturing the essence of a golf course and its landscape is an art, Evan Schiller is an expert. He has captured the essence of my work as maybe no other has been able to. His talent, his patience, his knowledge and his expertise make him uniquely qualified in his field. I am often amazed to see the angles he has found and the light he waited so patiently for, my own home is adorned with his best work, or should I say my best work!"
David McLay Kidd
DMK Golf Design
“After being aware of and appreciating Evan’s work for several years, when the time came to update photography of our three courses, we turned to him and have been very pleased that we did. Thanks to him, we have signature shots that are spectacular yet authentic, the two key elements in what we needed him to achieve. Aside from his keen attention to detail, knowledge of golf and golf courses, and strong photographic capabilities, he is easy to work with, responsive and accommodating. We look forward to using his photos for years to come.”
Merry Tipton
Director of Marketing Communications
Sea Island
“In updating our media kit for the 2012 Ryder Cup, Medinah Country Club retained golf course photographer, Evan Schiller, to capture images of our famed No. 3 Course. After considering several other high caliber golf course photographers, we chose Evan, based not only on his excellent portfolio of existing work, but also based on his communication skills, follow through, determination and willingness in every way to work with us, around hectic schedules and a busy golf season. Evan’s skill, and the work he produced for Medinah, is exceptional. Evan was very thoughtful in his approach to the course, not only offering updated traditional and time-honored views of the holes, but also providing views that captured the elegance and beauty of the hole in a new way.
Evan is skilled and dedicated, with excellent follow-through and a keen eye for the golf course and beauty in the shot. Evan’s work exceeded our expectations and we are very pleased to display his photography.
Working with Evan was truly a pleasure and I highly recommend him.”
Danza Duffner
Director of Communications
Medinah Country Club
"Evan is a pleasure to work with, easy-going and professional. He has a keen eye for detail and a passion for showcasing our courses always in the best way possible. He constantly finds shots to portray extraordinary features. He brings a fresh new approach and shares his own exceptional vision of golf photography. One of his aerial images shot with his drone at Cabot Cliffs has become our hero shot. That image alone has sprung much excitement amongst our social media following and is used in a lot of our Marketing campaigns and resort collaterals. It’s a jaw-dropper. We have already booked Evan to come back next season."
Ben Cowan-Dewar
Managing Partner
Cabot Links
“When it came time to research golf photographers for our newly completed Tom Fazio designed Corales Golf Course, we reviewed several internationally acclaimed experts. After careful inspection of various portfolios and conversation about the photographer's vision , we narrowed the search down to Evan Schiller. His easy-going, professional demeanor, unique capture of hole by hole images and prompt return of completed work truly sets Evan apart from all competition. We are completing our third golf course shortly and will contract Evan to shoot this spectacular track as well.”
Michael J. Fraser
Executive Director of Marketing
PUNTACANA Resort & Club
"When we wanted to elevate our photography assets at the highest level, Evan Schiller's name was the first to come to mind. As a network with golf courses in unique regions and designed by diverse architects, Evan captured the essence of each course at the same high level. Every trip, Evan was detail oriented, patient to capture the best shot, and extremely professional with our club staff. We now have iconic photographs distributed through Golf Digest, Golfweek, LINKS Magazine, social media, our website, and beyond. Each photograph feeds the golfer's soul and represents our courses in the best visual position."
Ashley Watson
Marketing Strategist
Dormie Network
“In my 29 years as Executive Creative Director at Golf Digest magazine, I used Evan on many assignments, including The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club 2005 - 2010. He is a tireless and talented photographer that will go to extraordinary lengths to get the perfect image. His work reflects his amazing attention to detail and composition. Evan was my “go-to” photographer for many special projects including client specific advertorials and special advertising sections. In my current role at Sacred Heart University (since January of 2016), Evan has photographed our University golf course, “Great River” and the results have been spectacular. It is enough to say that Evan’s work speaks for itself."
Deb Chute
Director of Creative Services
Sacred Heart University
“Evan has photographed iconic images of our golf courses over three sessions. Whether shooting from the air or the ground he is able to capture the topography of the land that defines our six golf courses. Always willing to go the extra mile to deliver more than we asked for, he has become a treasured and valued partner.”
Bev Berardo
Marketing Coordinator
Reynolds Lake Oconee
